Collide ♔ Tom Kaulitz

c h a p t e r ♕ f o u r t y - s i x

soft murmurs of summer time crickets bellowed through out the thick nighttime air as i sat on the back patio of the Kaulitz manor. It has been two weeks since the fall of my former life and the beginning of the reign of Tom.

Every moment of every hour i have spent waiting for the guilt of slaughtering the men i knew to take its hold on me. But it never did. I had become the people i had feared the most. I was someone who felt no remorse for stealing something as precious as a life.

I was someone who i never thought id be... A cold blooded killer.

I hadn't left the manor since arriving back. It's not that i was afraid to do so, it was that i had never felt so at home before. I couldn't deny it felt strange to seemingly belong somewhere, but my heart felt so content and settled down nicely.

Tom and i were almost immediately moved into the master suite of the home. He adjusted to his role as Don as effortlessly as i expected him to. Money, power, and status came with the territory. But when it came to these things, Tom was different than any man i had ever known.

He was never drunk on authority. He was never prideful of the millions of dollars that appeared in his bank account over night. He learned diligently in the areas he lacked in. He led his men from by their sides, never letting them fight alone. His humility was an attribute i had come to admire and find rather sexy.

My mother and Isabella had been staying with us since the death of my father and the entire west side as we knew it. My mother had been making herself scarce, afraid to step on my toes. Bella on the other hand had been attached to my side, practically driving me insane. I managed to lose her about an hour ago and snuck out here to get some peace and quiet.

Tom and the guys burned the remains of my former oppressors the day after the war between the outfits. I refused to be present for fear that i would go to my father's place of rest looking for closure the rest of my life. I felt, in this circumstance, the less i knew... the better.

I gasped, feeling the cool touch of a hand run across the back of my neck, startling me. "Deep in thought?" Tom said silkily as he sat down on the lounger next to me. I chuckled lightly realizing it was just him and let my guard down once again. "Mhm." i hummed, leaning my head against his shoulder.

There was something about Tom's presence that just soothed my soul immediately. "What's on that pretty little mind?" His husky tone broke the silence and gathered my attention from where i stared at the tree line. I shook my head, not wishing to relive any bit of trauma i was trying desperately to suppress.

I turned to face the set of deep brown eyes that seemed to bore down into the deepest depths of my being. "How was work?" I quickly tried to change the subject and ignore my stomach doing flips inside my body from the intensity of his gaze. He shook his head, running his tongue over the inside of his teeth. "I didn't work today." He admitted.

My face contorted in confusion as i tried to read his expression. "I had Bill cover for me today." He flashed me a sheepish grin. The one where he's trying not to smile hard but his lips can't help but to perk up anyways. "Why?" i asked suspiciously.

Tom looked around the patio and through the windows of the house while reaching for his pocket. I watched on worriedly, having no earthly idea what this man may pull out of his pocket. Finally, my eyes adjusted to the faint light emanating from the moon to see the black velvet box in his hand.

My heart practically leapt from my chest as i studied his face anxiously. Was this was i thought it was?

Sensing the panic on my face he chuckled heartily. "My father gave me a key to a lock box in the city and told me when the time was right, this would be for you." My eyes fell to the box once more as i waited impatiently for his fingers to reveal what i so desperately wanted to see.

His fingers shakily opened the hinge to reveal the most magnificent ring i have ever seen in my entire life. The elegant emerald cut diamond lie atop a thin silver band as it glimmered in the moons light. "Francesca..." He began to speak but paused for a moment.

My eyes widened with eagerness. "This is hard for me to put into words... because i love you in a way that i have never loved anyone else. Suddenly, one day everything i did was for you and i want it to be that way forever. Francesca, will you marry me?"

I choked back emotion, not allowing myself to cry such familiar tears, for this moment would be a happy one. "Yes." My left hand shook as i held it towards him. My breath heaved in my chest as i watched him place the heavy diamond on my petite ring finger.

"It's stunning." I examined the ring, watching each and every facet as it glimmered and sparkled. "It was my grandmothers." He explained with a certain aching in his tone of voice.

I placed my hand against the side of his cheek, brushing my thumb against the barely noticeable stubble growing into his skin. "I hope to make them proud as your wife." I smiled softly, leaning my head to the side as i began to reminisce of his late father and the brief but cherished moments i spent with him.

"You already are." He kissed my forehead, lingering for a few seconds as we soaked in this precious moment.