He leaned back on the couch rubbing his temples as if all this information was too much for him to take, "God! I married a crazy woman. You ran away at the age of 20 and at the age of almost 28 you are the fifth richest person in the world. Unbelievable!"

Unbelievable.

Sitting up straight again, he asked, "What about your friends? You must have any friends?"

And that question made me sad, my friends, they were like my family. My four best friends always supported me in every situation and I left them even.

I nodded, "I did. I had four best friends; Araima Lee, Claudia Burton, Emilia Allen and Daisy Scott. I loved them but I had to leave them too...I still keep a check on them. Claudia and Emilia are in New York only while Araima and Daisy are in San Francisco."

"Don't you miss them?"

"I miss them the most."

"And you are still not going back."

"I don't know what to say...let's not talk about it."

I leaned back and rested my head on the couch rubbing my temples when I suddenly remembered.

I sat back straight and demanded him, "I told you everything, Isaac and now you also have to tell me everything."

His whole body tensed and his jaws clenched.

"I don't want to", he said.

"That's not fair! You forced me to tell you everything and now you are not ready to tell your side of story!"

"I said I don't want to!", He snapped.

I got up angrily, "I knew it!" And I stomped out of the room.

I told him everything, each and everything who no one knew about except Josh.

I sat on the edge of my bed with folded arms. Why can't he tell me? I know it must be difficult to talk about someone who died and was so close to him but I deserve to know the reason for this marriage.

My room's door opened and I knew it was Isaac because of his cologne. I didn't even bother to turn around and look at him.

He came and sat beside me on the edge of the bed and both of us didn't say anything.

A minute later, with his head hung down, he spoke, "Serah Steiner...she was my best friend."

I lifted my gaze and looked at him as he still stared down at the floor.

He continued, "Serah, Nyle and I were bought up together. Our families were friends and so were we. We were inseparable, went to the same school...used to study and play together. I had everything I ever wanted, my father was a billionaire and I had amazing friends."

He took a deep sigh, "When I was about to turn eighteen...I started to...fall for Serah... romantically. And before I knew it, I was in...love with her; it was not any infatuation. I loved her but was afraid of confessing it, I knew that it would ruin our friendship so, I never told her. Months passed and it was becoming difficult for me to see her talking and flirting with other boys."

He ran his hand through his hair as I watched him sadly.

He continued anyway,"One day when she visited my house, I told her everything; I confessed my feelings for her. Told her that I love her."

When he didn't continue, I asked, "How did she respond?"

Letting out a low, shallow chuckle he looked up at me and it was then I noticed his eyes were wet.

"The way she responded was inevitable. She got uncomfortable and said that we can't be in a relationship but when I tried to make her understand, she got furious with me and angrily left my house.

An hour later...we got the news that she met with an accident. We all rushed to the hospital to find that she sustained some internal injuries but was okay. But she was diagnosed with...cancer. She had a cancerous tumor and the doctors suggested operation as soon as possible. For the first few days I didn't meet her but eventually when I went to meet her, I apologized but she said that when she will get better, she will think about it...she died during the operation. She died...because of me." With that he buried his face in his hand.

Oh God!

"She didn't die because of you, Isaac. She died of cancer not because of that accident."

He lifted his head, "Can't you understand? That accident only worsened her tumor, if not for that accident she might have...survived. She could have been with me right now."

"You can't blame yourself, Isaac...it was her destiny. She had to die, you couldn't have saved her anyway."

"I lost her. I lost my love, I lost my best friend. I was in love with her and she died. I shouldn't have fallen in love with her and she would have survived. My love killed her. And I am too scared to fall in love again...I can't risk someone's life again."

The way he said that it felt that he was warning me that he is afraid to fall in love, that he will never fall in love with me. He was warning me.

"But", I placed my hand on his shoulder, "it's not your fault."

"It's of no use. You can never erase that pain from your heart and those memories from your brain, you just learn to live with it."

I placed my head against his forearm as if I could feel his pain.

