Chapter Twenty-seven

"Oh my god! She looks so adorable," Tia coos.

She grabs Sophie from my lap and takes her into her arms. Today is Halloween, and Sophia is dressed in a costume that Abuela made. It's a white and pink unicorn jumpsuit with a gold horn that are part of the hood, a rainbow fluffy tail, and pink booties to cover her tiny, cute feet. Josiah walks over and places a kiss on her forehead. Sophia sucks her teething toy in Tia's lap.

"I'm going to take Abuela to the grocery store. Does Sophia need anything?" Josiah asks.

"Yeah." I leap up from the floor and rush into the kitchen, grabbing the list from the fridge.

"Here." I hand the list to Josiah and get my purse. "I'll give you some money." He reaches my elbow and says, "Don't worry about it. I'm good for it." He places a kiss on my forehead and calls out to Abuela, asking her if she's ready to go.

I'm about to sit on the couch when the doorbell rings. Josiah freezes and turns to face me. "Are you expecting company?" he asks suspiciously.

"Actually, yeah, but they're early."

"Let me guess. The twins." He shakes his head in amusement when I walk past him and pat him on the arm and say, "Don't get all big brotherly on me, Josiah." He chuckles and lightly kicks me in the butt.

Doni and Ash called me last night asking if they could stop by today to spend some time with Sophia. Spending time with the guys in the last week was more than I could ever imagine. It was amazing how comfortable the guys were at Francisco's, like they were part of the family. It's been such a long time since I had that much fun.

Tia was right. We can pick up where we left off. I just have to be willing and keep my heart open. Even if the feelings of heartbreak might infect my heart and kill me in the process.

When I open the door, Ash and Doni stand in front of me like delicious mouth-watering hot fallen angels.

"Hey," Ash and Doni say at the same time.

"Hey." I motion for them to come in with a big smile.

"Let me grab your coats." They hand me the coats and I hang them in the entry closet.

"What's up, man?" Josiah bumps fists with Doni and Ash.

Abuela emerges from the kitchen and puts on her coat. "Oh! ?Los chicos regresaron!" Abuela gently pinches their cheeks and pats the sting away. "No seas extra?o."

"She says the boys have returned, and don't be strangers." Once Abuela and Josiah leave, the guys follow me into the living room.

"Look who's here, baby girl." Tia waves at the boys, holding onto Sophia's hand. She smiles big, waves her teething toy in excitement, and kicks her feet out.

Doni walks closer and bends down until he's at the same level as Sophia. "Hey, little unicorn. Don't you look cute." He tugs on her horns.

Sophia drops her toy and holds her arms out for Doni. He reaches for her, throws her in the air, and catches her. She releases an uncontrollable high-pitched laugh each time he tosses her.

Doni sits her on a play mat while he lays on his side with one knee up, pressing the buttons on her toy keyboard, and I lay on the opposite side of Sophia.

"She's a sweet kid," Doni says, keeping his eyes on Sophia.

"Yeah, she is." I smile as my baby girl sticks her finger in Doni's mouth while he pretends to eat it.

"Do you have any regrets?" he asks in a whisper, never allowing his sights to wander from Sophia.

"No, I don't," I respond quickly. "Even though her father and I didn't work out, I wouldn't trade my girl for anything. She's the best thing that has ever happened to me." Sophia leans over to me and covers my nose with her mouth.

"She's teething?" he asks.

"Yeah, she is." I laugh, tickling Sophia. She laughs and crawls over to Doni. She climbs on his chest, forcing him on his back while she sits on his chest. Doni grabs her rattle and hands it to her. She shakes it, puts it in her mouth, and raises it in the air, shaking it, talking baby gibberish. A sound I will never get tired of listening to.

"Do you have any regrets?" I sit up, grabbing my phone to snap a picture.

Doni turns his head to face me. He whispers, "Yeah, a lot of regrets." His eyes stay on me for several seconds, then he turns back to Sophia. He doesn't elaborate because a part of me knows his regrets, but I don't push him. That's something he needs to work out on his own.

He pokes Sophia in the stomach like a dough boy, causing her to giggle.

I get up to use the bathroom and when I return, I stand behind the archway silently watching Doni sitting on the couch and rubbing his nose against Sophia's with her hands cupping his face. He watches her in adoration. I'm falling in love just watching him love my daughter as if she was his own.

