Legacy of Gods; Happily Ever After (Rina Kent)

I Put on The Ring - Chapter 5

Brandon

   I stare at Nikolai's face as he breathes softly, the rise and fall of his chest matching mine. 

   Sighing quietly, I raise my hand and stroke his cheek, trailing the line where moonlight shines through the windows, casting a pale light on the side of his face.

   He looks so peaceful, hugging and pressing me to his chest.

   Tomorrow we're going to the States to announce the news to his family and, hopefully, get their blessing. I mean, his parents and sisters love me, as Nikolai loves to remind me, but I can't help feeling nervous.

   I'm sure they'll be happy that Niko's happy since they literally adore the shit out of their son, but something is telling me that it won't go well.

   That's one of the reasons why I can't sleep and, instead, I'm tossing and turning all night. The other reason, however, is Niko's episodes.

   He isn't taking the pills anymore because they make him a zombie. That usual look on his face is gone when he takes them, replaced with an emotionless one, and I hate that. His parents realized that, too, so he decided to ditch the pills.

   I'm glad he's not taking them anymore, but I'm really worried about him now. I don't want him to hold back his emotions from me. It doesn't matter what I tell him, he still doesn't like the idea of me being next to him during one of his episodes because he's scared to hurt me. I keep telling him that he won't, but he's still holding back.

   I lean over and place a soft kiss on his lips, smiling at his little groan. All of a shudder, he opens his eyes and smirks, then quickly realizes that it's the middle of the night, and his face drops.

   "Baby? You okay?" He shoots up on his elbows, worry lining his face.

   "I'm okay. I just can't sleep," I reassure him, and he relaxes. He falls back on the pillow and wraps his hands around me.

   "What's on your mind? Tell me."

   We stare into each other's eyes as I caress his cheek.

   I don't know if I should tell him. I mean, I don't want to worry him with my own problems when he already has a lot on his mind.

   When I don't say anything for a few seconds, Nikolai grabs my chin and whispers, "You can tell me everything. I don't want you to keep anything to yourself. You know that."

   I hesitate for a second before sighing and saying, "I'm just worried about tomorrow, that's all."

   "Baby, they love the shit out of you. They're gonna be so happy, don't worry." He smiles.

   I nod and give him a small smile in return, but he doesn't buy it and squints his eyes in suspicion.

   "Why do I get the feeling that that's not the only thing worrying you?"

   Ah, fuck it.

   I'll just tell him. How can I deny him when he's being so adorably worried about me?

   "I'm worried about you, baby. I know I said that I hate the pills, and I do, but I don't want you to suffer either. I know that you've been holding yourself back, and I hate that even more. You said you don't want to hurt me, but this is not the answer. I don't want you to force your true feelings and emotions away so I wouldn't worry about you. I always open up to you and show you the most vulnerable parts of me, and I want you to do the same because that's how this works. As I told you before, I want you raw, no fake smiles, and 'I'm okay'. That only makes me worry more. If you start feeling those bad emotions, you come to me, and we'll deal with it together. It doesn't matter whether I'm busy or not. You come to me always. Got it?"