Chapter twenty-nine – Never Let Go

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-The following morning-

-Citria's point of view-

So, after settling Reiss into our home yesterday, and Michael recovering from the initial shock of discovering him alive, we've decided that today, we're going to go and visit Clover and father, so they can meet Reiss. If he's planning to stay in this area for the rest of his life, then he might as well get to know who he'll be living with. And besides, perhaps father can help in terms of vacant homes – he's lived here longer than me, so he probably knows the place better than I do.

Michael told me about what he and Reiss spoke about yesterday, before Reiss took his nap. Apparently, I was being complimented by the both of them – I find that really cute. You know someone really cares for you when they compliment you and you're not present. At least, that's what I've always thought.

At this moment in time, we're all finishing up breakfast. Unsurprisingly, Michael finished way before Reiss and I – in fact, he's been waiting for us to finish for over ten minutes. How he manages to eat so fast is beyond me. He keeps giving playful looks of impatience; checking his watch to make us all laugh. It's certainly working.

"My God, how can you eat so slowly?" he laughs, rolling his eyes upwards in mock boredom. "I mean, c'mon, you've been like a half hour!"

My eating speed is normal, until I see Michael looking at me; then, I purposely slow down, simply to annoy him. "Problem, Michael?" I chuckle, only nibbling at my toast, now. "Is this the new habit of yours, now? Asking what takes so long to eat?"

"Yeah, kid. Leave us be!" Reiss pipes up jokily, eating another spoonful of cereal. "It's not like we're going anywhere important today ... is it?"

"We're going to my father's house, if that counts for anything." I swallow a bite of toast, turning my attention from Michael to his uncle. "But apart from that, it's pretty much a free day."

"Ah, right." He nods in understanding, sitting back in his chair whilst he takes the last couple spoonfuls of food. "Well, that's cute. Do you get on good with your dad?"

"Yes; very good, actually. Ever since my mother died, we've been a lot different."

Although discussing the topic of my mother saddens me, I keep a forced smile on my face. A moment later, I feel Michael's hand touch the top of my leg, rubbing it gently in sympathy. My eyes move up to his, seeing that he's close to tears just because of my sudden shift in emotion. Clearing my throat, I look to Reiss to get his reaction.

"Aw, I'm sorry about your mom, kid. But hey, you gotta look on the bright side: she's with all the other angels in Heaven, and I know for sure that she's looking down on you right now, proud as anything that you're her daughter." Reiss smiles at me, in attempt to get me smiling more genuinely in return.

"I like to think so, to be honest," I answer softly, shifting my gaze to the table to avoid any kind of eye contact with either of them. "I try my hardest."

"Hell, you do. She'd love to see you now. Betcha." Reiss sets his cutlery down, bowing his head so that he can look at me clearer. "I mean, you're a wonderful girl. Michael's lucky to have you."

"Don't over-sell me, hey, Uncle?" Michael remarks. His tone is serious because he's obviously in no mood to be too hyper, but his words are clearly jokey, so Reiss chuckles in reaction. I, on the other hand, simply smile. I don't feel like laughing right now.

"Ah, Mike, you know I love you. Handsome young guy like you? You're lucky no other girls live around here. Would have been fighting for you if they did!" Reiss adds, pinching Michael's cheek with his thumb and forefinger. "Natural charmer, you are. Blessed in the looks department."

"Okay Uncle Reiss, there's complimenting me, and then there's over-complimenting me. You're borderline over-complimenting me, now." Michael chuckles at his uncle's enthusiasm, before looking over at me. His hand touches against my back, rubbing it soothingly. "Cheer up, Angel. Smile for me." Just the nickname alone causes me to give a faint closed-mouth smile. This instantly perks Michael up. "Attagirl. At least you're going to see your father today!"

Finally looking at him, I nod my head, "I know. I'm—wait. Nothing. Never mind. Not important." My brows furrow as I look away from him to avoid any more awkwardness.

"What were you going to say, Cit?" Michael rests his hand beneath my chin, turning my head back around so that I look at him again. "Tell me."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Reiss observing us; probably taking in everything we're saying and doing to one another. Almost like he's judging our relationship – just less extreme.

"No, it's nothing. Honestly." I shake my head to emphasise that it doesn't matter, but that doesn't seem to deter Michael from asking me once again.

"What were you going to say?" he questions a second time, before leaning in to kiss my nose. "Do you not trust me enough to know?"

