I pressed my face into his chest breathing him in. "I love you Ethan" I mumbled against his skin.
"I love you more Lia" he whispered stroking his hands down my back making me smile.
Was this real? Please don't let me wake up in the morning and this is all just a dream, that would crush me. If this was a dream it was the best dream anyone ever had and I didn't ever want to wake up.
Chapter 16
Ethan
I woke up to the sound of my alarm going off, I pressed the button quickly wincing as the action made my fingers throb. I wrapped my arms back around her, she looked so beautiful this morning, I couldn't keep the smile off of my face because she was going to give me another chance. I'd never let her down again. I felt so happy it had taken me hours to fall asleep last night as I just couldn't stop watching her, luckily she didn't catch me otherwise she might think I'm some kind of weirdo pervert and not want to move in with me.
She moved slightly and snuggled closer to me pressing her face into my chest. I bent my head and kissed her forehead lightly. I loved this girl more than anything in the world, she was everything to me, she always has been.
I sighed, it was half past six and I needed to get up and shower, I was due to take over from Max in an hour. I didn't ever want to get out of this bed, I never wanted her out of my arms again. I especially didn't want to get up to go and protect her drugged up fiancée.
Wow that was going to be awkward to say the least. I had no idea if she was going to tell him she was leaving him for me, or if she was just going to break if off with him and leave me out of it.
Either way how the hell was I going to look the guy in the eye knowing I'd stolen the best thing that would ever happen to him? I felt a little guilty about it but only a little. To be honest, Lia and I belonged together. What they had couldn't have been that good, she didn't trust him enough to tell him about Ben which meant that deep down she knew he wasn't right for her.
I needed to wake her up, she needed to go to college. I'd have to make sure she didn't miss anymore classes, unlike Johnny I wanted her to do well. Dancing made Lia happy and therefore made me happy, she didn't just do it as a career option she loved to dance, something he obviously didn't understand if he kept making her miss it all the time.
"Lia" I whispered, she groaned lightly and slung her leg over me making me so freaking horny it was unreal. I gripped the back of her knee and pulled her leg slightly higher so it wasn't on my crotch. I wanted to give her time, after Ben I'm surprised she would even want to be with anyone like that. I know that she made Johnny wait for two years and I would wait as long as she wanted, she didn't need to know that her body drove me crazy. Lia had always drove me crazy that way, but she was so young when I left, we never did anything more than kissing then. That didn't stop me dreaming about her a lot though, I shook my head at myself, this girl made me into such a pervert.
I brushed my hand down her face and pressed my lips to hers gently memorising the softness of them, how they fitted mine perfectly. "Lia" I said a little louder, she scrunched her face and pulled back. She really wasn't a morning person and hated to wake up.
"Hey" she mumbled a smile stretching across her face making me feel like I'd won the lottery or something.
"Hey" I said happily.
She sighed and pressed her forehead to mine closing her eyes, "I thought I was dreaming, that I would wake up and I was just dreaming about you again" she said quietly.
I rolled on top of her being careful to keep all of my weight off of her. "You feel pretty real to me" I said bending my head to kiss her lightly. She smiled against my lips and wrapped her arms around my neck pulling me closer. I pulled out of the kiss before I did anything that she didn't want, I'd let her take it at her pace.
"I need to get up and go to work" I said brushing her hair away from her face. She pouted looking so adorable I couldn't help but smile. I bent my head and sucked her pouty bottom lip into my mouth making her moan breathily. The sound of her moaning turned me on even more so I rolled off of her before she noticed. "So what's going to happen today?" I asked curiously.
She screwed her face up, "With Johnny?" she asked quietly. I nodded and she closed her eyes looking pained, "I'll tell him tonight, once you've left" she said quietly.
After I've left, why the hell would she wait until I'd left? "After? Why?" I asked confused.
She looked at me pleadingly, "Ethan, I need to do it when we're on our own, it's only fair, he's not going to like it, I should do it in private" she said scooting closer to me gripping her hand in the back of my hair.
