(3037 words)
*Blayze's POV*
I returned to the waiting room a while later. Mihrimah kept collapsing, and a team of doctors was doing everything possible to treat her. We spent the night with zero sleep in the waiting room. At around 6 am, a doctor showed up, telling us they had operated her, but she needed to be kept in the ICU for a while as her vitals wouldn't stabilise. Unfortunately, none of us were allowed to even see a glimpse of her.
We sat in silence, watching the hours go by painfully slow. Until finally, the doctor came bearing good news. She was fine. Her vitals were stable. She wasn't collapsing anymore. She had even opened her eyes. She had been shifted to a private room. Of course, her parents were allowed to see her straight away. It was their right anyway.
I was dying to see her. I just needed a glimpse. A reassurance that she really was doing okay. That nothing would happen to her again. I wondered if I would get to see her at all.
About half an hour later, both her parents walked out. "Is she okay?" I asked them eagerly.
"Yes, she's doing okay," Mr. Woods replied. "Thank you again, Blayze. If she had been brought to the hospital any later, or hadn't received the blood, she wouldn't have..." he left the sentence hanging.
"Don't say that, Mr. Woods. I'm glad she's fine now. That's all that matters." I said, earning a pat on my shoulder from him.
I cleared my throat. "Can I... is it okay if I see her?" I asked nervously.
"Yes, you can see her." Mrs. Woods replied. I smiled at her in gratitude.
My heart was pounding in my chest as I walked up to the room she was in. I knocked before stepping inside. I felt a pang of hurt when I saw her laying on the bed like that with an IV attached to her.
Her beautiful, light brown eyes met mine as she silently watched me walk up to her bed. I sat on the chair next to her bed, holding her gaze. I hadn't even thought of what I would say. I owed her more than just an apology. Be it for whatever reason, I hurt her horribly.
"I'm sorry." My voice came out as a vulnerable whisper.
She stayed quiet for a minute too long. I anxiously waited for her to speak, the agony nearly killing me. My heartbeat was loud and erratic. My hands were shaking. My breathing was a mess. Was she mad at me? Was she never going to speak to me again? Did I really destroy everything?
Her eyebrows scrunched up, her head tilting to the side as she carefully eyed me. Say something.
"Who are you?" She finally uttered.
My jaw dropped in shock at the sound of her words. I blinked, before gaping at her. What did she mean by that?
"What do you mean? It's me." I said gently, gazing at her with desperation in my eyes.
She frowned confusedly. "Who? Have we met before?"
My heart sank, threatening to stop. My shaking hands suddenly froze along with the rest of my body, a chill of fear running down my spine. No no no. She can not forget me. This can not be true.
"Mihrimah, it's me! Blayze!" My voice raised anxiously.
She still looked confused. "I'm sorry. I have no idea who you are."
Words can not describe the heartache and desperation I felt in that moment. I was on the verge of breaking down and kneeling before her to beg for her to remember me. "I'm Blayze. How about giant toasted marshmallow? Do you recall that?"
She looked at me like I had lost my mind. "Toasted what?"
"Sunshine, please."
She frowned again. "Sir, I don't know you. Don't call me nicknames please."
"Mihrimah, you have to remember me. I... we... we were working together and we..." I struggled to breathe and put words together.
"We slept multiple times. All that you did was simply to break my pride and get me in your bed..."
My eyebrows scrunched up. "Wait, you remember—"
"You can have me wrapped around your finger and leave me in the blink of an eye." She continued, repeating my words that I dreaded ever saying.
"No, sunshine. I can expl—"
I heard her inhale deeply. "All that you said that night was a lie, wasn't it? You said it in an attempt to protect me?"
She knew.
"Not a single word held truth. I didn't mean any of it." I told her truthfully.
She watched me quietly for a minute. "You're so silly, you know that?"
I nodded my head in agreement. "Yeah."
"You've been crying?" She asked.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Very." She replied.
"You remember me?" I asked to be sure.
"Yes, I remember you. I'm not suffering from amnesia. You literally broke my heart. You deserve a bit of a scare." She said.
She remembers me. Oh thank God.
I smiled sadly. "Yes," I began, taking her small hand in mine. "You asked me if I loved you, right? Yes, I do. I love you." The last word came out as a genuine whisper as I held her gaze. It felt good to confess it out loud. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
Her eyes were wide as she gazed back at me, clearly surprised. "Really?" She whispered.
"Really." I whispered back, giving her hand a squeeze.
We continued to look at each other for minutes, without speaking a word. Even our peaceful silence was enough. As long as we were together.
"Did Ezra get away again?" She broke the silence.
I sighed, tensing up. "Yeah."
She sighed too. "Blayze?" I looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "It's our turn. It's time for our revenge."
I nodded, kissing her hand. "I promise I won't let the people who did this to you get away with it."
"Carter too," She said, and I scrunched up my eyebrows in confusion. "He teamed up with Ezra."
"What?"
"In exchange for monetary benefits," she rolled her eyes. "You were right. He's a trash can."