"And then", he spoke again after a minute, "two years back at a business party, I saw you. For a moment I thought that...Serah is standing there and I had to literally rub my eyes to make sure but then I realised that it was not Serah but someone else who looked almost like her. I have known you for two years, waiting for the right opportunity to introduce that proposal of merging our companies through marriage. I was not afraid of your company taking over mine, I just wanted you to believe that. I married you because I didn't want to lose Serah again...I didn't want to."

"I...", He seemed lost for words, "I was selfish, I know. But I didn't want to lose Serah again. And you were exactly like her not just physically but your feistiness, your way of talking everything reminded me of her. I am sorry; I didn't want you to know the real reason because I know you will think I am selfish and you will...leave me."

Before I could comprehend what I was doing, I got up and placed myself on his lap and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and placed my head on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?", he asked in confusion.

"Please, just let me hug you", with that I tightened my hold around him.

He didn't hug me back and his body was so tense but after a minute, he loosely wrapped one of his arm around my waist and then gradually he wrapped his other arm too and tightened his grip as I sighed in satisfaction. He was hugging me back; and then he buried his head in my neck and I could feel something wet on my shoulder; he was crying.

My heart broke, even though I couldn't see his face but feeling his tears on my shoulder literally broke my heart.

I can never leave him.

We stayed like that for God knows how long and when I finally pulled back, his face looked so broken.

I was still sitting on his lap when I said softly, "All you need sometimes is a warm hug."

I wiped away his tears and kissed his forehead.

"Like Olaf?", He joked all of a sudden trying to lighten the mood.

A small smile formed on my face, "You remember?"

"Of course, I do. You guys made me watch that movie so many times", he chuckled softly referring to Emmeline.

Smiling, I placed my forehead against his and whispered, "Everything will be alright."

And then I got up from his lap and as I was about to move, he caught my wrist stopping me.

I looked back at him to find him staring at me with an unreadable emotion and he got up.

"Please, don't leave me again", he said, his voice barely a whisper.

I moved closer and wrapped both of my hands around his palm and bought it upto my lips. I kissed his hand gently whispering, "I am not leaving you, ever."

He slowly cupped both of my cheeks with his palm and looked at my lips and then back at me and ever so slowly closing his eyes, placed his lips upon mine.

My eyes fluttered closed as his lips moved against mine at a very slow speed, it was not like the first kiss we shared instead it was very slow, soft, sweet and passionate making my knees week as I wrapped my arms around his neck for support.

This time, I didn't taste the cigarette but a minty flavour as I parted my mouth willingly for him. My heart skip a beat when he traced my lips with his tongue and then traced it inside every nook and corner of my mouth transferring all the emotions into it.

He removed his hand from my cheeks and without breaking the kiss, I was suddenly lifted up and he wrapped my legs around his torso and carrying me to the bed, gently laid me down.

And slowly withdrew from the kiss leaving us both gasping for breath.

He hovered above me, breathless as he traced my bottom lip that was now swollen from the kiss with his thumb.

"Isaac?", I said breathlessly making him look up at me.

"Whom...did you...kiss me as?", I questioned softly trying not to hurt his feelings.

"What?"

"Did you kiss me as Serah or me?"

He stared into my eyes for a minute as if he was searching something.

And then he closed his eyes and opened them again.

Cupping my cheek he said, "I kissed you as...Thera, I kissed you as Larisa...I kissed you as my wife."

That was all I wanted to hear before I grabbed his face and kissed him again. He climbed over me and pinning my arms over my head kissed me passionately.

The kiss was brief and he bit my lower lip lightly before parting away.

He then kissed my forehead, letting his lips to linger there and then he kissed both of my cheeks before rolling over and wrapping his arm around my waist and pulled me closer.

"Let me sleep with you in my arms, I feel at peace", he whispered.

"But last time you got angry", I don't know why but even I said that in whisper.

"I won't, I promise."

He kissed my hair before we both drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

At that moment, being in his arms, I felt that peace and satisfaction that I have been searching for years.

He was all I needed.