“Devak. Did you love Devak?” he growled at me.“Yeah… yeah I did. We were always happy.”He glared at me. “Then it wasn’t love Sloane. Not really. You may have loved him but you weren’t in love. When you fall in love with somebody you fall… hard and you can’t get back up. You feel sick and breathless. You’re the farthest thing from happy,” he spat. Siva and Sloane”

“Sloane,” he said. “You know those stories that little kids read. The ones where the princess always falls in love with the handsome prince despite the bad guy’s effort to thwart it?”“Yeah,” I said wondering where he was going with this. “I’m not the handsome prince. I’m the bad guy.”Siva and Sloane”

“Siva,” I said and my heart broke for this beautiful man. “You once told me that love is hard, painful, and anything but pleasant.” I laughed, “I feel that with you, Siva. I love you so much it hurts. I didn’t have that with Dev. I loved him, of course, but now… When I look back on our relationship I realize that we were more like best friends. He didn’t make my heart speed up like this,” I said and placed Siva’s hand over my heart. “He didn’t make my toes curl with a look, he didn’t make me love him and hate him at the same time, and he didn’t leave me breathless. I love you. I’m in love with you. You’re the one I want. You’re the one I choose. You are not second best, Siva, do you hear me? You’re not. Even if… even if Dev hadn’t died I still think we would’ve found each other. You’re my heart and my soul Siva. I fell for you Siva and I fell hard and I’m okay if I never get up.”

“I never thought this day would come for me. I never thought I’d find someone whom I loved with every fiber of my being and I never thought that I would find someone that taught me that I was worth being loved. I’m beyond happy, no, I’m honored to have you sitting beside me Sloane. My partner, my friend, my life, my love, my wife, my everything. Thank you for teaching me about love,” he said. Siva”

“Love is a weakness. Look what it has done to me.”“Love is not a weakness,” I said vehemently. “Love is worth fighting for. Fight for me, Siva. Fight for us.”Siva and Sloane”

“Sloane,” he said pulling away when I started to fall out of his arms. “It’s killing me to fight this. I can’t. I don’t want to. Not anymore.”I swayed and his arms steadied me.“Are you okay?” he asked. His lips quirked. “I might have to refrain from kissing you if you’re going to faint.”

“Sloane, I want you to know that…” he swallowed. “That I… care,” he flinched.I nodded my head. He cared. It wasn’t a declaration of love but I was pretty sure it was all I was going to get. It was good enough… for now.Siva”