(Esther's Point of View)
I woke up in a jolt. Nate was still asleep thankfully. He was on his side away from me, which was weird. I got up and walked around to his side of the bed. He looked sad. I tapped his shoulder, hoping he would wake from that, but he didn't. I then shook him softly and his body jolted and his eyes snapped open. I yanked my hand away, scared for a moment.
He looked at me and reached for my hand. "Angel?" He sat up and extended his hand. I put my hand in his and sat on his side of the bed. "What's wrong?" I squeezed his hand and leaned closer to him and wiped the tear on his cheek away, "I think I should be asking you, if you're alright." Nate smiled softly and squeezed my hand.
"I had a bad dream; you got hurt and I couldn't do anything about it and it upset me. But waking up to see you beautiful as always, and perfectly healthy with no injuries is one of the best sights a man can wake up to. I love you, Angel." I smiled at him and said, "I woke up early, because I felt like something was off. I'm glad you're okay, Nate. Why are you calling me Angel?" He squeezed my hand and replied, "Because you are my Angel. You are what motivates me everyday. Is that okay?" I nodded and asked, "So what is your job? I'm curious how you could spend that much money to buy off my father for someone in lower middle-class like me. Especially since you came to a busy coffee shop everyday in the middle of the city." He sighed and motioned for me to come closer. I climbed into the bed fully and I sat criss-cross in front of him and I put my other hand on his leg.
"I knew you were eventually going to ask. But first.. Promise me that it won't change your views of me." I nodded and said. "Nathaniel I promise your job won't change my views of you." He nodded, took a breath, then replied to me. "Well, I told you that my job involves my family, and my job is a reason why I want you to take my last name, for safety purposes. I'm 1st in line to be the next mafia boss, my father is the acting boss. He'll step down once we decide if we will stay married after the first year. If we do decide to stay married, I get the job, if not, my brother does if he finds a wife." My jaw dropped the moment I heard the word 'mafia'.
"Angel? Are you alright?" I nodded, not knowing what to say. He leaned closer to me and pulled me into his lap. He kissed my forehead and said, "Angel, I promise, no danger will come to you, that is my priority." I smiled softly and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek. "Nate, thank you for telling me. I appreciate your honesty." He smiled and gave me a big hug. I laughed wholeheartedly and he grinned as he looked at me. "Your laugh, that was the first time you really laughed. I love it." I rested my head on his shoulder and said softly,
"Nate.. You make me feel safe and protected, but how do I know that you aren't a terrible person and just hiding it from me." He kissed my forehead and said softly, "Honestly, all I can say is that I'm trying to make you feel safe with me, I care about you and want to grow old with you. I don't think I'm a terrible person." I smiled softly at him, "Have you killed anyone?" He nodded, "Yes I have, it's part of the job, but everyone I have killed, were bad people and deserved it." I nodded softly.
There was a moment of silence before Nate looked at the alarm clock and noticed that it was only three in the morning. "Angel, it's too early to get up, come here and let's go back to bed. I nodded and crawled back under the covers. "Nate, where's your shirt?" He pulled me into his embrace and said, "I took it off after you fell asleep." I nodded and snuggled into him and closed my eyes.