A sigh of defeat escapes my lips. "Of course I trust you. Why wouldn't I?" Hopefully that question takes the focus off of what I was going to say.

"Because you're not telling me what you were going to say." He chuckles softly after answering me, moving his hand from my chin, to my hair, and running his fingers through gently. "No. You know what? You don't have to tell me. That's okay. I shouldn't force you to." With this comment, he smiles at me, to try make me feel less bad. It doesn't work, though.

"Well now I feel bad for not telling you," I frown.

He rolls his eyes playfully. "Jeez, I can't win with you, can I?" He looks over at Reiss, who is also laughing. "Can't win, can I, Uncle?"

"Ah, at least she's trying to keep you happy, kid. But don't make her feel bad!" Reiss answers, amusement in his tone.

Michael then looks back at me, still trying to let the grin dissolve into a casual smile. "Okay, tell me or don't. It's really okay either way."

"Nah, I'll tell you; that way I won't feel so bad," I decide, taking my bottom lip into my mouth. "Uh ... I was going to say that ... I feel like ... I'm not grateful for what I have, compared to you, Michael. It's like ... you've lost everything, yet you're still smiling. Me? I've only ever lost two members of my family, and one friend, yet ... I'm the one that isn't happy. I feel like I'm not appreciating the fact I have you and father ... even if I am appreciating it."

"I understand." Michael's eyes look down in thought. "But it doesn't matter how much you've lost; it still hurts, if you were close to them. Sometimes a loss of just one person is worse than a whole group of people. You must have been so close to your mother; that's why you feel the loss so much. It's the same for your brother Andre. You're allowed to cry, Citria. You've lost important people to you."

Tears are now forming in my eyes. "But you've lost everything, Michael." My voice is breaking gradually with each word I say. "You have nothing left." A tear falls from each eye, which in turn causes Michael to tear up. "Don't cry, Michael. Don't cry." I reach my hand up to his face, drying the tears from his eyes before they can properly fall.

"Then don't you cry, Angel. You know that it hurts me to see you cry." He then returns the favour, wiping the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. "And besides ... I know I lost everything. But then ... a miracle happened. As I sat there, crying out on the street not far from my house, on August 16, 1987, a beautiful girl came walking up to me, asking if I was okay. I was a little apprehensive at first, but I'm glad I became comfortable around her, because that girl ... has given me the entire world, and expected nothing in return. That girl ... she's given me a reason to live, and to wake up every morning, and to smile ... and she's the reason why I no longer hate the world. I no longer fear it. I no longer mistrust it." Two more tears roll down his cheeks as he concludes: "And it's all because of you, Citria Tiannah Espinosa. You feel bad for doing anything for me? Don't. Because I owe you the entire world for what you've done for me."

His little speech causes me to smile a little wider now. "Gosh, I-I ... I don't know what to say." My breath sort of catches in the back of my throat. "I just ... I feel so useless, having nothing to say back, Michael ... "

"You're speechless. That's enough for me to know how much you care. You don't need to feel useless ... because you're not. I know that." His knuckles softly rub against my cheek in comfort, as we gain eye contact briefly. The sincerity in his expression is gradually convincing me that he's right.

"Michael's right, Citria. I've only been here twenty-four hours, but I can tell how much you mean to each other. I can tell that you're a great girl. Don't feel bad about it, hey?" Reiss pipes up out of nowhere; I almost forgot that he's here.

"See?" Michael dries his tears with his hand, a warm smile forming on his face. "And anyway, I thought I told you not to doubt the Knowledge of Michael?"

"I'm a little doubty," I murmur, a hint of playfulness in my tone. "The Knowledge of Michael can't always be right."

"Well, it's definitely right this time." He pouts, folding his arms and giving me puppy dog eyes. "Believe me, pwease?"

A faint closed-mouth smile starts to creep onto my face, as I sigh in defeat. "Okay. But I still feel a little like I'm useless."

"Am I going to have to tickle you, Miss Espinosa?" Michael asks, his fingers poised ready to attack my sides. "Because I will, if I have to."

"Oh, really?" I can't help but chuckle at this threat. "And what if I were to say I think I'm useless?"

Without even answering, he launches forward, grabbing a hold of me and drawing me closer to him. He pulls me into his lap, before tickling me everywhere – my sides, my neck, my stomach – every place he can get away with tickling. Reiss sits back, watching with an amused smirk on his face as I get tickled, quite literally, to death.