Ash walks in with Tia behind him. "My turn!" He rubs his hands together like a villain and strolls toward Doni. He steals Sophia from Doni's arms.

Tia walks up to me and wraps her arms around my shoulder. "He is so good with her." She places a kiss on my cheek and joins Ash and Sophia.

Doni senses me watching him. He pats the seat next to him, and like an obedient child, I sit beside him. He pulls me into his arms and leans us back against the couch cushions. I lean against him, soaking in his warmth.

"Do you remember on my game days you would never sit in the bleachers with Mom but would always sit behind the fence cheering me on?"

"Our games," Ash corrects him.

Doni's chest rumbles with a chuckle. "Our games. Do you remember what you did that last game of the summer?"

Laughing to myself, I don't have to think about it because I know exactly what he means. Ashley Kinston, ten years old, had long blonde wavy hair with forest green eyes that were too big for her face. She had a massive crush on Doni. And when I mean big, she preyed on him like a rabid dog. She was a bully and hated my guts because Doni and I were best friends. And since Doni doesn't have a mean bone in his body, he couldn't shoo her away as much as I did.

Little Miss Perfect wore a pink dress like she was going to church and sat in a folding chair with an umbrella. The sun was too much for her. On the other hand, I wore shorts and a tank top and plopped my ass right on the grass without a care in the world. It was a freaking baseball game, for Christ's sake.

Every time I yelled at the umpire for making a bad judgment call, the wannabe princess glared in my direction and told me to shut up. I ignored her for half the game until she threw an empty water bottle at my head.

When I glanced over to her, ready to knock her ass off that chair, she laughed and said, "Oops. I thought you were a trash can. Stop embarrassing yourself. Doni doesn't like tomboys. He wants a pretty girl like me." She flipped her hair over her shoulders and sneered at me.

Dad would call me trash.

Even though I acted tough on the outside, I still had feelings. She must've noticed the expression on my face and decided it was the perfect time to make another jab at me.

"Awe. Are you going to cry?" Her laugh was wicked. Usually, Doni and Ash would step in anytime I was being bullied, but I had to stand up for myself this time.

I stood up, dusted the grass off my shorts, and marched right over to her. I yanked the umbrella back and bent down until our eyes met. "You are a mean girl who likes to bully other people just because Little Miss Perfect doesn't get what she wants, and those are my boys." I pointed to Doni and Ash, who were watching our little show. "That's right, they are MY BOYS" —pointing a finger to my chest— "and I don't share. So shut up and leave me alone!"

And I did something I would never regret—I kicked the chair, knocking her on her ass. I walked away with a triumphant smile.

That's right, they are my boys and will always by mine.

Donovan

Tia and Ash cuddle together on the couch while we watch the newest Halloween movie. Shorty's grandma went to bed early, and Josiah left for work. Shorty stirs beside me when Sophia's cries echo through the baby monitor.

"I can check on her," I offer.

"No, it's fine. I didn't get a chance to sing to her." She stretches, showing me a sliver of her bare skin when her crop top rises every time she moves.

"Sing?"

She doesn't respond but smiles and walks down the hallway toward Sophie's room. I wait for a few minutes before I decide to follow her. The floor creaks with every step . Once I reach her bedroom, the door is cracked open with a light glow from Sophie's night light. The door is open enough to take a peek without letting her know I'm here. What I see takes my breath away. I lean against the door frame, taking it all in as I watch my best friend sing a lullaby to her daughter.

"Twinkle, twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder where you are," Shorty softly sings to Sophie who's captivated with her mother's voice, and she reaches her tiny hands to Shorty's cheek.

"Mi princesa." Shorty takes Sophie's hands and kisses her fingers. Sophie reacts by making baby noises and giving her a smile that makes my whole world brighter. From a stranger's view, it looks like a mother holding her daughter, but from a person who's been in love with his best friend since he was six years old, it looks like a special bond between a mother and daughter that cannot be broken.

"Dear Stars, please bring Shorty back to me. You see, I had to move and couldn't take her with me, so can you do me a favor?" I make a plea to the stars above while I lay on the roof of my new home with my hands behind my head. I miss Shorty, I miss her laugh. I miss her smile. I miss watching the stars with her.

"Stars, did you hear me?" Nothing happens for a while and disappointment fills the cracks in my heart that will only shatter it more.

