Victoriå"What do you mean 'No'?" I questioned and he leaned against a motorbike that I didn't even know he owned."I'm not repeating myself." He said, getting onto the bike and I crossed my arms."I'm starting to finally feel normal, Landon," I sighed, looking down at my hands. "Don't ruin that for me." He looked at me for a while, his eyes staring into mine before he signaled for me to come closer.I took a single step closer and his hands reached out, grabbing my bare waist and I shrieked as I was lifted.He placed me in front of him on the bike, my legs going over his knees.My heartbeat sped up at the proximity of our faces and his minty breath hit my nose.He didn't divert his gaze, his eyes still staring into my soul and I couldn't breathe. Then he sighed."Fine." He told me and I smiled."Be safe, Landon." I said, wrapping my arms around his neck as I hugged him and he let out a firm breath.But he didn't respond. He pulled away after a while, his hand gripping the back of my
Victoriå"Rhee!" Piper called as I stepped through the doors and I gave her a smile."Piper, Hi." I greeted and she hugged me."This is my brother, Connor." She said as he approached and he smiled at me."You're the Rhee I've heard so much about." He told me and my cheeks heated up in embarrassment as I looked at Piper."It's nice to meet you." I replied and his head tilted to the side as he studied my face."I'll show you around the studio." She told me and I nodded, giving Connor a smile as Piper escorted me away.Connor was tall and wore a suit. His brown hair was neatly styled and he had brown eyes.Piper showed me around the studio and then it was my time to change.She gave me the first outfit and it was black low-rise leggings and a matching black crop top.I stepped out of the changing room and Piper smiled. Connor, who stood in the corner, trailed his eyes down my body and I internally shuddered, brushing it off.The photographers had already set up the studio and they instan
Butterflies erupted in my stomach and I mentally cursed them.His cold lips brushed against the skin of my neck and my eyes almost instantly shut.He took a breath, his shoulders becoming less tensed as he did.This was unusual from him. I placed my hand at the back of his neck and his grip tightened.I traced the tattoos there, getting lost as his embrace was equivalent to jumping head first into an endless pit of soft feathers."You missed me that much, huh?" I joked, watching as he lifted his head, just to give me a blank look.After a while he pulled away then nodded toward the door."I'll be back." He said, looking at me before turning and going toward the door.But then he stopped in the doorway, almost as if he saw my face without actually seeing it."Come on." He told me, exiting and I smiled, hopping off of the counter and going outside.I locked the door behind me and walked across my lawn to where he leaned against his motorbike and my smile only widened.He got out, his le
Victoriå"I'm sorry that I wasn't at school that day, Rhee." Damien said suddenly, already looking at me when I looked over at him and I shook my head instantly."If you were there you could've gotten hurt, so count that as a blessing." I assured him and he just shook his head."You could've gotten hurt." He replied and I smiled."And that wouldn't be your fault." I said and he sighed."I-""Come on." I told him, standing and reaching for his hands.Damien seemed to be extremely stressed tonight. His usual talkative self drowned out by his silent, almost depressive state.I felt bad for him. Because he'd always try to cheer me up when I was down.He placed his hands into mine and I led him into the crowd.There, I stopped and started rolling my body in a weird way while putting on a fierce look and he started laughing, his head tilting upward as he did and I smiled.Much better.We danced for a long time, dancing and singing out of tune purposely."He's really lucky to have you." He s
Landon "Pinch me." She said to herself.The sun had started rising by now and the lights in the city turned off."How long did you know about this?" She asked me and I just shrugged, stuffing my hands into my pockets."Few hours." I said tonelessly and she looked over at the Billboard again. Her hair blew with the wind and the sunlight poured through the clouds and right onto her face.Her eyes shone brightly, a sign that she was genuinely happy right now."Landon?" She called quietly after a while, turning to look at me and I raised an eyebrow in question.She didn't reply. Instead she turned around and wrapped her arms around my torso tightly.She buried her face in my chest and I froze. My entire body tensed up at the feeling of being touched and I didn't respond immediately. I still wasn't used to this.Her arms removed themselves from around my torso and her hands took mine. She placed my arms around her, letting out a small laugh as she did before burying her face in my chest
VictoriåLandon drove all the way back to my house and I felt terrible as I stepped out into the cold air outside and found him leaning against his car.He was staring down at his phone with one hand tucked into his pocket. A toothpick was placed between his lips and as he heard me approaching, he looked up. I gave him a smile, stopping just in front of him and without removing his hand from his pocket, he lifted his arm slightly and my cheeks started burning up.He leaned his head down slightly as I hugged him and I sighed."I'm sorry." I told him, lifting my head to look up at him and he stared back at me emotionlessly. "For?" He responded, glancing at his phone and I frowned."You're probably tired and I made you come all the way back here just for a m-"I was silenced by his cold, soft lips colliding with my jaw and my knees were just about ready to give out.His eyes dropped to my cheeks which embarrassed me by turning red for the second time.My eyes drifted to the tattoos whi
