"Someone is waiting outside." I told her. "Can you ask him to come in?""Sure, Mommy! Okay!" She said excitedly and ran back to her room to fetch her father.I sighed and stood up straight, waiting for him."Hey, kid." He smiled warmly."What brings you here?" I asked."I came to spend some time with my daughter." He replied."Is she all better now? Did she wake up?""Yes, I brought her breakfast this morning and gave her a bath.""Oh, that's good. That's very nice of you.""It's no problem. I wanted to see her anyway.""But how was your visit to Greece?""Fine. The weather was pretty cold, so I wore sweaters even if it was already hot.""Yeah, I noticed. Anyway, I don't know if you noticed but I was worried about you." I admitted."About me? Why?" He asked surprised."Uh.. Well, I know I've been kinda mean to you because of Alessia. I know that we aren't as close as you are with Ezra. If I can change that, I will. You're my favorite person and I want you to stay forever.""You really
"Why do you need to go alone?" I asked curiously."Because I need to use the bathroom too.""Oh... Are you going to take longer than usual?""Yeah, I'll be back shortly."I nodded slowly. I turned around to walk out of the bathroom but before I could move, I felt Ezra's arms wrap around me and pull me close to him. His hands caressed my sides and rested on my stomach."Please, don't leave me again, okay?" He whispered softly in my ear before kissing my neck.My heart clenched slightly at his words and I hugged him tighter, resting my head against his chest. Tears started falling uncontrollably. I held onto his shirt tightly."Don't cry, princess. You're gonna make me cry." He chuckled.As much as I hated myself for ruining everything, Ezra's warm embrace helped me calm down somewhat. Soon after that, he let go of me. I looked at him confusedly, still holding his shirt."You're doing great, Alessia.""Thanks for coming to pick me up yesterday. I appreciate it so much. Your mother, mom,
"It wasn't an accident?"I bit my lip nervously as I remembered what she had said. But she seemed to know it was an accident. But then why was she so upset? She was smiling when she came back in the room and I saw her face brighten when I smiled at her, but when I closed my eyes, she showed me that hurt look again and hugged me and begged me not to leave... I guess that I deserved that look.But she didn't mean to hurt me. She was hurting herself. That was obvious from the way she cried when I left and the fact that I didn't hear her cry. Her crying sounded muffled, maybe she was covering her mouth to stop herself from crying. Why would she do that? Is she trying to get me back? Was she angry with me? She must be! She's being mean right now! But I don't blame her. She probably has no reason to act like this towards me! It's not my fault! If anything, she should be apologizing to me!A sob escaped my throat involuntarily. My tears started pouring down my cheeks. I felt so stupid for
"Don't you ever listen to me?" I muttered quietly."I am listening. Just please listen to me." He replied sternly.I felt a hand rest on top of mine. I opened my eyes slowly and stared up at him. He was staring right back at me. There were some tears falling down his face. He was obviously extremely upset."Please don't cry, Ezra." I whimpered.His eyes softened and a faint smile formed on his lips. He wiped a tear from my face and planted a soft kiss on my forehead."There's nothing wrong. I'm just worried about you, princess. I know you're strong but I also know that you can fall apart at any given time. You shouldn't be throwing yourself around like that. It isn't good for you." He explained.I sniffed quietly and looked down. He brushed his thumb over my cheek to wipe the tears away."I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten upset at you. You haven't done anything wrong." I mumbled.He sighed in defeat and leaned forward and gave me a quick hug. He rested his head on top of mine."Just
Sometimes I imagined that one day, I would wake up next to Ezra and he would kiss me, and I would reply back with my own kisses and caresses. I would stroke his hair and hold his face in my hands as I looked deeply into his dark brown eyes. Then our relationship would deepen as more time passed and I would begin to notice more and more how beautiful he really was.Other times I would imagine that I was in a hospital bed, with tubes sticking out of my chest. Ezra would be sitting next to my bed and holding my hand. I would feel guilty because I would keep thinking about everything he went through when I left the hospital. I would worry about how he was coping with everything. Then after a few days, he would return to normal and we would resume our life together as if nothing had happened.One thing I loved about those fantasy scenes was that they always led to the end, and we would finally end it together, but I knew that these weren't realistic. I knew that these stories didn't com
"Does that scare you?" He asked me concerned."Yes." I replied firmly.He gazed at me for a few seconds and frowned slightly."I don't understand you." He mumbled."You don't need to understand me, Ezra." I replied softly."Why are you doing this? You never used to act like this. Why is this suddenly affecting you?"I averted my gaze and took a few gulps of hot tea. After drinking the entire cup in one go, I set down my cup and cleared my throat."When I lost you, everything seemed so surreal. I was numb for a long time. I guess it's normal to lose someone who you love so much." I said quietly."I'm sorry." He replied sadly. "Didn't mean to upset you.""No, you're right. I shouldn't be mad at you. It's not your fault."He looked away and stared into space for a few seconds. After clearing his throat, he turned his attention back to me."What happened then?" He questioned softly."What do you mean?""After I died, how did things change between you and everyone else?" He replied."We al