A tear runs down my cheek. "Can you please bring Shorty back to me? I miss her, and she needs me." I clutch the walkie-talkie in my hand, trying to hear Shorty's voice, but it never comes. Just a bunch of static.

Another tear falls, followed by another, and another, and another until my vision blurs.

I blink and let the tears escape.

"Ok, I need her too." I sniffle. "If you can't bring her back to me right now, can you look after her? Make sure she eats her breakfasts because she doesn't like to eat too early. Can you make sure someone holds her hand wherever she goes?" My voice is full of emotions I can't seem to shut off. It's overwhelming and my heart hurts. I rub my chest with my knuckles and take in a deep breath, trying to remove the ache from my heart.

"Twinkle, twinkle litter star. Please watch my Shorty from afar."

Even if the stars were eight years too late, I finally found my Shorty.

I finally convinced Tia to tag along with me to Donovan and Ash's Halloween/birthday bash if I drove her car since she plans on getting wasted. She wasn't keen on the idea spending the evening with a bunch of rich kids. Still, she was on board after I told her that we would only be there for an hour, then head over to Sebastian's place.

"This better be just an hour, girl, cause I can't handle being around a bunch of snobby ass prissy bitches sober. I don't want to get too fucked up before going to Sabes." Tia has been bitching the whole ride to the cabin.

"Fuck! Damn girl," Tia yells as she smears her lipstick across her face.

"Oh. Sorry." I try to stifle my laugh but fail. "There's a bump in the road. Sorry." I laugh, gesturing to the road in front of us.

"Well, fuck. Watch where you're going," she complains while fixing her face. "And why the fuck are we going to bumfuck nowhere?" Tia looks out the window as if Bigfoot is going to come out from the trees.

"I told you already. They have a family cabin in the woods by the lake. They host all their parties out there," I explain for the hundredth time.

"Well, I don't like it. Imagine two Latinas getting whacked by a bunch of rich putas and our bodies thrown in the icy lake where not even God could find our asses."

"Oh my God! You are so fucking dramatic, Tia." I laugh so hard my stomach hurts.

"What? It's not funny, bitch. You hear about that shit all the time. At least in the hood, they don't need to hide your body. We'll be found regardless." She puts her lipstick away and fusses with her bright red wig.

Tia is dressed as a sexy assassin. All decked out in a one-piece black leather suit that zips from her collar past her midriff, exposing a large amount of cleavage.

As for me, I originally wanted to go as a witch, but I couldn't find anything at the last minute, so I improvised. I bought a jersey dress from the thrift store and raided my closet and Tia's for the rest of the costume. Red knee socks, a plain red cap, and a pair of short red shorts covered by the shirt dress. The same colors as Doni's uniform as a kid. I wanted to wear my white converse shoes, but Tia wasn't having that, so I chose a pair of her

white ankle boots with a short heel. Cute, but my feet will fall off by the end of the night.

Tia finally stops yapping about dead bodies and shit while we drive the remaining time singing to Shakira's "Essentials"through her iPhone.

Tia turns the music off when we pull up to the dirt road that separates from the main road.

"We're lost," Tia says.

"No, we are not." I'm not 100 percent sure since I've been driving for a while and Doni said it wouldn't take more than an hour. Well, it's been one hour and twenty minutes and the sky's getting darker.

"Yes!"

"No! Do you want to drive?" I ask, glancing over at my best friend.

"Is that it?" She points out the window toward the country road.

"Yeah, I think so." I lean forward to read the numbers on the mailbox.

"Yep, that's it."

"Finally." Tia exhales a breath.

I turn onto the road surrounded by large trees. The garden lights offer illumination, guiding us along the way until we reach a two-story cabin decorated in orange and purple lights. Luxury cars are parked everywhere on an open dirt road. I park the car as close as I can to the entrance. Before turning the ignition off, I send a text to Dino letting him know we have arrived.

"Wait. Don't get out until he comes out here," Tia says.

"What? Why? Are you really freaking out?" I chuckle.

"YES! It's not funny! I can't believe you're not shitting your pants right now." She looks around as if something is lurking in the woods, ready to snatch her up. "We're in the middle of nowhere. It's dark, and I don't see anyone," she whispers yells.

"Why are you whispering?" I whisper back. I've never seen her this freaked out before. She looks around her surroundings again and turns back to me.

"I'm not whispering. I—"

BANG! BANG!

