Happy New Year everyone! (Or is it too late to say that? Nevermind-)
As a treat for the big occasion, here ya'll got a chapter from Allens POV. Ya'll seemed pretty happy about it the last time.
Here's an extra question for you (there'll be another one at the end of the chapter): Any New Year's resolutions? I'd personally like to be... braver, take more risks. I most likely won't, but... who knows.
***
"Love? Paige?"
No answer.
A smile made its way onto my lips, only growing wider when she huddled even closer. Slowly, carefully, softly, I ran my fingertips all over her face; her eyebrows, her cheekbones, the perfect little cupid's bow.
I strangled a howl of joy at the thought of her lips on mine. The careful way she'd pressed her lips to mine, the sound of her heart when I just grazed my tongue over her mouth... the innocence was oddly adorable.
I'd never thought I'd find the whole 'lack-of-any-experience-what-so-ever' thing attractive, but now that I was living it... there was something incredibly hot about her inexperience, and her shyness... I smiled when I looked back down at her. She was out like a light, which gave me much-needed room to think.
She had kissed me. I had never imagined in my wildest fantasies that she would ever make the first move...
I shook my head at the thought of other first moves we'd have waiting for us... soon, hopefully. Very very soon.
First of all, we'd need a real kiss. Not the elementary-school bullshit earlier tonight. I wanted my tongue in her mouth, her tongue in mine, her beautiful ass in my lap, her breath leaving her mouth in short, hard gasps... the thought alone made me glance between Paige and my crotch.
Dear goddess, please do not let her wake up right now, we've come so far tonight alone, and I cannot handle us drifting away from each other again because of a poorly timed boner.
I shook my head in disgust. She's 16. Keep your paws to yourself, Allen.
My eyes found their way to the TV where the comedian-guy was joking about lasting 2 minutes during sex. Weakling. I turned the TV off and wrapped my arms around my precious, pulling her on top of me, and burying my nose in her hair.
She smells like forest and pasta and strawberry shampoo all at once- weirdly complementary scents.
I shifted around on the bed and groaned. I can't sleep like this. Button shirts and dress pants were great for fancy dinners- as pajamas? Not so much.
With a sigh, I placed Paige by my side and headed for my closet unbuttoning my shirt as I went. I dropped it into the hamper, letting my pants follow right after. I glanced at myself in the mirror. Could use an extra trip to the gym, Ally-boy.
Perhaps Joseph would be up for some working out... goddess knows Kya would appreciate getting rid of him for a few hours during the week.
I shook my head and looked at my current outfit if you could even call it that- boxers and socks. The socks went the same way as my shirt and my pants. I tilted my head to the side... on a scale from one to ten, how much would Paige freak if she woke up to me wearing this?
My optimistic side said three.
My common sense said 12,4.
I sighed and pulled on a pair of joggers and took my socks off, heading back for the bedroom. She was on her back now, her nose wrinkling in her sleep, her lips opening and closing soundlessly.
Carefully, I crawled back into bed and pulled her on top of my chest once again. She sighed and smiled in her sleep, her fingers moving over my bare chest as if she was trying to get a hold of something.
I grabbed her hand and brought it up to my lips, kissing the knuckles one by one before placing it back on my chest, to which she responded with flexing her fingers, her nails digging just a little into my skin. I had to suppress a moan. Even unconscious, she knows what my kink is... the moon goddess truly does pair us with the person perfect for us in every way.
She turned her head from side to side and sighed. Her adorable little button nose scrunched, and she smiled. Her eyelids fluttered, and she nuzzled her face closer. "A...Al... yes..." she breathed deeply, almost a moan, her nails digging just slightly into me once again.
Dear goddess, if you kill me now, I will die a happy man.
I smiled, closed my eyes, and laid my head back, enjoying the weight and warmth of her body on my chest, the feeling of the beautiful mane of hair moving every time she shifted her weight around, the steady, almost melodic sound of her heartbeat.
Seconds later, I felt myself drift off into sleep, to the lullaby of Paige's calm breathing on my chest.
***
When I opened my eyes, the first thing that met me was... her. The scent, the unruly haystack of hair right under my nose, the sound of her soft, oddly endearing snore.
