23: Expressing Love & Teasing Drive

They eat with gusto and they were satisfyingly full of the food that ICE served to a dinner date. They both became quiet as they enjoy the quiet night near the lake before they decided on some dessert. They went back to where their car has been parked and had ice cream. They were indeed having a nice date after ten years of being apart from each other and the love between them was getting deeper than they could even imagine.

"Caine." Sabrina called ICE as soon as she finished her ice cream.

"Hm?" ICE taking her last lick on her ice cream when she heard Sabrina.

"Ten years of being apart from you weakens and strengthened me at the same time…" Sabrina started that caught ICE's attention and got curious.

"Elaborate." ICE insisted to hear them.

"I mean, I grew weak because I used to have you beside me. You're always there whenever I feel like not myself and you understood me whenever I needed silence or even let me rant over some petty things that were happening into my life. You're there but things have to change and we have to face them. Sorry, I left you without a proper goodbye…sorry." Sabrina sincerely apologized about ten years ago.

"It's alright, we're together now. So, what's strengthened you then?" ICE understood it while smiling before wondering what strengthened her.

"About that…it made me look forward to being with you again. Every day or even at night I miss you and in those days and weeks, I always pray that you still belong to me. I mean, being the most special person in your life…I don't want you to be in anyone else arms but I prayed for your happiness even though I might not end up in that picture." she continued as she began on expressing what her bottled-up feelings in those ten years of being apart from each other.

"Sab…" ICE muttered as she gently looked at Sabrina's longing smile at her.

"You know, even we're apart there's no time that I didn't think off. I might be busy taking care of the business while studying but it doesn't mean you're not stopping by and invade my thoughts. You inspire me to take some time for myself to unwind and relax every day of hardships. You even make me believe that I can do things at my own pace and never rush things until I made it through. Thank you for that, Caine." She sincerely thanked ICE for the effect that she felt in those years they were not together.

"You really are special to me and I don't want to lose it. I don't want to lose what's making me happy despite the hardship that I am facing every time." Sabrina added as her eyes suddenly started off filled with threatening tears. ICE wiped them off while smiling lovingly at her.

"And thank you Sabrina for accepting me as your family even though I'm just adopted by your parents. I appreciated everything that the family has given to me especially when you let me be your friend, your bodyguard, your protector, your business partner, and now, your lover. Thank you, for also giving me inspiration on moving forward at my own pace as well." ICE began on reciprocating Sabrina's honest message by thanking her first.

"In those ten years, I busied myself on training and even tried to kill myself from the jobs assigned to me which I know Uncle Earl reported to you…" she continued but chuckled when she recalled that incident.

"I didn't..." Sabrina tried to defend herself from not knowing about it but ICE already knew that she does.

"Don't deny it, Sab. I knew that he was reporting it to you because you won't be always checking my status every single hour to him if you did not hear that from him. Ever since that happened, I knew that I have to do something. I don't want to hurt you more than you already were. So, I focus on myself and be stronger than I used to be. I don't want to hurt you because of my past self. I have to be strong and be a deserving personal bodyguard for you." She might be giggling slightly but she still went on telling Sabrina what she had gone through in those ten years of being apart.

"I mean them and each time I failed myself, I blamed myself. I cried and trained again just to cope with what I'd failed. I need to be strong for you as I'm hoping that one day you will know how much you mean to me and God knows how much you affect me ever since I came into the family. You mean so much to me even in the midst of my drowning, I have to get up and out from my own misery. You're my strength and my weakness, Sabrina, and yet, I do not regret that my heart has taken on loving you dearly." ICE kept on telling Sabrina what she was feeling in those years. Her bottled-up feelings were totally overflowing and Sabrina could feel them already.

"I miss you, Sabrina, so much. Ten years was no joke and yet, my feelings for you grew deep that's why it hurts to miss you. But I could not complain because I love the person who made me who I am now. I just have to keep going because it was not just for me anymore, it's also for you. I love you, Sabrina." ICE cried and Sabrina as well but she wiped their tears away before giggling innocently.

