Synopsis:
In the pulsating heart of Chicago, where the streets hum with the rhythm of life, a tale of intertwining destinies and forbidden love unfurls. Serafina, radiant and hopeful on the day of her wedding to Danilo, finds her world shattered whe...
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That night I was planning on spending with Hope to tell her everything. I wanted to finally define our relationship. I didn't want to just have a physical relationship, not with her. She was worth much more than that. I waited for her in bed while she was in the shower. Everything in me wanted to go in and join her but today I had to clear up everything. After that I'll have my way with her.
Hope came out of the bathroom, in one of my black hoodies her hair was damp. She looked like a goddess. She climbed into my lap and kissed my lips.
"I borrowed this from your closet. I hope you don't mind." She said softly. She started trailing kisses all over my face. If this went on there was no way i could confess so i gently pushed her, an indication for her to stop. She drew back, her face filled with confusion and insecurity. I kissed her one last time just to show her that i didn't pull away because I didn't like it.
Caught in Hope's gaze, my heart races like a runaway train, each beat a testament to the whirlwind of emotions inside me. "Hope," I say, my voice steadying as I gather my courage, "In the past year you've made me feel things I never thought possible. My heart died ages ago along with my ability to feel any emotion, but with you it feels like my heart is finally beating again. Every moment with you is like discovering a new color in a world I thought I knew by heart. And... I love you. It's as simple and as complicated as that." With those words, I lay my feelings bare, hoping she sees the truth in my eyes.
She froze for a few moments before she broke eye contact. "Nino, i can't say those words back." Now it was my turn to freeze. Did I take this too quickly? Doesn't she want anything from me other than sex? For the first time in a very very long time i felt self doubt.
"That's alright. I'll just shower and then we can go to sleep." I said, keeping my voice even and moving Hope off my lap. As I turned to make my way towards the bathroom, Hope's slim hands grabbed my forearm.
"No Nino, that's not how i meant it. I can't say those words knowing that i have some secrets that could possibly make you take back your words. Things that will make you see my as a freak. It would shatter my heart if i said it and then you call me a monster afterwards." She blabbered tears brimming her eyes. She closed her eyes composing herself before she spoke again. "I'll tell you everything about me. If you don't want me then I'll leave first thing in the morning. If you still feel the same then i can drop the last wall that I keep around my heart." She says slowly dragging me back to bed.
She sat cross legged looking incredibly nervous. I gently placed my hand on her thighs to calm her.
"My father comes from a very powerful family in Bleakstorm Island. He was royalty but there was one secret our family has kept hidden for ages. We weren't humans. Well not entirely. Everyone in his family possessed magic." She paused analysing my response. I pulled her closer to me because I knew that whatever she was going to tell me was something she doesn't often share with people and I'm one of the privileged ones. "My mom came from another powerful witch line in Italy. Their marriage was arranged by their parents so that the two arguably the most powerful families would have an alliance. My parents soon fell in love and had there first child, Dean, my brother. People of Bleakstorm Island were overjoyed with the birth of the heir to the throne. Four years later they had me. My brother and i were always together. He looked after me whenever our parents had important errands to run. I was a bratty kid who looked up to her brother. But my parents were lenient because I was the younger child." She laughed seeming lost in the past.
"Everything was perfect. Our parents had enemies but none bold enough to challenge them. The first born daughters of my father's bloodline possessed great power. I was stronger than my brother and father, but that also meant i didn't know how to control it. I used to barely keep it in check. One day, i was not in the mood to go to school so i told my parents i was sick. They of course knew I was lying but they let me stay at home. That was the worst decision i made."
She had a haunted expression on her face,a tear trailing down her cheek. I wiped it away and kissed her cheek encouraging her to go on.
"I was playing in the garden when i heard an earpiercing scream. I ran into the house. My mom immediately pushed me into the storage room asking me not to come out. My mom's best friend had brought along other enemies and they tied my parents up on a wooden pole and set fire at their feet. I was there watching through the small opening in the door. No one saw me there, people expected me to be at school. I was there watching my parents burn, their screams echoing through the house. I could've tried to do something but i was frozen in fear. My mom's friend and their enemies drank wine and celebrated their death. They didn't see the seven year old in the storage room who was weeping quietly over her parents who were her entire world. My brother found me there nine hours later just staring at the place my parents last stood. I was so angry, i wanted revenge but i knew i was not strong enough. Neither of us were." Tears streamed down her face. How could she possibly think I would hate her for all this. Her past is as heartbreaking, perhaps even more than my own.
"My brother and i went to this camp for supernatural beings. The headmaster there was powerful supernatural,i became his apprentice. My brother gave up his throne throne telling me that i was better fit and that he trusted me with it. I finally was strong enough when i was ten. Headmaster, who became like my father figure, told me that i had long surpassed him. My brother and i hunted all of them down like dogs and burned them alive. We made them suffer the same pain my parents went through." She finally looked up at me. The light that's usually shunes bright in her eyes were gone.
"So, now you know I'm not as perfect as i make myself seem. Deep down I'm just a broken girl. Do you really want all this baggage with you? All these enemies i have? "
I kept a steady eye contact with her. "I still love you just the same, maybe a little more."
Hearing me say that she breaks down into tears and threw herself at me. She sobbed into my chest. After a few minutes she calmed down.
"Nino, i love you so much! I was just too afraid that i wasn't good enough for you and that you'd never want someone scarred like me."
I lifted her off the bed, walked into the bathroom and placed her on the counter before i filled the bathtub when warm water. I lowered her into the water and got in behind her.
"I have a scarred part too. I'll tell you all my secrets tomorrow." I said kissing her head again.
"Aren't you afraid, that I'll leave you after I find out?" She asked me curiously.
"I'll never let you leave. You're mine now. My queen and no one will hurt you."
"And your my King. I love you." Hearing those words from her felt like paradise.
"Does that make me your girlfriend?" She suddenly asked.
"Yes and I'm your boyfriend. You're my girl now." I say pressing continuous kisses on her cheeks, eyelids, lips and neck. We stayed there in each other's arms until the water turned cold. After more than a decade i finally feel alive. The future is worth looking forward to.
