Chapter Forty-six

Iwanted to stay with Doni forever, but I knew I had to go home and spend Christmas with my family. I woke up to a rose gold with crystals unicorn charm bracelet on my pillow with the words Heal wounds. Heal a broken heart engraved in the inside of the bracelet. Big fat tears began to cascade down my face like a waterfall.

This boy will always have my heart.

"Please don't cry." Doni sits on the edge of the bed watching me.

He's freshly showered by the looks of his wet hair. He's wearing a navy long sleeve shirt that is fitted and made for his athletic build, with gray sweats.

"You know it's creepy when you sit there and stare." I pull myself up and lean against the headboard, rubbing my sleepy eyes.

Doni laughs and removes a box wrapped in metallic silver paper with a red glittery ribbon bow from behind his back.

"What is this?" He hands me the gift.

"It's your Christmas present." He scoots closer to me. "Open it."

With much anticipation, I untie the perfect red bow and it flows off the box. The latest model of a Nikon red camera is staring directly at me. I'm completely speechless, holding the gift as if it's the most precious thing in the world.

"Oh, my God." My voice is full of emotion. "I didn't get you anything." With being off work for several weeks, things were tight financially, so I wasn't able to get him anything like I wanted.

"You did. You came back to me."

"Hey. Don't cry." Doni wipes the tears I wasn't aware were falling.

I don't have the words to tell him how much this means to me. My heart is full of warmth and love. I can't believe he did this.

"Come here." I pull him to my side.

"What are we doing?" He chuckles, laying on his back with his hands underneath his neck.

"Let's take our first selfie with my new camera," I say excitedly.

He grabs the camera, lays on his back, and pulls me to his chest with me lying diagonally, resting my head on his chest. He keeps one hand around my waist and holds the camera with the other above us and snaps our picture.

"This one belongs to me."

Tia sings the lyrics to "Sejodioto " by KAROL G using her comb as a microphone, moving her hips in a seductive way.

"Shit!" she screams when she turns to see me standing in her door.

"Sorry." I raise my hands, strolling toward her bed and planting my ass down.

"Jesus, Sade! The fuck." She walks toward her nightstand, lowering the volume. Tia stands in front of her closet in a long white T-shirt that hangs off her shoulder and her black lacey underwear.

"So, what's up girl?" she asks while fumbling through her closet.

"You asked me to come over, remember?" I linger on the last word sarcastically.

"Oh yeah!" She faces me, holding up a skimpy short red dress. She sways the dress from side to side with a huge mischievous grin.

"Nope. No. No way." I shake my head, knowing exactly what she wants.

"Come on! We've gone every year since we were sophomores." She tries to make her case.

"Yeah, but a lot has changed since then. Or did you forget?"

"No. I didn't forget. How can you ask me that?" she snaps with a flash of regret in her eyes, making me feel like crap.

"Look, it's going to be different because Christian and his walking pieces of shit are banned from the club.."

Every year, the club Jo works at hosts an annual New Year's Eve bash. Since Tia and I are underage, we don't have any issues getting in since Jo works there. The party ends with a confetti storm and balloon drop at midnight. It's one of the events of the year I looked forward to, until Christian happened.

I turn away, sighing in frustration. "Tia, I—."

"No," Tia interrupts, holding her hand in the air to stop me from talking. "Stop this shit already. Sade, I love you like you are my sister, but you need to bury the past and not drag it with you like a fucking security blanket. Leave all the bad shit behind you. And you won't be alone. You got us, baby." She sits beside me on the bed, wrapping her arms around my shoulder.

"Fine." I rest my head on her shoulder.

"Yes!" She jumps up and hands me the dress. "Let's get you ready. Once Donnie boy sees you, he's going to want to fuck you by the end of the night."

I stand in front of Tia's mirror, looking at the person in front of me. A girl who once fought to save her life, broken to pieces by her father and ex-boyfriend, to finding peace and love with the boy from her past. The blue-eyed angel who found me when I thought all was lost.

The short red sequin off the shoulder maxi dress with the high slit showcases my curves and toned legs. Borrowing the black stiletto heels

with a snakeskin patent design from Tia's cousin completes the sexy look. Tia is wearing a similar outfit in gold sequins.

"Girrlll! You are smoking hot!" Tia mimics a sizzling sound by pretending to touch me as if I was on fire.

"You look hot too." Giving her a wink, we strut our assess to the living room.

"Ustedes se ven hermosas," Paloma gasps when she sees us walk in.

"Thanks, Titi." Tia kisses her aunt on the cheek.

"Your boys are going to go crazy tonight." She grabs her camera and snaps a picture of us when the doorbell rings.