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Aresius' POV

I checked my phone again as I waited at the red light. It had been an intense day; I had been up since six in the morning, travelling for two hours for a cartel case with the team. Once we arrived, what was meant to be a simple bust, turned into a massive gunfight. I'm glad I decided to bring back-up, but they still outnumbered us.

We overtook them in the end, but not before some idiot slashed my side with a knife. Oscar stitched me up in the medical van, and I drove straight home.

I hadn't heard from Alette all day, except for a good morning message.

I didn't think that I would ever classify myself as clingy, but damn it did I want to be with her every second of every day.

When I tried calling her on my way back, she didn't pick up the phone. Instead, Ada picked up and told me that she was asleep, not feeling well.

Of course I panicked and drove straight home. I showered, fed the animal, and got back into the car immediately.

Along my way, I had stopped to buy her a tub of ice cream from the place that we went to, and flowers, some for her and some for Ada.

I looked at the ice cream in my passenger seat, and swore, making a U-turn towards the grocery store. If she was feeling sick, she probably couldn't eat ice cream.

I didn't know what would make her feel better if she had the flu, but I rushed into the store anyways, grabbing some candy and chocolate.

She loved everything sugary, so I had no doubt she would appreciate the sweets.

She would appreciate a rock if I got her one.

I speed walked to the cashier, glaring at the teenagers who were purposely standing in front of an older woman's wheelchair.

She smiled warmly at me as they moved away, and I nodded back at her.

I despised people who were rude for no reason.

I placed my things in front of the cashier as she smacked her gum, giving me a flirty smile.

I ignored her, unlocking my phone to see if Alette had texted.

She hadn't.

The girl continued her staring as I paid, and when she finally handed me my receipt, she held onto it when I tried grabbing it.

"Do you want to go out sometime?" she asked, her lip between her teeth.

I looked at her blankly.

"I'm married."

Grabbing the bag, I took the receipt from her, and walked out of the store.

I got into the car, and pulled out of the parking lot, driving as fast as I could to her house.

I felt my headache decrease just at the sight of her house up ahead. I parked and turned off my car.

I emailed the detective, asking for a picture and the missing persons file so that we could look into it as the family requested.

I opened up a message from one of my head artists at STAMP.

I thanked him and clicked onto the last message, wanting to get everything out of the way so I could see Alette without any distractions.

I sent him a few choice words in reply, and turned my phone off, grabbing all of the things, as well as the flowers, and locking my car.

I winced as I walked up the stairs, the injury on my side bothering me more than I wanted to admit.

I rang the doorbell, and waited, an odd feeling in my stomach.

The same thing I felt every time I thought of her. Butterflies or some dumb shit like they talked about in the movies.

The door opened and I straightened my shoulders.

"Oh hello precious boy!"

Her Grams opened the door, a knowing smile on her face, "I had a feeling I would be seeing you today.

I felt my neck get hot, and I cleared my throat, "Hello."

She moved aside, "Come in please!" I walked inside and her eyes fell onto the things in my hand, and she smiled wider, "You're so sweet, she's in her room, do you want to go straight up? Let me know if you're hungry, I can make you something to eat?"

I shook my head, declining immediately.

"I'm going to see her."

She nodded and gestured up the stairs.

Before I could go, I handed her the flowers I had brought her, and her eyes widened.

"Oh my goodness you are as precious as they come! Thank you so much," she grabbed them, smiling fondly.

I nodded, not knowing how to react. I hadn't really ever experienced motherly affection.

She patted my shoulder, thanking me again.

I began to walk up the stairs, as every thought in my brain urged me to run to her.

Realistically, I knew that she would be fine; that it was just a sore throat and headache most likely. But I needed to see it for myself.

As I reached the floor with her room on it, I slowed my steps, now wondering if I should have come or not.

She didn't explicitly mention if she wanted me to around. Hell I hadn't even spoken to her today.

I clenched my jaw, knowing it was too late to leave now.

I walked closer to her door, which was closed, blanketing the hallway in darkness.

I heard her voice from inside the room, and while I couldn't make out what she was saying, there was definitely a decreased energy in her tone today.

I walked up to her door, the sound of her voice getting louder. My hand touched the doorknob and as I was about to open the door, I heard her conversation.

"Oh of course, I would love to marry you."

I had felt a lot of anger in my lifetime.

This was different.

This was like a raging fire, burning me from the inside out. But that wasn't all; it was mixed with the feeling of my heart falling in...hurt.

Who was she talking to?

I knocked on the door, no matter how much I wanted to tear it to the ground.

"It's open Grams, come in," her voice drifted out to me.

I inhaled sharply, and opened the door wide, standing in the doorway.

She sat in her bed, wrapped up in a blanket, her soft hair tied up in a bun. She was wearing my sweatshirt, and Ted sat on her lap.

She held her phone to her ear and her eyes widened when she saw that I was at the door.

She audibly gulped, the hand that held her phone shaking as she looked at me.

She cleared her throat, and whispered into her phone, "I'll call you back Row Boat, I have to go now sweetheart."

Row Boat?

I felt my body physically deflate in relief.

