Chapter 28

Double update! Yaaas!

Leaving the school, I drove towards my parent's house - my home. I had to pick up a few things from there. After everything I knew now, I didn't think I'd want to stay there with mum and dad. I had no idea where we would stay and where we would go to school but one thing for sure was that we weren't going to be with mum and dad. We'd stay with Nana if she wanted us otherwise I'd take money from my trust fund which I had access to since last year when I turned eighteen. Then I'd rent an apartment for us and hopefully get a job so I could support my brother. I realized I couldn't base my plans on Gabriel anymore.

I was so lost in thought i had reached the Marino mansion without even realizing it. I stop at the gate as I rummaged the glove compartment for the remote. I grunted in victory when my hand crossed over it. Opening the gate, I drove slowly down the driveway.

I had missed this place! The gardens were in perfect condition which meant the help was still here. I didn't even bother to close the gate since I wasn't going to take much time. I jumped out of the cat soon after I parked.

It felt kinda nice to be back to a familiar surrounding and also a little sad but it was okay. The house key was also in the glove compartment so I ran up and opened the door and headed straight to my room.

"I had missed you." I muttered as I jumped on my large bed. It smelled like it missed me too. Buried my head in the fluffy pillows. I should take one of them with me. The pillows at the base were good but they weren't my pillows. I got up from the bed and opened the top wardrobe door to fish out a duffle bag.

Then I opened the lower door to get a bunch of my own clothes and underwear. I just randomly grabbed shirts, pants, shorts and shoes. The clothes at the base were pretty but again they were not my clothes. Laptop, iPad, jewellery box, old photo albums even my favorite teddy, Lola had given me a few years ago, Faffles also made it into the bag. I zipped it up and placed it on the bed. I'd also pick up stuff for Finn.

I rushed to his room and packed a few of this stuff into a duffle bag from his room. After I was done I walked back to my room.

As soon as I entered my room, I noticed that my duffle bag was on the floor a distance from my bed like someone had left there. I specifically remember placing the bag on the bed. Was someone here? In my room perhaps? My heart was pounding hard.

"Hello?" I called walking in slowly and looking around. "Who's there?" My voice was shaky. I walked into the room then checked the bathroom and the balcony. I found nothing. Hmm maybe I had left the bag on the floor. But I couldn't remember-

Loud footsteps made me pause mid-thought. I whirled around in panic only to find myself face to face with Gabriel.

"Gabriel!" I breathed in relief. "You scared the crap out of me!"

Gabriel just stood there brooding as always then he suddenly made two large steps and pulled me into his arms. I gasped as my chest crushed into his hard biceps. He hugged me in a very tight embrace I could barely breath.

"G..Gabe? I can't breathe." I whispered.

He immediately released me but he didn't step away, he cupped my face in his hands and looked deep into my confused eyes.

"You scared the crap out of me." He said his voice so low and deep it did stuff to my stomach.

"What?" I whispered even more confused than ever.

"You disappeared. Again. Why do you do that to me?" He asked the question like a tortured man.

I just stared up at him not breathing.

He sighed too then crushed his lip on mine savagely and they moved with a hard urgency that made me wince in pain. He was hurting me. I pushed him off as hard as I could and he didn't fight me. He stepped back.

"What the hell is your problem, Gabriel Anderson?" I screamed as tears gathered in my eyes. "You freed me from Damien so you can hurt me yourself?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." He paced around my room and ran his hand through his hair.

"My fist will come over you if you ever do that again!" I wiped my lips with the back of my hand. I couldn't believe him! "Is that why you snuck in my parents house? To assault me?"

He stopped pacing then he looked at me. "I thought I'd never see you again." He rasped.

"Now why would you think that?" I asked angrily crossing my arms over my chest.

"You have a tendency of disappearing without saying a word to anyone." He pointed out.

"I didn't think anyone would notice." I mumbled my anger subsiding slowly.

"You didn't think-" Gabriel paused and stared at me in disbelief then he took two steps towards me again but this time he didn't reach for me. "Do you realize that your brother isn't the only one who cares about you? Has it ever occurred to you that some people might actually worry about you?" His voice was rising with each word. "You do reckless things and almost get yourself killed but you never for a second think what it does to me!" He was full on yelling at this point.

"To you?" I breathed taking a step back.

"Santana, everytime you have disappeared from my sight I have died a small death." He turned away suddenly and ran his hand through his hair again.

"You have?"

