Paradise

Forever

Final chapter! Dante and Zhalia are finally alone in Dante's house and their lives together are about to start. Hope you like it. Kisses*

Dante's house, Venice, Italy

3rd person's POV

The party lasted until very late. Dante danced with Zhalia and kept shutting down Scarlett until she finally gave up. When everyone finally went back to their homes, the house was a mess. Dante and Zhalia agreed to clean everything the day after, since they were so tired. Dante walked her to her room and she bit her lip when she looked around.

"Uh, I'm sorry, Dante, my room is a mess too. I should start to look for an apartment nearby..."

"What?" Dante asked, astonished. "I've told you, you don't have to live alone."

"But, Dante, it's ok. There's no need to bother you. I can rent a furnished house, I'm guessing the payment for this last mission will be large and... I don't want to impose on you."

"Zhalia..." he started. "You know you don't bother me at all. Don't worry about the room. I know you didn't have much time to set it up. And it's pretty clean compared to the rest of the house!" he winked. "Listen, I know you're strong and independent as you'll always be. But I'm not saying this to help you, really. You're not imposing on me. I just... I can't imagine living in this house anymore without the light of your presence." he said smiling.

"You want me to... To live with you?" she asked hesitantly, like she didn't actually believe in what she was hearing. She had been living there lately, but she always thought it would be temporary. Although, deep in her heart, her biggest wish was to stay.

"As my girlfriend, yes." Dante replied. "I don't wanna be away from you if there's no need. I promised I would never leave your side and I intend to keep it. I love you... "

Zhalia didn't really know what to say. She just smiled slightly and hugged him tightly.

"Dante... I love you too... Forever..." she whispered.

"Do you want to move your stuff then?" he asked in her ear, kissing it then.

"What?" she asked, stepping back.

"This bed won't be enough for two..." he explained winking.

"Uh, yes of course! I'm sorry, I just... I wasn't expecting this..."

"It's ok, you can stay here if you prefer... I'm moving too fast again, right?" Dante realized, fearing to have messed up.

"No!" she exclaimed, making him smile with relief. "It's perfect, I'm sorry. I'm just... not used being loved."

With that he slowly lifted her chin and kissed her lips gently.

"You'll get used to it soon, darling, I promise." he said as they parted.

"Thank you, Dante..." she whispered. "But... won't the kids get suspicious?" she asked worriedly.

"They rarely come to this part of house. But, yeah, maybe it'll be better if you keep your things here. And there's much more space."

"Yeah, because I have a lot of stuff!" she exclaimed ironically.

"Right!" he laughed. "Let's get some rest now. We'll straighten the house tomorrow."

"Ok, I'll get ready!"

After a while, Zhalia was entering Dante's room. He was already in the bed waiting for her and smiled immediately when he saw her in the usual nightgown. She entered the bed, smiling too. They shared another tender kiss and then the lights went off.