She was talking to Rowan.

She looked at me with her beautiful eyes, as she put her phone down on the bed.

"H-Hi Ares," her voice came out as a hushed whisper, almost disbelievingly.

"Alette," I said to her, not being able to form a coherent thought now that I was in the same room as her.

"Hi um I w-was just talking to Rowan," she bit her lip and looked down at her lap.

"I'm sorry for coming unannounced," I told her, my voice low.

Her head shot up and she shook it, her eyes wide, "No no! D-Don't apologize Reece, I'm um..." she bit her lip, "I'm sorry for not messaging or calling you all day."

"No need for a sorry. I heard you weren't feeling well," I said to her. While her voice and body language indicated that she wasn't behaving or speaking as she regularly did, she didn't sound as though she had the flu.

"Oh um," she tilted her head to look away from me, mumbling, "I'm on my period."

I had to strain to hear her quiet voice, but when I finally clocked in what she was saying, I stepped back.

"Do you uh..." I paused, "Do you need something? Do you have to go to the doctor? Are you okay?" I listed off questions, completely lost at what I could do.

She shook her head slowly, "I'm okay Reece, it happens every month," she moved slightly on the bed, wincing as she did.

I moved forwards, wanting to help her, but she straightened herself back up, and looked at me, discomfort and pain clear on her face.

"I really am s-sorry for not messaging or calling you today, I j-just," she wrung her hands together looking down, "I didn't want you to be around me when I'm like this," she looked up at me through her lashes hesitantly.

"Why Alette?" I made sure my voice was soft, knowing I had to patient when she was all lost in her anxious, insecure thoughts like this.

"I um... oh Reece! It's because it hurts s-so much and I g-get cranky and t-then I feel upset a-and I cry, and I'm just a mess and I don't want you to have to put up with that!"

She was a blubbering mess by the end of her little rant, her face red and scrunched up.

I placed the flowers on her bed, and the bags of candy on the table by her bed.

"If you want me to leave Alette, I will," I told her honestly. As much as I wanted to stay with her, I respected that fact that she didn't want me around at this moment.

"No!" she reached out and grabbed my hand, letting out a small breath in pain as she moved.

I went and sat down on her bed slowly, not letting go of her hand.

She took a deep breath, scrunching her eyes slightly as she shifted again.

"I want you to stay Reece," she mumbled, looking down playing with my fingers, "I missed you so much, I just wasn't feeling the best."

"I'm here now my angel."

My words caused her head to shoot up and look at me.

"You'll stay?" she cocked her head to the side, smiling slightly, looking like the most adorable damn thing that I had ever seen.

"Always, baby."

She sighed contently, picking up my hand, and placing a kiss on it. She leaned back on her pillows, getting more comfortable, her entire body covered with her comforter.

She kissed my hand again, holding it close to her. I took the opportunity to cup her face, and she leaned into my touch.

"Have you taken any medicine?" I asked her.

"Mhm," she nodded, "I have specific painkillers prescribed from Dr. Munroe."

I looked at her bedside table, noticing the label on the bottle of pills. My eyes widened slightly and I looked back at her.

"These are strong," I said cautiously.

"Yeah..." her voice was just above a whisper, she cleared her throat, "I started mine when I was really young, and ever since then, the pain has always been horrible. My stomach swells up, and I get migraines and nausea, and all my joints hurt. I also get massive cramps in my legs. I can barely move sometimes, so um the doctor said it would just make sense to take stronger medication during the weeks I get my period."

I felt my throat get dry at all of what she was saying. I didn't know that much about periods, never having anyone in my life that went through that monthly. I never even learned more about them because I didn't think I would end up with anyone at all.

I'm sure it was different for everyone, but based on her face and what she described, I wanted nothing more than to take her pain away.

"Is there anything I can do?" I implored, feeling very unhelpful.

She shook her head, smiling sweetly, "You being here is enough for me."

She was going to kill me.

I cleared my throat, scratching the back of neck, trying to ignore the fact that she was probably making my cheeks turn red.

I reached for the flowers I had brought her, and practically shoved them at her to hide my nerves.

"For me?" she asked cutely.

I nodded, still not trusting my voice, and also handed her the candy and ice cream that I had brought. The container of ice cream felt warmer, and I knew I'd have to put it in a freezer soon.

"Thank you my love, these are beautiful," she sighed, smelling them.

This girl was unreal.

Her eyes looked at the candy and ice cream, and her bottom lip jutted out ever so slightly.

"I was craving some chocolate, how did you even know," she looked up at me with her big eyes and I damn near passed out on the spot.

She tugged my hand slightly, and I moved closer to her. Once I was in reach, she wrapped her small hand around the back of my neck and pulled me down into a kiss.

Hell yeah.

I kissed her soft lips, gently at first, but she leaned up, wanting more. We both were lost in the moment, until the need for air caused us to pull away.

Every time we broke off from a heavy kiss, she would always have a dazed look in her eye, and she'd reach up to touch her lips in shock.

This time was no different, I heard a small 'Woah' escape her swollen lips, and I had to reel in my wandering thoughts.

