Adopted – Episode 44

ADOPTED – Episode 44

© Happy William

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Anne

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“Emilio do you really have to —”

“Aw quit whining and let’s cheer.”

He raised his glass of wine to me.

Chuckling, I also raised my glass

and it hit with a small “clink”.

We were in his room now.

It’s evening and We’d just finished having dinner with everyone before they dispersed one by one with Cosima claiming that she wanted to have her beauty sleep. Everyone knew that in real sense the beauty sleep was going to involve Augusto. After that, I chased Prudence off to bed and gave her medicine.

I’d stayed behind in the kitchen to do the dishes.

I was halfway into rinsing and putting them away on the drainer to dry when I felt arms snaking around my waist from behind.

Smiling, I leaned in instinctively into him and felt the expanse of his chest behind my back.

” Emilio… I’m busy,” I said, my voice coming out as a whisper.

The tip of his nose snuggled in my hair as he sniffed softly.

“I can see that,” he replied.

“Then let me finish.”

With a wistful sigh, he unwrapped his arms and leaned on the counter beside me.

He spent a few minutes watching me, and when I finished draped his arm around my shoulder pulling me to himself as we headed upstairs.

…..

“So what are we cheering to?” I asked as I took a sip of my drink.

“Mmm…I don’t know…. it’s actually a surprise tomorrow.”

“Oh, so were cheering tonight for tomorrow night. Absurd.” I shook my head.

He laughed and took the drink from my hand, setting the glass on the centre table while pulling me to his chest.

“We can make do. Did you get the gift?”

I giggled softly. “Yeah. They’re beautiful. Thank you.”

“I can’t wait to see you in it.”

“Of course you can. It’s just tomorrow.”

He chuckled, then took my lower lip into his mouth, released it, and took it in deeper again.

My eyes fluttered shut as I reached for his nape and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss, which had gotten hotter in a matter of seconds.

We spent seconds… minutes… drinking each other in with that kiss, tasting each other, stroking and teasing. His hands roamed my body, and the clothes I wore seemed to be just too much of a barrier b/w us. A groan escaped my lips, I pressed myself to him, needing, wanting.

Breaking away from the kiss, he bit my lip down to my chin and the base of my chin. Wrapping both arms around him, I threw my neck backwards to grant his hungry and searching lips access to my bare throat, and the valley between my breasts where he paused for a bit.

His hands found the hem of my nightie and began to raise it up.

That’s when my senses returned.

The scars.

“No, Emilio. Turn off the lights.”

He kissed me, and just when I was about to reciprocate he broke off.

“Anne I want you to trust me enough to leave the lights on while we make love,” he said stroking my cheeks.

“I….I—”

“I wanna see your face and the look in your eyes when we both soar to the stars and back. And I want you to see mine too.”

I sniffed.

This was a hard thing….he was just saying. Once he saw them big pink gashes across my body, he’ll turn the other way and never look at me the same way again.

That would be hard to bear because I loved him so much.

“Emilio I’m…. scared.”

I hugged him and placed my face on his chest with another sniff.

He stroked my hair.

“Trust me.”

I looked into his eyes.

Why do I have this feeling that he was talking not just about this night, but about us and what’s gonna happen….like sth big.

“I….trust you.”

Stepping a feet away from him, I closed my eyes and pulled my thin nightie over my head, dropping it at my feet.

I waited.

Silence.

You could hear a pin drop.

I was waiting to hear a gasp, or disgusted sound.

I opened my eyes, with my gaze on the floor.

The toes of his feet were a few metres off.

“Emilio…”

Slowly and dreading, I raised my head up to see that his eyes had darkened, and had filled up with a jumble of so many emotions…. all of which boiled down to one thing.

“Come over here so I can kiss you.”

With smiles lighting my face, I covered the distance between us and jumped on him. The impact pushed him to fall on the bed and me on top.

“Whoa tesoro (baby), relax,” he laughed, running his hand through my hair that had fallen like a curtain over his bare chest.

“I’m just… you not like disgust—”

He kissed me hard and long.

“No baby,” he switched over and ended up being the one to tower over me, “I’m… enchanted.”

“I love you,” I whispered, and not waiting for him to react or say a word, I wrapped my legs around his torso, rubbing my palm allover his chest.

He looked down at my face which I’m sure had either a wide grin or inviting smirk.

“O…kay…learning to be naughty?” he asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk of his own that was mischievous in every way.

I giggled. ”I’m learning from the best.”

…

…

Morning……..

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Birds were tweeting and chirping different melodies outside.

Normally, I wouldn’t have noticed or cared, because I’d have been sad, devastated or angry at my foster parents or the unfortunate life I was forced to live.

But now, with the morning sun casting golden streaks of light rays through the windows and onto every reachable furniture; with the busy noises of the estate bustling to activities and life; with the man I love snuggled in beside me with our limbs entangled on the rumpled sheets and his hand laying protectively across my waist….well, I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Except maybe for him to say he loves me to and for us to get married and have a litter of kids that would drive us crazy.

Hmmm….that would be perfect.

Perhaps too perfect.

My left hand brought the blanket around my chest —/and my body which I wasn’t ashamed of anymore\— while I gently tried to lift his hand up with the right without waking him.

Oops…plan failed.

Emilio’s lashes fluttered open to reveal his dark eyes looking into mine. His lips curved into a smile that was so innocent yet so entirely… male it had my blood already racing.

“Trying to get rid of me?’ he asked in a husky early morning voice and kissed my hand that still held his. ” Good morning amora.”

“Hi,” I replied. Never having woken up with him, I didn’t know how to go about it. Plus, I wasn’t exactly thinking of what to say.