VictoriåI woke up the next day in a really good mood and decided that I'd make myself a nice breakfast.It was honestly rare for me to wake up this happy, and I wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. As bad as things had gotten in my life in the past few months, currently things seemed to he looking up and I was really happy about this.Getting out of bed, I slipped into my fuzzy slippers and went into the bathroom, brushing my teeth and washing my face before going downstairs."Rhee!" I heard Mia call and I walked into the living room, where she sat in front of the tv.She pointed to it and I saw a picture of myself from Connor's photoshoot being displayed."This is the first ever instance in this city where it is said that a Billboard with this exact image on it, is being deemed a Public Distraction.Two accidents have been reportedly caused by this as drivers can't seem to take their eyes off of it!"This was unbelievable. There was no way this was even possible. It f
The guards stayed close but trailed behind me, giving me space and time as they seemed to be patiently waiting on me. I walked around the store, realizing that the employees were too afraid to even come near me and I internally fist-bumped the air.It was always extremely annoying to me when they followed me around the store, constantly asking if I needed any help.It was their job to do that at the end of the day, though.I bought a few things from that store then moved to another one. They took my bags before I could even blink and this went on all day long. It was around five in the afternoon now and I went into the food court, ordering a pizza and taking a seat once I received it."This is for you guys." I told them, sipping from my drink as I honestly wasn't hungry yet.They didn't say anything and instead nodded in somewhat appreciation before they began eating. When I looked around, I caught some people taking pictures of me as I sat and I was honestly a bit uncomfortable.
Landon"That's how I met her."His eyes glistened as they looked back at me, a look of curiosity washing across his face. His eyes drifted toward the water, then made their way back up to mine. "My mommy?" His little voice asked, a smile growing on his face as he thought about her and I nodded. "I miss her." He looked down and I rolled my eyes."What have I taught you?" I questioned, staring back at him emotionlessly and he nodded."No weakness." He said and I nodded, standing up. He got up as well, looking at me for a while before he hugged my legs tightly. He wasn't like me. No matter how much I tried training him to not show emotion, he always seemed to do the opposite. He was like her in every way. The excessive kindness, the everyday happiness and the random affection. He'd hug everyone and everything in his path and there was no stopping him. His eyes were a greenish grey and his hair was dark and he had most of my features"Come on." I told him, placing my hand on his head. H
LandonI stared at the painting in front of me, wondering how I got to this point. The house felt empty now. There was nothing to come home to other than our son. I couldn't even sleep in our bedroom anymore. Her things there had stayed the same. Her blanket was still in the same spot she left it and everything there smelled like her.Everytime I looked at the baby I saw her, hating the fact that she wasn't here to help me. I didn't get any sleep as he constantly needed to be fed or changed and I had to do this all on my own. I didn't trust anyone to care for him, knowing that he was the last thing I had gotten from her. No one knew what he looked like. I kept him hidden from people that were just looking for another story. I got off of the chair and walked up the stairs to his room. As I entered, I found that his big green eyes were now opened and he was just moments away from crying. His legs kicked the air as he laid on his stomach, his hands grabbing at the blanket. I watched her
Victoria The door opened again and I looked up to find Landon walking in, his eyebrows arched more than usual and I knew that he was angry. "What's wrong?" I asked, pulling the blanket further up onto my body and he looked at me."I can't do this." He shook his head almost frustratedly. I pointed to the chair next to my bed and he stood there for a while before sighing and running a hand through his hair. He came over and sat, crossing his arms over his chest and I knew he was trying to suppress his emotions.I motioned for him to lean closer before cupping his face in my hand, my arm too weak to even lift properly. I stroked his cheek with my thumb and gave him a small smile."You have your whole life ahead of you, Landon," I paused, another sharp pain hitting me in my chest. "You have to move on, okay? For me.""No." He replied curtly, his tone dark and I sighed, expecting nothing less from him."Landon, you can't hold onto this forever. You'll torture yourself." "No, Victoria."