"AHHHHH!" Tia screams her head off as Ash bangs his hands on her side of the window dressed up as Danny Zuko from Grease. I can't stop laughing as I crawl out of the car. My stomach hurts so bad from laughing and tears fall from my eyes.

Tia jumps out of the car and smacks Ash in the chest. "You fuckin asshole! You almost gave me a heart attack! Don't do that shit!" she hollers while holding her hands to her chest.

Ash laughs as he staggers backward.

"You should've seen your face!" He dodges another hit from Tia when he picks her up and throws her over his shoulder, smacking her ass.

"What the hell are you doing?" she shrieks. "Sade! Tell him to put me down!"

"No can do. Not until you calm your ass down." He twirls her around and yells over his shoulder, "See you in the cabin, Shorty." He smacks her ass again.

"Goddamnit!" Tia screams as Ash carries her away toward the cabin.

"Well, that was interesting." Doni's voice startles me.

When I turn around to face him, my heart beats out of control, and a tingling sensation comes alive between my legs. He rubs his thumb over his lower lip as he gazes over me. But that's not what's causing the desire within me to want to rip my clothes off and offer myself to him. No, it's what he's wearing. He's dressed as a mobster.

He's wearing a black striped fedora hat, a striped vest, a black tie, and a silver pocket watch chain attached to one of the buttons on his vest that leads to the vest pocket. His muscles strain against the white cotton long sleeve dress shirt. The black and white pinstriped pants fit perfectly against his strong, toned legs.

As I take him in from head to toe, I put my hands over my mouth and giggle when I notice his shoes.

"Oh my god. You're even wearing the gangster shoes! I love it!" He smiles from ear to ear when he sees my reaction while I point toward his shoes.

"You look…um," he skims me from head to toe taking me in, "you look…Fuck." He rubs his hands down his face.

Doni invades my space and tips my chin up to face him, so I am looking right into his gaze. My breath catches, I swallow a gulp when he leans in like he's going to kiss me. My eyes flutter shut when I get a whiff of his scent. I can feel his warm breath against my face sending warm sensations throughout my body.

I open my eyes to him smiling down at me.

"Yes. You are fucking sexy, Shorty," he whispers against my lips.

His breath smells fresh like mint chocolate, and his spicey cologne invades my senses.

A screeching voice makes me pull back.

"Put me down! Sade! Get your ass up here now, girl."

I turn to face a pissed-off Tia, who looks ready to rip Ash's head off as she hangs over his shoulder. He seems amused, like he enjoys her threats.

"Is she always like that?" Doni laughs while I'm trying to cover my snort.

"Yeah, but she'll get over it once she has a few drinks in her."

A few drinks later, Tia isn't screaming at Ash anymore. We watch as kids from Whitecrest Academy dance around the campfire, on the patio, in the cabin, or anywhere they can dance to songs like "Thriller" by Michael Jackson, "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell, and "Cuckoo" by Adam Lambert.

Ash and Doni haven't left our sides all night. Even Wyatt and Jag came over to chill with us. Wyatt is dressed up as a pimp in a bright purple suit, Serena is dressed as an Egyptian princess, and Jag and McKenzie are the cutest couple dressed as Fred and Wilma Flintstone. I haven't seen Addy yet.

I'm sitting by the fire pit with an orange cup filled with some sort of Witches' Brew concoction. Tia's grinding against Ash to "Please Me" by Cardi and Bruno.

"Hey. I've been looking for you." Doni sits beside me on the Adirondack chair.

"Hey, back."

"Are you having fun?"

"I am." It's the truth.

"Good." He smiles and leans back with his legs spread apart in front of him as he takes a drink from his beer.

I snuggle into my hoodie against the mild breeze. I'm so glad I didn't listen to Tia. She said the hoodie makes me look frumpy. I'm starting to regret not wearing pants. We sit in silence, observing our surroundings, enjoying the warmth radiating from the fire underneath the dark sky full of stars.

"Why did you take on your stepdad's last name?"

He takes one big gulp of his beer and holds it in his hand, staring at the bottle while resting both hands on the arms of the chair.

"His name carries weight. He thought it would help me get into the best schools, help my reputation when I make pro-ball, and he wanted to leave a legacy behind. Mom said he could never have children, so..."

"Is that why you call him your dad?

"Yeah. He was the only father figure in my life. He treats Ash and me well. Loves us like his own sons. Plus, he treats Mom good. That's all that matters to me."

"He treats her good?" I ask.