The evening before came rushing back- our conversations, her shyness at the restaurant, the kiss...
Yes, the kiss. The most innocent kiss I've ever given a woman I wasn't related to, and yet the most wonderful and exciting kiss I'd ever given anyone in my entire life... except she had kissed me. I could feel the shit-eating grin spreading on my face.
I shifted, tipping her off my chest and into the jumble of sheets, and headed for the bathroom for a quick shower. Within ten minutes I was clean, my joggers back on. I sighed. Gotta put on some real clothes.
I headed out of the bathroom, for my closet, stopping in my tracks the second I opened the door. Paige was sitting up in my bed, her hair a messy haystack on her head, her cheeks and the tips of her ears rosy red, the shyest of smiles on her lips.
"Goodmorning, my Love- sorry for leaving you all on your own in the bed," I smiled at her, but her face fell blank. The next second I realized she wasn't looking me in the eyes anymore- her eyes had gone down to my chest and stomach. I nearly choked on my own satisfaction. She's checking me oooouuuuuuuut.
My smile turned into a smirk. "You might want to take a picture- it'll last longer,"
Her cheeks, ears, and neck went from rosy red to scarlet. I winked at her and went into my closet, holding back my laughter as I watched her pull the covers over her face with a... it was either a groan or a squeal, or some mix of the two.
I barely looked at the clothes I chose- I was far too busy getting back to my precious Paige. Once I was finished putting on my clothes, I took a quick glance in the mirror. Black jeans and a Linkin Park t-shirt... not bad. I grinned at myself and headed back into my room.
But Paige was gone. I shook my head to myself. Well, if I can't give her a morning cuddle, at the very least I can make her breakfast. And I also need to get the mail, I forgot about that yesterday...
A few minutes later I was in the kitchen, whisking eggs in a bowl. A smile spread on my lips at the sound of tip-toeing down stairs. The sound of walking on wood was replaced by the sounds of walking on tiles, and I clearly heard her breathing behind me. "Morning again, Love- I'm making omelets, how many do you want?"
"Uh... none,"
I whipped around, adrenaline rushing down my spine. She needs to eat.
She blushed and looked down at her hand. "I don't really like... anything with eggs, except scrambled eggs,"
My mind went blank. "Oh, my bad, I hadn't noticed- what would you like instead? Scrambled eggs and bacon? Or pancakes? Waffles? Grille-" I stopped talking when she held her hands up.
"Eggs and bacon sound fine! Thank you! Jeez," she shook her head. "Not exactly like I need to eat," she added, grabbing at the skin on her stomach through her t-shirt.
I shook my head. "Love, you are not overweight- not even close. And if you really think you are, I'll happily take you to the doctor, to have them tell you that you're not overweight," my eyes scanned over the contents of the fridge, before finally settling on the last pack of bacon.
"Well, if I'm not fat, then I sure as hell am going to be if you keep feeding me like this. What is it with you and food anyways?" she rolled her eyes.
I poured the eggs onto the pan, getting another pan in the cupboard for the bacon. The silence continues for a minute before I sighed. "I have a history of... I just want to make sure you eat. It's a ... well, first off it's a common-sense thing because you need to eat to stay alive, and also it's a mate thing- I like... I like seeing you well-fed," I shrugged and turned around, to Paige scrunching her nose.
I sent her a grin and turned back to our food. "Your grandparents are moving into the new place Tuesday- do you wanna skip school and help them all day, or wait until you're free for the day?"
"I know it's irresponsible, but I really wanna be with them... so I think I'll skip. But only Tuesday- I don't want to get kicked out or anything..."
"They wouldn't dare to kick you out, trust me. But that's completely fine. However, I can't join you until... 12-ish," my appointment starts at 10.20... and it's an hour, so I'll be finished at 11.20, and the drive... "Yeah, around 12," I confirmed.
"Why?" she tilted her head to the side, her chin resting in her hands.
"Therapy. I see my psychologist every Tuesday at 20 past 10,"
"You?! You see a shrink? Why- you're so... stable," she raised her eyebrow.