I looked at the soft blush on her cheeks, her eyes shining in the afternoon sun.

She was otherworldly.

I couldn't believe she was here with me.

All mine.

"I love you Alette."

Her mouth dropped open slightly, but a knock at the door brought us out of our haze.

"It's me," her Grandmother called from the other side of the door, "Let me know if it's safe to come in," her voice coated with mischief.

"Grams!" Alette whispered, her face turning red in mortification.

An amused look overtook my features as her Grams opened the door and walked in slowly, smiling teasingly.

"I just wanted to let you know I was going out to a friend's house! There's some food downstairs if you wanted it, but you," she turned around and looked at me, "You're staying for dinner young man, my workaholic son is coming home in a few hours, and we're all having dinner as a family, so both of you be ready!"

I felt my stomach do a flip.

Family.

"Take your medicine Faye, love you, be safe, have fun," she chuckled at the blush on Alette's face.

"Grams please oh my gosh," Alette's face turned crimson as her Grandmother laughed.

"I'll take my leave," she kissed Alette's head and patted my shoulder lightly. We said our goodbyes, and she picked up the ice cream to take to the freezer, leaving the room.

Alette looked beyond shy after that interaction, and she sat back in the bed, playing with Ted's legs.

I admired her for a moment, until my eyes fell onto the pictures on her nightstand.

Among the random assortment of pictures, I grabbed the one of us that was in a similar frame as what Tai had gifted me.

He had gotten her one too.

I picked it up and smirked at her, wanting to see that pout she got her face when she thought I was teasing her.

I showed the picture to her, raising my eyebrow, and she turned red

"Rude," she whispered, and then turning her chin up, "You have it on your desk too, so ha!" she stuck out her tongue and I let out a laugh.

Unbelievably adorable.

I put the picture back down, the silence that filled the room calming me after the hectic morning that I had.

"Oh Reecie! I got you something!" she moved up to get it, and immediately fell back onto the bed again, grimacing in pain.

"Woah okay don't move," I rushed out quickly, holding my hands out, panicking.

"I'm okay, just a really bad leg cramp," she said, her voice strained, "Can you please grab it? It's on the sofa over there," she pointed over to the little sofa in the other corner of her room.

I got up and grabbed the square package; it was wrapped in white paper, and had a white silky ribbon on it.

I held it in my hands, the white of the package clashing greatly with my dark tattooed hands.

Everything about me contrasted heavily with her bright room.

But she made me feel like I belonged.

Only with her.

Always with her.

I walked back to the bed, raising my eyebrow at her. When she had said she got me something, I didn't expect an actual fully wrapped present.

"Open it, open it!" she said excitedly, her voice still more tired than usual.

I sat down, slowly unwrapping the paper; I felt the unmistakable edges of a book underneath my palm.

She began speaking before I could even finish taking the paper off.

"I saw this online and I thought of you!" she said happily, as I took the paper of completely.

"It's a compilation of poems, some of the more well-known works," she said, her voice slightly more timid, "And they're all in English, so um..." she trailed off, and I looked at her finally, my heart beating fast.

"I got them in um English s-so that y-you could read them to me and I w-would understand," she said shyly.

I felt as though there was something lodged in my throat and my emotions were a whirlwind.

She was my fairytale.

A dream that I couldn't believe I was living in.

"I'd love to read to you baby," my voice came out more hoarse than I wanted.

She beamed, and shyly patted the space beside her on the bed.

As if I could ever say no to her.

"You're sure?" I asked to make sure that she felt okay with me getting in beside her.

It had become normal for us to lie side by side on my bed, but this was her space, and I didn't want her to feel like she was obligated to invite me in.

She nodded, a slight tinge of pink on her cheek as she bit her lip, "But um I'm wearing..." she trailed off slightly, lifting her blanket off of her legs slightly, revealing her skin underneath.

She wore a pair of light pink shorts that stopped at just above her mid thigh from what I could see. The shorts were a drastic change from her usual clothes that covered her fully.

"I don't w-want to make you uncomfortable, I just get too hot when the pain gets bad, and my legs hurt more when I wear full pants," she bit her lip.

"Alette," I breathed out, trying to prevent myself from staring at her soft legs, I gulped looking at her red face.

"Fine...yeah no it's fine," I stuttered out the words somehow, and cleared my throat, putting my legs up on the bed. I slide into the covers beside her, our back resting on her mountain of pillows. She looked up at me, my heart pounding at our proximity.

"Tell me if I'm hurting you," I said to her, focusing on opening the book, rather than staring at her. I knew I was just sitting beside her, so realistically, I wouldn't hurt her, but I wanted to be sure.

"Reecie?"

"Hm?"

"Will you pass me some of the chocolates please?" she asked, leaning her head on my bicep.

I grabbed a pack of chocolate, and a water bottle. I handed her the water while I opened the candy.

"Drink," I said, unscrewing the cap off.

She grabbed and I took a few sips before handing it back to me. I took it from her, and she wrapped her arms around mine, hugging my arm to her as she leaned her head back onto my bicep. I gave her the chocolate, and she kissed my arm as I cleared my throat to begin reading.