NASIEKU: MAFIA ROMANCE

1: Unforgettable

The cold breeze lanced into my skin. I bent down and sat cross-legged on the wooden bridge. Mike heeded and sat next to me, so close his shoulder brushed with mine. I tilted my head slightly and stared up to the sky. Dark clouds were gathering, there was something familiar about them, home.

I found home in darkness.

"Nice scenery," Mike mumbled pulling me out of my dark thoughts, he grinned admiring the surroundings. It was his first time at the bridge.

"Yeah," I countered with a forced smile. I had been at this bridge countless times with Robin.

"You seem extremely relinquished, I'm concerned, Nas. " He said and intertwined his hand with mine.

He did not know me well enough to be distressed.

"I'm fine." I fibbed.

"Clearly you're not fine." He opposed, I saw a flicker of concern in his brown eyes.

"It's a long story." I shrugged hoping he would not press further.

"We got all the time, I'm a good listener too, try me." He divulged with so much determination.

"I don't know if I wanna talk about it," I muttered gazing up at the sky, I could feel his eyes on me.

"C'mon on now Nas... please." He pleaded and I sighed. There was no way he was going to let up until I talked.

"Spill!" He said nudging me at the shoulder.

"It's about someone I loved. . . no. . . I love," I stuttered.

"Oh! So you still love him?" He implored his brows furrowed.

"Yes but. . ."

"But what Nas?" He asked trying to catch on.

"He left, Mike, he just left," I alleged and I felt the blood start to heat up under my skin. My heart pounded against my chest as tears stung my eyes.

Mike was taken aback by my revelation. He blinked rapidly trying to extricate. He bobbed his head signalling me to go on.

"I love him with every part of me, but I have realized you can love someone so much but not as much as you can miss them," I admitted and tried to swallow the lump in my throat. The lump didn't go all the way down it stuck in my chest.

"Did he love you?" Micheal inquired pulling me closer and wrapped his strong arms around me.

"He did, he told me he loved me, every day," I replied painfully letting  the words roll off my tongue.

"If he loved you then why did he leave?" He asked.

"I am not sure," I halted, "he woke up one day and realized he did not love me anymore and left."
I was not ready to tell Mike the whole truth. It was too painful to comprehend let alone to tell.

"I'm sorry, that must have been painful." He said as he held me closer and kissed me lightly on the forehead. I closed my eyes and the memory of that fateful day was still vivid on my mind.

"I was devastated, it was like hearing all the good-byes ever said to me all at once. Nothing has ever been the same since." Tears dropped down my cheeks but I dashed them angrily with my fist.

"I'm so sorry Nas, Please don't be unduly hard on yourself." He edified searching for my eyes.

"Everything will be fine." He solaced.

I tried to collect my thoughts and form words but my mouth felt dry and my chest tightened. My mind was nonetheless glued on that fateful day. My grip on Micheal tightened as I sobbed on his chest incoherently.

I was sure of one thing now, love was not Robin. Love was not him anymore. If love was him he would be here with me. He would be the one sitting across from me right now.

What was love anyway?

Pain.

Deception.

Betrayal.

Misery.

Scars.

I wondered how Mike would react if he saw the scars on my hips. I cringed at the thought, he will never see them, I can never allow it to happen, never. He rubbed my back gently, unaware of what was running through my dark mind. He kissed me on the forehead lightly and I heavily sighed.

Minutes turned into hours as we sat at the bridge silently. It was quiet and serene, the only sound being of the birds chirping at a distance and the crashing waves of water under the bridge.

****
Hello, lovely reader💖 thank you so much for taking the time to read this story, I truly appreciate it.