I turned down the heat on the stove, taking a deep breath. "I'm stable because I see a psychologist. If I didn't, I'd be all over the place,"
She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. "Nope- it's too early in the morning for me to explain anything about that," she pouted, her eyes narrow and chin jutting out. Adorable.
"Anyways... I have plans for today," I grinned at the thought. She narrowed her eyes.
She clicked her tongue, her eyes scanning up and down my body. I automatically puffed out my chest just a little. "What plans?"
I gestured to the small, round breakfast table, where I'd placed the envelope. "Well, first of all, open that," I winked at her and put the bacon on the pan, my mouth watering at the scent.
She walked over the floor, and I heard her trying to carefully open the envelope, finally groaning and just ripping the paper open, the plastic falling down on the table. "Allen, what's this?"
Oh shit, she's pissed. "It's a card, a credit card. We're going shopping, and... anyways, you needed to be able to buy stuff on your own," I shrugged, still avoiding her eyes.
"Allen, that's very sweet of you, but I have no money, and anyways, I have a closet full of clothes, more than I'll ever be able to wear- I don't need to go shopping,"
I couldn't help smiling. Of course, she refuses- she doesn't want me taking care of her, and she doesn't like excess. "You have money- 15.000 dollars to be exact, and you can use them as you please. I know you have clothes, but still... if there's something you want, like a little knick-knack, or a book, or a bracelet... anything, I want you to be able to buy it. And since we're going to see your grandparents and help them move in, you can buy them a housewarming plant,"
Her voice was flat. "A housewarming gift? Are you kidding me?"
I shrugged, turning around. "Yeah, something small, but... like, a vase, or a little houseplant... I noticed they had no houseplants at the other place, what's up with that? Do they have allergies or something?"
She shook her head. "Nah- they weren't allowed to have houseplants in the rooms. They were forbidden a few years ago," she shrugged as if someone deciding whether you could have something as simple as a philodendron in your own home was normal.
"Why?!"
"Well, a few years ago they realized that someone... a few people actually were growing food plants- tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers. And since they were losing money from them not buying the groceries, they destroyed all plants and made them forbidden," once again, her face and voice was calm, as if this was normal and every-day.
A shudder passed through me. "I am so glad that I got your grandparents away from that awful prison- and closing it down,"
She nodded, her eyes on her hands. "Me too... it..." she sighed. "It means a lot to me, you know, that you just... your immediate reaction was to help them, and I'm grateful for that. Thank you," a soft blush colored her cheeks, her teeth biting into her bottom lip.
I looked away from her lip the next second. As much as I wanted to, I had my doubts that she would appreciate me throwing her against the wall in a kiss, before inevitably carrying her upstairs... Allen, get your shit together.
"Don't mention it- I'm happy to,"
Paige sighed, looking up at me through her eyelashes. "Do we really have to go? I don't... I don't know how to do shopping- we never had the money to. And that too; I don't like using your money, and especially... 15.000 is so much money, way too much. It feels wrong, it makes me feel like..." she pressed her lips together and looked away.
Breathe, Allen, stay calm. "Is this about what your father said to you?"
She breathed deeply as if preparing to say something, before shrugging.
Silence filled the room for a minute or two before I'd thought about what I should say next. "Love, my dear, my light- you are my mate, and I am yours. It's my job to take care of you and provide for your every need, and I'm lucky enough to have the money that I can share with you. You are not a ... hooker or a prostitute. You are my mate, who I care for, love with all my heart. Please don't ever let anyone, not even your father, especially not your father, tell you otherwise. I know he's just worried about you, but this is your life to live," I walked around the kitchen island, taking her face in my hands. When I finally got eye contact with her, I noted that her eyes were slightly red.
I pressed my forehead against hers, not cutting eye contact. "I love you, and I know you'll make up with your father- don't even worry about it. He's afraid for you, but he'll realize he doesn't have to be, soon enough. I'd never hurt you, and I'll do everything in my power to make you happy. He'll see that eventually,"
She shrugged. "I don't think he will..." she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around me. "But thank you,"
I wrapped my arms around her as well, burying my face in her hair. She was so small, thin, fragile in my arms. I held her, and she held me, for a few minutes, until the smell of burning food seared in my nostrils.
