The gash across my knuckles stings as Mika drags the cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol over it. Honestly, my entire body aches and feels worn out from my erratic outburst. The adrenaline conquered my body like a ruler from a rundown city, leaving destruction in its wake. A part of my soul feels empowered to watch every single person fumble to their feet at the sight of me. But another part regrets losing a piece of myself to the darkness, to the black void, becoming a leader steers to.

It's what I need.

To bungee jump down the cliff of darkness, bouncing back to the faint white clouds in the sky. Mika will be my lifeline, the cables around my body, having the power to force me back into the light if I ever lose myself. She's admirable like that. Mika controls the darkness and light within her soul. Better than anyone I had ever seen.

Her black hair cascades past her shoulders, obscuring her stunning face as she focuses on my bloody knuckles. A flush creeps up my neck when her lips curve into an 'O' shape as she blows on my wound. Ignoring the glaring heartbeat, I use my pointer finger to sweep the locks from in front of her face and place them behind her ears.

She shudders ever so slightly as her gaze floats upward, meeting mine. The silence is suffocating, making the beat of my heart twenty times louder. Her lips tilt at the edge in amusement since I'm probably wearing all my emotions on my face, like always. Taking her time, she wraps the white band along my knuckles, making sure it's perfectly straight.

"You never mentioned the ring."

My eyebrows brunches together as I lift my hand with the ring. "What. This?"

"Yeah," Mika drags out. "You never said it was a purity ring."

I laugh, poking my cheek with my tongue. "Well, it isn't smart to lead with Hi. I'm Asiel, and I wear a purity ring. Besides, I told you that night in the Mazmorra that I was saving myself for marriage. It's never been a secret between us."

Mika grabs my other hands and begins wrapping the white fabric around it. "Yeah, but... a purity ring is different. It makes the whole saving yourself thing real. I feel almost bad for trying to ruin this promise for you."

A snort escapes my throat. "Almost bad?"

She shrugs. "What can I say? I'm a horny bitch, and you have to deal with it. God gave you a girlfriend obsessed with orgasms. They're just so life-shifting, like shrooms."

I hoist myself from the chair and grab Mika's head to place a kiss on her head. "To the contrary, I thank God every day for giving you to me. Also, I have a mouth and a hand that gets the job done pretty well for you."

Mika gasps, playfully smacking my shoulder. "Oh, look who's cocky now! I had you whimpering in front of Mateo twenty minutes ago."

I jokingly roll my eyes. "Hey, it's nothing special. I am an inexperienced man, so I have an excuse. What's yours, Princesa?"

She narrows her aquamarine eyes in spite as her lips curve ups to a smirk. "Haven't you heard? I'm the best actress in town."

As Mika is putting the supplies back in the kit, I press a quick kiss on her cheek, causing her eyes to widen. "Princesa, don't be so cruel. It was a joke."

She swings around, holding onto the plastic bag filled with garbage as she nips at her lips. "What is acceptable in God's eye? Is what we do okay? Do you ever feel guilty about having oral sex with me?"

My heart skips a beat.

Why is she suddenly asking these questions? Warmth spreads through my veins like jam on a piece of toast. It's like this is Mika's way of showing she cares about my feelings, my religion, my soul. It isn't a secret that our relationship is mostly one-sided. However, I hoped if I liked her enough, one day she will too. Mika, out of everyone, deserves to feel how a real man treats a woman.

I scratch my head, ruffling up my hair. "I did the first time, but not anymore. I gave myself to you, Mika. I'm yours. You can't get rid of me. God knows it and will be okay with it. It's acceptable in his eyes if it leads to ma-."

I close my mouth shut before I speak the sacred word.

A crease frowns in her forehead. "Leads to what?"

"Marriage." I smile faintly. "If it leads to marriage."

Shock crosses her face. "You want to marry me?"

Fuck.

Can I get any more insane? Who in the right mind would marry their boyfriend after two days of dating? Not Mika. She always weighs every option before going down that path, and I'm sure there are other suitors out there for her. Just because she accepted my feelings now doesn't mean she can't get bored.

That's one of my biggest fears.

It's a long list, but losing Mika easily triumphs them all.

"Y-yeah," I answer honestly, "I mean one day."

If I already shot myself in the foot, I might as well go for the rest of my body.

"Mika." I grip her hand and place it over my wavering heart beat. "It's insane, I know. I'm insane. But these moments together are all I live for. I don't think I will ever meet another person who will make my heart beat like this. When I said I was yours, I meant it. So, yes, one day, I would love to marry you, but I know the decision isn't up to me."

Warmth sizzles between our entwined palms, our breaths hollowing out. The words exchanged between our gazes translate into a million different words. The curtains cave in as the wind flows through, alerting the goosebumps. Or is it because of our close proximity?