He wore a boxer short which, though hidden by the tangle of the sheets, did nothing to stop the sheer…masculinity his bare tanned torso and upper body exuded.

“Did I say you’re very beautiful in the morning?”

“No, you didn’t. And that’s because you’re teasing,” said I as I tried to hide my blush and arrange my hair which was messy from tossing and turning in bed. For an entirely different purpose .

He held my hand, preventing me from fussing.

“I’m serious.”

He stretched over and we kissed briefly. Briefly again but not so lightly. I could feel that he was going to take things further, and so I laughingly pushed him away.

“You’re gonna make me l8 for my appointment with the girls.”

“Aw, tell them you were busy.”

He edged closer, and I tickled him and quickly got out of bed.

I was in my nighty.

We had showered last night before sleeping. Showered separately that is.

“Show spoiler,” he all but whined.

“Awwww, you’re good looking too. Don’t whine about it.”

He threw a pillow to me which I dodged by ducking out the door.

Our laughs filled the corridor.

…

..

On my way out, I saw Prudence at the dining with a bag beside her and papers and envelopes were scattered all around her.

“Hi, good morning Pru—”

“Yes Anne. Oh, so many letters today…..look. There’s one for you here.”

She handed it to me.

“Me? Who’s it from?” I asked checking it.

“Don’t know….lots of cards to read…”

With a sigh, I put it in my satchel, to check it the moment I had time.

..

…

“I’m thinking chignon!” Sophia insisted stubbornly. “I’m gonna be meeting Felipe’s parents. I’ve gotta make a good impression!”

“You mean a good *second* impression,” Cosima drawled boringly with emphasis on second. “Babe, look here. I’m the fashionable fashionista. I know that a bun would go better than a chignon.”

We were and the hairstylist’s.

“But what’s the difference between a bun and a chignon? Both are formal hairstyles where your hair’s pulled backwards and clipped,” i offered.

Dru, the hairstylist, laughed. “No. They’re absolutely different.”

“Tell her babe.”

Finally, Sophia settled on a bun with two wavy strands of her blond hair left to fall at each side of her face, framing it.

Cosima did hers in an elegant ponytail and I was like, wow, I’ve never known a simple ponytail could be so elegant.

And I let mine fall in wavy curls.

Then we went for the makeup.

After all, I couldn’t recognize myself.

Although I opted for light makeup and nude lipstick, I looked totally different and beautiful. I envisaged the look on Emilio’s face when he saw me, and smiled.

I turned to Cosima whose lips were bloodred and Sophia who’s pink lipstick matched the colour of the eye-shadow she used and we all smiled, giggling happily.

We checked the time.

05:38 pm.

Whoa, we spent a lotta time prepping.

“Time to dress up,” Cosima announced when we got to her apartment.

“Ehrrr, Anne. Hope you’re not wearing that — dio mio! This dress is gorgeous!”

They were ogling my dress now.

“Simply beautiful,” Sophia added.

“I know. Emilio got it for me yesterday.”

“Wow.”

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SUNDOWN

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Emilio

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Gold cufflinks on the wrist of my shirt — skyblue shirt which matched the dress I’d gotten for Anne.

While looking in the mirror, I wore and straightened the suit jacket and watched as my reflection took a deep breath.

I’ve made up my mind.

Already, I know how it feels to be betrayed, having experienced it firsthand from Portia and Sergio. My mother and brother. Secrets were dangerous. They were wreckers. Big time. They were like the termites that ate a wood quietly from inside, only for it to come crashing down one day to the surprise of everyone.

Anne and I…. where did we even stand? In a relationship, bf or gf? Lovers?

Well, it was clear as crystal to me that I loved her. So much that I’d give anything to make her happy and mine.

A small chuckle escaped my lips when I recalled what she said last night.

That she loves me also.

What more could I ask for?

With a huge grin I spun away from the mirror and marched out while alternatively feeling my jacket’s inner pocket for the ring.

This was going to be a night to remember.

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The chattering got to me before I even saw them all. My friends… and the girl I love

They sat on settees in the living room discussing random things that seemed to make Anne uncomfortable because she kept blushing so hard and ducking her head.

Her brown hair fell in wavy curls when she did that.

She looked so beautiful — she was an angel.

As if she sensed me, she looked up and broke into the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen, made more beautiful because I knew she loved me.

The others looked up too. Augusto’s arm rested casually on Cosima’s shoulder, Felipe was checking sth on his phone with Sophia’s fingers linked in his, and Prudence stood behind them with an exhausted frown on her face.

“And here comes the guy whom everyone spent hours waiting for!” Cosima spoke up with a dramatic roll of her eyes when she said hours.

“Cosi it’s just five minutes,” Felipe chastised and earned a warning look from Augusto.

I walked straight to Anne, pulled her to me and kissed her senseless, oblivious of the oohs and aahs those annoying guys made.

“You’re… breathtaking,” I said.

“She smiled and made a show of checking me out. ” Mmm, you’re not so bad yourself. Matching outfits? ”

I shrugged with a grin.

“OK guys show’s over. Break it up,” Augusto said and slapped my back while I received a bro hug from Felipe with a congratulatory kiss on the cheeks for Sophia and Cosima, and a knowing smile from prudence.

I felt so blessed.

If only father was here.

This was the first time I was thinking like this.

Because it was the first time I felt this way.

We got into different cars that made up seven cars of the SVEW entourage.

I took the chance to kiss Anne again and tell her how special she was to me no matter what.

A sense of foreboding bad luck and with nothing I could do.

Dio, You got it all .

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To be continued

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