I pulled away, pressing a quick kiss to Paige's forehead before heading back to the stove to save her breakfast- thankfully, it wasn't completely ruined. "And also, I had to go shopping anyways- buy groceries,"
"Don't you have like, people to buy your groceries for you?"
I chuckled. "Yeah, but I also like to do it myself, when I have time. It's so... normal. It's oddly comforting- relaxing," I shrugged and filled her scrambled eggs and bacon on to a plate, and my omelet onto another plate.
She was biting her lip, looking down at her breakfast. She sighed. "But honestly, Allen- 15.000, it's so... so much. It's more than my parents spend on groceries... or anything in a year,"
I smiled. "Love, I can afford it- easily. That money- it's really nothing. And I want you to have them. So you can buy stuff you like, and stuff for the people you love, and... money is good to have around. It's good for emergencies,"
She pursed her lips, eating some of her eggs. "It just - and yes, I know you said I shouldn't feel like that, but I can't help it- makes me feel kind of like a hooker like you're paying me, for..." she pressed her lips together.
I chuckled. "It's just money, Love- I have plenty. You have to get used to that," I smiled at her, and turned my attention to my omelet- Paige went back to her breakfast as well, albeit the thoughtful expression remained on her face.
It got me thinking too. I suppose I should've expected this, but honestly, I'd thought that she had gotten pretty used to my being rich- considering the house, the six cars, but then again, the expression on her face when she'd picked up the sunglasses in the car yesterday should've probably given me a hint.
When I looked back up, she was looking at me with narrowed eyes. She swallowed the food in her mouth. "Can I ask you something?"
The sound of your voice is like an angel's chorus. "Of course,"
She thought for a second. "When... if I ever get a job, after high school, I'll... I'd like to have my salary on that card, then. I don't want your money," she looked back into my eyes as if she was expecting me to get mad.
"That's not really a question, Love, but if that's what you wanna do, then we'll do that- I can imagine making your own money comes with a great deal of satisfaction," I smiled at her, and her eyes flew up in surprise at my words. She clearly expected me to fight back.
***
About an hour later, we were in my car - the Audi- on the way to the mall. I shifted my eyes to the passenger seat. Paige was fidgeting, running her fingers over the writing on the card.
My eyes went back to the road. "I was thinking that we could go grocery shopping first and get that over with, and then afterward we can go shopping shopping- you can by the birthday gift for your mother and the housewarming gift for your grandparents, and you can spend all the time you want doing that,"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her nodding, her eyes distant. She seemed almost... "You seem a little on edge, Love. Like you're nervous. Why?"
She shrugged. "Honest to god, I've never gone shopping for anything but groceries,"
I furrowed my brows. "What about when you had to buy clothes?"
Another shrug. "Most of my clothes were hand-me-downs from the other people in the... HSA. And the rest... we never looked at things to check if they looked good, I never... tried on clothes or compared colors. We bought what we needed for the cheapest price, and that was that. I mean... I'd had my old sneakers since I was 12. We didn't by anything for fun, really,"
I shook my head. "That explains why you circled so few things in the hospital, I guess. But that's over now- now you can try on stuff and compare colors and be picky all you want. That money on your card are yours, and you can spend them however you want," I smiled at her and wrapped my hand around hers, giving it a squeeze.
She smiled and looked down at our hands, her smile only growing wider. My chest nearly exploded, not being helped by the sound of her heartbeat picking up.
I found a parking spot near the entrance to the mall and ran around the car, opening it for her. As soon as she stepped out, I wrapped my hand around hers once again and threw the door closed, heading for the entrance.
She smiled as we walked inside, hand in hand, and I felt like I grew another six feet. I smiled proudly, my chest puffing out, and headed for the little grocery store in the mall. I used my left hand to pull out a grocery cart, still not letting go of Paige's hand.
Her eyes were shining beautifully as she smiled up at me when we went into the store. "Well, what do we need?"
I ran through the list in my head. "Quite a few things- too many to sum up, but first of-" I nodded in the direction of the greens and fruit aisle. "-We need some cauliflower and apples,"
Half an hour and three explanations about how I could afford the better quality stuff even though it was more expensive later, we were finished grocery shopping and went on to find a birthday present for Paige's mother- my mother in law, by all means. Not that she would ever accept that.