"When Schwartz took you... I thought I would go out of my damn mind. I know what he does to women. He is a savage. And that savage had you." He looked back at me. "The only thing I could think of was saving you before he killed you and when I came in and saw what he had done to you, I wanted to kill him. And I would have if you hadn't stopped me." He came towards me again and gripped my shoulders. "Then I woke up this morning and found you gone. Do you have any idea how I felt in here?" He gently took my hand and placed it over his heart.

I swallowed hard as I drowned in the dark pools of tenderness that were his eyes. I could feel his heart beat underneath my palm.

"I'm starting to." I whispered in answer to his question.

"Do you have any idea how much I care about you?" He asked placed my other hand on his chest.

"I thought you cared about Gisele." I mumbled my eyes wide.

Gabriel frowned. "Gisele? Why would you think that?"

"She's always with you and she's gorgeous." I mumbled feeling the weakness of my argument.

"She's a dog in rags in comparison to you." He said brushing my cheek with his thumb.

I blinked at him the compliment adding a log to the fire in my heart. "But yesterday at the party..."

"Gisele is a woman used to getting her way. And lately my attention has been taken up by a certain lioness so she has been acting out." He explained.

I eyed him sceptically wanting so bad to fall in to his arms but he still hadn't said the words. Maybe he hadn't said them because didn't feel them. I swallowed the lump that rose in my throat and I took a step back away from him. His hand fell to his sides.

He didn't let me go far because took a step forward and cupped my cheek.

"I don't care for her, Lioness. She is just a woman who thinks she can have whatever she wants but I feel nothing for her." He said.

"Okay." I believed him. I was just jealous of Gisele because of yesterday.

"You didn't answer my question." He pointed out

"What question?"

"Do you have any idea how much I care for you?" He repeated his voice so low.

"No..." I said in a whisper.

Gabriel stepped even closer to me and cupped my other cheek. "From the second I saw you, I have felt an extreme pull towards you. I have tried to fight it but every effort I put in place have only made the pull so much stronger. You have taken my heart, my soul, my mind and my spirit. And I love you more than words can describe. I never want to be apart from you ever again."

I released a breath I didn't know I was holding. Did I hear him right? He said he loved me. Gabriel loved me. My breathing was coming in laboured puffs because I was fighting tears.

"Gabriel..." I reached over and ran my hand through his hair then rested my hand at the nap of his neck. "My first love..." I stood on tiptoe and placed my lips on his. I gently let my lips explore his until he took over the kiss. The second he took the lead, my stomach flipped over and I gripped him like my life depended on it. He, in turn deepened the kiss and made my body tingle from head to toe. I could feel his heart in the kiss and i poured out mine so he could know the intensity of my feelings.

When we pulled apart, Gabriel's eyes were dark. He bent down and slipped his arm under my knees and lifted me off the ground. He carried me to my bed and he gently placed me down then lay down next to me his eyes never leaving mine.

We gazed into each other's eyes for a long moment each absorbed by the intensity of our feelings.

"I'm your first love?" He whispered hoarsely.

"And my only love." I whispered back

"Say it." He ordered softly.

"I love you, Gabriel Anderson." I whispered pouring my heart out into the words.

Gabriel groaned then he kissed me again on my lips, my eyes, my nose and all over my face. His hands were running over my body.

"And I love you, Santana Marino." He whispered his hands on my hips.

I smiled tremulously and he smiled back causing my own smile to widen. Then we were laughing together on the bed.

"Can't believe how much time i wasted trying to resist you."  He said tracing my lower lip with his thumb.

"Im irresistible." I caressed his cheek.

"I learned that lesson the hard way." He smiled ruefully.

I giggled. "You are also irresistible. I never knew I could feel this way until I met you."

"Ah, Santana you will be the death of me." He clutched his heart dramatically. "Do I have to fight Cedric?"

"Why would you fight him?" I frowned in confusion.

"For your affections." He clarified.

"Oh, you both have my affections. Only they are two very different types of affections." I told him.

"That's a relief. I didn't want to have kill him." He said with a smile for me.

I laughed again and I buried my head into his masculine smelling chest. It felt so good to finally be where I wanted to be. I belonged with Gabriel and I knew I'd never be happy without him. Suddenly everything was okay again. It didn't matter so much anymore that my parents were horrible. The future was bright again and happy and warm. My heart was warm and I knew as long as I stayed with Gabriel it will always be warm, bright and happy. He was my soul mate.

"So what now?" I asked closing my eyes to the sound of his heart beat.

"We must go on our first date. You deserve everything from the beginning to the end and I will give you everything." Gabriel said brushing my hair with his hand.

"I would love that." I mumbled sleep taking me over.

"I will protect you. Noone will ever hurt you again."

I closed my eyes knowing everything was going to be perfect from now on. Gabriel was here.