Chapter 1: Follow Me

I hear a faint yell from my best friend Dulce, "COME ON! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!"

"Okay! Okay, I'm coming!"

I rush out of the bathroom and down the stairs. I'm running down a flight of stairs in heels which isn't the best idea seeing how I am a major clutz. I surprisingly don't end up at the bottom of the stairs flat on my face.

"The car has been waiting outside for 5 minutes!" Dulce exclaims

Dulce is wearing a beautiful white and gold dress which makes her glow brighter than usual with the help of the glass chandelier above our heads. I can tell that she is impatient by her foot continuously tapping on the floor which echoes throughout the house.

"Nicolas is already in the car"

"Then let's go, come on!" I walk past Dulce and straight towards the car.

"Wait I forgot my bag upstairs! Go ahead I'll meet you in the car" Dulce exclaims as she rushes past me

"Who's taking forever now?" I say with a smirk spreading across my face. She turns around and flips me off, but I just chuckle.

I can see Nicolas leaning against the car. As I get closer, I can see that he starts to fix his posture and his gentle hands reach the car's door handle. As I get closer, it's easier to notice the little specks in his eyes which make them brighter and alluring. His soft and gentle hands move away from the handle as he shifts his stance towards me. I stand right in front of him raising my head to look into his deep brown eyes. A kind smile spreads across his face. His fingers are intertwined with mine and I don't resist it. He tilts his head down leaning over me, his breath warm on my skin. He whispers into my ear...

"You look beautiful Mari". My heart skips a beat and my breathing stops. I can see his smile got larger and a slight shade of pink in his cheeks. I try to not to show my weakness and attempt to form a reply.

"And you look dashing" I retort as I remove my hands from his and place them around his neck. Almost immediately he wraps his arms around my waist and suddenly my breathing stops yet again. He pulls me closer to him but pushes me back, before I know it we are in the same position but leaning against the car. We look into each others eyes for a few moments until he breaks the silence saying "So is this what you wanted?" I nod as a reply while he just laughs. I decide to pull him in for a kiss, something I have been wanting all day.

"EW! You guys! I only asked for you two now to do lovey dovey things in front of me! IS it REALLY that hard!?!" exclaims Dulce which makes us jump back into our normal positions, his body is now shifted away from mine.

I can hear Nicolas's chuckle ever so softly. His hand is no longer holding mine, instead it's back on the door handle. He pulls the door open...

"Ladies First"

One Year Earlier

"Mari!" Nicolas calls from across the street

He runs across it without thinking about the oncoming traffic. I just smile, happy to see him. Nicolas has always acted like my big brother, he's so sweet and protective of me. Him and his sister have been my best friends since practically birth which is probably explains why I feel so comfortable and safe with him. He was the person I trusted in the world the most and was just like the brother I wanted, but now I wanted more. Maybe I've always thought about him in this way or maybe after time, the way I saw him changed. I'm lost in my thoughts that Nicolas catches me off guard. He hugs me, picks me up into the air and twirls me around. All I can do is laugh and after he puts me back down, I hug him again like I didn't have enough.

"How've you been?" I ask, still faintly laughing

"Good, how about you?"

"Good, so what's up? Why'd you just want to meet with me?"

"I just wanted to hang out with you like we used to, instead without my annoying sister" he replies

"Ok then, what do you want to do first?" I say through a chuckle

"Follow me" he says while pulling my hand into the unknown.

Looking back, I should have said no.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask Nicolas

"I can't tell you, it'll ruin the surprise" He replies

"Come on, just tell me!"

"Nope, you'll just have to wait and see~" he says in an teasing manner. I roll my eyes but continue to follow him blindly, like always.

After a while of walking hand in hand we stop, he lets go of my hand as tears roll down my face. This has always been my favorite part of the park, the cherry blossoms behind a forest of normal ones and a breath taking view of the river ad sky. I remember when I used to come to this very spot to just think, listening to the wind the water. I would lay on the floor writing in my notebook with my guitar at my side. I remember that day, when my dad passed away I had to keep the promise I had made with him as his dying wish, I couldn't show my weakness, my vulnerability, but as quickly as I made that promise I broke it. When I was in my darkest hour Nicolas was always there to help me through it all, even if that meant he was risking his own happiness.

"Why did you bring me here? I asked after a few minutes of silence, not taking my eyes off the beautiful pink cherry blossoms.

"Well, we've shared so much here I thought why not share one more, whether it's a good or bad memory depends on how you react to what I'm about to tell you." He replies while scratching the back of his neck.

"Tell me what?" I ask as I turn to look him in the eyes. His dark brown eyes shine in the sunlight showing off the specks of gold in his eyes.

"Mari, you know you have a special place in my heart right? You've always been like a little sister to me and, I don't know, maybe it's your kind heart or fearless attitude or your optimistic side or maybe the fact that you've always been there for me and Dulce. Maybe, I've always felt this way and never noticed until now. All I know is that now things are different, I want to protect you and make sure no one ever hurts you again."

He finished talking, but I'm still left confused, what does he mean? Why is he telling me this? What is happening? I realize these are the questions I should be asking but the only thing that comes out of my mouth is "What?". Out of everything I thought about asking him, all I could say was 'what?'! I'm so stupid, but I think he found my stupidity amusing because he beings to laugh.

"You really are a dummy, but...I love you just the way you are because, you are my dummy" he says while still laughing, but after a few seconds it becomes softer and slower until he completely stops, and I notice now that he is getting closer to me. His arms wrap around my waist, and he quickly pulls me towards him.

My head lays on his chest as his chin rests on my head. I can feel his heart start to beat faster, while my face gets hotter. I look up at him pulling away, one of his hands loosens it's grip on my waist and softly grabs my cheek. He doesn't pull me in, he just holds me in that position for what feels like forever, but I know that it hasn't even been a minute. I can't help myself, I grab the collar of his shirt and pull him down. I push myself into a position where I'm standing on my tip toes, thus bringing us face to face and then, we kiss. He grabs the back of my head, holding me steady. I soften my grip on his collar and slowly move my hands to his hair so my arms can wrap around his neck. I play with his hair as he continues to press his gentle lips against mine.

Those few moments were so magical, it made the world seem perfect for once in my life. I had finally had someone on my side, someone to love me for who I am, someone to protect me, and someone who would never hurt me. Or at least...that's what I thought.