We took the escalator to the second floor, Paige looking around herself and everywhere as we did- her hand was still in mine, and in the other hand, I carried the two bags of groceries.
"So, what are you thinking of getting her?" I rubbed her hand with my thumb, and she shrugged, muttering a 'no idea'.
"Well... you could get her a nice little decorative thing for their new house, or maybe... I don't know, an infinity bouquet? Or something else she likes... I mean, you have the money now, what's something she's always wanted?"
Paige pursed her lips, following along silently when we got off the escalator. To pass the time, I dragged her into a random store- a bookstore. To my surprise, she didn't even pay attention to anything on the shelves. I remembered the first time I saw her.
The hallway had been dark, only illuminated by the moonlight outside, and just before walking down the stairs to the bottom floor to the ballroom, I caught the most wonderful scent that had ever entered my nostrils. It was vanilla like and sweet and the most amazing thing I'd ever smelled, and I'd just known to follow it.
The door into the library had been half open, and I'd pushed it all the way open. At first, I saw nothing until my eyes moved downwards. In front of the bookshelf was a girl, wearing a beautiful blue dress, her knees bent, her fingers resting on the backs of the books. She was stiff as a board, not moving an inch.
Suddenly, she'd jolted up, her hands shaking my her side, and her heart beating a thousand miles per hour. She turned around slowly, looking into my eyes, and that was it.
In that second, the world, the party downstairs, the air around me- it all disappeared. All I saw was her. The beautiful, full lips, slightly parted in surprise. The grey-ish eyes shining like stars. Her high cheekbones, the soft, rounded jawline. All I saw was her, and all I'd ever want to see for the rest of my life was her.
I smiled down at our intervened hands. It had just been two months, but that short time had changed everything in my life, and hers as well.
She took a deep breath. "My mom... she's always wanted a wedding ring. The one she had... it was a fake one, made of plastic, and it broke two weeks after her and my dad got married. Would that be too much?"
I smiled. "No, I think that would be perfect. I can't believe she's never had a wedding ring,"
Paige shrugged. "They couldn't afford a real one," she bit her lip. "Where do you even go to get that kind of stuff?"
"A jeweler. Come on, let's get back to the car, I know just the guy," she pursed her lips in confusion but followed along when I walked her out of the bookstore back to the escalator, out of the mall, and back to my car.
***
I parked out front of Mason's, opened the door for Paige, gesturing my head for her to follow. She furrowed her brows and got out of the car, staring at the storefront. "What's this place?"
I grinned at her. "My favorite jeweler. My dad bought my mom's engagement ring here, and I bought your necklace too," I nodded at the necklace that had loyally stayed around her neck ever since I put it on her- she apparently didn't even take it off when she went to bed. A fact that I enjoyed perhaps a little too much.
Her hand in mine, we walked inside. It was pretty quiet, a man in his thirties -Marty- standing behind the cash register. "Can I help the two of you?"
"I'd like to see Mason if he's here?"
He smiled and nodded, heading into Mason's office. I looked down to Paige, who was looking at me, her lips pursed and eyes narrow. "What?"
"Nothing," she shook her head. I squeezed her hand, bringing her hand to my lips, kissing each of the knuckles. Her cheeks darkened, and her eyes found the floor- but still, a little smile was on her lips, her heartbeat picking up.
A loud laugh drew our attention to the right, where Mason was grinning from ear to ear. "Allen- that was soon. But then again, it all happened quite fast with your parents as well. Well, shall we take a look?"
Paige looked up at me raising an eyebrow. "What's he talking about?"
I shrugged, turning my head towards Mason. The smile fell from his face. "You're not here looking for engagement rings?" he asked, his voice suddenly low.
I smiled and shook my head. "No- but we are here looking for rings. For Paige's mother. And now that we're at it- Mason, this is my mate, Paige. Paige, this is Mason, jeweler my family has gone to for the past 30 years,"
Paige smiled, taking half a step closer to me. "Nice to meet you,"
Mason grinned, his white beard moving as he did. "So this is her? Wonderful. And you were right- the necklace was indeed perfect for her," he gestured to her neck, making the tips of Paige's ears redden. "Well, rings- now Paige, what are we talking here?"