"Are you going to tell him about me?" I asked hoping she would say yes. Once it was out there about us it would be easier for us to be together, no hiding or sneaking around.
She shook her head, "No, I'm just going to break up with him, it's not fair to rub it in his face that I'm with someone else, you understand though right?" she asked looking at me pleadingly.
I smiled and nodded kissing the tip of her nose, "Sure I do, whatever you want ok?" I said cupping her face in my hands.
"Thanks" she bent forward and kissed me again. "I love you by the way" she said as she pulled away.
I grinned, I still wasn't used to her saying that to me again. "I love you more by the way" I said honestly. "So I'll give you a key and help you unpack your stuff later tonight when you come back ok?" I asked excitedly.
She nodded and grinned, "Sure, I'll bring the box for you to put your stuff in, free up the drawers"
she said teasingly. I laughed she honestly is too funny. "How's the hands today?" she asked taking my hand wincing as she looked at the sore looking knuckles.
"They're fine."
She kissed my knuckles and finger tips one at a time. I groaned, "I need to get the hell out of this bed Lia otherwise I'll stay here all day with you" I said kissing her again.
I forced myself to get up and went to go and have a cold shower, I had a feeling I would be having cold showers a lot until she was ready to take things further.
After I'd showered I dressed in the bathroom. When I went back into the bedroom she was looking through her bags from her parents pulling out clothes for today. I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind, "I don't have any food in the place, maybe we could go shopping or something later, fill up the cupboards with twinkies and marshmallows" I said teasingly knowing they were her favourites.
She laughed and pressed back into me, "Sounds good to me, I think I'm going to like living here if that's what I get to eat all the time"
I kissed the side of her neck, shit it was quarter past seven I needed to go. "I need to go, I'll see you at Johnny's then ok? If I don't get a chance to speak to you before my shift finishes, I hope everything goes ok and if you have any problems you call me, you sure you don't want to do it while I'm there?" I asked hopefully. If he hurt her it wouldn't be his stalker that he'd have to worry about.
She turned around and put her arms around my neck, "No, I need to do it in private, it's not fair for me to put him through that with you standing there watching" she said sadly. I knew she didn't want to hurt him, she loved him too but I don't think she was ever in love with him. She was with him a long time and he loved her a lot, he would take this hard I could tell.
"Right, well I'll text you today, I'll leave your key by the front door so you can let yourself in tonight ok?" I said bending so I could look into her beautiful eyes. The idea of her living here with me was getting me so damn excited I could barely breathe. I couldn't wait for tonight, officially we would be couple with nothing standing in the way.
"Ok tough guy, love you" she said going up on tip toes and pressing her lips to mine. I kissed her back hungrily savouring every last second to get me through the day without her. Tonight would be hard, she wanted to wait until I left to tell him so I would have to watch her play house with him until my shift finished.
I pulled away, "Love you too" I said honestly. I sighed and unwrapped my arms from her waist, dam
n I only just got her back and now I needed to leave her again. I walked to the door, "Have a good day ok? And don't be late for college" I said winking at her as I walked out of the door. I sorted out the spare key and left it on the sideboard in the hallway for her.
When I arrived at Johnny's I felt awful, the guilt was eating me up inside. She was honestly the best thing that would ever happen to that guy, hell she would be the best thing that happened to any guy, and I stole her from right under his nose. I waved to Max and headed inside, I was a quiet as possible, the longer he stayed asleep the less I would have to lie to his face.
Lucky for me he was passed out in the lounge, there were beer bottles and white powder peppering the coffee table. He is such an ass, it's just lucky he didn't sucker Lia into that kind of world, that would kill me to see her all drugged up like him everyday. I grabbed my book that I left here and went to sit in the kitchen to read it until he woke up.
Aaliyah
After Ethan left I showered and got dressed deciding to look around my new home. I didn't want to snoop or anything but there wouldn't be anything here that he didn't want me to see, well I hoped not anyway. The place was really cute, empty but still cute. He had barely even unpacked his own stuff, there was no ornaments or anything around.
