His property

0.23

I'm sat at the kitchen table when Declan comes in a scared look on his face and sweaty all over.

"What's wrong?" I ask him.

He takes a deep breath, "I am turning myself in."

I choke on my drink. Sebastian leaves sensing the tension im the room.
I expect to shout at Declan but what comes out is totally different, "why?"

He is also shocked by my calm response considering last night this topic angered me.

"I can't do this to you." He says, "Make you live a life you never wanted. I didn't want this but it was shoved so hard down my throat how could I refuse it? I'm scared though I don't know what they'll do to me."

"Lock you up for life on accounts of smuggling and possession of drugs, rape, money laundering and murder."

"Kifzi please help me. Just give me some guidance."

Rolling my eyes I stand up and walk to him. Placing a hand on his shoulder, "Declan if you turn yourself in. That would be the best thing you could do for yourself. It would erase everything you've done in the past."

"How would I even do it?"

"You call the police and tell them who you are and where to find you."

"You're not worried about what will happen to you?" He asks

"I don't know. I hope you don't think I'm letting you turn yourself in because I hate you. Neither of us are happy here, are we? I love you but not like before. Before I think it was because well you saved me and then I realised I was stuck with you so I made myself love you. You hurt me and I don't know why I let you but now...I just want my life back or something like a normal life and this isn't normal."

"I love you though the same way I always have." He cups my cheek and leans his forehead against mine.

Even though he's saying he loves me I just can't find it in my heart to love him the way we did. Maybe him realising he's a bad person made me realise it too.

"Is there anything you want?" He sighs. "Before I turn myself in and get locked up for life?"

He says the last part sarcastically but we both know it's true. I think for a moment and then remember I never got my tattoo.

"A tattoo." I say.

"That's it?" He seems surprised like maybe I should have asked for a diamond necklace.
I nod my head and we smile at each other.

The next day the tattoo artist comes and I have my design ready.

"Why can't I be there?" Declan whines from outside our room.

I smirk and sit down in the chair. The tattoo artist smiles at me, "wanna surprise him?

"Yeah."

"What do you have in mind?" He asks.

I hand him the sketch he asks me where I want it and I tell him where.
When he's done I admire my tattoos. The tattoo artist lets Declan in and when he sees me he stops in his tracks.

He walks over to me and points at the tattoos, "what do they mean?"

"This is the word clingy in Russian," I show him my middle finger. Then I point to my wrist where there is a drawing of the willow tree, my sister's initials are connected to the roots. The scar where Natalia scrawled her name on me is now a heart. I turn and show him behind my ear the letters D.W. and a cigarette above his initials are a crown.

"I like this the most," he points behind my ear. "But why would you keep a permanent reminder of me on your body?"

"First of all it's somewhere I can't see it and second I can't deny that you were a part of my life."

Declan cries just like that. I hold him and let him cry on my shoulder. When he pulls away we look at each other and then he leans forward to kiss me. I don't move and kiss him back careful of my tattoos.
We kiss slowly because we know it's our last. I let him put me down gently onto the bed and we continue to take our time kissing each other on every exposed part of our bodies. We take off our clothes and continue to kiss.

"May I?" He says with his lips still pressed against mine.

"Yes."

It feels right this time. Like he's physically asking for me to forgive him and I actually can.