twenty-six Selena
twenty-six
Selena
The world after a war is a different color, like the sky has sucked every last drop of blue from its blood and replaced it with something thinner, hungrier.
I fell asleep in Warren’s bed after waiting up for hours. Lily and I had spent most of the evening together, but decided to stay in our own houses until the guys got back.
“Selena.” A voice stirs me from my sleep.
I open my eyes to see Warren sitting next to me on the bed. A small lamp provides just enough light for me to make out his face.
Warren’s voice is lower than I’ve ever heard it, but steady. “It’s done.”
“Are you okay?” The words are out before I can filter them. I sit up in bed and notice blood staining his neck and shirt. His hands are cut and bruised.
He ignores the question, or maybe he can’t answer it. “We got him.”
“You are hurt,” I cry out.
Warren shakes his head and leans down to kiss me. “I’m fine. My hands are just a little cut up.”
I take his hands in mine and carefully inspect them. They are small cuts, nothing too serious.
Throwing my arms around his neck, I hug him. “I was worried.”
“There’s nothing to worry about now. We can go back to Sunnyvale,” he says.
I stare into his dark eyes, wondering what this means for us now.
“What happens next? For us?” I ask, unsure.
Warren grabs me by the hips and places me so that I’m straddling his lap. He kisses me again with such passion that it brings tears to my eyes.
“Say you’re mine,” he orders.
I smirk, loving this bossy side of him. “I’m yours.”
“You’re safe with me, Selena. No matter what, I want you forever. Things might be complicated at times, but I can’t let you go. I love you too fucking much ever to let you walk away,” he growls.
“I want all of you, Warren. The good, bad, and complicated. We will figure it out together.” I hug him, needing him to feel just how much I love him.
Warren stands, lifting me. He carries me toward the bathroom and turns on the shower, still holding me tightly in his arms. When he places me down, we become ravenous as we strip off one another’s clothes, desperate to feel one another.
Stepping into the warm shower, we allow the water to cleanse our bodies.
We make love, swearing promises of forever.
That night, we fell asleep holding onto one another and knowing that tomorrow was the first day of our new lives together.
In the weeks after we returned from the compound, everything changed.
First, news of Todd’s arrest was everywhere.
He was linked to the body found on the docks, and the Kings were all found innocent of any wrongdoing.
In their investigation of Todd, the FBI discovered more murders associated with him and the drugs he had been selling. He is going away for a very long time.
Lily and I have grown close, and we even had dinner with all of Warren’s family.
His mother is a delight and brings out the softer side of his dad, who, on the outside, appears to be a cold-hearted man.
But really, he’s just trying to live in a cruel world and protect his family in the process.
Warren even came home with me to meet my mom, and we had dinner.
He is now obsessed with Honduran food and begs me to make it every day.
It's great because Madison still shows up for breakfast with me. But now Warren is there, too.
Now, as Warren and I drive up the coast, I finally look at him, really look.
The face that scared me in parking lots, the hands that have left marks on my skin and on every surface in my life.
His eyes are waiting for the hit, but he’s still here.
He squeezes my hand, and there’s something like relief, like home.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
Warren is driving and wouldn’t tell me where, just that he had a surprise.
“Be patient,” he laughs.
I pout, but smile. We drive a little farther until he pulls off the road and parks. He gets out of his truck and then opens my door for me. Taking my hand, he leads me over to a cliff that overlooks the ocean. It’s a beautiful sunny day, and the warmth of the air seems to soothe me.
He stops and turns to face me. “Selena, when we first met, I thought you were the most stubborn and frustrating woman I had ever met,” he begins.
I laugh because it’s true. “You still are, but you are so much more than that, too. I fell in love with everything about you—your smile, that fierce determination that drives me wild, and your unfiltered love for me. I know things haven’t been easy for us, but you have stood by my side throughout it all.
I love you so much,” he says, pulling me close and kissing me.
I can feel how much he loves me, and it brings a smile to my face. “I love you, too.”
“You’re mine, and I take care of what’s mine.
Let me love you for the rest of our lives,” he says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a ring.
I gasp as I stare at the black diamond. He kneels onto one knee and stares up at me.
“Selena, I promised you that I would always protect you. I want to marry you and be with you forever. Will you marry me?”
My heart skips a beat as I realize this amazing man wants to marry me. “Yes,” I yell.
Warren stands and picks me up. He kisses me as we spin around. He places the ring on my finger, and I feel so much happiness that I can’t stand it.
“Oh, I also got you another gift,” he says, leaving me as he jogs to his truck. I’m curious as he comes back, holding something behind his back. When he pulls the object forward, I burst out laughing.
Warren holds up a neon pink mask that matches his. “You know the saying, the couple that wears the same masks, stays together,” he chuckles.
“I don’t think that’s a saying,” I giggle.
“Well, it should be. My wife will be at Shadows with me, and I want the whole damn world to know that you are mine. That I would burn everything to the ground for you,” he growls out.
Hearing him say that makes me want him so badly. It’s hard enough to keep my hands off of him when I look at him, but then he goes and says stuff like that, and I’m puddy in his hands.
I kiss Warren before he places the mask on my face.
I realize in that moment that somehow along the way, I got everything I ever wanted.
My articles were published, and I now have a top spot on our website and a weekly podcast episode.
I found a man who loves me for who I am and is willing to do anything for me.
I also found a new family, and Warren joined mine.
It’s not a fairytale. But it’s real.
And that’s better than anything I ever wrote.
The end.