"Yeah, he does." His face turns somber.

"Don't do that," I tell him as I take a drink from my cup.

This tastes so fucking good.

"Do what?" His eyebrows raise in question.

"Feel bad because you have two great parents who don't treat you like shit. There's no shame in that, Doni. And there's no jealousy coming from me because I wouldn't want you, Ash, or your mom to suffer. No one should ever have to live through that." I look away and stare into the fire blazing in the wind. "I'm happy for you guys," I say honestly.

"Shorty." He turns to face me, leaning forward with elbows on his knees with the bottle of beer in his hands between his parted legs. "I'm so sorry for what you went through. Please believe me when I say that I wanted to take your pain away for the longest time. I wanted to take the brunt of the hits. All I ever wanted was for you to be safe."

I keep my gaze on the fire, listening intently to the sadness and regret in his voice. My heart aches, knowing he has felt this burden since childhood. I never imagined what my life had done to him until now.

"I never meant to fail you." There's a crack in his voice that causes me to face him. His vivid ocean blue eyes are full of sadness and pain.

My little blue-eyed angel.

"You didn't fail me, Doni. Because you—the memory of you— pushed me to fight to stay alive because I knew, wherever you were, you would have wanted me to fight." I place one hand against his face and gaze into his eyes with as much love as I can give.

"My life isn't a fairytale. It's full of pain and sorrow, but with you, I will rise again. You were my star shining brightly over the shadows. You kept me strong, Doni. Don't ever apologize for that." I don't blame him for what happened. I don't even blame his mom. Our parents thought they were doing what was best for us because fear makes people do the unspeakable.

I want to move on, Doni. I want to move past this. And you need to give your mom a break.

"Shorty," his tone is full of pain. "Please forgive me," he begs as he leans into my hand that's still caressing his face.

"There's nothing to forgive. Let's just move past this and start a new chapter in our story."

He raises his head and covers my hand, rubbing the top of it as he continues to search for the truth in my eyes. "Yeah, I want that more than anything." His lips curl up into a smile.

He removes my hand from his face. "Have you applied yet to any colleges?"

"Um, not yet." And I probably won't be either. "What about you?"

"I was offered a full scholarship to Vanderbilt University."

"That is amazing, Doni! I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks."

Doni doesn't say anything but stares at me in a thoughtful way with a small smile.

"Come on. I want to show you something." He stands over me and holds his hand out. We walk through the mass of students dressed up in various costumes as we make our way up to the cabin. The cabin is beautiful, especially with the twinkling lights hanging around the windows and the banister. I bet this place looks magical during Christmas time.

"The place was built in the 1780s." Doni chuckles when he sees the awe in my expression. "There's six bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms."

Who the hell needs that many bathrooms? The cabin is vast, with a lot of land surrounding the area.

He holds the door open for me as we step into the great room. As I stand on the original wood floors, I look up to the high vaulted ceilings and notice how the log staircase splits into two smaller flights going in opposite directions.

He leads me into the kitchen.

"Do you want anything to drink?" he asks, eyeing my now empty cup.

"No. I'm good." I stand by the island, wondering what Tia and Ash are up to. I didn't see them when we walked up to the cabin.

Doni hands me a bottle of water. "Drink. You'll need to stay hydrated. The brew is a bitch." He smirks, taking my hand and leading me up the staircase and passing several closed bedroom doors.

"We keep the doors locked. Only our close group of friends stay the night."

"And fuck buddies?" I mumble.

Just picturing Addy or other girls sleeping with Doni in any one of these rooms makes me want to vomit all over his gangster shoes.

"No. No fuck buddies." He side-eyes me and laughs. He grabs two blankets from the closet in the hallway.

We walk through one of the two loft rooms, and Doni opens the doors to the balcony. As soon as I step outside, I'm hit instantly with the air that feels so much cooler up here than it does on the ground. The view is breathtaking. Large colorful trees for the season surround the cabin, and the ground is blanketed in forest greenery covered with leaves.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Doni stands closer to me..

"Yes," I breathe. "What're the blankets for?"

"Follow me, and you'll see." He winks as he leads me to a set of stairs leading to the roof.

Once we get to the roof, it's flat enough we can sit and not slide down. He lays one blanket on the rooftop and drapes the second over our legs. We lie in silence, absorbing the dark sky covered in sparkling white stars. The music and the chatter from below fade away, leaving me to hear my heartbeat.