I turned my body so that I was facing her instead of the sky and noticed that she was pointing towards the playground in front of us. I squinted my eyes and saw that a kid wearing a red shirt and black shorts was running around in the playground. I smiled faintly upon seeing him."Oh yeah! I haven't played a lot of games in a long time." She explained."Do you want to play with him?" I questioned as I gestured towards the child.She shook her head and replied. "No, I don't.""What do you usually do then?""Watch.""What?" I furrowed my brows in confusion."I watch others play. That way I can learn more about them." She replied as she pouted cutely. "My mom also watches other people play when they aren't playing with me.""I see. Well then, why don't we join him?""Really?" She asked excitedly."Of course." I said grinning widely.I jumped off of the bench and picked up the picnic basket. Alessia stood up and walked with me to the swing set. I set the basket down and opened it, reveal
"Sometimes...I do." I muttered to myself quietly."But..." She continued."Yeah, yeah, whatever." I cut her off sharply.I looked away from her. I could tell she was getting a bit frustrated because of the way she spoke. I wasn't sure what exactly it was that she was trying to say however I didn't really care either way. I just wanted to leave. I didn't want to listen to anyone else talking right now. It's fine if she doesn't agree with me though, but I would rather stay quiet.I started walking away and she followed me closely. Her pace was light. It was slow and steady. I wondered if she was tired and had come along for my sake. Then again, she was the one who had insisted on coming along anyway. She hadn't even complained once or made a fuss about having to do such a thing. She simply followed me with her eyes and waited for me to speak first. I sighed."Let's just go home." I mumbled quietly.She paused for a moment but then kept following me."Okay. We'll go home. But you have
"Here it is." She said giving him the jacket.Riccardo puts it on and turns around to face her."Thanks."She smiled sweetly at him."Where do you want me to carry you?" She asked."You can carry me over your shoulder." Riccardo said.Alessia roll her eyes."You know, I'M NOT THAT BABY. YOU CAN DO IT WITH YOUR OWN TWO HANDS AND DON'T ASK ME TO PUT MY BACK ON YOU OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT."Riccardo looks surprised at how fast she reacted after what he said."Alright, whatever you say." He chuckled.And so Alessia carried him over her shoulders.As they were going towards the elevator Riccardo spoke."So, are you going back to work tomorrow?" He asks."I think so. My boss told me that she wanted me to come back to work as early as possible." She answered."That means I'll be able to spend more time with you, won't it?" He asked."Yeah, probably, but don't expect me to kiss you every time that you come home." Alessia joked.Riccardo laughs at her comment."Ok." He says "Well, I guess we sh
The next morning, Alessia woke up early. After getting ready quickly she went downstairs to see Riccardo waiting for her."Morning, baby girl," he greets her and give her a peck on the cheek."Morning, Riccardo." She replied as she sits on the table."Let's have breakfast together, I made you breakfast earlier." He said.She gave him a small smile."Thank you."After eating their breakfast, they decided to walk through the city. They walked hand in hand. It felt natural for them. When they reach near the park, they decided to sit on one of the benches."Have you been planning this for long?" Asked Alessia."Yeah, since last month. Why?""Nothing."Alessia leans her head against his shoulder. As they continue walking, Alessia couldn't hold it anymore."Do you really want to adopt my babies?" She asks."Of course I do." He answers without any hesitation."But I mean, why did you choose us?" Riccardo sigh."Honestly, I don't know. It's all I dream about for years." He paused. "When I wa
"That's a very valid question. And I don't blame you at all for missing me, Alessia. But don't feel guilty, okay? I would never be mad at you or upset if you ever thought about coming back to me. In fact, if you do decide to return, we'll talk more about this situation, alright?" She requested with a small smile.As soon as I heard the words we will talk being said aloud, I felt slightly relieved. However, it only lasted for a short amount of time because I immediately thought about what Ezra had said to me the night before. He had asked me to wait until tomorrow to give myself a chance to talk about the things that troubled me, so now, I was starting to wonder whether my decision to wait was a good idea. I decided I needed to ask her about it."Actually, I need to ask you something...about yesterday afternoon," I said nervously."What is it?" she asked curiously."I don't know how to word it exactly...but I have these weird feelings...and I'm beginning to think that maybe I should r