I think Ethan moved around a lot, I guess he had to go where the work was, he needed to move closer to the person he was protecting I suppose, he'd only been here for a couple of weeks. I had no idea how this living with him thing would work if he was going to be moving around a lot, I would have to move with him I guess as long as he wanted me to.
Hopefully I would still get to finish college, I'd already done a year and had three left, maybe he would be assigned to people near here and I could still commute to college everyday. I'd have to speak to him about it tonight. Well maybe tomorrow, I wasn't planning on doing much talking tonight. After I broke it off with Johnny we would be able to be together finally.
There was no doubt in my mind that there would be no talking happening tonight. I smiled at the thought, I was so excited, Ethan was the only one I ever really wanted in that way. When I slept with Johnny for the first time I cried and cried after I'd done it. I felt I needed to do it to finally let go of Ethan, I think I only did it to prove to myself that I was over him, but even as I was doing it knew I wasn't even close, and I never did manage to get him out of my heart.
I hung up a couple of my dresses and spotted a pile of his dirty clothes in the bottom of the wardrobe. I smiled and picked them up, messy boy, I bet I'll be cleaning up after him the whole time. As I put them in the laundry basket I spotted a picture frame in amongst it. I pulled it out, why the hell would this be in with his dirty clothes? I turned it over and smiled, it was the pair of us when we were younger, I smiled at how happy we both looked in the picture. I had no idea then how hard life could be, all I ever thought was how happy he made me and what we would do together in the future. I never dreamed then what my life would turn out like. I sighed and put the picture on the dresser, it didn't matter what had happened before, he loved me and wanted me, I just prayed that he wouldn't break my heart again.
I dressed and went to college early sitting on the hood of my car waiting for Becca. She was going to go crazy when I told her everything that had happened, I hadn't spoken to her since the party, a lot had happened since then.
She came over a little while later smiling, "Hey girl, why are you grinning like the Cheshire cat?" she asked looping her arm through mine as we walked to the front door.
"Becca, I have some stuff to tell you, I told Ethan about Ben" I said not really knowing how to start.
She stopped walking and looked at me with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open. "You did? What did he say?" she asked cautiously, she knew about my parents not believing me, and the reason's I didn't want to tell anyone else about him.
"He believed me straight away" I said biting my lip thinking about how adorable he was that night.
She gasped and smiled shaking her head, "Ok well he scores one for that but he's still an ass for what he did to you" she said laughing nervously.
"There's more" I said closing my eyes, she squeezed my hand to get me to continue. "He went round there last night and beat the shit out of him, he made my parents believe me too" I said my voice breaking slightly as I spoke.
Becca grabbed me into a tight hug, I could feel she was crying, her body was shaking slightly. I stroked her back soothingly and couldn't help but laugh with relief, that was the first time I'd said it out loud and it made me get butterflies in my stomach. Everything seemed to be perfect at the moment.
"Ali that's incredible, your parents? Oh Ali I'm so happy for you that it's over" she said pulling back and wiping her tears away grinning happily. "Ethan sorted everything huh? Maybe I should stop sending him the hateful glares" she said laughing making me laugh too.
"There's still more" I said grimacing. She wasn't going to like this bit, no matter how much she approved of Ethan doing that last night she still wouldn't want me with him again, she had to pick up the pieces last time. She looked at me curiously, probably wondering what the hell else there could be. "I'm leaving Johnny" I said quietly.
She squealed and pulled me into another hug, "This day just keeps getting better and better" she said laughing and jumping up and down.
"Becca, I'm moving in with Ethan" I said biting my lip waiting for her reaction.
She stiffened and pulled back , "Moving in with him? Like he's just letting you stay there until you find your own place kind of moving in with him?" she asked looking at me hopefully.
"Not exactly, more like he told me that he still loved me and wanted to be with me kind of moving in with him" I said shifting uncomforting under her intense glare.
