Don Ferna (BWWM)

7.

He watched as she slept soundly, her lips slightly apart and hair almost concealing the pillow and her face. The band that held it all together had been misplaced hours ago.

She was peaceful and seeing her that way gave him a little bit of stability.

He felt at home watching her snuggle deeply into one of the many pillows.

A soft knock on the door tore him from his slight daze and he yawned tiredly. The sleep wasn't as good as he wanted it to be.

He gently climbed off the bed, making sure not to wake her, and tiptoed to the door.

"Good morning, sir." His tall blonde assistant greeted him. Jetlag has always been worse for her. She looked like she was going to be sick.

"Clara." He nodded looking at his business phone in her now outstretched hand.

"Barrister Alvaro Montez called a while ago, he says he just landed." She said handing him the phone and yawning.

"This early? I didn't think he would be arriving today." Tobias replied as he scrolled through his phone.

"Help me receive him from the airport? He doesn't know his way around." He said, eyeing her light pink pajamas. After all their business trips, he had gotten used to seeing her in either sheep or Hello Kitty PJs.

He had also learned not to judge.

"Okay, sir." She answered back rubbing her eyes almost childishly then walking off.

Tobias wondered if he pushed her too hard sometimes.

"Hola, Varo!" Tobias answered cheerfully as he closed the door behind him and stalked up to the wide window seeing a few police officers on the lawn.

It had been almost two years since he met his friend. They had only recently communicated via email... Written by Clara, of course.

"Gato!" The lawyer's accent as thick as mahogany sounded from the other line. "If you plan on keeping me waiting, boss, I won't mind jumping on the next plane back to Cuba e ignorándote por el resto de tu vida!" The man joked.

Tobias knew Varo would never turn his back on him. They both went far back.

"Ah! Lo siento, mi hermano." He apologized. "I had thought you would come tomorrow but my assistant is driving to the airport to pick you up as we speak."

"Eso es bueno." The man replied then hung up. "See you soon, brother! "

"Was that the lawyer?" Eniola's sleepy voice called from the bed and he turned.

She had taken up the most part of the bed as she stretched making sure the tips of her limbs touched every edge of the bed.

"Yes, he'll be here in about four hours. Enough time to try and get more sleep, you still look tired." He said, going back to sit by the side of the bed.

"You fell asleep before the movie even started last night." She remembered pulling herself up but still having a good view of his broad back and shoulders.

"I apologize for not watching the movie with you, I was exhausted." He turned, adjusting himself to sit in the same position she did- back resting on the headboard.

"It's fine. I could tell." She said looking up at him for a moment, almost like she was studying him.

He tensed up for a moment as her head touched his shoulder but relaxed.

"What are you doing?" The tension returned again when she inhaled close to his neck.

"Smelling you. You smell really nice." She said with a small voice, burying her face deeper into his neck.

"Thanks?" He answered and she just sighed.

"Can I hug you?" She asked meekly with him staring at her beautiful eyes for a moment before nodding. Everyone needed a hug every now and then.

Her hands carefully wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him into her.

"Why did you leave?" She whispered quietly, it almost seemed like she was talking to herself.

He exhaled.

Deeply.

He knew it would boil down to him telling her a little bit of the truth. She deserved to know.

"My father needed me, Princess. I had been away from him for a long time." He started, and she hesitantly pulled away from him. He was really warm. "He said he was sick and wanted to see me."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" She asked.

"He was a... Horrible person. I didn't want you to have anything to do with that." He said and sighed. It was always hard to remember his family that now barely existed. It even was harder to put their past in words.

"You usually don't judge people. What the hell did he do?" She questioned.

"He... It's a long story. What did he not do?" He knew his explanation was not going to cut it and he sighed, shifting backwards until his back pressed into the headboard. "All the while, I thought my sister died but he just kept her from me and my mother."

"And you went when he called because?" She asked.

"Because he threatened to actually kill her."

Eniola's eyes widened. "What?" She chuckled nervously. "It's not like he could do that to his own daughter... right?" 

Tobias barely blinked as he replied. "My mother did not die from natural causes. I had to do something."

"The fuck?" He had to refrain from cringing at the swear word.

"I didn't want you to know him just as I didn't want to have anything to do with him. But fate had other plans by getting Rebecca involved. I knew he wanted me there so I could take over the family business and honestly, that was the main reason I left in the first place. The bastard as much as I hate to admit was painfully intelligent. He knew I would do anything for Rebecca." He sharply sucked in a breath, reminding himself that his father could no longer harm him or his sister.

Fortunately.

"I left so I could see my sister and at least know what happened to my mother." He glanced at her for a moment and looked away. "It did not take me long to realize that I was leaving the biggest part of me behind." Eniola felt her lips tug upwards a little. "I ended up missing you when it was all work and the occasional outings with friends and my sister. I suddenly felt I had no purpose. I didn't have a sharp-mouthed troublemaker to protect anymore and it was odd.

"You started trending the day you turned twenty-one. I remember the media went mad with your little birthday party galore."  Eniola chuckled nervously, she remembered how much damage she had caused. "Anthony told me you can't even recall all the things that happened that day.

"From there on, you turned into some party animal and the news loved nothing more than putting you on the front page. I knew I had to do something." 

"Anthony told me you usually pulled some strings.." Her voice was low as she played with the ring on her index.

Some?

"Doing all that gave me a reason to get up every day. Knowing I was still there for you in a way but it also made me miss you the more." Tobias smiled a little as he gently tugged a curly strand behind her ear. "And when I saw that you were being sued, I just had to do something. Something I couldn't do from another state. And that thing is to be right beside you, or well, behind you in court. I promised after all."

If anything, he wanted her to know he never meant to abandon her and when they were apart, she had always been his priority.