My body shifts close enough that Mika instinctively moves back until she hits the desk, wedging herself between me and the desk. One hand finds comfort on the curve of her hip, fitting like a puzzle piece. The other tenderly takes grasp of her chin and lifts her face. All Mika does is stare wide-eyed, as if it's taking her longer to process.

The window to the balcony is open, letting the spotlight of the white crescent moon reflect on us. It's highlighting us as if we were the most important thing on the axis. I lean forward until our faces are inches apart, our lips a centimeter from touching, and a shaky breath passes Mika's lips.

"Promise me one thing," Mika murmurs, warm air fanning my lips.

My chest does a flip. "Anything."

Her eyes are half-lidded, fluttering down at our lips before daring to meet my eyes. My heart is racing so fast it's a miracle it hasn't given out yet. People think sex is the most intimate a person could get with their loved one. I disagree. For Mika, sex is meaningless. A kiss. A kiss is sacred, something unknown to both of us.

Right as my lips are about to touch hers, Mika whispers, "Promise me you won't kiss me without my permission."

My pulse is all over the place, but I step back. "I promise."

While I am recovering in the corner, Mika finishes packing up the supplies and wears her poker face stronger than ever. She seals the container shut and beelines to the balcony, relaxing her arms on the metal bars. The stars twinkle above her, illuminating the gleaming hues over her body. An angel, literally. But out of all the stars, she shone the fucking brightest.

A sudden urge to sing invades my body like a body-snatcher as I dance my way to the balcony. I haven't had the pleasure of showcasing my vocals to my girlfriend. It's honestly a crime. A girl should be serenade at least once in their life.

"Lo que siento por ti. Es ternura y pasion," I sing lowly, taking down the pitch to make it a slow song and suffocate Mika with a hug. "Tu me has hecho sentir. Que hay en mi corazon. Tanto amor. Tanto amor."

Mika explodes into full-blown laughter all the way from her stomach. "Please tell me you're not singing, Nina Bonita! I beg you to stop."

I untangle myself from around her waist, reaching for her hands, and sway to the tempo of my singing. "Yo naci para ti. Y tu tambien para mi. Y ahora se que morir. Es tratar de vivir sin tu amor. Sin tu amor."

The vibrant moonlight shines on Mika's skin, highlighting the light pink hue on her cheeks as she throws her head back, laughing. "You cannot be serious! I can't take you seriously when you're singing it like a slow song."

My smile deepens, and intensifies as I twirl her in a circle, Mika grinning as she goes along with it. "Mi nina bonita, mi dulce princesa. Me siento en las nubes cuando tu me besas. Y siento que vuelo mas alto que el cielo. Si tengo de cerca el olor de tu pelo."

The song might've been an odd choice, especially the way I am performing it, but our moves mesh together like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Warmth runs to my ears as I focus on Mika's entangled arms around my neck, her irises radiating with bliss. My arms respectfully stay on her waist as Mika clings closer, laying her chin on my shoulder as our fingertips intertwine flirtatiously.

"Mi nina bonita, brillante lucero. Te queda pequena la frase te quiero." Mika's arms tighten around my neck, softly giggling as I whisper, sing into her ear. "Por eso mi labios te dicen te amo. Cuando estamos juntos mas nos enamoramos."

My eyes widen as Mika joins in, rapping her verse horribly. "Un amor de fantasia lleno de romance y alegria. De bello detalle cada dia. Nena, quien lo diri-." I cut her off, surprising her by thrusting her in the air and catching her before she falls. My hands cradling her back as her arms firmly hold on to my shoulders with widened, entertained eyes.

"You missed a whole verse!" I tease, shifting her onto her feet.

Mika playfully smacks my chest. "Oh, I'm getting condemned for joining in the fun. The song is over ten years old. Can you blame me?"

"Princesa, I'm teasing," I laugh, my cheeks hurting from the huge grin I'm sporting. "I think rapping might be my new favorite thing about you."

Her eyebrows curve in a cheeky state. "Oh? What other attributes are your favorite? My ass and tits?"

My arms lean on the railing, cornering her in as I lower my neck to fit her height. "While those are equally beautiful. They aren't even close to my top ten favorite things about you. For one, I like the way your eye crinkles when you laugh at my stupidity."

Mika bobs her head. "You're pretty entertaining. More than I like to admit."

I coil her hair around my fingertips. "Or the way you enter a room, demanding attention. The way you somehow made strawberries my favorite fruit. Or how you don't let anyone dictate your life. I could imagine how hard it is to be taken seriously as a woman so confident in her sexuality."

Mika whirls on her feet to face the landscape view from my office, her hair giving me a whiff of her strawberry-scented as it whips me across my face. "Asiel, what you did tonight was stupid. Getting angry over the things said about me. You shouldn't have let it get to you. You're showing your cards to your enemies. But..."

She licks her bright pink lips. "I wanted to thank you for sticking up for me. Whore, slut are just words. They don't weigh anything on my consciousness; I've been doing this far too long to care what others think. But today..."

