Beyond the Black Curtain

Chapter 15 - Three Little Words

Sebastian

"Nuh-uh, not taking no for answer, I guess you'll just have to trust my culinary skills, baby," I tell Rae as I step out of the room, determined to treat her like the queen she is by making and serving her breakfast in bed.

"Hey," she called out the same time I reached for the door. "I think you forgot something, chef Stan."

I come back for her, curious as to what she was referring to.

"What is it? Oh—riiiiggghhhhttt..." Rae was tapping her pursed lips. I chuckle and shake my head but jump on the bed anyway to kiss her. I yelped when she grabbed my shirt and kissed me hard. I responded by pulling her up so that we were kneeling in front of each other as I rounded her waist to pull her close. She moaned into my mouth and bit my lower lip causing me groan back at her. I refused to give in though so I push her back down on the bed and put her hands over her head, pulled away, kissed her hard one last time and got up. I smirk at her when I see her heaving her shoulders, clearly still trying to catch her breath just before I stepped out the door.

"You fucking tease!" Rae called out to me as the door shut behind me.

"You're one to talk sweetheart," I say back and our laughter echoed around the apartment.

After about an hour, I was making my way back to my room, balancing the breakfast tray with both arms, humming as I did so. I gingerly open the door with a loose hand and use my back to push it all the way open.

"I hope you're hungry 'cause I—" I stop in my tracks, nearly dropping the tray in my arms as soon as I saw Rae's crestfallen face. I shakingly set the tray down and quickly jumped into bed with her.

"Rae, what is it? Baby tell me wh—"

Rae holds out her phone to me and I didn't even have to see what was on it to know what has gotten her upset.

"I thought I readied myself for this," she whispered. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her brush a solitary teardrop. I skim through the relatively short article and video and by the time I was done, I was seething. I wanted to punch someone right then for being so damn intrusive. The fuckers even mentioned Margarita who I finally broke up with last year.

"Hey," I say, pulling Rae close to me to wrap her in my arms. "You're not dealing with this shit alone. It may get hard, but I promise you I'm gonna be there."

"I guess that's the price we pay for this huh?" Rae asks in a small voice. She tightens her hold on me and my resolve to protect her only strengthened.

"Nothing is too steep for the woman I love."

Holy crap, I said it. She lets go of her grip on me and stares straight into my eyes. I try to look away, but her hands cup the sides of my face so she doesn't lose my gaze.

"Sebastian Stan." She says my name with a heavy emotion I couldn't figure out. My eyes move downward, embarrassed at my words. Stupid, stupid, stupid, I think to myself. She surprises me somewhat when she wraps her hands gingerly around my neck, interlacing her fingers at my nape.

"Look me in the eye and tell me, Sebastian," she commands and I reluctantly look at her. I hold her wrists and take a deep breath.

"I love you, Rae," I finally say, my voice quivering as I did so. "I'm sorry," I say sorrowfully immediately after, but whatever else was gonna come out of my mouth got cut off as she leaned forward and crushed her lips into mine.

I felt and tasted her tears in the kiss and when she pulled away her eyes were brimming with it. Even when crying, she's still the most unbelievably beautiful woman I've ever seen.

"I hope those are happy tears, otherwise..."

"Say it again," Rae commanded again, but this time she had a giddy smile on her lips that touched her eyes.

"I. Love. You." I tell her again, this time a tad bit slower, enunciating each word for emphasis.

Rae sits down and takes both of my hands, twining and intertwining them while she seemingly pondered on something to say to me. I honestly wasn't expecting her to say it back right away, but as always, I was in for a wonderful surprise.

"I, uh, I wish I could top that, but hey, it's the thought that counts, right?" She says a little unnervingly.

I purse my lips and nod.

"Well here goes nothing...I love you too, Sebastian Stan," she says and I am floored. I tried to open my mouth but she put a finger over my lips. "I love you because, well, thank God, YOU love ME. I love you because you put up with my cranky, sarcastic, bitchy self even when we're halfway across the world from each other. I love you because of that thing you do with your lower lip when you're thinking about something and most of all," Rae pauses and cups my cheeks with her hands, thumbs lightly caressing the sides of my face. "I love you because you're my Sebastian; that clumsy dork from New York who bumped into me those months ago, not Sebastian the global movie star. I just love...you."

I didn't know I was chuckling and laughing through my own tears until Rae was done with her speech. I feel like my chest would explode with the sheer amount of emotion I feel for her.

I capture her lips again in mine, the breakfast I slaved away for long forgotten already as I slowly laid her back down to bed.