I palmed my face. "Don't worry. We have Ezra's wife. He can't try anything now."
"He has a wife?" She frowned in confusion.
"Yeah."
"Does she know what he does?" She asked, bewildered.
"Yup."
She scoffed. "What a woman."
"I know right," I agreed, kissing her hand again. "You don't think about any of this right now, okay? You just rest and focus on healing."
She nodded slowly. "Don't ever leave me again."
"I won't."
"You have no idea how much you hurt me. You broke my heart." She complained. It pained me seeing the broken look in her eyes.
"It wasn't just your heart I broke. I broke mine too in the process." I told her.
"Don't do that again." She warned.
"I won't." I repeated, leaning forward to give her a kiss on the forehead.
———
*Mihrimah's POV*
A couple weeks had passed since I had been discharged from the hospital. Mom and dad made sure I stayed home and was taken care of. Since I couldn't leave the house, Blayze would come visit me whenever mom and dad weren't home. A few times, I even snuck him in so he could stay the night with me in my bedroom.
Blayze helped me heal from the trauma, both physically and mentally. He would bring me little surprises. He would make sure my wound dressing was changed on time, that I was properly fed and taking my medicines, and that I wasn't doing any strenuous activities. He was with me every single day in person, and if he wasn't there physically, I'd see him on FaceTime.
Our app launch had been delayed for another month. The tests and trials were done, and it had perfectly come together as a work of art. I was very proud of our creation and hard work. We were waiting to do press for it until I got better.
My wound was healing slowly, but I still felt pain when I was off painkillers. As for Ezra, there was no trace of him. Blayze was holding his wife hostage, yet he didn't do anything to get her back. I didn't think someone like him could care much for his wife, not more than himself anyway, but I had a feeling that he would contact us sooner or later. Because his wife knew his secrets, and he wouldn't want them to be used against him, right?
Speaking of Carter, he was caught. And then jailed. But not before Blayze punched him to the point of breaking his nose and some other facial bones. After what he did to me, he had it coming, and I didn't feel sorry for him one bit.
That evening, I had an important discussion with Blayze on FaceTime. We both agreed that it was time I told my parents about us. I was tired of lying to them and hiding it. Now that I knew that Blayze genuinely loved me and we had a future together, there was no point in keeping it from them.
So, I waited for my parents to come home. When they did, I headed to the living room where they both sat on the couch, talking. They panicked when they saw me coming down the stairs.
"Mihrimah, we've told you not to take the stairs yet." Dad reprimanded, wrapping an arm around me and walking me to the couch.
"You guys are worrying for no reason. I'm much better now." I assured.
"Yes, but you haven't completely healed yet." Mom reminded me.
"Okay, never mind. I hope you both aren't busy, because I need to talk to you." I announced, sitting on a bean bag in front of them.
I watched their faces morph into ones of worry. "Is everything okay?" Mom asked.
"Yes, don't worry. I just need to tell you both something, and I hope you will calmly listen and understand."
"You're scaring me." Mom said.
I took a deep breath. "I'm dating Blayze." I announced. Even though we hadn't exactly been dating, our time spent together seemed like it. Besides, that was the only way I could present this before my parents. What else was I to say? We were primarily making out and fucking?
Their expressions were of pure shock, especially my mom's. She looked like she had seen a ghost. "What?!" She finally exclaimed after minutes of staring at me like I had grown another head.
"Yes." I confirmed calmly.
"Are you... are you insane? What— what even are you saying? How? Since when?!" She raised her voice.
"Um since we started working on our project together..." I answered.
She palmed her face. "I told you to stay away from him."
"I tried to, but I couldn't. Mom, please, listen to me," I pleaded. She looked at me quietly. I took a deep breath before continuing. "I know that he had a certain reputation, but ever since I came into his life, there has never been any other woman. I've gotten to know the real him, and underneath his hard exterior is an amazingly nice man who has done incredibly sweet things for me. It would take me forever to list all the times he has gone out of his way just to see me smile. He has taken care of me, protected me and rescued me so many times. Not just that day. If you only knew what I had gotten caught up in. Someone was out there trying to kill me, and it was Blayze who stayed by my side and protected me."
"Wait, hold on. Who's trying to kill you? What are you saying?" Dad intervened.
I took another deep breath. "Ezra Greene." I watched dad's expression change into a confused one, while mom's eyes widened. She turned to dad, mouthing, "Greene."
"No way." Dad mouthed back.
I cleared my throat. "He's Caleb Greene's son."
Dad looked at me surprised. "You know..."
I nodded. "I learned."
"Was he the one who kidnapped and shot you?" Mom inquired.
"Yes," I nodded. "Mom, dad, that wasn't the first time he tried harming me. He has tried it so many times before, but Blayze saved me from his clutches every single time. Why would he do so if he didn't genuinely care about me?"
"Still... I... I don't know." Mom said.
