I Have Always Loved You.

Playlist for this Chapter: The 1 by Taylor Swift, Sweetener by Ariana Grande.

* NICHOLAS *

"So what do you do Nicholas?" Her father asked me when we had started eating. I felt Dove stiffen beside me and I put a hand on her thigh to comfort her.

"I own a few businesses around the world." I said and he nodded.

"Do you run them all?" Her mother asked and I nodded.

"And what about the train of men that follow you around where ever you go? Her dad asked and I looked at him.

"Being rich and powerful has its perks. But I also have many enemies. They follow me around for my safety and for anyone with me." I glanced at Dove meaningfully and she smiled at me. Her father hummed in response.

"But can I just say that your hands are magic? This dish is delicious! Don't you think so Dove?" Her mother spoke after a while and Dove choked on her wine and I smirked.

She was thinking exactly what I was thinking.

"This dish is amazing." Her mother told me and I felt oddly pleased to hear the praise. It felt good.

"Yeah the rice is amazing. And the sauce." Ava pointed out and everyone agreed with her.

The rest of the dinner was spent in a comfortable environment. We talked casually and laughed too, and it felt nice to have dinner like this for a change. Everyone loved Dove's brownies and the rest of the dishes were equally good.

We settled in the living room after dinner and decided to watch a movie while her parents went to sleep. Dove and I got comfortable on the couch, with her legs on top of me as we enjoyed our wine.

I saw her friend Liam eyeing us suspiciously out of the corner of my eye and I pulled Dove closer to me, placing a kiss on her head as she melted into my side.

I won't let him near her.

Somewhere in the middle of the movie everyone had passed out and Dove and I started making out furiously. My hands snaked under her sweater and she gasped when my cold fingers made contact with her bare skin. I started drawing patterns on her skin while kissing her neck and my hand cupped her breast, massaging it gently.

"Nico." She moaned lightly and bit her lip.

"Shh. You don't want everyone to wake up now do you?" I asked her and she shook her head as I kissed her lips again. We pulled away breathless and I gazed into her beautiful eyes.

She pulled away from me and got off my lap, sitting back in her place and throwing her legs on me.

"So. I'm going to pretend that didn't just happen because if we go any further I might wake the house up." She said and I smirked, putting a hand on her leg.

"Alright. What do you want to do then?" I asked her and she thought for a moment, biting her lip like she always did when she was lost in thought.

"Tell me something about you." She said.

"What do you want to know?"

"Hmm... When was the last time you got laid? You seem pretty restless lately." She said and she was right. I was restless. All I wanted was her under me.

"Are you offering yourself as a sacrifice to the devil?" I asked her smirking and she blushed.

"No. Come on answer my question. I won't judge you" She said and I sighed.

"A few days before I first met you." I said and her eyes widened.

"What? That long?" She asked me stunned and I nodded.

"What about you?" I asked her and she scowled.

"Um... I guess the same as you. I was with Derek that time, remember?" She said and I frowned when I remembered.

"Yes. I remember." I said looking away.

"But I really can't believe it. You have a certain... reputation when it comes to women." She said in disbelief.

"I've been waiting for this certain person. I wanted to prove to her that she wasn't another conquest on my list. That there was only her." I said and she smiled.

"Really?" She asked me softly and I took her hand, stroking her knuckles gently.

"Really." I said and she smiled at me.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" She whispered and something about those words sent a wave of heat straight to my groin.

"Not here my love. I want to take you home." I said and she smiled at me.

I guess she liked the idea.

"When did you fall in love with me?" She asked after a while nd I thought about it for a moment and smiled.

"The moment you left me." I said and she furrowed her eyebrows. "I loved you when I first saw you. I loved you when you bumped into me at the café twice." She chuckled at that. "

"I loved you when we met at the club, I loved you when you invited me to your house for tea, and when you bumped into me at that birthday dinner. I loved you when I first kissed you, when I introduced you to Jake and when you sang with your angelic voice, when we fell asleep in the same bed and when I kissed you in front of everyone at your college." I said and she smiled shyly.

"I loved when I took you out and when I saw you fast asleep in my bed in my clothes. I have loved you all this time, but I was too darn stubborn to admit it. I have always loved you." I said and exhaled, looking at her I saw a tear fall from her eyes as she leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss on my lips and pulled away smiling.

"I love you so much." She whispered and I wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at her.

"That is the probably the most amazing love confession I have ever heard. Even better than those cliché romance books you guys read." Cole said and both our heads snapped to the people around us, now fully awake with large smiles on their faces.

"Oh god even Abby's crying." Ava said and we all looked at Abby who wiped tears from her eyes.

"I'm so sorry I just found that so good. You've found your Mr. Darcy Dove!" She squealed and Dove laughed.

"How long have you guys been awake?" She asked them.

"We all woke up at the same time and heard you asking him when he fell in love with you." Dan said and smiled at her.

"You guys are creeps. You hear me? CREEPS. Eavesdropping on us for the second time!" She exclaimed and folded her arms across her chest. I kissed her head and saw Liam looking at us with anger in his eyes.

You won't have her. Ever.

We settled back and played a different movie, but everyone fell back asleep as soon as it started, and I didn't know when my eyes closed on their own and sleep enveloped me, along with the all too familiar rosy scent that calmed me down.

I fell too, and she caught me.