He could cause bigger trouble than just creeping me out. And I need the money.” I go to interject that I’d take care of her, that I make enough that she’d be okay not working and dealing with this guy, but she seems to know. “I can't be kept. From the moment we met, you knew I had to do things on my own. That hasn't changed.” Celia shakes her head, her long ponytail swishing back and forth. “We only just got us back,” she whispers, pain sneaking into her words and I'm taken aback at where she's going with this. “I can't… I can't take a risk that you… that you'd walk away from me again. And if I depend on you and you decide, we'll if you go away again, I will truly have nothing left.”
My breath leaves in a whoosh and I feel my skin turn ice cold. Looking at Celia, seeing how her bottom lip is trembling as she tries to keep it still, has my heart breaking. She's fighting so desperately to keep from crying, from showing weakness, especially here in front of these people. With shaky hands I gently cup her face. Swallowing the lump that forced its way into my throat, I try to speak. “Cecelia, I am so sorry for hurting you. I am so sorry that we've gotten to this point where you can't trust that I won't do it again.” She doesn't argue and that guts me. It's been years, nearly two, since Hayley, and yet the ghost of that time won't leave “You mean everything to me. You are my whole world. If I could back and change what I did, I would do it in a heartbeat. A fucking heartbeat, baby.
“But I can't. All I can do is work to win your trust back. And I swear on my life, I will do everything in my power to convince you of what you mean to me.” The last bit I say in a fierce whisper. And with a final check that our conversation is still private, I lean in to her, hovering over her lips. “I love you, Cecelia. I love you so fucking much.”
She gasps. She definitely wasn’t expecting that. But it's the truth. It's my God’s honest truth. I met Cecelia when I was sixteen. We were thrust together by addiction and stuck by each other when everyone else walked away. And while we dated, and it was serious, love had never passed our lips, even though that’s what it had been. I needed to remedy that because like I said, it's my truth. She's my truth. Without Cecelia, I am nothing.
“Oh God, Chace, please mean that,” she cries.
“I do, baby. I love you so much I can’t breathe sometimes. And being away from you, being someone you simply scratched an itch with has been absolute torture,” I tell her pulling back to look at her.
Tears are pooling in her eyes. With one blink, I watch them fall down her face. I do everything I can to catch them. “I love you, too,” she says through a sob. It's all I can I do to not take her home and ravage her. I've loved her for a long time, probably from the moment we met, so to be able to tell her and have her tell me back is like fucking perfection.
But I can't do what I want because the bickering has stopped and I know my time to fight is now. Without looking away to confirm the others are watching us, I brush my lips across Celia’s. “I gotta go fight, baby. And after I win, I'm gonna take you home and make love you all night. Fast, slow, hard, soft, however you want it, baby.”
A smile peaks onto her lips. “I'm looking forward to it. Now go beat Silas.”
I do just that. The thrill of knowing Cecelia is my girl, that I'm truly hers, knowing that she loves me, and accepts my love in return, it's all I need to make quick work of Silas. Ten minutes after the fight begins, I'm walking hand in hand with Celia toward my apartment where I intend to keep my promise to her.
We ignore the comments directed our way. Ignore the remarks about what we're heading to do. None of them matter. I should know this. I do know this. The woman snuggled against my side, hand in mine, is proof of it.
“You were so good tonight, Chace. Wish I coulda watched your first
My breath leaves in a whoosh and I feel my skin turn ice cold. Looking at Celia, seeing how her bottom lip is trembling as she tries to keep it still, has my heart breaking. She's fighting so desperately to keep from crying, from showing weakness, especially here in front of these people. With shaky hands I gently cup her face. Swallowing the lump that forced its way into my throat, I try to speak. “Cecelia, I am so sorry for hurting you. I am so sorry that we've gotten to this point where you can't trust that I won't do it again.” She doesn't argue and that guts me. It's been years, nearly two, since Hayley, and yet the ghost of that time won't leave “You mean everything to me. You are my whole world. If I could back and change what I did, I would do it in a heartbeat. A fucking heartbeat, baby.
“But I can't. All I can do is work to win your trust back. And I swear on my life, I will do everything in my power to convince you of what you mean to me.” The last bit I say in a fierce whisper. And with a final check that our conversation is still private, I lean in to her, hovering over her lips. “I love you, Cecelia. I love you so fucking much.”
She gasps. She definitely wasn’t expecting that. But it's the truth. It's my God’s honest truth. I met Cecelia when I was sixteen. We were thrust together by addiction and stuck by each other when everyone else walked away. And while we dated, and it was serious, love had never passed our lips, even though that’s what it had been. I needed to remedy that because like I said, it's my truth. She's my truth. Without Cecelia, I am nothing.
“Oh God, Chace, please mean that,” she cries.
“I do, baby. I love you so much I can’t breathe sometimes. And being away from you, being someone you simply scratched an itch with has been absolute torture,” I tell her pulling back to look at her.
Tears are pooling in her eyes. With one blink, I watch them fall down her face. I do everything I can to catch them. “I love you, too,” she says through a sob. It's all I can I do to not take her home and ravage her. I've loved her for a long time, probably from the moment we met, so to be able to tell her and have her tell me back is like fucking perfection.
But I can't do what I want because the bickering has stopped and I know my time to fight is now. Without looking away to confirm the others are watching us, I brush my lips across Celia’s. “I gotta go fight, baby. And after I win, I'm gonna take you home and make love you all night. Fast, slow, hard, soft, however you want it, baby.”
A smile peaks onto her lips. “I'm looking forward to it. Now go beat Silas.”
I do just that. The thrill of knowing Cecelia is my girl, that I'm truly hers, knowing that she loves me, and accepts my love in return, it's all I need to make quick work of Silas. Ten minutes after the fight begins, I'm walking hand in hand with Celia toward my apartment where I intend to keep my promise to her.
We ignore the comments directed our way. Ignore the remarks about what we're heading to do. None of them matter. I should know this. I do know this. The woman snuggled against my side, hand in mine, is proof of it.
“You were so good tonight, Chace. Wish I coulda watched your first
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