chapter 15

"All that bloodshed, crimson clover

Uh-huh, the bombs were close and

My hand was the one you reached for

All throughout the Great War

Always remember"

Great war ( Taylor Swift )

"How did you know?" I chuckled

" Stop acting all cute , I'm mad"

" Why are you mad ? I even was picking cloth for you"

His eyes widened

" Me?!"

" Yes, look!"

I gave him the black coat

" That will suit you. also wait, come"

We held hands, and our finger intertwined

I pulled him to a good black button-up shirt

" and this"

We just needed pants

"I never chose pants before. How do you choose them?"

I asked Nick

" Nothing much about it , pick what you want , my size is 38"

I got him a dress pants

" Go change into them. Go go hurryyy"

"Okay okay" He went inside

"Miss, are you his fiancé? we can get you a chair to sit in front of the dressing room"

" No, no, I'm not his fiancé but I would love a chair , thank you"

I sat in front of the dressing room curtain

" Lily?"

" Yes, I'm here"

" I heard them calling you my fiancé"

Oh gosh, I feel his smirk behind the curtains

" What about it?"

" What do you think ? Lily Mason, my fiancée"

" Wear the clothes, Nick already!"

" ....."

" Nick?"

" Yes, sweetheart?"

" Did you finish?"

".....yes"

He sounds off

I stood up and entered the dressing room

oh

Nick was shirtless

his abs were in my face

his big and steady chest that I slept on was looking at me

" Oh gosh" I tried leaving, but Nick blocked me

" Going out so fast after having a long look"  He smirked

gosh, Nick Larsen, how can he act like that?

" You made me enter now on purpose!"

" Yes, I did indeed,  I wanted you to see how the pants looked" He smiled, happy with his plan

" Are you enjoying this, Nick ?"

" Yup" He said as he caressed my cheeks with care

" Okay, let me have a look at the pants"

I'm not going to let him go easily

" They look good. They also fit you well . Are you comfortable in them?"

Nick came closer and cornered me

We were touching from how close he was

" Very comfortable" He smiled his devil smile as he was reaching for my face

I took his hand and pushed him away with force

" Then wear the rest!"

Huh?!

I saw his back in the mirror

" Nick…." I said with a worried voice

" What, sweetheart?"

" Your…Nothing"

I went outside

why??? why didn't I ask him

his back was full with scars it was horrible

How did he get them?

Did Nick suffer ?

How can someone hurt my Nick!!?

Why?

I should ask him

but if I knew anything about Nick, we would both bond with each other

I won't be able to turn away from him anymore

" Lily, you can look around until I finish wearing my cloth"

" Okay.."

"I will leave…."

I walked out

I should leave Nick

that's enough

I should leave Nick

I….

I ran back inside to Nick

" What What?"

"Nick what's that on your back, and who is the jerk that did that to you !?"

It looks like I'm attached to Nick for life now

"Lily…."

" Nick, answer me"

I was determined

"If you think they look bad, we can use some laser treatment o-"

" Nick, what are you talking about?! I want to know Nick…..didn't you say that you love me

shouldn't you tell me ?"

" But you don't love me lily"

His eyes darkened as he told me that it's like he preferred to knowledge me not loving him instead of saying anything about those scars

What is the story behind those Nick?

What's your story, Nick?

I walked behind Nick to take a better look

They were

awful

scars all over his back

like he was wiped with something

as I touched each one of them, I felt my heart breaking, i couldn't endure it anymore. I started feeling water falling on my cheeks. How could someone do that to him?

Most of them looked like it had been a while

but it must have hurt emotionally and physically

Nick

One of my tears dropped on Nick's back

He flinched his hand and reached backwards to grab me

I was facing him

he looked shocked like he saw a murder

" Lily, stop crying stop please"

I tried to take a breath before asking him

" Nick, do you have any other scars than the one on your back ?"

I couldn't see anymore, but at least I wanted to know

"....No" He was lying…I know

" STOP LYING" I shouted at him

" Lily...Lily you saw nothing okay"

He said that as he cupped my cheeks that were wet from the tears

" My Lily shouldn't cry over me. I'm not as important"

No, no, Nick

"You are important to me"

I didn't think that these words might affect our relationship because that was the truth that I refused to believe

Nick's eyes widened at my words

he took a step away

I took a step forward

" Well, Lily, if you want to see the rest, you would need to take off my pants yourself" He was still trying to joke

forcing me to do something that I would never do, so I can't see the rest

I unbuttoned his pants

" Li-" Nick was surprised

I took his pants off

Ni-

His legs, too

above his knees only

like they didn't want to show what they did to him to other people

it was worse

the scars were bigger

it was hit harder here

I couldn't do anything

I started to touch them softly

I wish I was there to protect Nick

to scream at whoever did that

to tell them that if they touched him again, I would kill them

Nick held my two hands and brought them to his mouth

His kept kissing my hands

I almost couldn't see him from the tears in my eyes

"Lily…..it's all in the past now..I'm fin-"

"Don't say you are fine"

" Lily.."

" Nick, you aren't fine…..I'm sure that these memories keep haunting you"

" they used too, but now nothing occupies my mind except you" He said that

" It must have hurt….I'm sure that you remember every moment when you shower or change your cloth" My tears weren't stopping

"They aren't that bad , they are like the wounds of a great Knight after the war, and his empress is honouring him now"

Even when he is one hurt, he is still comforting me

" Then you are the great Knight that fought in the great war and gained all these scars" I said that because his words drew a smile on my face even when tears were still falling .

Like he always did

" Yes, and you are the empress honouring me now with these tears that I don't deserve" He said that as he pulled me inside his embrace

he buried his face in my neck

I saw another scar on his shoulder

" Stop crying sweetheart" He hugged me more

Nick

I kissed the scar on his shoulder

" Lily, did you just-"

I moved a little and pushed him to sit on his knees

" Wha-"

"Me, Lily Mason , The empress is honouring My great Knight Nick Larsen for going through the great war , And I will move you from Knight to The emperor of this land."

I said that as Nick was looking at me in shock

" Did I say that, right? I don't really remem-"

Nick embraced before I could finish my words

" Don't expect me to let go of you now, Lily, not now or ever .You will only leave this embrace if you kill me" He said as he landed a kiss on my forehead

" Ooh, the empress killed the emperor , it will be a hard task because you were originally a knight." I chuckled

" Not very hard, tho . I will give you the knife if you wanted to kill me"

Nick and his words that soothe your heart and mind

I buried myself in him

And as always, I found my place in his chest

it's like I fit in perfectly

" Nick"

" Yes sweetheart" He was wearing the rest of his clothes

" Aren't you going yo tell me anything?"

He froze " No need, nothing important"

He kissed my head, and we walked out of the dressing room

we got the cloth and left to find Laura and Landon having coffee in a cafe

we sat with them

with chit chatted

Nick was so caring, and his warmth filled my heart and mind

but what deep down was worrying me

that Nick was building a big iron wall between us.