Victoria I laid on the bed, looking at the ceiling blankly. A tear rolled down my cheek as I finally allowed myself to cry because I was alone. There was no one around to be strong for. I was in so much pain. My brain screamed for it to just end and I sniffled as another tear fell. The surgery was scheduled just mere minutes away as they didn't want to risk me passing and the baby dying as well. I knew that this was it. It had to be.There was this bitter taste in my mouth as I laid there. The only sound heard was the beeping of the monitor and my breathing which was loud due to the oxygen mask. They had prepared me for surgery already and my friends were here. They'd be allowed to come in soon to say their final goodbyes and it was this moment that made me realize that I didn't want to go. I prayed and hoped that by some miracle I'd survive this but I knew better. There was no way.Landon was outside making a call and I wiped away my tears quickly as the door opened. Mia and the o
Victoria I was still strong despite my condition. My body was weak and my stomach was heavy but I still managed to build enough strength to walk. It was hard, but I didn't mind. At least I was still around for now. I was supposed to be moving around in a wheelchair but frankly, that just made me feel worse. I continued to do interviews and there were tons of articles covering my life. Even the news kept up with it because it was genuinely a really rare thing to happen. I wanted to see the ocean before I went to the hospital, knowing that this would be the last time I see the world.He walked back into the Living Room a while later and turned the TV on for me. Then he handed me the Jello Cup with a spoon and a napkin before he sat on the other couch and opened his laptop. He buried himself neck deep in work and I ate with my eyes shut, listening to the TV."Let's go to the park." I suggested randomly and he looked up from the screen.He shut his laptop and took it with him as he walk
VictoriåMonths laterToday was December 23rd, one day away from Landon's birthday. One day away from the end. I was surprised that I had made it this long. I laid in bed, my eyelids too heavy to lift. The oxygen mask on my face had been a constant thing since last month, as I couldn't really breathe on my own for more than an hour at a time.I was in more pain than I had ever been in, in my entire life. My stomach was huge now and my body was too weak to even handle its weight. I was already dealing with the pain of my cancer and the constant kicking and punching going on in there wasn't really helping.Tomorrow was the surgery. The baby would be here at just eight and a half months and that wasn't too bad. Definitely not preterm. I just prayed that everything went well. I knew the chances of me surviving this were literally zero and that was okay in my book. I knew that Landon was physically prepared.Over time he'd grown into a really great guy. He did everything for me before I ev
LandonI ran a hand through my hair as I sat in my bedroom, not knowing what anxiety felt like but if I had to make a guess, this would be it. She was out, spending time with her friends and I was on edge the entire time.The air around me smelled like Coconut and Vanilla, a scent I'd grown rather accustomed to. My dresser was now filled with her things; various different products which contributed to the room's scent. I got up, walking to the door and grabbing a shirt on the way out. I pulled it over my head as I descended the stairs, going to the kitchen. I sat behind the counter and checked my phone, seeing as there were still no calls or texts from her."Boss. Permission to speak?" Theo asked from behind me, staying where he was."Granted." I replied, taking a sip from my drink and listening as he approached."Mister Santos is outside." "My office." I got up, walking out of the kitchen and going into my office. I sat behind my desk just as they walked in. He hadn't changed much
She didn't need to tell me that. She made her decision a long time ago. I sighed, taking her hands off of my face and bringing them to my lips. "I want, what you want." I said and she smiled, smacking my cheek."Thank God. Because you didn't actually have a choice." She replied jokingly. She opened her arms, scooting to the edge of the bed and hugging me tightly. "What if I'm not a good father?" I asked nonchalantly as I placed my head in her neck and she breathed out a small laugh."Nobody's perfect." She tried reassuring me and I held her tightly, knowing what was to come in a few months."Would you hate me?" I questioned further and her arms around my neck tightened slightly."You're my wife, Landon. I can't hate you." She assured me and somehow, I felt better about everything. She managed to drag me into something new each month. Things I didn't think were possible for me suddenly began happening and I couldn't complain. "Now help me to the bathroom so I can let all of this hosp
LandonI sat, staring at her sleeping face as she laid on the hospital bed again. There was an oxygen mask on her face to help her breathe and even then her breathing was shallow. She had been asleep for a few hours and showed no signs of waking up any time soon.I took her hand, looking down at the ring on her finger. Her skin was pale now, every little scar she had turning purple. Her long eyelashes casted shadows on her cheeks. She looked peaceful as she slept and I sighed, leaning back in my seat.For the first time in my life, I felt hopeless. I could only watch as she got worse and I couldn't do anything about it. I was tired of seeing her in this room for weeks at a time. Tired of seeing her in pain everyday. She couldn't die. There was no way things would ever be the same without her. There'd be nothing to look forward to every day; nothing to look forward to in the future. No more excited smiles when I visited, no more late nights listening to her dreams, no more buying her