Intoxicated || An Eminem Fanfiction

Chapter 61

Marshall POV

Since stepping off the plane after the tour, something inside me had shifted.

Every moment I wasn't with Leila, the need to keep her by my side gnawed at me.

It had only gotten worse since the tour ended.

We'd been splitting our time between her place and mine, like we were testing the waters, keeping our own spaces. But that wasn't enough for me anymore. The second I left her place, the second I wasn't in her world, I felt that familiar panic.

The need to lock her down had become a fucking roar inside my head. She didn't realize it yet, but this was my way of keeping her.

I'd never wanted to get married again. After everything that happened before, I was done with that part of my life. But Leila changed everything. It wasn't just about love—it was about possession.

The thought of her walking away or someone else getting into her head made me sick. I needed her with me, fully and completely.

Permanently.

Now we were in Vegas for a charity event. I had a few appearances scheduled, meetings, a gala—nothing too intense. It was supposed to be a break for us. A chance to get away from everything and just be together.

But this trip? It had become something else for me. The opportunity to finally lock her down.

We were cruising down the Strip, heading back to our hotel after a long day of events. Leila was sitting next to me, her hand resting lightly on mine. To anyone else, she looked calm, but I knew her better than that. Beneath that calm exterior, I knew there was always something brewing. The same intensity that drew me to her.

We had been together for months, but the thought of her not being by my side forever? It burned me alive.

"You ever think about the future?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even, though inside, I was anything but calm. I needed to hear her say it. I needed to know she saw us going the distance.

Leila glanced at me, her lips curving into a soft smile. "What do you mean?"

"Us," I said, keeping my tone casual even though the question was loaded with meaning. "Where we're going. What we're building together."

Her smile softened, but I saw it—that flicker of doubt in her eyes. I hated that. Hated that she wasn't fully locked in yet. We were splitting time between our houses like we were still two separate people, two separate lives. But that wasn't good enough for me anymore. I needed her tied to me completely. No more bouncing between our worlds.

"I think about it," she said, but there was hesitation in her voice. "But... sometimes I wonder how we're going to make it work. Everything between us is so intense. It's like we're always burning too fast."

Her words made my chest tighten. She didn't see it yet, didn't understand that we needed that fire. That intensity was the glue holding us together. The more time we spent in separate places, the more I felt like I was losing her.

That's why this had to happen tonight.

I needed to lock her into something permanent. No more splitting time, no more in-between.

"You can't see a future without me," I said, my voice low, laced with that possessiveness I couldn't hide anymore. "Then don't."

Leila turned to me, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she could feel the tension in my words. "Marshall, I'm not saying I want to leave. I'm saying... we're volatile. We're either on fire, or we're about to explode."