Can two broken hearts be healed?
Duke Michelson lost his husband and high school sweetheart, Emilio. He buries himself with work but nothing seems to heal his broken heart not until he meets Dashiell Mitchell.
Dashiell "Dash" Mitchell also has a b...
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It was Christmas Eve as I stood by the window and gazed at the backyard. We did a great job with sweeping the leaves and pulling out the weeds. Dash helped me when he came back from practice but the poor guy was so tired from his busy schedule. He spent most of his time at my house which I don't mind. I like his company especially when I buried my head into his chest at night.
Both our lives have been busy ever since we came back from Cancun. His team has had a winning streak ever since he joined them. He's the talk of the town and is hot in the media, even my neighbors seem to peek their heads to see Dash at times. Dash is sweet enough to give some of my neighbors autographs or do a selfie pose. He is quickly wrapping himself in my heart but deep inside I'm not ready to love. I adore Dash and my mind is telling me to go for it but my heart is still trying to protect itself.
I've tried to be intimate with Dash but I stopped myself. I know he gets frustrated but deep inside I feel like I'm still cheating on Emilio. I hate myself for torturing us but I'm afraid to get hurt. He's being so patient with me and I don't want to lose him. But my heart isn't ready to let him in.
I took a deep breath when suddenly I felt his big hands wrap around my waist. "What are you doing standing here?" He kissed my neck as I chuckled.
"Just thinking of the last time I celebrated Christmas," I swallowed the knot that formed inside my throat. The last time I celebrated Christmas was two years ago when Emilio was alive. I averted my gaze to my hand and opened it slowly. It was a gold ring with the number 7 engraved on the top. Inside the ring, he engraved "I'll always love you". He gave me the ring last Christmas we spent together. I closed my eyes as it was yesterday.
******
*TWO YEARS AGO*
Emilio's parent's house was filled with warmth. The air was filled with home-cooked chicken and the sweetness of pan dulce (sweet bread). We sat in the lounge room as Emilio took a sip of his coffee and then gently put it on the table. It was Christmas Eve as we waited for his parents to bring the pan dulce his mother had made. "Merry Christmas, babe," his smile disappeared and his eyes softened. His lips opened and then shut, it's like he wanted to tell me something.
"Merry Christmas," I lightly grazed my finger on his scruffy face. "What's the matter?"
He cleared his throat and grasped my hand with his. He held it tightly as his eyes got watery. "Emilio, you're scaring me, what's going on?"
Then he revealed his porcelain teeth. "Babe, if I ever leave you I just want you to know that you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. Please don't be sad, be happy," a tear fell from his cheek. Why was he telling me this? He said something like this at our wedding. Is he dying? Why is he telling me all this?
"Emilio, is something wrong with you that I should know?" I squeezed his hand as he squeezed mine harder.
"No, babe. I'm just letting you know. If I ever die before you. Please don't mourn me for too long. I know how you can get," I saw him swallow as he kept his angelic smile on his face.
