Forever His Princess

-thirty two-

AMARI ROUSSEAU

I laid down on the bed in one of the spare rooms, burying my face in Niko's shirt as I wrapped my arms around my body, completely unable to sleep.

The look of Nikolai's room was resting on my mind. The bullet holes in the wall, furniture tipped over, empty bottles everywhere. There were even large holes in the wall, which I'm assuming came from him punching it multiple times.

It was strange to see. Niko was always so organised and tidy so to see his room like that just... I don't know. It threw me off.

Was it selfish to leave him like that?

I love him, I never stopped loving him so I shouldn't have walked out on him and cut off contact like that. It wasn't fair on Manny either. His smile got so big when he saw Nikolai and I haven't seen that in a while.

Yes, I was mad about him not telling me about the mafia but I get why he didn't tell me, he was scared, that's all, it's not the most valid reason to but a reason none the less.

I have to trust he'll look after me and Manny.

My trail of thought was cut off when I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, lifting me from the bed and walking out the door with me. I put my arms around his neck so I wouldn't fall and looked at him in confusion as he gently laid me down in his bed.

He had changed the bedsheets, the bottles had been cleared up and everything was in the right place.

I froze when Niko laid down on top of me, his head resting on my chest as he wrapped his arms around my torso.

"Nikolai, maybe we shouldn't be doing-"

"I've had to spend the last four months away from you, Amari. I need you close to me right now."

"Niko-"

"You can be mad at me again tomorrow, just let me have this for tonight, princess." I nodded slowly and absentmindedly started to run my hand through his hair as I looked up at the ceiling.

"I don't think I'm mad at you, at least, not anymore." I said into the silence after a while.

"You don't think?" He looked up at me with a confused expression on his face.

"I'm not mad at you, Niko. I was just hurt. The thought of you lying to me, hiding yourself from me for so long... it just hurt so fucking much."

"I'm so, so sorry, Mar. I would do anything for you to forgive me, I really would."

"I know." I let out a sigh and the conversation we had in his car earlier came to mind. "Can I see all the places you got shot?"

"Seriously?" I nodded and he sat up, turning on the lights so they weren't dimmed. He pulled up his shorts, pointing out the one on his right leg and then the other two on his left.

He pulled off his top and I looked at him in awe for a while before refocusing. He let out a chuckle, making me realise he had noticed my staring, and I felt my cheeks heat up.

My eyes dropped to the chain around his neck and a lightly smile appeared on my lips when I saw the ring he gave me attached to it.

He kept it.

"I have four on this arm and my shoulder and two on my right arm." He paused as if he was trying to remember where the others were. "I have one here." He pointed at his lower abdomen. I traced my hand over the faint mark.

"So that night we were talking about the burn on your hip and I asked you about the other marks on you-"

"I only said I didn't know how they got there because I couldn't think of a story."