Forever, Amore

7.

Monroe's P.O.V

My body stirred me awake at about 4:30am to the feeling of movement on the other side of my bed. I turned over with my eyes half closed to a sight that shocked me awake.

He stood there, holding me for a few minutes before he whispered "Come, amore.", guiding me into my room, closing the door and sitting us on my bed without letting me go.

We lay there for what felt like ages. His arms snakes round my waist as I cried into his chest. When my sobs died down, I heard him whisper something in Italian.

"Mi dispiace amore mio."

I didn't know much Italian. He taught me some when we were younger. But that was something I remembered. He'd say it every time he saw me cry.

I'm sorry, my love.

I looked up at him through foggy eyes and gave him a small smile. "Thank you.." I whispered before laying back into his arms.

I must've fallen asleep due to the exhaustion of crying for half an hour. But he never left. He stayed with me the whole time.

Only, when I looked closely at him, I noticed beads of sweat dripping down his forehead as his fists clenched onto the bedsheet. His mouth kept muttering words, desperation laced every sound.

"Please. Let her go. Kill me, just let her live. No amore..amore!" His pleas got louder as he started to thrash around next to me.

I put my hand on his forearm and lightly shook him, trying to wake him from his nightmare. "Leo. Leo!" I spoke as he got more agitated. Then suddenly his body jolted upright as he cried out, tears now flooding his face.

This was the first time I'd ever seen him cry. He'd seen me like that on many occasions but I'd never seen them fall from his emerald pools.

He looked around the room, breathing heavily as I placed my hand at the back of his neck. "Hey, it's okay. It was just a dream Leo.." I tried to soothe him but his breathing was still erratic as the tears began to fall heavier.

I got up on my knees so I was in front of his face, placing both my hands on his cheeks. "Look at me.." I spoke softly, capturing his attention. His eyes screamed out in pain as he met my gaze. "It was just a dream."

He shook his head violently, still crying. "But it's not going to be just a dream anymore, is it? I brought you here, back into my life and they know about you. If anything happens to you, it'll be my fault and I can't live with that, Monroe. I just couldn't.."

His confession made my heart physically ache. This broken Leo that sat in front of me was a foreign sight. He always protected me, shielded me. But now I needed to do the same for him.

"You got me out of there to save me. There's no safer place for me than here.." I spoke, reciting Noah's words from earlier. "And I'll be okay. I've made it this far, right?" I smiled sadly as his tears slowed down but his eyes never leaving mine. "You can't get rid of me that easily, Valentino."

And with my words, all tears ceased to fall anymore. It was if I'd turned off a switch. Instead, he smiled sadly up at me. "I never wanted to leave you." He spoke genuinely.

I nodded at him, wiping a stray tear from his face with my thumb. "I know. You did it to save me. Now let me help. Let me help take down Hans and my father."

He looked shocked at me before smirking, that devilish glint in his eyes returning. His fingers went down to the gold chain that hung around my neck. That had hung round my neck for seven years. "Forever, amore." He recited the words engraved onto the heart and I smiled at him. "I couldn't bring myself to take it off. No matter how much it hurt to see. I wasn't ready to accept you were gone."

He smiled at me. "Fine."

I looked confused, cocking an eyebrow. "Huh?"

He took my hand in his and looked at me seriously. "Fine. You can help me take them down." I smiled like a schoolgirl, like I used to when we were eighteen.

I was finally where my heart craves to be for years. Although I was furious at him not long ago, having him sat in front of me full of compassion? That was something I wanted to experience more. I craved him once again.

So I was willing to fight. Fight for my life. Fight for my heart.