"This was a really fun game, Alessia. I think I'm going to enjoy playing it more often," she mentioned, smiling genuinely."Me too. And I'm glad you enjoyed yourself today. I missed you playing poker," I admitted."And I missed you too, Alessia. Thank you for everything you did. We wouldn't have survived without you," she said sincerely.Just then, someone knocked on the door and announced Ezra's arrival. A moment later, he entered the room with an excited smile plastered across his face."Sorry I'm late. I got caught up on a case and had to do overtime," he apologized."It's alright. You were lucky that it was only one extra hour," she commented.I gave Ezra a quick hug, while everyone else congratulated him on finally arriving back."Wow, you smell great!" I commented, noticing how fresh his hair smelled."Thanks. That means a lot to me," he said happily.We all then headed out of the house, saying our farewells. As we reached their car, I noticed the car seats had been removed and
We both got up and made our way down the hallway to the kitchen. There, I saw our family eating together. They all looked quite happy and excited. My heart filled with happiness upon seeing everyone looking so content. It was truly a perfect family.As soon as I arrived downstairs, I spotted them sitting together at one of the stools at the kitchen counter. I walked over to them and took a seat beside her."Hey," I greeted."Hey," Ezra responded."I'm sorry for waking you," I apologies."Oh, it's not a problem. I didn't mind getting up early anyway," She stated cheerfully, waving her hand dismissively.I chuckled softly to myself and turned my attention towards my mum who was busy cooking breakfast."Mum, please don't cook too much. I might not be able to handle it after all," I pleaded.She chuckled."There's plenty more where that came from," she reassured me."Thank God," I whispered in relief.Alessia suddenly jumped up from her seat and ran out of the room, running past me and a
Without saying another word, I followed him into the bedroom, closing the door behind me as I did so. I laid down on the bed and he crawled onto the mattress and pressed a kiss against my forehead. I immediately melted into his embrace. My eyelids started to droop tiredly. Dan chuckled and kissed my temple."Go to sleep, Alessia," he ordered softly.I hummed contently and closed my eyes, relaxing into his touch. Soon enough, my breathing slowed and deepened until it eventually stopped altogether. Ezra smiled to himself as he looked down at me, admiring my peaceful expression. I was sleeping soundly in his arms. The events of yesterday were finally catching up with me and I could barely keep myself from falling asleep. The exhaustion was setting in and I could barely keep my eyes open. I sighed softly as Ezra rubbed circles against my hip soothingly.He leaned forward and rested his chin atop my head, gently brushing away the strands of my loose hair and placing a gentle kiss on th
"Okay, love, I get it. Let's not talk too much and just get ready for breakfast. Then we should probably hurry up and eat before everyone arrives," he said playfully.I nodded and smiled.I felt so loved by Ezra. He gave me more joy than anything else in this world. Even though I'd never admit it out loud, he was definitely the most important person to me in this world. Every time I thought about losing him, my heart broke and I felt so empty. All I wanted to do was hug him tightly and tell him how much I loved him. I had never had anyone give me unconditional love Ever.I had never experienced that type of warmth. I was used to people only caring about the fame I brought them. It scared me to think that someone would ever care about me. And that they would love me unconditionally.I shook my head to clear my thoughts and glanced up at Ezra nervously. There was no way I would be able to hide the emotion in my eyes if I dared to speak. The words seemed stuck somewhere in my throat."
"Marry me," he muttered between heavy breaths."Huh? Why?" I questioned, staring up at him in confusion."Because...because I want you to marry me," he repeated.I gasped quietly in shock, unable to speak a word. Dan's dark eyes were filled with determination as he stared at me intently.ToYah, yah, yes! Of course, I'll marry you!" I blurted out hurriedly.I immediately slapped a hand over my mouth. My voice had come out so loud and I could tell that Ezra had definitely heard me. I bit my lip anxiously and glanced over at him nervously. But surprisingly, he didn't react at all he merely chuckled softly and kissed me tenderly on the lips."Good girl," he murmured softly. "Now come here," he added.I reluctantly crawled towards him. Once I was close enough, he pulled me into a tight embrace and hugged me tightly."Are you okay?" he asked worriedly."Yeah, I'm alright," I assured him.I couldn't believe I had just proposed to Ezra. Sure, I'd always known that it would eventually happen,
"I love you so much," he whispered in my ear before pressing his lips against mine.I felt my cheeks flush brightly again and I closed my eyes in anticipation. As soon as our lips connected, I felt my senses begin to dull and my body relax. All of my worries and problems melted away, leaving nothing but bliss behind them. Nothing mattered except for Ezra."I love you too," I replied softly.After a moment, I pulled away, breaking apart our kiss. I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly."So...are we going back to watching TV now?" I asked hopefully.He chuckled softly."We can continue watching whatever you want," he replied. "However, are you sure that you're alright?" he questioned.A part of me wanted to lie and say everything was fine, but I knew that I couldn't do it. I couldn't hide the truth from Ezra. Besides, he probably already suspected something, judging by the look in his eyes. So, I decided to answer honestly instead."Honestly? No. Not really. I' m just tired," I admit