Page 58 of Chula
“You two good?” I hear Damion’s voice. I pull Luna into my arms and hold her against me as I nod my head.
“We’re good.”
“Well, we’re heading up to my room for the night. If you need anything, let me know.”
Luna pulls away from me and turns, walking toward Damion. Before, I would be jealous, but not anymore. Damion has told me she’s become a sister to him, and I love that for them. For all of us.
She pulls Damion into a hug and whispers something I can’t hear, but I see him nod his head and press a kiss to the top of her head before she pulls away and walks back toward me. Before I have the chance to reach for her, she’s wrapping her arms around my waist and snuggling her face into my shirt.
“My plan was to get drunk and sleep it off in the comfy bed here,” she whispers against my chest.
“And now?” I ask her.
“I don’t want you to leave, Marco. Tell me you’re not leaving me again.” I can hear the begging in her tone, and I hate that it’s there. She shouldn’t have to beg me to stay. I never wanted to leave her in the first place.
“I’m never leaving you again, Chula. I’m so fucking sorry that I had to go the first time.”
“It was my fault for not running. I know it was, and I blame myself every single day for it,” she whispers when I hear the sobs.
“Don’t do that. It wasn’t your fault. I did what I did to keep you safe, Chula. That’s it. There’s no blame there.”
“I’m sorry,” she cries, even after all I just said to her.
“I’m here now, right? Everyone else is gone. It’s just us,” I tell her. She sniffles before pulling back and looking up at me.
“And you’re not going anywhere?” I shake my head.
“No. I’m not going anywhere, Chula.”
“Stay with me then.”
“Always.”
Luna grabs my hand in hers and leads me toward the elevators. We step in and ride it up to her floor before we walk out, and she grabs the key card. She slides it in, the door opens, and I usher her inside. It’s a nice room. Bigger than I thought it would be.
“You did all this?”
“Damion did. He knew I wouldn’t do it for myself, and he didn’t want me to drive home tonight. I was actually going to have a few friends come over,” she tells me as she kicks off her shoes.
“Don’t change your plans for me,” I say.
“Are you kidding me? You’re the only one I want here tonight, Marco.”
I slip my arms out of my jacket and toss it onto the chair as she looks at me. Then I reach up and unbutton my shirt, pulling it down my arms to reveal the tattoos I have now. Luna gasps when she sees it, and I smile.
“What did you do?” she whispers as she steps closer to get a better look.
“You like it?”
“I love it, but Marco, why?”
“Because I couldn’t make it in there without you, Chula. Even if you were with someone else, I needed to know you were still somehow mine.”
She reaches up her fingers and runs them over the tattoo of her face. The guy who did it for me was amazing. He used to be a professional before life got in his way.
“Chula,” she laughs as she runs her fingers over the word under the picture.
“You’re my Chula. Always have been and always will be now. I was keeping you.” Her eyes come up to meet mine, and I can see the love I’ve always seen in her. Tears slowly begin to fall down her cheeks, but I reach up and wipe them away.
