Princess On the Run

Chapter 16

Ares' POV

I watched her intently as she held tightly onto my letter with her small hands. That letter had been the most important thing to me ever since my mom left. Not even Marty or May knew about it. It was my last promise to my mom to keep it safe, and yet, I willingly showed it to Thea. I was confused with my own actions. Why did I show her the letter? She already said she loved me... love. I don't understand how its even possible for a girl like her to love me. I should have felt success that my plan was working like I had hoped, and instead I felt two other things, angry and extremely, overwhelmingly happy. I hated myself for leading her on this far, but something inside of me was also beginning to feel like maybe I never led her on after all. Maybe all of the things I have done thus far have been the real me. The me that my mom mentions in her letter. The young Ares that smiled through the pain, and found the brightness in the most dark places. She brought that back out of me, the way my mom used to. Did I love her? How would I know. I wish there was some sort of sign to let me know if that was the feeling I was experiencing right now. 

When she was finally finished reading, she looked up at me with tears in her eyes. I spoke to end the long silence that had come crashing down on us. "My dad calls her a coward for running away. He thinks she left the life behind. That she didn't want the riches or the attention. He refuses to believe she left because of him. He doesn't seem to realize how horrible of a person he is. And my older brother is like a replica of him." I shook my head and looked at her intently, trying to read her. I couldn't tell what she was thinking. Maybe she wouldn't love me if she knew the whole truth. "What do you think about all of it?"

"I can't imagine what it must have been like to wake up one morning and find no trace of your mom. I'm so sorry this happened to you, but from what she said I can see that she really loved you. You may have been the only person she loved. I'm sure leaving you must have been really hard, so it must have been necessary. She said... that you always smiled. That changed after she left?" She was so genuine, and it seemed like her feelings for me hadn't wavered after reading the letter. It made me feel relieved.. slightly. 

"Yes. I was so hurt and angry. My father dismissed my pain and said that it made me look weak. That's when I changed. I realized that my mother was no longer there to protect me from dad's influence. I began hiding my emotions and became the mean asshole you see in front of you." For the first time in so long, I was embarrassed about who I had become. Usually it made me feel more powerful, more in control of all the bull shit around me, but now in front of her, all of those walls I had built to protect my heart seemed to come crashing down. 

She picked up my face and kissed my cheek. "That's not who I see at all. I see a man that needs to pretend to be something he is not to fit in, to protect himself. But underneath that, I see the person that kissed me at the top of the roller coaster to take away my fear. The man that kissed me goodnight when he knew I wouldn't be awake to even know. The man that jumped to my rescue when someone said something mean about me. You are beautiful inside and out. Your mother saw that when you were little, and I still see it now. And she's right about your smile, it's perfect, and I'd pay to see it every second if I could." 

No one in my life had ever said anything remotely that nice to me. It made my heart race and my cheeks feel warm. I had no clue why I had this reaction to her. Ever since that first kiss... I put my hands on her cheeks and pulled her face closer to bring her lips towards mine. I kissed her so passionately, so gently. There was no need to make this end any time soon. I had no clue what was happening to me, where the old tough Ares had gone, but at this moment in time I did not care. I decided to say something I never in a million years would have expected myself to say. My hands began to shake as the thought even entered my brain. But I knew. I didn't need a sign to tell me how I felt. It was so clear now as I stared into her beautiful eyes.