"Why are you so scared?"
"I don't want to end up alone again and I don't want to end up like my parents." Mariah looked up at Allen and smiled sadly as he wiped her tears away.
"They couldn't stand each other. They got a divorce when I was just a little girl. I don't want that to happen to me. To us." He pulled her onto his lap and held her tight as she cried into his chest as she remembered the dark part of her childhood.
"I got you, baby. Don't even worry. That's not gonna happen to us." She looked into his eyes after pulling herself together and cracked a sad smile.
"Everything I touch gets destroyed. I don't want to ruin your life." He placed his finger on her lips and smiled as he shook his head.
Mariah was confused and wondered what was on his mind. Allen wanted to make her his wife, but was afraid she would turn him down after everything she said.
"I love you, Mimi. I don't want you to stress yourself out. Everything is gonna be alright. You hear me, baby?" She nodded and hugged him tight, genuinely smiling for the first time all day.
"Those three words, Allen. They mean the world to me. I love you too." He kissed her, rubbing her back to comfort her.
"It's me and you against the world." She let out a soft laugh and ran her hand over his head as he kissed her neck.
"You and me against the world. I like that, Allen."
