But then everything stops—every bruise on my body, every incessant noise in my head, every buzz in my vein, and every murderous beat of my heart. Because the fear is gone, and the only thing in her eyes is what I’ve been yearning to see for almost a year.
Relief.
Joy.
Longing.
“Mickey,” she gasps.
She lunges for me before another word can make it out, and it’s my turn to stumble back. Her arms wrap around my neck, and she crushes me to her so there isn’t an inch of space between us. I don’t waste a second before curling my body around hers, grabbing and holding her like if I blink, I’ll be back to counting without an end in sight.
She’s not allowed to disappear again. I won’t let it happen.
The feeling of her pressed against me, holding me as if I actually mean something to her… it's nothing like all the times before.
When she hugged me on my birthday, it was a congratulatory hug. Something that came from the heart but was handed out like a simple gift and not something to be treasured. Something that’s meant to fade within passing minutes.
This? This is the world colliding and the stars aligning. More than a thousand words are strung together in a thousand different ways. She missed me. She wishes we were never separated. She didn’t stop thinking about me for a second. She’s back, and she’s never letting go.
Like this, the world won’t be able to touch her. No one will be able to hurt her, and she never has to worry about a thing ever again.
The top of her head grazes my lips as I pull her tighter and sigh.
Good. I’m still taller than her.
Keep it that way.
She doesn’t move away, and there’s no way that I’m about to. “I missed you, Mickey.”
I close my eyes and lean my cheek against her. That name is for us. Roman is who I am to everyone else: The boy whose parents didn’t want him the second he was born, and neither did his grandparents. Roman is the one who interrupts in class and can’t sit still. The one who’s pure mischief and going nowhere in life.
Even after all these years of Bella being able to pronounce her r’s, only she says my real name with something other than disgust.
Mickey and Roman are one and the same, but Mickey is just for her. It’s the name that has my heart ratcheting because it means I’m her home. She feels safe with me and never wants to lose me, just like her Mickey Mouse. I could die happy knowing she calls me that.
At one point, she became too embarrassed to call me Mickey because someone told her it was cringy. I beat him up and tried convincing Bella not to listen to him, but because I was young and stupid, I didn’t realize what the name really meant to her. I’ll never take it for granted.
“I missed you too,” I mumble into her hair.
“I—” She tries pulling away, but I don’t let her go. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I swear I didn’t know. I swear. They told me to pack my things—I thought they were kicking me out, and a truck came. I wanted to tell you. I tried so hard—”
“It’s okay.”
Her tears soak my shirt as she trembles against me. “I didn’t want to go. But they didn’t give me a choice. They made me—”
“I know. It’s okay, Bella.”
“I tried to fight them, but they wouldn’t let me leave. I wanted to see you before I left. I promise, Mickey, I had no idea. I didn’t want to leave you.”
A sob escapes her as she catches her breath. I pull her away from me and cup her cheeks, forcing her to look up at me. “I understand. I know you would never leave me.” I thumb away her tears. “None of that matters anymore; you know why?”
Her bottom lip quivers, and I almost lose it. “Because you’re back, and neither of us is going anywhere without the other. You hear me?”
Hesitantly, she nods.
“You will never be alone again. I swear on my life. Wherever you go, I’ll be right there. We’ll always find each other. I’m not going anywhere. It’s a promise. We’re forever, Princess, and nothing will ever come between us. Do you understand?”
She sniffles. “Yes.”
“Say it.”
“We’re forever.”
“Swear it.”
“I promise I’ll never leave you again.”
I grin. “Why?”
She narrows her eyes, but wipes her tears away as she raises her chin. But all I can see is the string bracelets fastened to her wrist. Not one. Two. “Because you’re a crazy asshole, but I love you for it.”