Lovers At Last

Full Heart

HER POV:

My eyes were stinging and puffy from all the crying I had been doing this afternoon. After playing Truth or Dare with Jackson, my longing to be with Mateo again had been strong and I missed him heaps. I began to cry because I really couldn't lose him and the thought of losing him was so empowering that I was now on the floor, cuddling a pillow, crying to myself.

All of a sudden, Jackson came bursting into the living room. "Erica, someone special's here to see you." He said with a huge smile on his face. I didn't really know who it could be, I assumed it was Olivia or maybe one of my brothers.

I walked into the kitchen to see Mateo standing there with a huge grin on his face, "Did you miss me? Were you crying for me?". My face lit up and I ran into Mateo's arms, squealing, "You're back, you're back! Oh my god, I missed you so much." Then I noticed, he was wincing. "Wait, Mateo, what happened?" I asked, really concerned. "Uh, I got a few wounds, but don't worry, we'll get them patched up soon, princess." 

I took Mateo's hand into the bathroom, ready to patch up his wounds. "Sit down, quick, I'll patch up your bandages, I promise I"ll be gentle." I demanded. "Yes ma'am, how do you know how to do this?"he asked.  I laughed, "My brothers always got into fights at school so I'm very skilled." I said as I put a bandage on one of Mateo's cuts causing him to wince.

HIS POV:

I was home at last, surrounded by the people I loved. The sting of my cuts and bruises was nothing compared to the sting I had in my heart, knowing I had hurt Erica. I never wanted to leave her but I really wanted to make sure that no one could hurt her. I vowed to that the day we started dating.

I guess my face looked concentrated because she interrupted my thoughts. "What are you thinking about?" she questioned. "Hey, did you want to go out on like a date tonight?" I answered her question with a question. "Like where?" I took a long thought about this, where should we go.... 'How about we go for a walk down the beach and then we could like eat a restaurant? Your birthday is coming up on the 12th of September so it's my treat, if that's okay."

"Yeah, sure, that sounds great, I'll go get dressed, be careful don't give yourself another bruise." she warned. "What if I did on purpose so that my hot doctor could patch me up?" I asked with a smirk. Her eyes met mine and she kissed my cheek, "I'm warning you, Mateo." before leaving the room.

I then thought about her birthday, what could I give her that showed how much I possibly loved her? There wasn't really anything considering she had already taken my heart. In all seriousness, I would go to any lengths possible to just hold her at the end of the night. That being said, if another man even dares to look at her, he wouldn't live much longer, let's just say that.

There's a bonus to growing up lonely, you try your best to make everyone you love feel the opposite. The feeling of protection and care means a lot more then people take for granted.

I decided to think of Erica and what she does and what she likes. She likes being inside, she loves the colour purple, she has a sweet tooth and loves movies and reading books. I think I can work with that, I could take her on a vacation. Where would I take her? 

Then I suddenly got an idea, I could take her to a cabin down near Clearwater Bay, then she could stay inside and watch a movie or go outside depending on her mood.

"Excuse me." I heard Erica say along with a cough. 

"What's up, princess?" 

"I need help zipping up my dress, dummy."

"Watch your mouth, sweetheart."

"Or what, dummy."

"I'll make you pay."

"Oh, really? What if I wanted you to do that?"

"Are you implying you're a naughty girl?"

"Yes, that might be so."

"Get over here and sit on my lap, I'll zip up your dress."

My eyes went down her body in a gorgeous red dress which was low cut. I had to withhold the urge to to strip her down and leave my mark but I wasn't going to.

When she sat on my lap, I traced my fingers down to the bottom of her zip, gently embracing her skin as I went, she shivered as my fingers went down her spine. "Do I make you nervous, blossom?" I questioned, already knowing the answer. "No, I'm just cold." She replied.

"Alright then, let's go." I beckoned and our hands intertwined as we walked out of the bedroom, my heart beat faster as we walked. I'm no future teller but I had this gut feeling that this really was forever.

I recall that moment when I had that flicker of fear when Carter was after her, I felt like I was going to lose her and there was no way I could do that. When you find that one person in your life, you have a full heart because you have a feeling that you could actually live. Not too long ago, I was a man in his mid twenties, single, desperate with no urge to live.

I'm the same person on the outside, but she's changed me on the inside, I'm now someone who has an urge to live, she is my urge to live. She makes my heart beat, my face go red and my anger rise when someone tries to hurt her. That feeling where I was so proud of her at that court case, after I hurt her the first time, she finally accomplished what her dream was since childhood, help a family who was struggling like she did.

She had a gorgeous body, a fantastic personality and this was why I was carrying a ring in my jacket pocket.