Translation of Love - By Alice Montalvo-Tribue Page 0,69
way. I couldn’t wait to see you.”
He gives me a wicked grin. “I can’t wait to see you naked.”
I slap his chest. “Is that all you think about?”
“Fuck yes, Baby!” he says, grazing my lips with his. “I’m kidding, I think about lots of things, but right now, I’m just thinking about you naked.”
“I guess I wouldn’t mind seeing you naked either,” I say, pulling myself out of his arms and grabbing the hem of his shirt. He raises his hands so that I can pull it off. He reciprocates by helping me remove my shirt.
“You’re so beautiful, Ellie.” The words make my heart swell with love for this man. When most guys would have walked away thinking that I wasn’t worth the effort, Victor showed nothing but patience and understanding. I reach out for his jeans, undoing the button and lowering the zipper. I tug them down until they fall around his ankles. He steps out of them, then helps me out of my pants. His hands find their place on my hips and he starts walking me backwards until we hit the bed. He reaches around and unhooks my bra, letting it slide down my arms to the floor. My panties are next to go.
I stand there naked, illuminated only by the light of the moon flooding through the windows. It hits me that, for the first time in such a long time, I feel beautiful. It’s a feeling that Victor has given back to me. A piece of myself that I lost in a much uglier time of my life. Now, with him in my life, I’m surrounded by nothing but beauty. It’s a precious gift, and receiving it makes my heart fill with love. I can’t find the words to tell him. All I can do is show him. I pull at his boxers, dragging them down his legs until they’re gone. Standing on the balls of my feet, I kiss him. I kiss him with everything that I am. With all of the emotion that I have and pray that it conveys what I’m trying to express.
I sit on the edge of the bed and push myself up as far as I can go. Victor follows until he’s hovering over me, our lips just inches apart. He strokes my hair and grazes his lips on mine. He looks down at me, and I swear I can see a bit of hesitation in his eyes. He opens his mouth, then closes it, I can tell he wants to say something but what I don’t know. He places a kiss on my forehead then finally he speaks. “Te amo mi amor,” he whispers in my ear.
I blink up at him and smile. “What does that mean?” I whisper back. He’s never really spoken to me in Spanish before.
He hesitates, but only for a moment. “It’s the translation of love.”
My breath catches. I can feel the muscles in my chest expanding and the tears pooling in my eyes. “What?” I ask, barely above a whisper.
“I wanted to say the words in a way that I thought you’d be okay hearing them.”
I hear what he’s saying, but I can barely believe it. He loves me. It’s a declaration. Victor’s telling me that he loves me in a way that only he can, in a way that he knows will protect me from my own fears. Suddenly, I don’t care about my past, my fears, or the walls I’ve built around my heart. I only care about him, about how much I need him, about how much I love him. I’ve known that I’ve loved him for weeks now but was too afraid to take the leap of faith and tell him. Now I just wanna hear him say the words. “Say it.”
He smiles at me and I can hear my heart pounding in my chest. “I love you, Ellie.”
The tears that I was trying to hold back break free, streaming mercilessly down my face. “I love you too,” I say through my sobs. “I love you so much. I’ve known it for a while but I was afraid to say it.”
“Oh, Baby,” he wipes away my tears using his thumbs. “I’ve wanted to tell you for weeks now, but I thought that it might scare you.”
I can’t help but giggle. “God, we’re both so stupid. We’ve been feeling this way for weeks and we’ve both held back.”
He chuckles. “We’re saying it now, that’s all that matters, right?”