The Golden Boy

30

KADEN

I missed her, I missed her so damn much it was unbearable. I had caved, I was somehow in front of her house, feeling just as nervous as I'm sure she was when she was parked in front of mine.

I got out of my car and made may way to her front door. My hand shook as I rang her doorbell. It was the first time in a very long time that I could remember actually ringing the doorbell instead of climbing up to her balcony.

The door opened, Leah standing on the other side.

"Kaden," she said with a smile. "Come in."

"How's she doing?" I asked, stepping in.

She had been texting me small updates about her well being, but they were never enough. Nevertheless, I appreciated every one of them. I just wanted to know that she was okay.

"She's been doing a lot better. She's asleep right now, but you're welcome to go up there and wait for her to wake up."

My heart began pounding in my chest. Would she even want to see me?

"Don't be nervous. Trust me, if there's anyone she wants to see right now, it's you. That girl loves you more than anything," Leah encouraged.

"Thank you Leah, thank you so much," I said, giving her a hug.

"I just want my daughter to be happy and you do that. So please, go, make her happy and be happy yourself," she said.

I walked up the stairs, my nerves still running wild. I opened the door to her room, finding her asleep on her bed. I smiled at the memories we made there, remembering the way it felt to wake up with her in my arms.

She looked loads better than when I had first seen her in the hospital. The bruises on her face had faded, the burns on her arms seemed less severe than I originally thought they were. I sat on the edge of her bed and I watched her. I waited patiently for her to wake up, she was worth it. I would wait however long it took because at the end of the day, I still loved her.

After waiting for God knows how long, her eyes began to flutter. She moved around before opening her eyes completely.

"Mak," I said quietly.

Her eyes shot towards me, blinking as if to make sure I was actually real.

"Kade? Is this a dream?" she asked.

"No Mak, I'm here. I'm so sorry," I began.

"Kaden," she said sitting up slowly.

She practically jumped onto me, hugging me tightly.

"Kaden, I'm so sorry. For everything, I wanted to tell you, I was just so scared that you wouldn't want me anymore and I didn't wanna get hurt. I wanted to tell you how much I loved you Kaden, it just didn't feel right when I was hiding something like that from you. You have to believe me," she said.

"I believe you Mak," I replied, pulling her closer. "Besides, I should've known that you fell in love with me too, I'm amazing after all."

"I can't say I fell in love with you, because I didn't. It wasn't that graceful. I stumbled and tripped in love with you. Accidentally and all at once. It started and it couldn't be stopped," she said.

"Fuck Mak, I love you so much," I said, kissing her all over her face.

"As soon as I realized it Kade, I tried to back out of the deal, but Ray threatened me. The only other way was to win a fight against him and as you know I lost," she continued.

I felt a pang in my heart, remembering when she was bruised all over. It was because of me that she put herself in that position.

"I never thought I was gonna feel the way that I feel about you Kade, but that's no excuse. It was a terrible deal, to use someone for my own selfish reason, one that I don't even want anymore. I really am sorry."

"I forgive you Mak. I'm sorry too, for everything that I said. I was just so angry, I wanted to hurt you the way you hurt me. You have no idea how much I've missed you," I said, pressing my lips to hers.

I grabbed her face gently, realizing there were tears running down her cheeks. I pulled away and looked at her.

"Why are you crying?" I asked.

"I'm just so happy you're here and you're not a dream," she said laughing.

"I'm here Mak, and I'm never leaving again."

THE END