Gunned Down (Chasing Dreams Series #4) | C O M P L E T E D

Chapter 48

⚠️ Disturbing content. Please read at your own risk.

This chapter is dedicated to: LisaDivinagraciaTorr and badddluna

Balot ng puting kumot ang katawan, hinawakan ko 'yung tangkay ng ubas at itinapat 'yon sa bibig ni Marcus na nakahiga naman sa mga hita ko. And then, I grabbed the bottle of red wine to drink some. We are talking about our childhood after we made love in his old empty bedroom.

"What's your childhood dream?" he suddenly asked me.

Inilapag ko 'yung bote sa sahig at ibinaba ang tingin sa kanya. "Before guns, I used to play with paper dolls. I imagined I was a princess—living in the castle. I wanted to marry a prince just like in the fairytale."

"But you are your father's princess..." he sat down and faced me properly. The blanket slid down, revealing his naked upper body. I got distracted, but I quickly pulled my shit together.

Tumingin ako sa mga mata niyang nangungusap. "Yes, he treated me like one. But I was no damsel in distress. He trained me to be a warrior, so I could defend myself. At a young age, he showed me that the world we're living in isn't that much of a fairytale where birds are singing, magic fairy dust is falling, or a curse could break with a true love's kiss."

Greed, evilness, tragedy, betrayal—they're all in one place. Some people are dangerous and they can do the worst things you can never imagine. That's exactly what happened to my father. And now I finally understood what he meant. We would never know how it feels like until we're put in a situation to let us experience it firsthand. And sometimes, we can only learn when it's too late.

Hindi pa tapos sa pagsasalita, hinawakan ko ang mga kamay ni Marcus. "You waited for me to grow and learn from my mistakes. In order for you to accept me again, you embraced my flaws and believed in me. You taught me so many things. that I wished I had realized sooner. And I wanted to thank you for fixing every broken piece of me. I'm not unlucky at all."

"Olaia, you're not hard to love. But in order to love you deeply, I had to understand you first; and to do so, I needed you to trust me. I really felt happy when you finally opened up to me; you've given me a chance to get to know who you really are. I, then, realized how lonely you had been for a long time. But I assure you that you're never gonna be alone again..."

He held me so close to the point where I could smell my perfume on his chest; it lingered there and never went off. Pinatakan niya ng marahang halik ang kanang pisngi ko habang yakap mula sa likuran ang baywang ko.

"Thank you for making me a part of your family; one thing that I always wanted to be in. When the right time comes—without pressure or any baggages left—I'll be yours for the rest of your life," he mumbled slowly before he caressed my left hand.

Napangiti ako at pinisil ang kamay niyang nakapatong sa kaliwang kamay ko. Sa matipid kong kilos na iyon ay tuluyan nang bumaba ang kumot, ngunit mabilis niya akong binuhat at pinaupo sa kanyang mga hita. He wrapped the thin sheet on my body before he hugged me tightly from the back. Mas lumapad ang ngiti ko sabay baba ng tingin sa hintuturo niyang paikot-ikot sa kanang palad ko.

"I hope we could stay like this forever..." garalgal ang kanyang boses nang bumulong sa akin.

"Impossible..." Pumalatak siya sa biglaan kong pangongontra sa kanya. "Moments like this wouldn't happen all the time, but we could definitely make the best out of it, and it would leave us the memories that we'll both look at someday. Keeping those memories alive is the only way to remember how we felt and what silly things we did to savor the moment and our time together."

Itinagilid ko ng bahagya ang ulo ko at ang tingin ay napako sa nakatulis niyang bibig. Nakakunot ang noo niya at blangko ang tingin sa lalagyan ng ubas na pinagsaluhan namin. I chuckled and stole a kiss on his cheek. Getting his attention, he glanced at me and secured my waist tightly.