2024 Story Collection

He'd Save The World, Only If She Wanted Him To II

"I'd prefer a bodyguard," he jokes, and she laughs. God, she missed him.

"I can be that too if you want," she winks. "If you do this for me, I'll be anything you want."

"You mean that?" he asks, his tone suddenly serious. He leans closer, and it makes her heart skip a beat. "You really mean that? Truly?"

"Yes." she says breathy.

"What if I want you to be my wife?" the words fall from his lips as if it wasn't a life-changing question.

"Okay," she says, trying to bite back a smile. "But you have to stop this war and make right the wrongs of your family."

"Deal," he says so quickly it could give you whiplash.

"What do you mean?" she says, "I wasn't joking."

"Neither am I," he says, serious.

"Did you even think about it?"

"Didn't need to," he says. "I'd do anything you ask of me, or I'll die trying."

He holds up his pinky. "I'll make this world a place worthy of you."

He was so cheesy, it made her smile. His words distract her for a moment before she realizes.

"A pinky promise? Really?" she asks, trying to hold in a laugh.

"It isn't a real unless you pinky promise," he says in his jokingly serious tone. "Don't tell me your changed your mind?"

"I'm just thinking that maybe I should reconsider our deal-" he takes her pinky in his before she can finish the sentence.

"Too late," he says. "This is legally binding." He shakes their intertwined pinky to prove his point.

"You cheated," she says, taking back her pinky from him.

"You say cheated. I say sealed the deal." he crosses his arms over his chest, a smirk playing at his lips.

An idea comes to mind and makes her smirk.

"That's not how you seal a deal," she says. "This is how you seal a deal." She pulls him in for a passionate kiss, a kiss that holds the promise and so much more. It holds her anger, her sadness and worry, but most of all, it holds her love.

He flinches back in shock at first, but quickly pulls her into his arms and deepens the kiss. She can feel all the emotions, the promises and apologies.

Eventually they part and catch their breaths.

"Most people confess before they propose, you know," she says, still only inches away from him.

"Well-" he begins, but she cuts him off.

"-and most people don't propose in a mall bathroom," she continues.

"Not the best circumstances, but I had to seize the moment," he jokes.

She laughs, but for some reason, in that moment, the text from earlier pops into her head.

"When I asked you earlier over text where you were, you said locked up. What did you mean?"

His face falls, and he tries to turn away from her, but she stops him, holding his arm. He sighs.

"My father found out I had tried to gain access to some documents and had me sent away until after his plans were actualized." He looks away in shame.

She cups his face in her hands and gently turns his head so that he is looking at her. "Is that why you're so thin?"

She had been too distracted earlier to notice, but his face was sucken in and his clothes, that normally were perfectly tailored, were suddenly loose. His hands were also quite boney.

"I came to find you the minute I got out," he says. "I'm sorry it took so long."

"I was so angry-" she begins to say.

"You should be-" he tries to say, but she ignores him.

"-but I was more worried than anything." She finishes. "I knew you would never just stop texting me without warning like that. I also knew you had nothing to do with what your father was doing, but at times I was scared I might be wrong. I can't tell you how good it feels to see you and know that: one, you're okay, and two, I was right."

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" he asks, staring at her in awe. She blushes and looks down. 

"I must've been a saint in my previous life."

"You'll be saving the world, so that should be payment enough," she reasons playfully, still not able to meet his eyes.

"Even if I saved a hundred worlds a hundred times, it would never be enough to pay back the debt of even the opportunity to know you, let alone love you."

"That's a big word," she warns. "Are you sure you know what that means and how to use it in a sentence?" she half jokes.

"I wouldn't want to marry you if I didn't love you." he takes her hand in his and kisses her knuckles.

She gulps.

"I fell for you the moment I saw you," he says, kissing her wrist, "then I got to know you and," he pushes up her sleeve and kisses her forearm "Oh boy, I knew I was in trouble then." He looks up at her, moving his hand up to her face. "You fill my mind all day and rule my dreams every night."

"At first I didn't like you," she admits. "You slowly won me over and I am so glad you did."

She pulls him in again, and the kiss is light, soft, gentle, slow. It was lazy and sensual.

She pulls away from a moment to speak, but he pulls her back in, not giving her the chance. She gives into him quickly, his touch distracting in the best possible way, leading her to forget what she was going to say.

She runs her hands up his body and begins to unbutton his shirt.

He pulls back, "are you sure?"

"I love you," she tells him. "I want you."

"You already have me," he says, pulling her into him, the kiss suddenly quick, desperate and passionate.

The End.

February 3, 2024