choni

Chapter 22

They were brown.

But not simply just brown.

They had a hint of grey in them too, which matched his steely cool cut gaze perfectly.

It matched the storm that seemed to have always been raging on inside of him, the depth beneath the layers and walls he had built around himself. Like they always carried a character all of their own that no word could ever dare come close to describing.

Toni's eyes were always just so mesmerizing for Cheryl.

God, how she missed those eyes.

Toni's been in a coma for two weeks.

All thanks to the accident that had happened that stormy day.

And Cheryl couldn't help but partly blame herself for it.

What if she stopped Toni from running through the rain to get the truck?

What if she went with him?

They could be in a whole different situation than they were in at that moment.

And Toni almost dying didn't help ease Cheryl's nerve-wracked state.

It made it all too real for Cheryl. She loved him. But Cheryl was patient. She waited. But she couldn't understand how someone could hurt her handsome man. Just because he is different he has to suffer this. But the important part is that she loves him and will never leave his side. And she is going to protect him.

That's why she stayed in the first place.

That's why she never left Toni's side.

Most especially now.

Love can be such a paradox.

The one that brings us so much happiness and life can also be the one that causes so much suffering and pain.

And Cheryl knew too. She knew that Toni had simply become her life.

She knew, but she never understood the weight of it. It never really hit her until the possibility of losing him forever was right in front of her.

It felt like Cheryl had just died when Toni's body laid next to the truck.

The worst moments were when Toni's heart stop bea9for a minute. And when Toni's heart started to beat again, it was music to her ears.

Toni was still alive.

And Cheryl could find herself slowly breathing again.

As the days went by, as hope was built, Cheryl found herself stuck in the middle of a delicate balance.

She wanted to thank the gods above for each day that Toni still had to live, to fight for his life. That fragile hope of recovery had kept her happy.

But with all that's happened, fear would still take over the redhead's heart.

Because what if she never got to see Toni's eyes again?

What if he never wakes up?

And Cheryl tried, she tried everything, anything that's worth a shot.

Since she believed that music and drawing was what brought the two of them together, the redhead had decided to place her bets that music would bring Toni back to her – she kept reminding herself that if it worked, she had to thank Veronica for reminding her that.

But when trying so many times only resulted in futile attempts and one twitch and smirk that may or may not have happened, she was at a loss.

So imagine Cheryl's surprise when she saw the Toni wake up the first time, and actually wake up, not just smirk, not just twitch.

Imagine how bad she had just wanted to grab hold of him, never let him go.

Just lose herself entirely in Toni's eyes.

In all of who he was.

And imagine the slight disappointment of seeing Toni drift off to sleep again because she was still tired. The pain and the fear that he might just slip back into a coma taking hold of Cheryl at her most vulnerable hours.

What if he disappears again?

This time forever?

Cheryl went numb at the thought.

So imagine the joy to finally see those eyes again.

That steely cool cut gaze.

The soft smile hidden beneath all the layers, the gentle gaze that Cheryl knew was always only reserved for her.

That was happiness.

The very definition of it.

And when Toni kissed her?

That was just pure ecstasy.

The definition of dreams.

To love someone and be loved by them too.

So yeah, Cheryl considers herself lucky.

She almost lost Toni after all.

And yet Toniwas right there, fast asleep in her arms while they found themselves lying down the cramped space of the hospital bed, the memories of the long day, the excruciatingly long weeks that have gone by, on replay in Cheryl's mind.

It's been a long road home – and yes, Cheryl found it heartwarming that she had thought herself to be Toni's home, after all he came back to her – and it's a longer road ahead.

But Cheryl knew.

It was the truth in her heart.

She would always be waiting for Toni at the end of every – and any – road he takes.