"When everything in your life revolves around his happiness, you're no longer happy yourself." - Raghad

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"He's here," one of my friends, Michelle, nudged me, nodding her head towards the increasing audience.

"Who's he?"

"Your prince charming," she smiled and I looked to where she was pointing. My heart skipped a beat and I dropped my head to stare at my formal outfit, suddenly becoming insecure with how my body looked in the tight blazer and the knee-length pencil skirt.

I should have worn a dress.

"Relax alright?" she lowered herself so that her eyes met mine. "We don't want the ambulance to come today."

"Okay," I breathed, glancing at him once again for what I felt like reassurance. "Okay."

"I'll go now, wish me luck."

I straightened in my seat, facing the audience that couldn't practically see me from behind the curtain. I don't know what had happened, but he sure looked outstanding in casual outwear. The navy blue shirt hung around his muscular chest and the black coat he was still wearing made him look even more...less Ethen, but more hot. His fingers ran through his hair before his eyes slowly started to roam to scene, looking for me? I don't know.

"I came."

My phone beeped with his message and my eyes lit at the simple words. "I know." I replied with a smile.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen," Michelle's voice boomed from the multiple speakers around the hall, but I couldn't care what she said, for looking at Ethen was all that mattered.

My phone beeped again but it wasn't Ethen who sent the message.

"Good thing he came."

I reread the message over and over until it occurred to me that it's Dad who sent to this-or one of his whipped men. I set the phone to the side and stood up, my heart beating frantically in my chest. Suddenly feeling like all the oxygen was pulled away, I pulled off the suffocating blazer and settked it next to my phone. Walking through the dimmed backstage was like a game, trying to find the stairs to the main hall. To where Ethen was.

I pulled open the first door that I saw but it didn't budge. Five minutes, I heard, was all what my dad needed to slowly kill him by the soft drink he would offer to Ethen indirectly.

"Shit," I cursed when the next door was locked too.

I rushed towards another hallway, not knowing where I was. The weak light emitted from behind closed doors was the only thing that made me at least able to see my steps as they lead me to an already opened door.

With an unnecessary slam, I fisted my hair in my hand when I saw it was only a storage room.

My vision blurred for a second too long and I knew it was all because of my nervousness. The dim light no longer helped me as I searched with my hands for the wall to steady myself. Breathe, I told myself, but couldn't properly oblige to my own orders.

My eyes closed but it didn't make a difference, calling for help now wasn't going to bring anyone. This was all so stupid; me trying to save him from the person I know wouldn't crack under pressure.

I was stupid to think I would face him.

"Rose!" I heard my name from afar, getting louder with every call.

"Rosabella!" he called again.

I stood up, almost immediately when I recognized the sound of the caller.

The steps stopped and I heard the faint breathing of that someone breathing against the hallway. I could hear Ethen's breathing.

"Ethen, I—"

"Shh," his strong arms circled my fragile body and I rested on his chest, drowning in his familiar scent. My arms wrapped themselves around his neck tighter, almost as if I tried to make us one. His rough hand moved along my arms soothingly and I stood on my toes to clutch onto him more.

"I can't see," I whispered to him, shaking. His entire body stiffed between my arms before he pulled away from me, his hands now cupping my face, his thumbs caressing my wet cheeks.

"Breathe, Rose," he told me, but I couldn't, oxygen was tugged out of my lungs. "Breathe, baby."

And it was like that word-baby-filled me with air again. I took a deep inhale that shocked my body. He held me in his arms again, this time with his head leaning on the wall.

"I couldn't miss my fiancé's speech," he whispered to my neck, his breath creating the most comfortable breeze.

"I wasn't going to do it," I told him, my arms loosening their grip. "They said I could lose my sight and that it would create unnecessary problems."

"Are they right? Were you nervous?"

"A little," I pulled away and looked at him. "I'm just not...brave enough I guess."

"Why are you here?"

"Because I tried to look for the stairs so that I'd come take you away from here. He sent me a message thanking God that you were there so that his plan would work and I woke up today with the worst hangover and pulled this hideous outfit that makes me look fat—"

"You look beautiful."

"—well thank you for the compliment, but look at me," I motioned to myself with my hands. "Everyone was giving me pity looks for no good reason, and I spent the whole morning time practicing for that stupid speech and now they tell me I can't and they're right but still I prepared myself. Everything today is just dumb and stupid and—"

"Rose, shut up."

"—and you know what else? I didn't eat breakfast and now I'm starving. I didn't even drink water! And now I'll get dehydrated and dry and I'll have wrinkles. Oh my God, everything is—"

His hand crawled back to my face before he pressed his lips to mine briefly, silencing me. He kissed me a long, slow kiss that made my knees almost buckle, and me to almost fall from the impact.

