Always Beautiful (26 page)

We all went inside and got seated at a table in the back. After our drinks arrived and we had all ordered, Dixon cleared his throat and spoke up. He raised his glass in the air and looked at me.

“Here’s to good health, great love, and an amazing life.” He started. “I’m glad you came to Portland Cuz, I hope you stay.” He shifted his gaze to Zeppelin. “Thanks for making my cousin happy and thanks for being a great friend. It’s so good to have you back man.” Dixon said. We all lifted our glasses and toasted.

Dinner was absolutely wonderful. We talked and laughed about the summer and how things were going now. It almost felt as if nothing had changed since a few months back. I looked around the table at everyone and that familiar feeling of peace and contentment hit me. How I had missed that.

Zeppelin sat next to me with his hand on my thigh throughout the entire night. Every once in a while I would just look at him and smile. Sometimes he would look over at the same time and we would just stare at each other, drinking each other in and communicating how much we loved and missed one another without words. After we finished eating, Zeppelin put his arm around me and leaned in to kiss my cheek. My body responded to him as it always had. That would never change between us.

When we left the restaurant, Hannah and Josh left in her car. She gave Zeppelin a hug and told him that she was glad to see him back and then pulled me in to her. She told me to have fun and to thank her later for telling me to make my bed up nice. I just giggled and nodded. We rode back to Dixon’s house in his truck to pick up Zeppelin’s car. After saying goodnight, we got into his GTO and headed for my apartment.

As we drove down the dark streets of Portland, I turned and looked at Zeppelin, looking so comfortable behind the wheel of his car. His eyes shifted and he caught me staring. “What?” He asked with a smile. I shook my head. “I love the way you look when you’re driving your car. You look…happy.” I said. His smile widened and he nodded. “I think this is my happy place.” His brow furrowed. “No. When
you’re
in it, it’s my happy place.” He brushed the back of his hand against my cheek. I smiled.

“I have something to show you when we get to your place.” I shot him a questioning look. “What is it?” I asked. “You’ll see.” He replied with a smirk. I shook my head and sighed. “You and your surprises…” I muttered. “I’ve told you that spontaneous is my middle name. Remember?” He had said that. I spent the rest of our drive wondering what it could be that he wanted to show me.

As soon as the car was parked, Zeppelin shut it off and eagerly stepped out. I did the same and met him at the front of the GTO. “I missed riding in that thing.” I told him as he grabbed my waist and pulled me into him. He smiled. “I missed having you in it.” He said. “I think you should let me drive it.” I said as I waggled my eyebrows at him. Zeppelin laughed and kissed the tip of my nose. “You’re so adorable Angel. But there’s no way, not unless you win a bet.” He said. “Well then I’ll think of something and get back to you.” I promised as I grabbed his hand and led him toward the stairwell.

Once we were inside my apartment, Zeppelin grabbed my hand and pulled me down the small hallway to my bedroom. I followed him and then stopped when he did. He lifted a hand to my chin and tilted it up as he lowered his lips to mine. He kissed me slowly, taking my breath away. When he slid his tongue along mine, I grasped his shoulders and pulled him closer to me. He smiled against me and pulled back slightly.

“I want to show you something first Angel.” He breathed. He stepped back and removed his jacket and then began lifting the hem of his long sleeve t-shirt. I watched him curiously as he took his shirt off and stood before me. “I did something last week. I was thinking about you and how incredible you have been. You’ll always be my angel Lucky. Whatever happens in life, I won’t ever stop loving you. If things get too hard and you want out, just tell me. Okay?” He asked.

I swallowed and shook my head slowly. “Zeppelin, I’ll always want you. As long as I have you with me, I can face anything.” I said. Zeppelin nodded and took in a deep breath as he twisted his arm and lifted it for me to see the inside of his forearm. “I have a few regrets in life, but none of them are or will ever be you.” He said in a whisper as I took in the new tattoo that he had.