I glance over to see if Doni has fallen asleep, but he's wide awake on his back with one arm underneath his head and the other relaxing on his stomach. His hat rests on his propped-up knee.

Starring at the stars and lying next to him on the roof brings back memories of the nights we would escape to his rooftop and pretend to be lost in a faraway land where no one could hurt us. It was our time to get away from reality. After a long gap of silence, I break it by reminding him how I survived this whole time. I have a feeling he needs to hear it in order for him to move past the hurt and regret.

"After you left, the house stayed empty for a few weeks, so on the nights when I needed to get away from Dad, I sat on your rooftop and stared at the darkness above me, wondering if you were laying underneath the same dark sky as I was. That was the only time I felt close to you."

He stays quiet, but I can hear his deep, steady breathing, and sense his eyes on me so I continue.

"I prayed to the stars on those nights, asking them to watch over you and bring you back to me. But you never came, so I started to hate the stars. Then, later, Tia moved into your old house, and we became best friends.

We started the same tradition." I glance over to see him staring intensely at me. There's so much emotion across his face and love radiating from his eyes, making my heart melt into putty. I smile, my gaze returning to the sky. "We would go on the roof every year on the Fourth of July just like we used to."

"I remember." His words come out as a whisper.

"Tia filled the void you left behind. She could never take your place, no one can, but she became my person and helped me move forward without you. I don't know what I would've done without her. Her friendship may have stopped the pain after you left, but seeing you now, being here with you underneath the stars, has slowly begun to heal my wounds. And that is why I'm afraid if I were to lose you again."

The darkness will consume me until there is nothing left of me. And that's the truth. Having Doni back in my life scares the crap out of me because I don't ever want to let this go. Let him go. I want us to be more than friends, but we have grown to become two different people. He lives a life of luxury, and I have to fight to live another day.

"Do you see that bright star?" He points to the sky.

I nod, pretending to know which star he is referring to.

"It's a unicorn."

I can't help but smile like a lovesick fool. "Looks like glitter vomited all over the sky."

We both laugh.

It's a sincere laugh like old times.

"It's a unicorn," he says in a breathy tone.

I remember the night when he gave me the unicorn necklace that I still wear, which he doesn't know. The only time I take it off is when I am in the

shower. I hold it close to my heart; the same way Doni has a place in my heart.

"Why did you pick a unicorn?" I play along as we relive the memory.

"Because they are pure and innocent. They have the powers to heal. Did you know that their horns heal wounds, and their tears can heal a broken heart?"

"No." My lips tremble, trying to hold back my tears.

"Shorty. Please look at me," he pleads as he lays on his side, resting his head on his fist to hold him up as he looks at me. I do as he asks, and I wish I didn't because the tears begin falling.

"Yeah. I wish we were unicorns so I could heal your bruises, and you can heal my broken heart." He wipes the tears from my face.

"What are we doing, Doni?" I whisper, shutting my eyes. When I open them, I ask again, "What is this between us?" I need to know if we can move forward or if I need to protect my heart.

"What I've always wanted, Shorty."

"Which is what?" My voice cracks with emotion.

"To be your hero. To be the man you need me to be. You're my best friend." He hovers over me, placing one hand over my right hip as he continues to wipe the tears from my face with his thumb.

"Let me save you from your nightmares. Let me fight your fears for you. Let me kiss your wounds. Let me be your nightlight when you are afraid of the dark. Let me kiss your tears away." He presses his forehead against mine. "Let me be your always and forever."

I feel his lips press against mine. It's a gentle kiss at first, but he deepens the kiss when his tongue enters my mouth. I wrap my hands around his neck, holding him in place as our tongues continue to wrestle.

I want this moment to last.

It's just him and me against the world.

This feels so right. He was meant for me, as I was meant for him.

The kiss ends when he slowly pulls away, but he kisses my nose and steals another quick kiss from my lips.

"Our first kiss was on a roof, you know?" He smiles big.

A goofy laugh erupts from me, and he buries his face in the crook of my neck. "I just want to hold you forever." He pulls away.

A breath escapes from his throat, and he lies on his back, scrubbing his face with his hands. He turns to face me with both hands entwined, resting on his stomach.

"Shorty?"

"Yeah?"

"I found you." "

Yeah, you found me."

"You belong with me, no matter what. Always," he says.

"Always," I repeat.