She blushed further, avoiding Mason's eyes and looking at her feet. "My... my mom..." she took a deep breath. "My mom and dad couldn't afford real rings when they got married, so they got rings made of hard plastic. But my mom's ring broke, and she's always wanted a new one," she whispered.
Mason looked mortified, shaking his head. "Plastic rings. Just the thought makes me want to hurl. Well then, better get your mother something of true quality, do you know her ring size, and... will you need a ring for your father too?"
She shrugged. "I think it's a seven and a half... maybe eight. And I don't know... maybe. My dad never actually wear his ring, because he doesn't want to break it,"
He nodded for a second. "A pair of wedding rings then. And your father's ring size?"
She shrugged, pressing her lips together. Mason nodded. "Alright the average ring size for American human men is nine, so let's go with that and then you can always come back and have it refitted if needed. And because we are the best establishment of our kind, I have a specialist for these kinds of things-" he looked over his shoulder. "Elle!" he barked in the direction of the backroom.
The next second, a woman with a buzzcut and friendly smile was standing beside him. "Yes?"
Mason smiled proudly. "This is Elle- she's our everything-involving-rings specialist, basically," he winked at Paige. "I'm sure she'll be of great assistance in finding the perfect rings for your parents,"
Elle smiled at Paige, before turning around. "Follow me Paige, and please tell me what exactly it is we're looking for..."
Paige looked up at me with surprised eyes. I winked at her, gesturing for her to follow. She bit her lip, and then slowly let go of my hand, walking after Elle.
Mason turned back to me, wiggling his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes. "She sure is a sight- but... how old is she?"
I cleared my throat, making him chuckle. "That young, huh?"
"Yeah..." I cleared my throat.
He chuckled again, clapping my shoulder. "Don't you worry about it- I realized Mary was my mate the day after her sixteenth birthday," he smiled warmly.
I rolled my eyes. "When you met Mary, it was normal for everyone to get married at 16, because if they'd be dead by 25,"
He furrowed his brows. "Hey, behave. Otherwise, I'll rat you out to your mother,"
A shiver passed down my back at the thought. "Anyways... I wanna get something for her mother as well... a peace offering," I shrugged. "I was thinking... maybe a locket,"
He raised his eyebrow. "Like the ones you can put pictures in?"
I nodded. "Yes, those- do you have anything like it?"
Now it was Mason's turn to raise his eyes. "We have everything," he gestured for me to follow him to the opposite end of the store from where Paige was. I threw a long look over my shoulder, smiling at the sight; she was carefully picking up a ring, examining it closely, before gently placing it back down and picking up another one. She's precious.
It didn't take long for me to pick out a locket- just a simple, square-shaped one with slightly rounded corners and a silver chain. Hopefully, she'd like it. My mother in law. I shuttered. Of course, I'd ended up being the cliché- the boyfriend the mother hates. You're hardly her boyfriend though- she's only let you kiss her once, and there's no saying if she'll ever let you do it again.
The thought was depressing.
But the second I heard careful footsteps behind me, the feeling vanished into thin air. I turned around, smiling down at her. She furrowed her brows as she looked at the little bag in my hand. "What'd you buy?"
I shrugged. "Nothing- just a bracelet for my sister," I smiled at her, my heart skipping a beat when she grinned back. That's it- there's no going back now. I'll marry her. I'll do everything, anything, to make sure I'll be seeing her walking down the aisle.
"So, what's on the schedule now?" She tilted her head to the side, the grin only growing wider. my mouth went dry.
Okay, Allen, let's sum up the reasons why kissing her right now would be a very bad idea.
1: You're in public.
2: She would absolutely, undeniably slap you to the other end of the state.
3: Once you kiss her you probably won't be able to ~stop~.
"Hm... I haven't thought about it. I honestly expected you to spend more time shopping. What do you want to do?" I absentmindedly handed my card to Mason, who walked over to the cash register with the rings Paige had picked out.