"Let's go," he stepped back, a smug smirk forming on his lips before he turned and started walking in the opposite direction.

"Where?"

"You said you're starving," he called before disappearing around a corner, and I found myself rushing after him, my legs suddenly running faster than I thought I'd ever run.

●●●

"Where do you want to go now?" he asked me, his breathe visible in the air.

"Home?"

"Boring."

"The nearby supermarket so that we'd buy chocolate?"

"You just ate, Rose," he said and walked before me to open the car's passenger door. "I don't want a fat fiancé."

"That's rude to all women."

"Do I look like I care?" he leaned against the opened door and stared at me, actually expecting an answer.

"No."

"Good," he smirked and closed the door in my face.

He started the engine again and turned on the heater the moment he climbed in the car. Fastening his belt, he faced me for a second of silence before he turned, and curled his fingers around the steering wheel.

Long minutes passed of a boring monotone music of a foreign radio channel, Ethen's even more boring silence, and me tapping an unparallel rhythm with my heel over the car's ground before his phone rang and he picked up in the speed of light.

"How was it...yeah...yeah...mmm...no, I'm fine...take them to my home...yes...okay, I'll talk to you later...yes, I know...later."

"Who was it?" the words ran out faster than I thought.

"Someone," he sighed and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "Did you talk to your father?"

"He send me 'good thing he came' message only."

"Nothing more?"

"I heard him say yesterday night that he'd offer you a poisoned soft drink at the hall."

"That was his plan? That silly?"

"That's what I heard."

He nodded, "Is he still treating you bad?"

"Not after I got out. It's like I'm no longer his daughter."

"Better."

I shook my head and he faced me when he stopped at a red light, "Why not?"

"He's family. I don't have anyone else."

"You have...Amanda and Grace."

"They're your people, Ethen, not mine."

"You have friends at school."

"Yeah," I rubbed my face. "I guess so."

●●●

"Here we are," he pulled in front of a row of shops in a place I've never been in and walked around the car to open the door for me, again.

"What's this place?"

"Step out," he ordered and I found myself out in seconds before he wrapped something around my eyes and took my hands in his.

"Are you freaking kidding me?"

"Shh," he started pulling me with him.

"Lift your leg," he suddenly said. "There's stairs."

"One at a time, Rose, don't rush it."

"I can't help it," I laughed and held him tighter.

"Slowly," he said steadily as I stepped over the last step successfully. "Good girl."

"Get them ready," he said to someone before I heard shuffling. His hand crawled to my waist before he seated me on what felt like a stool. A stool? Where are we?

"Ethen—"

"One second, Rosabella," his tone came harsh at the beginning but softened with the syllables of my full name.

I nodded and he exhaled loudly.

"Step behind her," he commanded someone. "And you, hold this."

More shuffling.

"Now?" a deep voice came from behind me and I shivered, which caused the deep voice to cough and Ethen to...ridiculously laugh.

"Yes, now."

The blindfold was pulled away from my eyes and I blinked a few times to adjust my vision. Ethen was on his knees in front of me with a smile covering his lips and showing his teeth. He ran his fingers through his hair before taking my hand in his.

"You've been my fiancé since almost a month," he started and I instinctively closed my eyes. "And you did a lot of fucked up things to me, Rose."

That caused me to open my eyes again.

"You said you'd rather die saving me from your dad," he continued. "And what I saw today proved it."

"I—"

"That look of absolute horror on your face when I came was it for me. I knew you did mean it."

I nodded, my hand shaking in his grip.

"And as a fiancé," his eyes met mine with so much emotion, it almost overwhelmed me. "You need a ring to circle your finger."

He grinned and lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed it, making my insides do a back-flip.

"They call it a ring finger for a reason," he chucked as one lanky guy gave him the ring. "And it's about damn time."

Slowly and teasingly, he put it on with the most beautiful smile a man can create. He stood up and lifted my head with his fingers under my chin. My eyes met his again and this time, it didn't overwhelm me, because I'm sure my eyes held the same vocabulary as in the language of his eyes.

His lips pressed on my forehead before bending by the knees and facing me directly. "Next time a damn guy comes near you, tell him I'm Ethen Hendrix's fiancé, and let the bling in that diamond blind him."

"Ethen, I don't have words—"

"Congratulations."

"I don't know what I should say."

He came closer to me and whispered, "I made them record this so you'd show your future friends, show them how cute your fiancé is, and how beautiful you looked."

(don't be a silent reader xx )