Page 26 of Rough Love

Mia woke up a few times throughout the early hours of the morning, scared that someone was in the house to finish the job. When she woke up, she just laid still for a while and listened to her surroundings. When she heard a creek or any sort of noise, her heart raced. She knew a part of her was being irrational but she couldn't help herself. She was unsure as to whether or not the Omens would find them, or if the Screaming Demons had already taken care of them. The thought of the Screaming Demons killing or 'taking care' of the Omens scared her a little. She knew it would be violent and dangerous especially considering they had crossed a line. Sage and Mia were the leaders in Florida and she knew that the Screaming Demons would look after them at all times. She was grateful she didn't have to be a part of the aftermath; she didn't want to think about it.

She thought about her life as if it were normal and she could picture herself painting as her career. It was a good image in her mind as she saw herself painting landscapes and people. Her mind went back to the paintings she had lost in the fire and her heart broke a little. There had been so many paintings that had been done when she had needed to release her emotions and there were beautiful ones of Sage too which were all gone. She looked over at the man she loved so much as he slept and she knew that she could paint better pictures of him going forward because now the love she had for him had been reciprocated.

Mia tried to convince herself that she would be fine if she went to sleep. She told herself over and over again that there would be no need to worry about anyone breaking into Adam's house. As she struggled to sleep, she decided to get up and walk around Adam's house, just to see how he lived. She was pleasantly surprised to see that he kept his house really clean and well-stocked. The way he had decorated was also really nice and she took in a few ideas for when she got to decorate her new house. She supposed she was excited to see where they would live.

She went back to the bedroom and cuddled up against Sage once more and listened to his breathing. It was the perfect sound for her as she closed her eyes to sleep.

She tossed and turned as she tried to fall back to sleep. It took a few minutes but eventually, her eyes closed as her breathing got heavier and soon she slipped into unconsciousness.

Mia was sitting on the beach and the salty breeze was flowing around her, making her hair blow in every direction. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to fully enjoy the feeling. She felt free and calm as if there was nothing else in the world that could bother her. She rested her hands beside her, sinking them into the sand around her. She let the sand seep through her fingers as she picked up handfuls and separated her fingers so the sand could run through them. It was tranquil and quiet as she listened to the wind as it whipped around her. She could hear birds in the distance and envied their ability to fly. She longed to be up and over the sea.

"It's so beautiful, isn't it?" someone asked. She opened her eyes to turn and came face to face with Sage as he sat down next to her. She smiled as the sun hit his face, setting his eyes on fire as they hypnotized her. He looked as if he had expected to see her there.

"It really is," she said in agreement. She turned back to the ocean and watched as the sun had started to set. The waves transformed from a gentle blue to all sorts of pinks, yellows, oranges, and reds. It was breathtaking. She knew she could watch the sunset over and over again and it would never be enough for her.

"This is one of my favorite places," Sage said as he watched the sunset. Mia already knew why it was his favorite place, they had been there before. They both slipped into a better state of mind as the memory came back to them.

"This will always be one of my favorite places," Mia said. She looked over at Sage and couldn't believe she had been lucky enough to have found him. She knew that her life would never be the same without him. He had already brought so much joy and happiness into her life that she didn't want to picture her life without him. She reached her hand out and intertwined her fingers with his. Gently she leaned against his shoulder as they continued to watch the sunset.

"We could stay like this forever and I'd be happy," Sage said as he squeezed her hand slightly. She agreed. It was magical being there with him. She felt a sense of forever like they were going to be together forever and her heart soared at the thought.

"Me too," she replied. Deep down she knew that wherever they were, she'd be happy as long as he was with her.

She closed her eyes and took in the feeling of contentment and love as the sun vanished.

Mia woke up in the morning and stretched her body out next to Sage. He was still sleeping as she wiggled her toes and brought her hands up above her head, allowing her body to release all the tension she had been carrying since the day before. She felt a lot better knowing that it was a new day. Of course, she knew that there were a lot of things that needed to be sorted out but she didn't feel like there was any rush. Her life wasn't in danger at that moment and she didn't feel as if she needed to get out of bed yet.

She decided to bury herself in the bed, covering herself with the blanket so she could relax a little more. She didn't think anyone would complain if she stayed in bed the whole day. She assumed most people would understand considering what she had been through so she closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.

After sleeping for another thirty minutes her body woke her up again and she knew it was time to get the day started. She wasn't the type of person who would let daylight slip away without enjoying it.

She leaned over and gently kissed Sage's cheek while he slept. A gentle snore escaped his lips. She wondered what he could be dreaming about as a smile crossed his lips. He looked extremely peaceful and comfortable as he reached out and wrapped his arms around her. Soon enough she was tucked into his arms with his head resting on hers.

"Good morning," he whispered sleepily. He inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"Good morning to you too," she replied with a smile. She would never get tired of waking up next to Sage, especially since he always looked so cute in the morning.

"How did you sleep?" he asked. Mia’s mind remembered the dream she had had and it brought a smile to her face once more.

"I slept very well, and yourself?" she asked in return. Sage lay silent for a moment.

"Yes, I slept very well too," he said with a huge grin. Mia wondered if he had had a dream as good as hers. She also wondered if he dreamt of her as often as she dreamt of him and at that thought, a blush covered her cheeks.

"You're so beautiful in the morning," he said as he traced circles on her exposed skin. She was in heaven. Her stomach growled against her will and she realized that she was starving.

"I suppose now is a good time to have breakfast," Sage said with a laugh as he heard the noise.

"I think that would be a good idea," she replied. Her body felt a little weak as she stood up. She gave herself a moment just so she could stretch again while she stood. Her feet ached from all the walking she had done during the night but she was very happy that she hadn't stepped in anything that could've injured her. Her muscles were tight as she stretched and her head was a little foggy from the smoke.

"How does your body feel?" she asked Sage. When she looked over at him, he was also doing a few stretches.

"A little sore but could be much worse," he replied. Mia was happy that he always seemed to look on the bright side of things especially when she couldn’t. It definitely helped make her days a lot brighter.

"I think we should look into getting a massage soon. I'd say we deserve a treat," she said. She laughed and then smiled.

"I definitely agree with you there," he replied. She thought about being the one to give Sage a massage and she got all flustered. She knew it wasn't the time to be thinking of such things but as she watched him stretch, revealing some flesh, all she wanted to do was reach out and touch him.

Mia wasn't sure if Adam was back yet or if he was awake and she didn't know if she wanted him to see her in one of his shirts so she quickly went to fetch her clean clothes before she left the room and headed for the kitchen.