Chapter One

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Do you ever get tired of living? No suicidal thoughts here, but I just tend to wonder. Will my life be better if I did ignore those voices in my head? Would it be better if I was to change the way I look, caring less about my appearance? What if I had tried harder to finally have the courage to reason with my egoistic family. What if I did care about those 'stupid laws' and protected myself with just a buckle. What if… But I can't change my ways no matter what. It's not possible to go back now. They are my choices, my routine, my past….

If only I could make a Difference….

~~~

"Alivi!" a masculine voice calls me back to reality.

I find it hard to get up from, somehow, lying on my back. Eventually, I sit up and observe my current state. I realize I'm in the bedroom, I would say the owner is a female based on the fresh tan sheets I'm tangled in, the sweet smell of cinnamon tingling my nose, and how neatly and strategic the furniture is arranged. I lean back in the bed, sighing. I wiggle a bit, loving the way the sheets rub against my skin before the interruption.

"Alivi! Are you up, finally?" There's a long pause for where my response should have been. "Could you pass me a new towel...please?" the voice pleads eagerly.

I turn to my right side to face a white wooden door. The door soon opens slightly, and a hand pokes out. The hand clenches and unclenches as steam slowly flows out the room. I shake myself out of the fog and sluggishly walk over to a white wooden drawer pulling out a lime green towel.

I yawn and stretch on my way to the impatient hand and pass over the needed object. From the crack of the door, I see a broad, muscular man in front of me. Water slowly dripping from different angles and ridges, luxurious dark hair curled at the tips, moist from the steam. A pair of soft blue eyes stare back at me with a charming gleamy smile that finishes the look.

"Thanks, Liv. Sorry for waking you, you could go back to sleep if you want. I'll be out in a second."

He smiled once again through the door frame's small crack, blocking my view from the rest of his figure. The door closes, and I glance at the digital alarm clock to see that it's 9:34 pm. I slump over to the bed, and as soon as the smooth fabric and the sweet aroma hit me, I'm lost again.

A pair of arms wrapped around my waist that awakes me.

"Hey, beautiful." The voice from before talks into my hair and pulls me closer.

I giggle and turn around in his arms, "Hey yourself."

"You were sleeping so beautifully, I didn't mean to disturb you." He then kisses my temple softly, putting me on edge.

I softly bite his bottom lip; we both laugh and share a fitful of kisses. We stop, not because we are tangled in each other's arms but that his phone rings. He kisses my nose before turning over to his nightstand.

"Hello...Oh, hi…" Disappointed, I wrap my arms around his torso and sniff deeply into my lover's shirt. He laughs silently at my action. "No dude, I forgot...yeah sure I'll be there...I promise…"

I toy with his neck's baby hair as he argues with the phone. His muscles start to get tense as his tone increases. I massage his temples and triceps, easing his anger. Finally, he hangs up and rubs his hands up against his face. Sighing deeply, he turns and holds me close to him as we fall asleep in each other's arms.

I sit up sharply, rapidly looking around. The room is dark now, the moon from the window is my only light source. Someone groans and shifts

himself on my side, which makes me gasp. The mysterious figure wakes up and switches on a lamp from the nightstand.

"Adrian?" I shakenly call out.

Blue eyes stare back at me that calms me. "Are you okay?"

He reaches to place his palm on my cheek, and I lean into it. "Adrian..." I look down at my shaken hands. "Is there something wrong with me?" Adrian's face softens and then expresses confusion. " I feel as though I'm doing things wrong in my life. People call me a mistake, and I- I-" I choke on my words, " I'm starting to believe that's the truth." Adrian takes a deep breath and holds me. "Ugh, you're literally shaking, did you have a nightmare?" He pulls me onto his lap and places his hand behind my head as his other arm wraps around my torso.

I can hear the rhythm of his breathing and heartbeat. " This is out of nowhere, Liv. But there's nothing wrong with you. EVER. Yes, everyone has flaws, and everyone makes errors sometimes because that's life. But you," He looks down at me as I look back at him. "aren't a mistake. You're perfect just like this."

We share a kiss as he cradles me in his arms. He rocks me back and forth and hums a little tune as I slowly drift back to sleep. I don't tell him about what I've been going through because I don't have to. I'm safe where I am, in his arms. The moon shines brighter leaving a glow in the room. Before I could even realize, I've drifted away again.