Our Arranged Love Story

Chapter -11-

She could taste the salt on her lips as she gently kissed his dampened cheeks. She wanted him to wake up from whatever bad dream he was having; she wanted it to stop- whatever it was that was hurting him.

Luffy's eyes squeezed open and blinked away the remaining tears. Nami was quick to wipe them away before they fell. He saw the panic and the confusion in her eyes and he looked down in shame. He didn't want her to see him like this- he didn't want anybody to see him like this.

"Luffy..." Nami sniffled. "Luffy, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" She spoke so quickly that all her words were jumbled up.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked moving to get up.

"... No," said Luffy and she settled back down next to him and placed a hand behind his back and nuzzled his face to her chest.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her voice soothing and soft. "I'm here for you, Luffy."

She waited, listening to his breathing beginning to steady. It did not take long for him to speak.

"... Ace," he muttered.

"Ace?"

"He was like a brother to me."

"What happened to him?" Nami asked.

Luffy locked eyes with hers and Nami feared for the worst. He released a shaky breath and held her close. Nami embraced him just as tight.

"He was killed 3 years ago. Someone shot him a-and although he was rushed to the hospital, there was nothing that the doctors could do to save him. All I could do was watch him die. I felt so useless- so hopeless... It hurt a lot, Nami."

Nami felt tears of her own surfacing in her eyes. She had never lost someone close in death before. However, she lost her blood parents to a war a long time ago and was adopted when she was just a baby. She didn't know them nor could she at least remember their faces. She didn't even know who this Ace character was but he was without a doubt someone Luffy thought highly of.

"We later found out that he was a prime target of the world government. It wasn't even for something that he had done. It was because he was his father's son. His dad was not even a criminal. The government had spread rumours about him but Roger was no where close to dangerous; he was a man of goodwill."

Just knowing that I would never see him again terrified me. I couldn't stop crying and I refused to eat for a while. Everyone tried their hardest to cheer me up... One of the things I've been doing is holding on to the good memories."

He rubbed his eyes and smiled at her.

"Like there was that time when we used to sneak out of the house and we'll disappear for days, fending for ourselves and getting into loads of trouble... But I think that that was mostly my fault though." 'Shishishishi'

Nami shook her head knowingly and a small smile presented itself on her lips. She ran a warm hand down his glistening face.

Luffy went on and on about Ace. Speaking happily about their little adventures of mischief . At times, the tears would resurface through his eyes but his smile would shine through. And the times when they would fall uncontrollably, Nami ensured that she helped wipe them away and held him close in her arms.

Luffy laid awake in bed staring at the ceiling. He did not remember but at some point they had fallen asleep. It felt like a load he was not aware of was lifted off his shoulders.

Movement came beside him and he turned on his side to see Nami preparing to wake up. The sun shining through the window illuminated her hair causing it to appear as if it were glowing. It was pretty cool and Luffy believed that maybe Sanji was right. Nami was like an angel.