They were indeed in love with each other even though there was ten years gap of not being around one another and there was no room from denying it anymore. Finishing their ice cream, both of them decided to head home but on their car ride, Sabrina break the building silence around them.

"Caine, I love you too and there's no turning back now. Okay? Because you are mine and I am yours." Sabrina confessed and reminded ICE about owning her. She was showing her possessiveness even if it was just the two of them in the car ride.

"Oh c'mon, Sab, do you think in those ten years I'm in a relationship? No, but I'm in a relationship with my work and supporting Uncle Earl with the twins. And do you think in ten years was I able to move on from the love that I didn't even manage to express to you before you left? No, I didn't because I know in my heart you care for me and made me wait. I still could wait for you, babe." ICE frankly told Sabrina and even winked at her causing her to blush so red.

"Then it's sealed. Only rings were not present in our ring fingers." Sabrina showed her gummy smile for the first time after ten years of being apart. ICE almost hit the break hard when she saw that but instead, she just kept it to her heart's memory.

"Hah, I told you too early for that. Let's date first and mend those ten years of being apart." ICE grinned as if she was teasing Sabrina about delaying their union for another ten years of dating.

"No need for that. Let's get married right away." Sabrina shakes her head and insisted on marrying each other as soon as possible. ICE found it amusing while she was still focusing on her drive.

"Why rush when we can enjoy the us now?" she wondered. Sabrina looked seriously sad at her.

"You don't want to marry me?" Sabrina sounded broken when she asked. But ICE could sense that she was nervous about what she was going to reply to her.

"It was not about not wanting to marry you. I love to tie knots with you but are we really settled in our individual lives? I mean, are we ready to build our own family regardless of what people might say about our marriage?" ICE sighed as she pointed out to her what they need to settle before getting marriage because to her tying knots was a sacred union of two lovers and cannot be toyed with.

"We're already settled because we have work and business to handle…" Sabrina countered but ICE cut her off.

"Do we have time for each other when we rarely had it?" she pointed out once again which totally true. They might be together but they could only have their free time if there's no work-related at all.

"Why you kept breaking my dream bubbles?!" Sabrina pouted like a whining child in the car.

"Well, reality, babe. I want us to be prepared for it. I want our relationship to be based on an emotional bond before we could go to a physical bond which I know you've been dying to taste." ICE smirked but she was true to what her reason was before adding a bit of tease at the end of her words.

"WHAT! SO FULL OF YOURSELF!" Sabrina instantly blushed and reacted too much. She was embarrassed since she suddenly thought about seeing ICE's naked body.

"Hey, I love my body even though there are some scars left from my previous cases. It's still hot and I know you'll drool over it." ICE chuckled before winking at the blushing Sabrina.

"Overly confident." she just rolled her eyes yet the red taint over her cheeks were still visible.

"You'll love it." ICE still teased her. Sabrina had to turn the table and speak.

"I know that I would because it's your body and not others. Plus, do you think I didn't know that you've been holding yourself back from claiming my sexy body as well when you saw me freshly bathed and in a robe with no lingerie beneath it?" Sabrina nailed on turning the table because ICE turned red as well from where their conversation went on.

"Sab, don't make me imagine it we might end up doing it in the car and in the middle of the road." She grinned but deep inside, she was feeling the urge of marking and making love with Sabrina in the middle of nowhere inside the car.

"Well, wanna try?" Sabrina winked as she teased ICE. ICE held the stirring wheel of the car tightly as she tried her best to control her vampire side.

"Don't seduce or I'll be hard…" She clicked her tongue from controlling herself when Sabrina suddenly laughed at her heated reaction.

"AHAHAHAHA!!! Kidding, just focus on driving." Sabrina waved her hand and caressed ICE's cheek gently.

"You'll be the death of me." ICE muttered to herself as they kept getting closer to their mansion.