Mika sighs, wrapping her arms around herself as the wind picks up, goosebumps sprouting forward. "For some fucking reason, I wanted your family to like me, but they all view me as a whore. The word has defined me for years, and I relish it. But, it's like agreeing to be your girlfriend opened this closed dam of emotions. They made me feel dirty, self-conscious."

My heart falters, decaying in the soil of the garden called my body. Her confession burns my heart like fire. My birthday was supposed to be phenomenal for both of us. Instead, I exposed us to pure hatred. Words like whore and slut hurt more when coming from your significant other's family. I don't think I can ever forgive my familia for taking a piece of Mika with them.

Taking off my jacket, I gently lay it over her shoulders and rub my hands up and down her forearms. "Don't listen to them, Princesa. They don't know anything about you, and they don't even bother to try."

"Even if they did, they would find some reason to dislike me." Mika clutches onto the edges of my jacket. "It's the way life works. My body is what people are after, not my mind. Even fucking Diablo. Ugh, I wanna rip him apart."

Hatred seethes through my veins like injected morphine. "What did that fucking bastard do? Tell me, Mika. I won't hesitate to strangle him myself."

Mika laughs lightly. "You don't even know what he did yet."

"Doesn't matter. I am always on your side, Mika. Anyone that crosses you is automatically on my hit list." Laying on my elbow, I catch a glimpse of Mika's anguished face. There's a tiny crease between her eyebrows, her eyes narrow into silts as she breathes steadily through her nose.

"You were right about Diablo. I thought I had everything under control, but I got distracted," Mika confesses, her shoulders lowering as if she unleashed unwanted weight from them. "I'm almost ninety-five percent certain he kidnapped my friend, Isabela. He recruited her for the Paraiso by him, but she's fifteen."

My eyes widen, but I keep my mouth shut as she opens hers.

"I ran into her on her first day at the club, and could tell she wasn't anywhere near ready to enter the Mazmorra. Other than her fear, her young age was a dead giveaway. She shouldn't have been there." Her voice is tainted with remorse. "Diablo and I had this whole ordeal, but I took her home. I've been trying to find any relatives to get her as far away as fucking possible from here, but Diablo won. He has her."

My hands clenched into fists. Men like Diablo deserved to burn in hell side by side with Satan. They were scum, the worst of the worst. Going after our adolescents like they were the newest candy in a candy shop. It's fucking disgusting. Children, teenagers, and even adults deserve to live their own lives and not be forced into this awful industry. He always gave me an irking feeling.

Mika drops her face in her hands, blowing out an air of frustration. "I don't know if I'm just feeling sentimental, but I saw so much of myself in Isabela. She has determination and just needs encouragement from someone. I didn't have anyone. I wanted to be someone for her. Maybe shape her into someone I could've been if I didn't get tangled in this lifestyle."

She clears her throat. "Diablo is a piece of shit. He always promoted us as partners, but I knew not to trust him. It's Diablo's way or the highway, and I don't play with those rules. I'm not a wild animal that can be tame into submission. He's going to have to learn that the hard way."

She shoots up, the anguish in her eyes all I need to fuel my guns at Diablo.

"Mika, you're someone for her. Isabela might be scared, but she knows there's someone out there that wants her safe. You can rely on me. I'm not like Diablo. I won't ever. Ever!" I raise my voice, amplifying my point. "Betray you. Let me be your somebody. I won't chain you down. I'll let you soar to the sky because you're someone destined for greatness."

She thrust her fingers through my hair and replied, "What if I'm destined to be in the darkness?"

"Then I'll follow you until death do us part," I respond honestly, devoting myself to the woman of my dreams. "It's you and me. If we are together, we can do anything. You're the leader, and I am your arm power. Tell me what you want me to do."

Anguish disappears as her irises glimmer with mischief as she reveals every step of her plan to me. It's almost insane, but that's what makes Mika fucking extraordinary. Taking Isabela was just a casualty in a battle, but Mika is going on to win the whole fucking war. I think I found something new I like about her...

Her ambition.

Her determination.

And mostly, her dedication to helping the world become a better place.

God blessed me with the girlfriend of a lifetime.

Bonnie and Clyde in the making right 🤪🤪! (They're the people who were partners in crime right?) also I'm like hella proud in Mika because believe it or not guys... she's opening up. She's admitting she needs and wants some help!

And who's the best option if it isn't Asiel?!? He would conquer the world for her! Gosh I just love them so much. Now if only we knew for sure how Mika feels about him... Mika calm on, let us in your little secret and heart too!!!

Also that almost kiss... did you guys like it and the tension? Was the tension good or am I slacking? I tried to make you and Mika go insane but idk I felt a little not confident about it, but I hope you enjoyed it!

Thank you guys for getting this story to 100K!! I'm soooo freaking happy and can't wait to share more chapters of this story!! 😝😏