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L E O N I E

Two and a half years ago.

"That's it, baby," Benny laughed, padded hands up in front of his face as I swung out and punched, just as he'd shown me how to. "You're a natural. I can feel that strength."

We circled the ring. The gym was dark, quiet. It was just the two of us. His hair fell around his neck and ears in soft, damp waves. His skin, a shade darker than sun tanned and his dimpled cheeks lifted as he watched me strike his padded mitts. He'd been teaching me how to fight for the last few months.

"You've improved so much," he praised. "You should compete."

"As if," I scoffed. "Knowing my luck, someone will break my nose. I like my nose."

"I love your nose," he stepped forward with lightning fast movements, struck out his hand and I ducked so that it swung over my head. "Perfect dodge, baby. Damn."

My ponytail swung back and forth as I skipped on my feet and continued punching the mitts. I felt proud, proud that he was so proud. But the pride was short lived because he swung out again and while I did dodge it, his other hand moved faster and he picked me up with one arm and threw me over his shoulder.

"Benny!" I screamed as he spun me around in circles. The room was turning into a blur and I slapped his back. "Benny put me down. My stomach."

He gripped the back of my thighs, set me down and stood in front of me. But the entire room was spinning. "Alright," he laughed. "Now show me what you got."

I didn't even bother trying to fight, the room was on its side. I must have lost my footing, because I started to go down but before I could hit the ground, Benny jumped beneath me and we rolled over each other, laughing so loud that it echoed in the empty gym.

"You just can't help falling for me, huh beautiful?" He laid under me and his hands clasped at my lower back.

Slowly, focus came back and I looked down at his smug grin. "You don't play fair."

"Sure I do."

"Do you pick your opponents up and spin them around until they're dizzy and sick?"

He grinned. It was full of mischief. "No but maybe I should. Seems to work."

I rolled my eyes and tried to get up, but he flipped us over and pinned me beneath him.

"Can I tell you something?" He asked, staring down at me. A loose strand of his wave hair fell over his forehead. I nodded, left wordless at his intense stare. His arms held his weight above me. "You are the most beautiful girl that I've ever known. And I really don't ever want to lose you."

My heart sped up. "You won't ever lose me."

He ducked down and kissed my neck. "I want to love you forever and ever. I want to marry you one day. And have a family and grow old together."

I giggled as his tongue swiped out at the hollow of my throat. There was no explaining how much I wanted all of those things with him. Whenever I looked at him, my heart felt as if it was going to burst. I wound my fingers into his soft waves of hair and smiled at him.

"I love you so much, Benny."

"I love you too, Lee. More than I could ever put into words. But I'll show you. Every day."

His lips found mine and our tongues met. I loved how he held my face when we kissed. Or pushed my hair back or pushed his hips against mine. We made love right there in the gym showers and afterwards, as we were getting dressed into the clothes we'd brought for his party, I wished him a Happy Birthday.

"The best one of my life so far."

When we got to Jade's new house that she shared with a couple of other college students, she gave us a run down on the rules. We were allowed a little bit of alcohol each. No drugs. No unprotected sex. And if the cops turned up, we had an escape route through the back fence. But I wasn't really worried.

Bray, Ethan, Benny and Alex were having a round of shots. Boys only while Jess, Amy and I stood on the other side of the living room and danced to the electronic music. The party wasn't huge. Just a few of Jade's friends and a few of ours. We wanted to keep it small so that it didn't get out of control and shut down.

"Jess," I shouted over a new song, Cascada, Every Time We Touch, that started playing. "Did you invite Peter? Are you two still a thing?"

"Yeah," her shoulder length curls bounced as she danced. "But he couldn't come. He was busy or something. It's not a big deal."

I shrugged and felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist, the words of the current song were murmured beside my ear.

"Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling. And every time we kiss, I swear I could fly."

I spun around and Benny was grinning down at me with his full lips. He held my hand and stepped back, raising his voice a little louder. "Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last, need you by my side!"

The girls started squealing behind me and I saw Bray shaking his head. But even he wore a small smile.

Benny raised his voice even louder and there was no mistaking that this was a serenade. He was so cute. His taut arms were strong, his tank top clung to his chest and torso. He never stopped grinning as he circled me and sung, having fun while he was doing it.

"Your arms are my castle, your heart is my sky," I laughed when he broke into some pretty bad dance moves. But that was him. Clowning around, not giving a care who was watching and what anyone thought. That was what I loved most about him. "They wipe away tears that I cry! The good and the bad times, we've been through them all. You make me rise when I fall!"

He lifted me up around the waist and spun me as he shouted the chorus. The whole party was our audience now. Clapping and cheering. He was such a goof but I loved that he made me the centre of his goofiness. No matter how cheese his dancing was or how terribly he sang, the words touched my heart and I felt it all over.

"Tell me what you feel baby," he kissed me as the song played out its last thirty seconds. "I can see it on your beautiful face. I want to hear it."

Everyone else had gone back to doing their own thing but it wouldn't have mattered. I forgot there was a moving world happening around us when he looked at me like that.

"I was just thinking," I said, my legs going around his waist so that I could stay up at his level. "That nothing else matters when we have each other. And I love you more than I'll ever understand. But I don't need to understand it. Because I feel it and it feels good."

He smiled, his dimples looking kissable. "Never be afraid to say what's in here," he touched his lips to my forehead. "Ever. I want all of your thoughts and feelings. Always tell."

I nodded. "I love you baby. Happy Birthday."

"I love you too."

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