She pursed her lips, a little 'v' forming between her eyebrows. Her chest expanded slowly. "I think... hmm... I don't know. Could we... maybe..." she bit her lip, the 'v' only getting deeper. A blush spread from her neck to her cheeks, touching the top tips of her ears.
I couldn't help it. I raised my eyebrow. "Could we... what?"
She bit her lips and shook her head. "Nothing, I honestly just... want to go home. Maybe watch a movie or some Netflix? Maybe... I don't know, either that Disney movie... the one with the rat, or we could maybe watch... uh, Jane the Virgin..." her blush darkened when she said the word virgin. My mouth went dry again. She avoided my eyes. "If you want to, obviously- I can also watch on my own if you have better things to do,"
I couldn't contain my chuckle. "Love, spending time with you is the best thing I can do- if it were up to me, I'd spend every waking moment with you- and sleeping moments too, for that matter," I winked at her, my inner pervert shining through for just a minute. Allen, she's sixteen. Sixteen.
She giggled nervously, her blush only darkening. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mason handing me my card. I took it from him, forcing my eyes away from Paige. "Thank you, Mason," I nodded at him with a smile, and he chuckled.
"You're welcome, Allen. Who knows- maybe the next time we see each other, it'll be to pick out an engagement ring," he wiggled his eyebrows at Paige, who stared at him with wide eyes, her mouth hanging slightly open.
A nervous laugh escaped me. "I'm not counting on it, but, again- thank you. I'll see you around," I waved goodbye with the hand in which I held the little bag, wrapping my other hand gently around Paige's, half-dragging her out of the store. I released a deep breath once we got out, looking up at Paige. I felt heat warming my cheeks. "I'm sorry about him... and everyone else. It's really... most people don't understand... " I shrugged.
She shook her head, doing an overdone eye roll. "Don't worry about it. Unfortunately, I've gotten used to it by now,"
I smiled, placing a quick kiss on her forehead, before opening the car door for her. She bit her lip and got in.
I got into the driver's seat, pressing my thumb to the scanner. Alright, Allen, you need to ask her. "Love, how do you feel about tattoos?"
"On myself or in general?"
"In general,"
She pursed her lips. "I... I don't have anything against them, but I'm probably never getting any myself. Why?"
I took a deep breath, slowly breathing out. "I was jus... considering... having your name tattooed on my arm. With the day we met written underneath," Please be okay with this, please.
Her eyes widened. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean... I can't stop you or anything but no one knows where we're going to be... by this time next year,"
A chuckle escaped me. "May I remind you that we're mates? That's never gonna change. So by the time next year, we'll still be mates,"
Her face fell flat, her eyes empty, a soft 'oh' leaving her.
"Is something in the matter, Love?"
She shook her head. "No, no. I just... I hadn't really thought about that. The two of us, we're... kind of... stuck together. For the rest of our lives," she took a deep breath, closing her eyes.
Nervousness began crawling up my back. Please, dear goddess, don't let her push me away again, please. I love her, I can't take her not wanting to be close to me, dear goddess, please don't let her distance herself.
Finally, after a minute and 36 seconds, she opened her eyes again. "Well, then I guess there's nothing stopping you from getting that tattoo," she shrugged. She was still a little pale, but her color was slowly returning. I relaxed. "Do you have any already?"
I chuckled. "Yeah. One," Please don't ask, please don't ask, please don't ask.
"Where? And... what?"
I sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask that. It's on my shoulder and it's a... okay, storytime. I had a friend in college. He had it... pretty bad, mentally. For a while. I was sure it was some depression, and maybe anxiety, but this guy... he refused to see a psychologist. By the time he had lost almost 40lbs in a month.
I basically dragged him to the doctor, who agreed that he was... super depressed. As in gave-him-a-prescription-for-antidepressants-right-then-and-there depressed. long with a very clear suggestion to see a therapist. But still, he wouldn't, because, 'I'm not a pussy, I don't need a shrink'," I sighed.
"So... we made a deal- if he went to the psychologist, and started taking his antidepressants... I'd let him pick out a tattoo for me. Any tattoo. And... now I have a cartoony t-rex on my shoulder,"
She raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding,"
A sigh of defeat left me. "Unfortunately not. It's there and I'm basically stuck with it... for the rest of my life. I was a real dumbass in college. I can show it to you when we get home,"
She pressed her lips together. "Yeah, I have to see that,"
I groaned.