"Ali no! Come on, he broke your heart last time, remember what it was like, how you cried and cried, how much he hurt you, I can't see that again" she said shaking her head. I closed my eyes and tried not to do as she asked, I didn't want to remember what that pain felt like, I never wanted to feel that again.
"Becca I love him, you know I do, I never stopped loving him, please understand, he had his reasons for what he did, I don't want to go into them because they're private but he never wanted to hurt me, he thought I was better off without him, he didn't know, please understand" I said giving her my begging face.
She sighed, "Fine, but if he hurts you again I swear I will hunt him down and cut his balls off and feed them to my cat" she said raising her eyebrows at me warningly, it wasn't a joke.
I smiled at how protective she was of me, "Your cat died three years ago hon" I said laughing.
She smiled "Yeah ok well first I'd need to buy a new cat obviously" she said rolling her eyes playfully. I smiled at her and she looped her arm through mine again. "Come on then, let's get to class" she said shaking her head. Becca really was the best friend a girl could ask for.
Ethan and I text back and forth all day in-between classes. After college I made my way slowly to my car, I didn't want to go and do this. I didn't want to go and tell Johnny it was over, the idea of hurting him and seeing that look on his face was killing me inside. Also the fact that I wanted to do it in private meant that I would have to pretend nothing was wrong until Ethan left. I hated the thought of letting Johnny kiss me in front of Ethan, that was going to be hard and I felt sick just thinking about it.
I decided to put it off as long as possible, Ethan worked until seven thirty so I could go and spend a couple of hours at the mall or something so I wouldn't have to spend as much time with Johnny.
I text Ethan to let him know. 'I'm going to the mall for a couple of hours, see you about six, love you' I sent to him.
Almost immediately my phone rang in my hand, I looked at the caller id to see it was him. I grinned and snapped my phone open eager to hear his sexy voice. "Hey tough guy" I said happily.
"Lia you need to come to Johnny's now, no shopping, come straight here ok, don't stop the car drive straight to th
e house, I'll explain when you get here" he said sternly no hello or anything.
What the hell is that about? "What's happened? Is everything ok? Is Johnny ok?" I asked starting to get worried. Shit maybe he'd OD'd or something. I started the car panicking slightly.
"Everything's fine, just come straight here ok, now" he said quickly. It wasn't a request it was an order, something was wrong.
"Ok I'm on my way" I said snapping my phone shut and pulling out as I snapped on my seatbelt.
Thoughts of Johnny hurt or dead were flashing through my mind. I barely even registered that I was driving, it was actually pretty lucky I didn't kill anyone as I sped to his house.
As soon as I pulled up into the drive the front door opened and Ethan came out. I glanced up to see a car pull up behind me. Was someone following me? Ethan made me jump by opening my door and grabbing my hand, "Get inside" he said quickly.
"What's going on?" I asked looking at his face, he looked stressed and worried. He had a fierce intensity to his eyes, he actually looked pretty dangerous, I could tell he was good at his job just from the hardness to his eyes. He nodded to the guy in the other car and pulled me towards the house. I yanked my arm out of his, "What the hell's going on Ethan?" I asked annoyed, he still hadn't answered my question.
"The threats from the stalker have extended to you, he knows you and Johnny are engaged and now he wants you dead too" he said grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the house again. Shit the stalker wanted me dead too? Why the hell would he want that? I hadn't done anything, I was a nobody. I let him drag me into the house and immediately Johnny grabbed me into a hug.
"Shit Ali, I've been so worried babe, Ethan told me I couldn't come and get you that there was an agent watching you but I just couldn't stop worrying" he said cupping my face in his hands.
I flicked my eyes over to Ethan who was frowning looking anywhere but me.
"I don't understand, what the hell do I have to do with anything?" I asked confused as hell. Johnny kissed me fiercely, I put my hands on his chest and pulled back quickly, "Stop it Johnny, will someone tell me what's happening and why" I said getting annoyed.