I gasped and wrapped my hand around his wrist, lifting his arm to get a better look at the ink on his forearm. It was a pair of angel’s wings that were shaded intricately and below them was my name. Not my nickname, it wasn’t Angel or Lucky that he had etched into his skin. It was my actual God given first name. “Lucille”. I wiped my eyes as they pooled with tears and my vision blurred.

My eyes met his and he watched my face intently. He swallowed. “What do you think?” He asked in a husky tone. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. He wasn’t kidding when he said that spontaneous was his middle name. “You did this for me?” I asked. Zeppelin shook his head. “I did it for me. When I look at this, it reminds me that I have something to live for, someone who saves me.” He replied. I swiped away a few tears and smiled at him. “I love it Zeppelin and I think I just fell even more in love with you.”

Zeppelin smirked and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Every single day I fall more in love with you.” He said before kissing me passionately. I melted into him, running my hands over his shoulders as he pulled me closer to him. “I love you Angel.” He breathed against my cheek as his lips traveled down to my neck. My body responded to him as it had back in the summer. I was instantly warm and a pool of heat formed low in my belly.

Turning with me still in his arms, Zeppelin walked me backward to my bed. He stepped back from me and bent at the waist to pick me up and gently lay me down atop the covers. Crawling in after me, he positioned himself between my legs and hovered over my trembling body as he gazed down at me. We just stared at each other for a few moments as our breathing increased.

“I’m so in love with you. I want you baby.” He said as he pressed himself against me. I felt his hard length against my heat and let out a moan. “I want you too, so much.” I said as he began kissing and nibbling on my neck. His hands found the hem of my shirt and he began pulling it off of me. I sat up slightly to help him remove it and then he unclasped my bra as his mouth traveled down and across my chest.

I ran my hands over his short hair as he worshipped my body, making me feel cherished and loved. His lips moved with his hands down to my waist and he began unbuttoning my jeans and pulling down the zipper. He undressed me slowly, kissing every inch of my body as he went. Once I was completely naked, he stood from the bed and removed the rest of his clothing.

He watched my face as he climbed back onto the bed. My heart was pounding and I tried to catch my breath as he gazed at me intensely. He stretched his hand out and brushed the hair from my forehead as he knelt between my legs. “If I die tonight or any other night, I want it to be by your side. Lucky, I’ll never let you go again.” Zeppelin said before leaning down and kissing me. Hot tears ran down my cheeks as he slipped himself inside of me and began moving slowly.

Zeppelin moaned and nibbled on my ear lobe as we found our rhythm. “God, I’ve missed being buried inside you.” “I’ve dreamt of this every night.” I spoke in a low voice. He pinned me with his blue eyes again. “Me too Angel,” He smiled and kissed my lips softly as we continued to move together.

As our bodies got to know each other once again, I swore that our souls connected. There was a point, at the end of making love when we gazed at each other as we both found our release, that I stopped breathing. Zeppelin’s eyes were filled with tears, matching my own as we moaned together in pure ecstasy. No words were spoken between us but I could hear him, his heartbeat and his thoughts. It was like we became one person. It was brilliant and amazing.

Afterward we slipped underneath the covers, lying in the middle of my king-sized bed. Zeppelin held me tight as he rested his head upon my chest, directly over my steadily beating heart. “I was wrong earlier.” He said quietly. My hand that was running along his back stilled and I frowned. “What were you wrong about?” I asked. Zeppelin squeezed me tighter and nuzzled his head against my chest. “This is my happy place.” A wide grin spread across my face as I went back to rubbing his back.

We spent four amazing days together making up for lost time. I was always able to easily fall back into Zeppelin and this time was no different. The only change was that it was better because we loved each other now more than we ever had. I was sad to see him go at the end of the week and I would miss him terribly but he promised not to be gone too long.

Zeppelin was finished with his treatments but had to continue to be monitored for the next couple of months. His doctors were shocked at how resilient he was. His age and maintenance in his health was a huge factor in helping him recover quickly. Looking at him when I first met him, I never would have known he had been sick.

Of course, he looked slightly different now because of his relapse, but I knew that it wouldn’t be long before he was back to the gym and sporting that disheveled hair. To be honest, I didn’t mind his shaved head look either. It gave him even more of an edge. His personality hadn’t changed at all though. He was still charming and witty and constantly melted my heart with his sweet words.

