Angel In Disguise

Chapter 9

Luke awoke early the following morning from the sunlight pouring onto his face from the windows he had forgotten to pull the curtains across the previous night and he stretched languidly in bed. He felt his lips move to stretch into a very wide grin when he recalled the previous night's events. Well, one of the previous night's happenings in particular. The other two he found he didn't quite enjoy.

He held onto the woman curled in his arms a little tighter at that and thought that finally she was in his arms where she truly belonged.

She shifted in his arms and flung an arm across his impressive chest and a leg over his strong thighs. He smiled down at her and placed a gentle kiss on the crown of her head. He thought to himself that he could definitely get used to waking up to her just as she was then for the rest of his life.

He decided to savor the moment so he just held her as she slept on.

It was a few moments later that her eyelids started to move as she was about to wake.

She gave a very impressive stretch and released a huge yawn only to turn and grin innocently at him afterwards. He just smiled at her. After all, some things never change. 

"Morning," she greeted with a cheeky grin on her face.

"Good morning sunshine. Sleep well?" He replied.

"Hmmmm," was her answer.

"Come on lets get dressed then get something to eat," Luke said as he made to get out of bed. This was however impeded by Maya suddenly grabbing a hold of his hand.

"Luke about last night. I didn't tell you everything because we uhh--

She paused and Luke watched, quite pleased with himself, as a blush stole across her cheeks. It took all he had in him to keep from grinning down at her but he knew this was serious and so he laid back down beside her and pulled her back into the comfort of his arms.

"Tell me whatever you want to M there's no pressure," he said as he pressed his lips against her hair.

She nodded, took a deep breath and then continued.

"Remember when I told you about the man that tried to rape me the other day?"

After his nod of confirmation she continued.

"Well, he's Adam's father. That's why that man said I sent his father to prison", she said.

"Oh"

"Ohhhhhhhh", he said after everything finally clicked.

"I guess they were right when they say the apple never falls far from the tree," he said with a dramatic sigh which proceeded to get a laugh out of his M.

He grinned at her.

"Everything is going to be alright M. Nothing will happen to you for as long as I have breathe in my body", he said gazing into her eyes.

She smiled at him and caressed his cheek.

"I know Luke and I love you for it," she said.

He froze for a moment and he had half a mind to pinch himself just in case he was dreaming which he found out he was not after doing such.

"You love me?" He asked bewildered as if by some strange twist of faith he'd forgotten the meaning and the implications of the words she had spoken.

"Yes, I love you. I always have and I always will," she said smiling at his shocked face quite pleased she had been able to make him speechless.

It took him a moment but finally he came out of his stupor and grinned broadly at her.

"You love me!" He exclaimed causing her to laugh happily at him.

"Uhh huh", she nodded.

Then, quite suddenly, he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her. She smiled into the kiss and held him tighter to her.

"I love you too," he said softly to her.

"I love you so much M you have no idea. When I had to leave you even more so without having gotten a chance to say goodbye you have no idea how it hurt. And then you didn't reply to my letters and I thought you hated me and now you being in danger. It's a lot but I love you with all my heart. I'm very lucky to have you M and for the rest of my life I want to show you just how much.

I won't ask you to marry me now but you know this Maya Samara Springfield as soon as all this is over and settled I plan to make you my wife. Life is short M but as long as I have you it matters not how long I live for. I'll happily die as long as I die after loving you", he said to her.

She smiled at him, tears in her eyes as she pulled him into her arms and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"I love you Luke. I love you so very much", she said to him.

They held each other for the duration of the morning, content in each other's arms and forgetting, if even temporarily, that she was in danger and everything else that fact alone implied.

They were content in just being blissfully alone with each other as they basked in the glow of their deeper and newfound love.

They understood that sooner or later they would have to return back to their joint reality but just for that moment, that instant, they silently agreed to love each other as if they were about to lose each other and with how life is it could be gone in an unappreciated moment.

Life was, is, fleeting away and the only constant was the here and now and even then it also leaves quite suddenly and you're left stupefied as you had never expected to lose everything in the blink of an eye.

It is best to use and appreciate what we have before we lose it. Death and every other situation will never ask permission before they consume. All they do is take and take and take. It is always best to love as if you were about to lose everything. Most often than not that is the case.

One moment you're in the arms of the one you most treasure and the next they're gone and you realize after the fact that all you had loved and not appreciated is gone.

We were never promised tomorrow. All we can do is hope but even then if it was in this world we have hope we would be men most miserable.

It is therefore best to appreciate and be grateful for the little we have. It is really easy to run out of time.

It waits on no one.

So it is best to love as if we're about to lose and to tell the persons we love that we do to say what we want before we run out of time.