Beautiful Pain

Chapter 7

Novalee

     As soon as I took his hand, I felt my entire body light up. He whipped out of my driveway and sped down the street out of town. The entire time I couldn't keep the smile off of my face.

     I rolled my window down and felt the breeze tear through my hair. It was going to be a pain to brush when we stopped, but right now I don't even care. I turn my body to face him, keeping his hand in mine. His face is gorgeous. His lips are full, his jaw strong and defined, his nose strait and perfect. I can see a dimple hiding in his cheek as he's trying to suppress a smile, I wonder if he has a dimple in his other cheek to match?

"So you know my name, what's yours?" I lay my head against the headrest and watch him drive.

"My name is Deacon. Deacon Ezekiel Callahan." He flashes me another smile and pulls my hand to his mouth for a kiss. My stomach erupts into a frenzy of activity and my face flames red.

"Deacon." I test the name out quietly, liking the way it sounds. I notice a sudden tremor in his hand.

"I like the way you say it." His voice deepens and he looks at me with a soft smile. I blush again and look out on our surroundings.

"So, where are we going? What's the plan?" I really don't care where we end up, I just don't want to embarrass myself in front of him by getting awkward.

"Ultimately, we are heading to Denver. But right now we are going to the nearest motel I can find so that I can get some sleep. I've been driving for almost thirteen hours." He admits rather sheepishly. I stare at him in shock as he pulls into a parking lot just outside of town by the highway.

     He gets out and grabs our bags before coming around to open my door. I follow him into the lobby and wait while he checks us in and gets our key. After a short elevator ride we walk into a small room with two double beds. As soon as he shuts the door I lead him to a bed and sit him down.

"Did you really drive non stop just to get to me?" I question quietly while I help him take off his boots.

"Yes." His voice is deep and rough with exhaustion and I can see he's starting to have trouble holding himself up.

"Why?" I look up at him in confusion. Ever since my mom died, no one has ever done anything even remotely nice for me. All my friends from before just kind of fell away once my dad went off the deep end. It's been a long time since any one has cared about me.

"Because you are meant to be mine. Mine to protect and love and cherish." He replies softly, but so full of conviction that I gasp. He cradles my cheek with his large, rough palm and strokes his thumb down my jaw. "The last ten years have just about killed me. I hated that you were in so much pain and that I couldn't save you. I never want you to hurt, I want to protect you from as much as I can. I want to make you more than happy. I finally got fed up with it and carved that message. And I'm so sorry I caused you more pain." An almost frantic look touches his electric eyes, "But I just couldn't let him hurt you anymore."

     I'm so shocked I don't even know what to say. It's incredible to know that all these years I've had this man out there in the world feeling this way about me of all people. I want to respond. I want to tell him that it's ok, that I don't mind what he did. I even want to tell him things that I don't even quite know how to put into words.

     Instead, I slip off my shoes and stand up. I gently push him down onto the bed and climb on top of him. His eyes go wide and his hands hesitantly move to my hips, as if he doesn't know what to do with them. Slowly, I lean down and press my lips to his.

    For a brief moment we sit there frozen, as if neither of us knows what to do. I know I don't, but I fake my way through my awkwardness. I feel him respond as his lips move against mine. I feel victorious as he rolls us over and he lays heavily on top of me, his hands roam up and down my sides. My hands travel up his toned chest and into his hair. The curls feel like silk. I unconsciously pull on it and a deep groan comes from Deacons chest, making me smile. He pulls away after a minute and leans his forehead against mine to catch his breath.

     I press on his chest and roll him to his side, positioning myself in front of him. He instantly wraps an arm around my waist and pulls my back into his chest, kissing my neck a few times before settling down.

"Good night Nova." He whispers in my ear, sending shivers through my whole body.

"Good night Deacon."

***

Deacon

     I slowly regain consciousness and feel an incredible warmth in front of me. I pull it closer to me and bury my head into a bed of silky hair, smelling rosemary and mint. I open my eyes and look down at Nova.

     She's still asleep, so I take a minute to just take her in. The cut on her forehead is healing, and the bruises on her neck are still an ugly, angry yellow. Looking at them makes me angry, but I comfort myself with the knowledge that as long as I have her, she will never suffer again.

     I can't wait to take her home and introduce her to my family. I want to cook for her, take her shopping, cuddle up on the couch and watch movies. All of the things I've wanted to do with my soulmate since I was six years old. Finally, I have her in my arms, and I am never letting her go.

      I gently kiss her cheek and then settle back down, waiting for her to wake up before I get up to get ready for another day of driving.

A/N

So I'm kind of excited that people are liking this story! (Totally trying to play it cool. Is it working? No? Whateves) I remember scrolling through Pinterest a few years ago and a ton of soulmate AUs came up and there were a bunch of kind of cutesy ones that could turn heart breaking. Like you see the world in black and white until you meet your mate, but as soon as they die you go back to black and white. Oh my lord I tear up just thinking about the possibilities...

Anyway! I'm off topic! All those AUs that day kind of prompted me to make up my own and this was it. Then my therapist said I should consider writing as an outlet to "purge myself of past trauma" or some crap like that, I was only half listening. So here it is!! The purging of past trauma! Tadaaaa!!! 😂 I have a vague idea of where this story line is going, but am still working out a few kinks as I go. I'll update as frequently as I can without forcing it. 🤗 Plus I stay home with my two tiny tyrants AKA my children, so please excuse any typos or grammatical errors, they like to climb on me while I write. But if you want to point them out if you find them, it's greatly appreciated!!

Ok, after that ridiculously long authors note, that I'm frankly to lazy to delete and shorten, thank you for reading!! I'm always working on a next chapter, so I'll probably have the next one ready in a day or two. 😘