"Mom," I placed my hands over her knees, looking up at her with pleading eyes. "I have grown up watching you and dad. The way that dad treats you, taught me never to settle for anything less. I have waited my whole life for a man like that to come around. Blayze cares for me, loves me, respects and honours me. He makes me happy. I can not imagine being with any other man. I love him."
Mom watched me carefully for a minute, before sighing. "Okay." She gave in.
"Really?" I could not believe it.
She nodded her head. "But if he ever hurts you, I will kill him myself."
I chuckled. "I love you, mom." I attacked her with a hug, and she held on to me, laughing softly. "I love you too, Mihrimah."
Pulling away, I looked at dad, realising he hadn't said anything. "Dad?"
His face broke into a smile as he leaned close to stroke my cheek. "Whatever makes you happy, makes me happy."
I beamed, hugging him too. "Thank you! I love youuu."
"I love you too." He rubbed my back.
I pulled back, smiling from ear to ear.
"I saw the way you always looked at each other. I could tell you both have feelings for each other." He said with a small smile.
I blushed, sitting back.
"And when were you planning on telling me that?" Mom asked him with a raised eyebrow, making me laugh.
"You would have gauged Blayze's eyes out." Dad joked, and I laughed again.
"Honestly, mom, I'm surprised. I was expecting you to have a violent reaction to this." I admitted.
"That's exactly what would have happened, but her opinion of him changed when she learned that Blayze found you, took you to the hospital and then even gave you his blood to save your life." Dad explained.
"Wait," I scrunched up my eyebrows. "Blayze gave me his blood?"
"He didn't tell you?" Mom asked.
"No. He didn't even mention it."
"Well, he did. You had lost a lot of blood, and needed an urgent blood transfusion. The hospital was short on blood, and luckily Blayze has the same blood group as you." She explained.
Wow. And he didn't even tell me. There was so much that he had done for me. Time and again.
———
"So, your mom approves of me?" Blayze was very surprised when I told him how the conversation with my parents went, on FaceTime later that night.
"I was surprised too, but you won her approval by saving my life." I told him.
"Wow." Was all he was able to utter.
"Me nearly dying came to be of use after all." I joked.
He shot me a death stare. "Shut up, Mihrimah."
I stuck my tongue out at him. "Don't be such a baby." I mocked.
He raised an eyebrow at me sarcastically. "You're the one sticking your tongue out."
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever.... Why didn't you tell me that you gave me your blood?"
He was quiet for a few seconds. "It wasn't a big deal."
"Not a big deal? I would have died if it weren't for you."
"Shhh. Don't talk about death." He chastised.
"Thank you." I said softly.
"I'd give my life for you, sunshine. Some blood is nothing. Besides, you must know men have more RBCs and haemoglobin than women. So, it's totally not a big deal." He smiled at the end.
I laughed softly.
"Do you think you could come over tomorrow?" He asked.
"Can't you come?" I asked him.
"I can come pick you up," He said. "It's kind of imperative that you come."
"Yeah, it kind of is. I haven't come in a while." I smirked.
His lips lifted up into a sexy smirk as he caught onto what I meant. "You'll have to be patient, Miss Woods. The doctor said you have to abstain from sexual activity for a while."
"I hope you're abstaining from it too." I joked.
"You've ruined other women for me," He said, making my heart flutter. "I'm coming to pick you up tomorrow. I'm not going to hear no for an answer."
"Okay, fine, Mr. Colton. I'm bored of being in my room all day too."
"Great. I'll see you tomorrow then.... did you eat?"
I sighed. Here we go again. "Yessss." I exaggerated.
"Did you take all your medicines?" He asked next.
"Yesss."
"Did you get enough rest?"
"Yes! Be quiet now. It's my turn to ask something."
"Go on." He insisted.
"You don't like it when I call you giant toasted marshmallow, right?"
He sighed. "It's a silly nickname." He grumbled.
"Oh? Would you rather be called that or see me die?" I huffed.
He frowned, glaring at me. "How do you even think of such stupid things?" He reprimanded.
"Answer me." I urged.
"If you ever talk about dying again, I will—"
"Answer me." I childishly interrupted him. He gave me a lame look.
"Mihrimah, you want to know the truth?" He asked. I nodded readily. "Well, I'd rather you announced the silliest, most embarrassing nicknames for me in front of the entire world, than see even a scratch on your body."
My heart fluttered in my chest, goosebumps erupting over my skin. "When did you fall for me this much?" I asked softly.
"I've been in love you with all along, I just didn't realise it." He replied tenderly.
I smiled at him. "I should sleep."
"Yeah, you should," he accorded. "Good night, sunshine. Dream of me."
"Good night, toasted marshmallow." I teased.
He didn't seem upset at hearing the nickname this time around. He only smiled.
"I'll see you tomorrow, sunshine."
____________________________________________________________________
Heyyy. I'm sorry for the late update. I got really sick 🫠
How did you guys feel about Mihrimah pretending to forget Blayze?
I enjoyed writing this chapter. I hope you guys liked it. Don't forget to vote and comment ❤️