"Cole is going to stay with us here until he's entirely fine." Reyna told Ethan over dinner at the table. She clasped Cole's hand that was kept on her thigh and caressed his knuckles with her thumb, and they both looked at each other with a smile on their faces, losing themselves in each other's eyes in front of Ethan, who was seated in front of them.
He cleared his throat to get their attention and spoke as they both moved their eyes to him, "Cole, why don't you permanently shift here? Because most of the time you spent here, moreover, Reyna told me that you used to come through the window to meet her at night." As Ethan said teasingly, Cole glared at Reyna, and she pouted adorably at him.
"Who tells this to her brother, Kiddo?" He asked in a whispering tone from her, and her eyelashes moved down shyly.
"Sorry! Erroneously, it slipped out of my mouth." She answered in a hushed tone while playing with his rings like an adorable baby, and he just admired the cutest girlfriend in the entire world with a beatific smile on his face.
"Anyway, jokes apart, I'm serious, Cole. You should shift here with us." As he suggested, cleaning his hands with a napkin after finishing his meal, Reyna's eyes shimmered.
"Wow, that would be fantastic." She squealed and kissed his hand, which she clasped in delight.
"Ethan, don't act smart. After marriage, I'll take Reyna to my house. She is not going to live here with you forever, you know we need some privacy." He nuzzled her neck shamelessly in front of Ethan, making his eyes widen.
"Cole, you're so shameless." She pushed him, embarrassed, and he chuckled.
"Cole, you'll never mend." He uttered, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Now what is wrong with romancing my girlfriend and who will be my wife in the future?" He asked, arching his brows at Ethan, and Reyna blushed hard and looked at him with surprise.
"What? You are the only person I intend to marry in the future." He stated while kissing her lips quickly, and her heart leapt with delight after listening to his words.
Ethan ignored this and asserted sternly, "Now I'm never going to allow you to stay here after your recovery." He rose from the chair and stormed to his room.
Cole laughed because he was having fun teasing his friend, and Reyna pouted sadly because she wanted Cole to stay with them after his recovery as well.
"Kiddo, why are you upset?" Cole asked her as he noticed her sad pout.
"I want you to stay with me forever."
He placed his hand on her face and explained to her lovingly, "I'll stay with you forever, Baby, but not here. Did you not notice your brother acting as if he had never kissed his girlfriend?" He rolled his eyes.
"Cole, he-" he cut her words.
"Cole, he is my brother." He mimicked her and asked, "You're going to say this, right?"
"Yup." She nodded, lowering her eyelashes.
"You know I'm just enjoying teasing your brother, Kiddo. He is adorable as you." As Cole called him cute, she giggled.
"And when you laugh, you seem more cuter." As he spoke, pressing her cheeks between his fingers and thumb, her lips came out and she looked extremely adorable. Then he couldn't stop himself from devouring her cheeks, and her eyes glinted with anger because he was sucking her cheeks savagely like he hadn't eaten anything in ages.
"Cole, leave my cheeks," she pushed him away, "I think you're obsessed with my cheeks," she pouted, caressing her cheeks, and made him smile with her cuteness.
"Just like you're obsessed with my pockets." As he raised his hands to pull her cheeks again, she scurried to her room, scared of him, and he laughed hysterically at her reaction.
"My kiddo!" He murmured, still laughing.
***
They were lying in each other's arms at night in Reyna's room. Cole was shirtless, and Reyna was lying only in her undergarments. They both enjoyed curling up like this and feeling each other's skin. Her body was being pulled closer to his, and she could feel his muscles around her waist. It was an indescribable sensation for them.
Her fingers were caressing the 'strength' word inked on his stomach, and their legs were partially covered with the duvet.
"Strength!" She murmured against his chest while stroking the tattoo. She raised her head from his chest and asked, "Your every tattoo has meaning, right?"
"Yeah, and this tattoo gave me strength whenever I fell weak in the past before meeting you." He told her, gently tucking a few hair strands behind her ear which were disturbing the view of his kiddo's face, then he continued, "but now you're my strength, so I don't need this tattoo anymore." She completely lost herself in his brown mesmerising eyes as he confessed while gazing deeply into her eyes.
"Cole, you have so many tattoos on your body. It makes you look even more attractive. They are like the cherry on the cake for me." She giggled, sitting on his tummy.
He picked up his phone to click his kiddo's photos, and she started giving him poses, making adorable faces, and he just smiled. She snatched the phone from his hand and clicked the photos of his tattooed chest before petting them while admiring his every tattoo.
"You're turning me on, Kiddo." He grasped her hands after keeping his phone on the side because her touch was arousing him, and he knew she wouldn't let him do anything in this condition when he couldn't even move his legs properly. He was well aware that she cared for him more than she did for herself.
"And your tattoos are turning me on. What should I do?" She asked, pouting at him.
"Don't see them, close your eyes." He laughed at his suggestion. He was also becoming as adorable as his kiddo because she was thoroughly immersing him in her own hues.
"Anyway, Cole, I was thinking about getting a tattoo on my body as well."
As she told him, he instantly refused, "no."
"Why?" She sadly pouted at him.
"Because it'll hurt you, Kiddo, and I can't see you in pain." He explained to her, stroking her cheek with his thumb.
"If you can go through that pain, why can't I?" She raised her brows at him.
"Because you're my delicate doll. So no tattoos." He stated sternly.
"Cole, that's not fair. I'll have the tattoo as well." She said stubbornly.
As he slightly pinched her arm, she yelped in pain, rubbing the place where he pinched. "Cole, why did you pinch me?"
"See you can't take this pain even, Kiddo. Now no argument. The decision is final, you won't have the tattoo." As he strictly denied it, she stared at him with puppy dog eyes.
"I'm not going to melt because I can't let you hurt yourself." He shook his head, giving her grim looks.
"Fine." She bent down and buried her face in his shoulder.
"You know that I never stop you from doing anything, Kiddo. It's just that I can't see you in pain." He explained to her, caressing her hair.
"I know. It's okay." She muffled and kissed his shoulder.
"My loving Kiddo." He pecked her hair, smiling.
'Cole, I'll have the tattoo and show you that your kiddo is strong.' She thought, smirking.
After a while, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
Their favourite place.
***
Cole was whining while sleeping because of the pain in his leg, which caused Reyna to awaken in the middle of the night. Her eyes became moist, seeing his discomfort, but she made herself strong by squeezing her eyes shut and pursing her lips because she had to handle him as he needed her.
"Baby, you'll be fine in a few days, just relax." She relaxed him, entwining his hand's fingers with hers, running her fingers through his hair and caressing his forehead. She solaced him exactly as a mother does.
She kissed his forehead, and tears escaped her eyes, wetting her cheeks. She just couldn't see him in pain.
"I wish I had magic and I could vanish away all your wounds, Cole, or if I get all your sorrows, I'll be filled with joy because I just can't bear to see you in any kind of pain." She whispered, crying and slightly stroking the wounds on his cheeks. She kissed every inch of his face, trying to lessen his pain through those soothing kisses.
Finally, she rested her head on his chest and fell asleep, shedding silent tears.