"Michael! Ah! Stop! Okay! Okay! I believe you! I'm not useless!" I squeal, feeling him stop tickling me as soon as I say it. It takes a few moments to catch my breath back, but I finally get there. "Whew. Gosh. I wish I could get my own back; why couldn't you be ticklish?"

He snickers softly. "Ah, well ... sorry I almost killed you. You're bright red now." Then, he wraps his arms around me from behind; I'm still in his lap. "I must have really tickled you bad."

"It's no worry. I might recover by 1992," I tease, cheering up a little more now.

He then pulls at my waist, bringing my entire top half backwards, so my back touches his front. He leans his head upon my shoulder, nuzzling his face against mine affectionately, before leaving a sweet kiss on my cheek.

"Aww, look at you. Normally, I'm not one to enjoy being a third-wheel, but this is an exception. It's cute seeing you guys so happy after everything you've gone through," Reiss says, earning both mine and Michael's attention. I think we both forgot that he's here again.

Michael smiles at his uncle, but then turns his attention on me. Once again, his face is nuzzling against mine cutely. Reiss then stands up and starts moving towards the door.

"I'm going to get ready to go out. I'll leave you guys alone for a few minutes," he announces, before exiting the room.

"Just us two," Michael says, almost stating the obvious.

"It sure is," I breathe.

I've never known Michael to be this way. Of course, we've been cute and sweet towards one another, but at the moment, he seems as if he's desperate to just ... show his affection towards me. The way he's holding me close is so perfect; I never want him to let go.

"Tell me something, Angel." Michael suddenly breaks the silence between us.

"What?" I demand quietly.

"If I never let you go; if I kept you in my arms for forever – more specifically, for forever and a half – would you mind about that?"

The rhythmic beating of his heart is easy to feel against my back right now. It's such a soothing feeling to experience; it indicates clearly our closeness to one another.

"In all honesty? No, I wouldn't mind at all. I never want you to let me go." A soft sigh passes my lips as I answer, from the sheer pleasure I'm feeling, just from being in this man's arms.

One of his arms moves from around my waist, finding its way to my chin, as he turns my head around so we can make eye contact again. "I wasn't planning to ... not ever."

As cliché as our conversation sounds, what with all the romantic words we're saying to one another, it's still filling my heart with so much happiness to hear them. In all the romantic films I've ever seen, they say these things with such sickliness in their tones. In real life, it's really a different story; it actually works, and sounds sweet. I love it.

"That's good, then," I answer.

My eyes slowly move from his eyes, to his nose, then finally they fall to his lips. He notices this, giving me a subtle smirk in response, before sealing the small gap between us by pressing his lips to mine in a kiss. Immediately, his loose curls tickle my face, initially causing me to flinch. However, once I'm used to it, I let them be with no problems, and I immerse myself more into the kiss Michael and I are sharing. It starts off as simple pecks, but then it becomes something close to a French kiss – something we've never really done before. We've done multiple pecks in a row before, but never like this. It feels wonderful ...

Steadily, I turn myself around so that my entire body is facing him now, rather than just my head. This means that now, I'm kind of sitting in his lap, but it's nothing sexual at all – just a simple kiss. My arms slowly reach out to wrap around his neck; then I pull myself closer to him. His arms are still coiled around my waist; they have been since before Reiss even left the room.

The sound of Reiss coming down the stairs is what eventually causes us to separate our lips from one another's, but our faces remain close; our noses touch, as well as our foreheads. He closes his eyes, then I hear him snicker really softly, as if laughing about the fact Reiss almost caught us kissing. After a moment, though, he composes himself, opening his eyes once again. The first thing he looks at is me, which causes him to smile warmly.

"My God, I love you, Citria."

"I love you too, Michael."

Not long after I've said those words, the kitchen door opens, and Reiss enters the room with yet another smirk on his face. "Am I interrupting?" he asks teasingly.

"No, not at all." Michael then turns me around, so that my back pressed against his front once more. "Just enjoying some ... cuddles."

Reiss nods, his expression suspicious. "A'right. Anyway, are we ready to go, or do you have to get ready, or—?"

"I just need to change clothes," I answer, standing myself up from Michael's lap. "I think Michael needs to change, too."

Michael stands up from the chair. "Yes, I do. We won't be long."

He then follows me upstairs, to the bedroom, and we both get changed ready for the day ahead.

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Chapter twenty-nine! Michael and Citria and getting closerrrrr. ;)
Sorry I haven't updated for two weeks; I recently got home from a holiday in Cyprus!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)