Love To Deaf (COMPLETE)

Chapter 28

I hesitated at my car door. All of those memories and Id let them all pass by without a second thought. How much of a ditz could I be. The ground rumbled and I looked skyward, raining starting to fall. Oh, the cliches continue. Left alone, loveless in the rain.

My phone buzzed in my pocket as I let the rain pelt my head. Ignoring it at first, it went off again. I yanked it out of my jeans and stared.

Are you ok? Marco.

I missed a lot of texts sorry. Marco.

Do you need help? Marco.

...

Look up. Marco.

I did as the text said and sure enough, he was waving from his bedroom window. I saw his hands sign through the glass: "don't stand in the rain."

Bolting from my car, I booked it towards the threshold of the door. I bounced on my toes and thought about what to say when he answered it. How could I explain myself, and everything I'd ever ignored? My heart was thinking so hard I felt like, somehow, I could hear it.

The door opened and he stood there, tired but bright eyed. Marco offered for me to come inside and I did instantly, tired of the cold rain. I slipped off my shoes and rubbed my arms nervously. His night shirt was wrinkled and I could tell he'd just put it on. Ever since high school, he'd never worn a night shirt because he had to take it off so often for me to help with his bruises.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly, I could feel the warmth radiating from his body.

This was it. How do I tell him after all these years, that I'd just ignored my own feelings and went after other people? There was no good explanation. I didn't even know if he felt the same way about me.

Mustering up all my course and formulating my thoughts into one, coherent and elegant message, I spoke. "Do you love me?"

Well. That did not go as planned. I predicted his reaction. "What?" Or "why would you ask that?"

I couldn't have fumbled any worse than what I did just then. Stupid emotions and feelings and arg! Mentally slapping myself, I rubbed my forehead. That came out all wrong.

Marco moved my hands from my red face and looked at me with his emerald orbs that glistened in the light emitting from outside, thunder booking and casting shadows over his face. "Do you love me, Abira?" He asked my own question right back at me.

"Yes." No hesitation. Blaire had me there.

Marco looked shocked but not exactly surprised. More happy than surprised. "Abira..." He said my name and then his mouth fell open.

"I'm so sorry, Marco, I shouldn't have come this late!"

He shook his head and grasped my hand into his. "Don't go yet."

"I'm sorry, this is bad timing. For both of us."

Marco held firm onto my hand. "Ask me again."

My brows knit in confusion. "W-what?" He repeated himself slowly. "D-do you love me...?"

Marco smiled warmly and I felt him stroke my hand with his thumb before placing his free hand onto my cheek and carefully looking me in the eye. "I love you, Abira."

My heart stopped. Like, literally, stopped. I felt myself get dizzy and turn all sorts of shades of red, and my world was blackening out. Of course I remained conscious, I wasn't about to miss this!

"You love me?"

"I love you.' he repeated. "I've waited so long for you to ask me that."

I breathed heavily and felt myself squeeze his hand. It all went so fast. "I'm sorry," I felt like I'd apologized a lot that night. "I never knew it for myself until... Now"

"I was willing to wait." He smiled and drew me into a hug, his warm embrace tight and comforting. I felt my worries start to melt like ice cream on a hot Florida day.

__

Warmth surrounded me as my heavy eyelids bargained with my brain to stay awake. I'd been so distracted my entire life that I'd missed out on a person whom I was so close with, we practically already lived our lives together. The bliss was uncanny - I almost felt guilty that I felt so at peace with myself.

There were many loose ends that id left dangling.

However, at the present moment, I didn't care. There were a lot of people I'd have to let know that I wasn't alone anymore. Stacy, Dustin, Blaire, Mick, even Travis. Maybe I'd even try to look up my brother's number and let him know. We hadn't spoken in years. Chris and I were close as kids but life tore us apart beyond repair. But I wanted him in my life again.

Understanding this one relationship in my life made me want to fix as many as I could. Even if it meant a little hurt, I wanted to be a better person. Maybe it took Marco for me to realize that.

His arms were wrapped around me, and mine around him. With every breath he took, his chest heaved gently, and I felt his heartbeat thumping inside him. We'd talked all night and by the time four a.m. rolled around, we both fell asleep. Well, I lingered awake, watching the peace of him asleep.

The last time we'd done something like this, was when Marco needed help growing up. The very same memory flooded me, but this experience was different - it was enjoyable and peaceful. So, I selfishly kept my eyes open to drink in the lucid and dreamscape appearance we were sharing. Nothing more than talking happened between us; we knew each other well enough to be okay with that. We didn't need more than each other.

A desire wanted me to see what it felt like to kiss Marco; even if it sounds wrong or obscure, for me, a touch is such an important sense. I can't hear so everything else means a lot more to me. Most of our discussion had been about each other's lives and we relayed the times we'd been close to being together before. Each time, one of us had something in life drag us away.

We vowed that wouldn't happen again. We wouldn't let it.

Even if the stars came rushing down from the sky to test us, we made a game plan. Each other.

It was so simple, I wonder why I never figured it out before. We just fit together, in so many ways. Even our hands just felt right when they intertwined.

Begging for sleep, my eyes started to flutter shut. I saw out of my closing eyes Marco had stirred awake and come closer. I fought to keep my eyes open and he tiredly inched closer to me. He looked like he was going to fall right back asleep too, and as my eyes closed, I felt a tender warmth meet my lips for just a moment, and sleep over took me.