Page 75 of Monster in Disguise

But then a door appeared.

No!

I did not want to face the demons that lurked beyond that door. They would take me away from this safe haven.

Desperately, I tried to hide, but her lovely voice refused to let me. It permeated every atom of the room and reverberated through my entire being. She extended her hand towards me, but I could not bring myself to touch her. She was too pure... too good for someone like me.

"I'll protect you," the angel reassures me with a gentle smile, and I lift my head to meet her gaze with tear-filled eyes.

A blinding white light suddenly engulfs me, and in my panic, I reach out and clasped onto her hand for comfort and security.

"Catalina?" My eyes struggle to adjust to the brightness of daylight. Catalina crouches down in front of me, her face etched with concern.

"Are you alright?" she asks softly, inching towards me.

"I am now," I manage to say through my trembling voice. "Thank you."

She has no idea just how much she saved me.

"What for?" Her brow furrows in confusion.

"You made them go away..." The words falter as I try to explain. "The demons. You made the demons go away."

It wasn't the first time either.

For the past decade, her face had been my only anchor to reality. The only thing that could break through the darkness that consumed me.

I don't know if it was the love and gratitude that overwhelmed me or some other force, but before I know it, my hand is reaching out to caress her cheek.

I brace myself for the inevitable pain, but to my surprise, there is none.

"You always chase the demons away." My tears flow freely now as I looked into her eyes.

Despite my internal doubts and fears, I am unafraid to show any perceived weakness in front of her. Just being in her presence fills me with a sense of strength.

"Marcello, you..." Her eyes hold an expression of awe as she gazed at me. Bolstered by an unknown bravado, I take her hand in mine and let out a loud groan at the sensation. Tentatively, I wrap my fingers around hers and have to pause to regulate my breathing. It has been over a decade since I felt human contact that was not accompanied by pain. This is a new experience for me.

"Lina," I rasp, attempting to convey the overwhelming emotions coursing through me, yet unable to find the words.

"Shh, it's okay," she coos, intertwining our fingers. The warmth and gentleness of her touch soothes me.

I stare at our joined hands, as if trying to commit this moment to memory forever.

"I can touch you," I murmur incredulously, mostly to myself.

Am I still trapped in my own mind? The thought brought on a wave of disappointment. It wouldn't be the first time... Every night, thoughts of her consumed me. In my dreams, I reached out and touched her, kissed her.

"Is this real?" I whisper, lifting my gaze to meet hers and silently pleading for confirmation.

"It's real. I'm real." Her body inches closer until our knees almost touched.

I want to say something profound or meaningful, but all that came out was a jumbled mess. She is dazzling. That inner beauty radiating from deep within her takes my breath away. Unable to express my feelings adequately through words, I squeeze her hand instead. If only she knew how much she means to me.

But she doesn’t need to know.

I don’t deserve her compassion or comfort. Yet here I am, weak and unable to resist her pull.

Her gentle voice breaks through the silence, pulling me out of my thoughts.

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