Act of love

Chapter Three

Anfisa:
I wouldn't say I am currently drunk, but being fully sober isn't the right description either. I had two tequila shots and two glasses of wine, maybe three I can't even remember. All this while Dalton stayed fully sober. He's taking care of me while I try my best to walk a straight line, which is harder than it may sound.
"You will have so many regrets of today tomorrow."
"Shh, just let me have fun while this fantastic night lasts." I stop walking as I see the sign of my favorite restaurant, it still lights up.
"We need to go there!" I scream a little too loud. "Please! I am starving."
"That's because you drank so much princess."
"And you didn't because you are boring!" I yell in his ear, way too loud.
Without even looking for possible cars, I decide to cross the busy road. Loud horns are all I hear around me, though I feel no fear...
Maybe it's because of the amount of alcohol.
"Anfisa!' His hands wrap tightly around my upper arm. So hard it hurts my arm. Dalton has never hurt me before, he never dares to touch me without my consent. This is something I truly admire about him. He doesn't dare to touch a woman unless it's too safe a life.
With a hard jerk, he pulls me against him. When I open my eyes again I see his blue shirt, pressed against my rosy cheek.
How can someone feel so soft, but rock solid at the same time? A rush of adrenaline comes into my body as the alcohol slowly starts to leave my body.
"T-thank you." I say faltering while looking up at him. His worried expression touches my heart, true love, and deep caring.
I bring up my hand to cover my mouth, not really realizing what just happened. Currently, I struggle to put my mind to it. Hundreds of scenarios run through my mind, what if he didn't pull me back?
What if he didn't actually like me and watched me get hit by that truck? What if... My mind starts to race just as fast as my heart is racing. Dalton lowers his head to my ear, and softly his lips touch the spot behind my ear.
"That was an act of love." He whispers in a low tone. A grin forms on his face. My eyes fall onto the floor as I feel guilty for not being careful enough.
People are fighting for their lives in the hospital, and I'm out here being irresponsible.
"What is on your mind?" He asks as he sees me looking up to the roof of the hospital a few hundred feet away.
Where two love birds are sitting on the edge looking down. What if he had the thought of suicide, running through his side? Or maybe the girl next to him did, they could jump at any second. The thought of that scares me. Shivers run down my spine making me spin to face Dalton again.
"Anfisa? What's going on?"
"What would it be like to be up there? All powerful looking down on all the small humans." I feel his arms wrap under my knees as he picks me up.
"Dalton! Put me down! I was trying to have a normal conversation." Giggling he runs across the street with me in his hands.
"Now no one will try to kill you again." Eyes rolling I stick out my tongue. I'm in the middle of a fit of laughter when he puts me down on my feet, staring me deeply into my eyes.
His thumbs run across my cheeks, feeling the warmth that comes from them. A smile is visible on his face. For the first time, life feels actually good. For the first time, I feel complete, for the first time. Can this get any better? He presses his lips against mine.
Groups of people walk past us, I can feel their eyes on us. But for the first time, I couldn't care less.
"Get a room!" One of them screams.
"We might." Dalton whispers to me, making me chuckle softly.
"You still hungry?" His tender voice speaks.
"I am always hungry." I lean back whilst he holds me by my waist.
"Come on, let's go inside before they close.' Smiling he presses his lips against the birthmark on my cheek.
The smell of the absolutely perfect smell of freshly made food. Onion soup, fresh baguettes, and pizza. All the smells mixed, come together as the best smell ever. A waitress leads us to one of the empty tables in the corner of the restaurant.
"Do you still think about your dad possibly hurting your mom sometimes?" He asks out of nowhere. I am definitely too drunk to answer this. I bring my hands to my face, rubbing my eyes to wake myself up a bit more.
"My mom should've left him the first time she put her hands on her. I don't understand why she didn't. Instead, she had to take all of his hits and give me the worst possible traumas I can ever imagine on a person." Reassuring Dalton rests his hands on mine. The number of times I already talked about this to Dalton, I can't even begin to count them.
The day I turned 18 I ran away as far as I could from my family. They probably didn't even care enough to come and look for me, now 3 years later. I'm almost 3 years together with the love of my life and everything can't get better. This all taught me that I don't need a family to survive.
Sometimes I still see visions of my dad's hands all over my mom's body while she was screaming. In pain, in terror, or both.
"It's all okay now, you are with me. I would never harm you." The words bring a big smile to my face. Dalton out of everyone knows the best in situations with these traumas.
His parents weren't heroes either. At the age of fourteen, they left him out in the cold. Since then he took care of his own. I admire him for that, I still remember the time I had to take care of myself at the age of 18. And I had a home and barely enough money. He had nothing and no one. My heart breaks slowly at this thought. Softly he squeezes my hands, waking me up to reality. I look over at Dalton who stares me right in my eyes, he blows out a quick breath, and then drags in one more.

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"Come on honey, you are a bit more sobered up, we finished eating, it's time to go home and get some rest. I have an early shift tomorrow remember?" A depressing sigh leaves my lungs. I wish I could sit here forever and stare into his beautiful eyes whilst I plan our future.
"Two more minutes." I mumble mesmerized.
"You said that two minutes ago, get your coat, we're going." His attitude is getting more annoyed with the second. I would probably be annoyed by me too if I were him.
"Am I too much?" I suddenly ask. Dalton's expression changed within a second.
"Never, you're always enough, never too much." Relief washes over my face, I just know he will always love me.
When I still don't get up when he tells me to he grabs my arm and pulls me on my leg.
"I am not joking Anfisa, please we have to go home?"
"What's the hurry?"
"I..." His voice falters. "I need to get some sleep, busy day tomorrow." Dalton takes my hand and leads it to the busy road. Late at night, yet still so busy.
Dalton runs across the street, missing a car by a single inch. That was even closer than me and the truck. Almost as if he did it on purpose, he didn't even look and he is fully sober. I raise my eyebrows and cross the road running towards him.
"Baby! What were you thinking?" An angry look appears on his face.
"Dammit!" He mumbles a little too loud.
"What the hell is wrong with you? You should be happy that car didn't hit you, idiot!" I softly punch him as a warning.
"Yes, I am happy, I just wasn't thinking clearly I guess." Dalton fakes a smile as he quickly walks away from me. I have to run to catch up to him.
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" He stops right around the corner and turns to face me, staring right into my eyes. Giving me a look that I've rarely seen before, anger, rage, disappointment, exhaustion. The worry inside of me grows and grows.
"Anfisa I'm just really tired and I want to go home. My shift starts in literally 7 hours." All I can get myself to do is a quick nod. Never have I heard him this angry over some sleep.