Page 74 of Mine to Ruin

While Kian cleans the litter, I watch Luna eat.

I don’t have to tell Kian what I need when we enter my apartment. The moment I open my mouth he says, “I am here to stay.”

He pulls me to his chest and seals our lips together. When the kiss ends, leaving me in a complete state of bliss, we move to the couch, and we watch a comedy. With every caress of his, every kiss, and every hour, I start to feel strong again. My stomach grumbles, and he stands up and extends his hand.

In the kitchen, we prepare two bagels and sit in comfortable silence.

“I’m going to visit my parents for the weekend,” I tell him once I’m done, chasing crumbs on my plate. “I need to explain the situation to them. If they have read the papers, they will worry.”

“I’d like to meet them,” he says in a resolute tone, confirming to me he’s serious about me and his intention.

My cell rings, interrupting my thoughts. I go check and see it’s my aunt.

“I am so mad at you right now,” she says as soon as I pick up, not giving me a chance to even say hello.

“Why?”

“A Reyes? Really, Ellia? The men in that family are good for one thing and one thing only, to ruin you.

“Would you please calm down?”

“I will never calm down as long as you’re with him,” she snaps back.

“Aunt.”

“Niece. Ellia, I love you and I want what’s best for you, but I don’t know if he is.”

“Trust me, okay?” I plead, not wanting her to be angry with me.

“Love can never be trusted,” she says and hangs up.

He sits on the couch and cocks his head. I straddle his lap, looping my arms around his neck, and say,

“I trust you, so, please don’t prove me wrong.” This is love, huh? When you single handedly give them pieces of you, hoping they will cherish them and trusting they won’t break you.

His eyes peer into mine, determination transforming his features. He cups my face in his hands and says, “Since it’s up to me, I would never break your trust. You can trust me.”

We seal the pact with a kiss.

Kian’s phone rings and when he answers the call I walk to the small balcony and call my mom.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Yes, that’s me.” There is no one who can guilt trip you better than your own mother. She takes a lungful of air and says, “Imagine my surprise when a colleague tosses me the newspaper and asks me if I knew who my daughter spends her nights with. And I said, of course I do, he is enamored with my daughter, so I could kill the satisfied grin on her face. I do not know why people enjoy the distress of others. Anyway, when you said you were dating, I didn’t expect, what do they call him, the King of the Night, which is a lackluster title. He’s a Reyes?”

“What difference does it make? Aunt Esther said the same thing about his family.” I huff, losing my patience with all the secrecy.

She drags in a lungful of air, and I prepare myself for another verbal avalanche. “She would now, wouldn’t she? Is this serious?”

“Mom, I want to come home this weekend, and we can have a chat. And Kian would like to come with me.”

“That’s... thoughtful” My mom stammers for the first time and adds, “You do that, bring him with you.”

“Are you sure, it’s fine?”

“If he wasn’t a Reyes, I would have thrown a party to celebrate my baby bringing home her boyfriend.”

“Mom!”

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