"And-" she began. "It's nice to know I'm not the only person you've forced into bettering their mental health,"
A short, dry laugh left me. "Yeah. You, the guy from college, and another friend I had in high school. His mom had just died, his dad was a mess, and he didn't want to talk to anyone about it- after months of arguing, he finally went, just to prove that it 'wouldn't help shit'. He's studying to become a psychologist himself today,"
She giggled. "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain"
"Indeed,"
***
I parked my car in the garage, my eyes narrowing as Paige jumped out of the car before I even had a chance to open the door for her. She grinned when she noticed my facial expression. She's playing with me.
Before she had a chance to get away, I wrapped my hand around hers, pulling her close as we walked back up to the house. Once we got to the front door, I opened it before she could even reach the door handle, and she glared at me with fake annoyance. I love her.
She pulled her hand away from mine, walking a few steps away from me, standing still with her arms crossed. "Okay, show me- I wanna see the t-rex,"
I placed my hand on my chest, opening my eyes wide and grimacing in disgust. "Paige White, are you asking me to strip for you, in my own home?!"
Her face fell flat, the confident smile vanishing in a second. "No, I mean... it wasn't like that, it's not because I wanted you to strip I just wanted to see your tattoo, I didn't mean it like... like I wanted to see you... without clothes on... like, naked, or anything... no, I don't want that... I mean... you... it wasn't..." she bit her lip, and I'm pretty sure every drop of blood in her body rushed to her cheeks- I couldn't imagine anything else, considering that they were dark crimson red.
"Relax- I was just messing with you," I pulled my t-shirt over my head, not thinking twice. Her teeth disappeared from her lip, as her mouth fell open, just a little bit. I'm pretty sure my ego just had an orgasm.
I turned around, letting out a sigh of defeat.
"Oh my god, it's really there... it's so cute," she giggled. My heart swelled to double size at the sound.
I put my shirt back on, turning around. "Thanks for saying that- my sister's think it's just more confirmation that I'm a complete loser, and my brother... well, until two years ago he thought it was awesome, but he's not that into dinosaurs anymore so now he doesn't really care,"
She smiled. "I think it's very sweet. Also the story behind it," her smile grew wider, showing off her teeth.
"Thank you- I appreciate it. Why don't you go... find that movie you wanted to watch, the one with the... rat? Right? Then I can throw some snacks in the oven for us- then we'll stay inside for the rest of the day and play dead,"
She nodded, placing a quick kiss on my cheek before heading for the living room, leaving me frozen in place. She kissed me. She kissed my cheek- not because I did something for her, not because anything, she just... spontaneously kissed me.
This is the best day of my life.
I took a deep breath, to prevent myself from yelling, roaring, squealing with joy- had I been a teenage girl I would've been screaming into my pillow at a frequency only dogs could hear right now.
I did a little, celebratory jump, and then headed off to the kitchen.
***
A/N
Another chapter from Allen's perspective.
Out of curiosity, does this change your view of him or does it just confirm something you already knew?
Anyways, question... hm-hm-hmmmmmmm... if you could invent anything, like a machine... what would you invent?
I'd make some sort of brain/computer connector so I'd just have to play out the stories I want to write like a movie in my head and my computer could them write it down for me with like... all of the nice little details and shit.
Fun fact about me... hmmmmmmmmm... I'm a neat freak. Especially in the kitchen. My mom's girlfriend is... not. It's awful when she cooks, there's grease everywhere, dishes left in the sink (even though we have a dishwasher) It's a fucking nightmare
Also, here's something new I'll start doing: Wise words of the day.
Today's wise words: Men's mental health is just as important as anyone else's and men should never be shamed or called 'pussies' for being depressed, having anxiety, having an ED, or anything like that. And they, most of all, should never be shamed for getting help and taking medication if needed.
And that's on that.
Anyways, I love you guys, take care of yourself, wash your hands, wear your masks (unless you literally can't), and keep being awesome, because you really are.