I knew that no matter what came next in our lives, we would be together. We had come so far and our bond was so strong that I had no doubts of the future now. We had been through a lot in such a short amount of time. That was always how it was with Zeppelin though; Intense, instant, and consuming. I wouldn’t change it for anything.

~June 2013~

“Where are we going tonight?” I asked Zeppelin as he lay back on my bed, his hands tucked behind his head and his ankles crossed. He was grinning widely at me as I changed into a nicer outfit. It was the beginning of June now, almost exactly a year to the day of when we first met. It was incredible how quickly the time had flown by these last six months. So much had changed yet it felt like nothing had at the same time. I had just completed my first year at medical school and was overjoyed that I had a summer break.

It had been a crazy school year considering it didn’t start how I had originally planned. I still did well though, even with all of the other things going on in my life and I was proud of myself for that. Zeppelin and I were stronger than ever now and he was making a full recovery. He looked really good now that he could work out again. His hair was the longest it had ever been since I’d known him. It was kind of shaggy and disheveled and flopped onto his forehead.

He didn’t have the heart to really cut it since losing his hair in the fall. Personally, I liked it on him. He was still handsome to me and downright drool-worthy when he was shirtless and his tattoos shown. My favorite tattoo was the one he got with my name. I often would run my fingers along it and place my lips against the skin on his forearm.

The doctors had said that the stem cell transplant that they performed worked perfectly and as of February of this year, he was cancer free. He was still required to have follow up appointments every six months for a while in order to stay on top of things, but I had hope that he would remain healthy from here on out. He moved back to Portland and into his apartment in March and we’d been inseparable ever since.

The only time we didn’t spend together was when I was in school and he was working at my Uncle Eddy’s garage. Zeppelin was working there full time as a mechanic now and Dixon was starting to learn more of the management end of things to take over for my uncle in the next couple of years. Everything seemed to be falling into place.

Over spring break, I took Zeppelin home with me to Medford and he met my parents for the first time. My mother had fallen in love with him as easily as I had. He got along well with my father too and even helped him work on some stuff in the garage. Over Memorial Weekend, we went to Seattle and stayed at his parent’s house. I was excited to see Kathryn and Henry again on a lot better terms than the last time.

Kathryn and I had grown incredibly close throughout the last several months and she told me that I was like the daughter she never had. A year ago I never imagined that I would have a boyfriend. I never thought I would have to face the things I’ve faced or grow the way that I have. There were times that I still stuck to my plans and focused hard on achieving my goals. There were also times though where I just relaxed and allowed myself to take things one step at a time.

Today was one of those days. Zeppelin came over to my apartment dressed in dark jeans and a blue button down shirt that brought out the intense coloring of his eyes. He handed me a bouquet of irises and told me to get dressed up. I had asked him what we were doing, and of course he wouldn’t tell me. So here I was in my room, getting ready for who knew what and trying to ask questions in hopes of getting an idea as to what the plan was.

I decided to wear a short, green summer dress and sandals. I was standing in front of my closet in only my underwear, reaching for the dress when I felt Zeppelin’s warm hand graze along the base of my neck. He swept my hair to the side over my shoulder and placed his lips against the ink that was now there. My body shivered and warmth spread through me as he kissed the script on my skin.

“Have I told you I love you today?” He asked quietly. I smiled and turned around to wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his lips. “Yes, at least a hundred times.” I replied between kisses. Zeppelin shook his head. “That’s not nearly enough.” He pulled back from me and held my face as he looked into my eyes. “I love you Angel.” He said. “I love you too.”

I turned back to my closet and took out my dress. As I slipped it on, my mind went to the day a month ago when I got my own tattoo. I’ve said before that one of my favorite things about Zeppelin was his tattoos and how each held a very special meaning. I was in love with the one he had gotten for me, but the one on his rib stood out for many reasons. I talked to him when I was thinking about getting the same tattoo and he loved the idea.