Nadine Book 3

15. Little Girl

Me and Dipak wake up early in the morning, and he rubs my back.

"So why were you so scared of me yesterday at breakfast? And I saw you couldn't sit right."

I give him a dirty look. "Yea, he was smacking my butt hard."

He smirks. "But why were you scared of me?"

"You and Tre are opposite in everything. Well, in bed, he turned into more like you. I was scared to death about what you were going to turn in to. That and I don't think my butt could get beat anymore. That hurt."

He laughs.

"It's not funny."

"So how's your butt now?"

"It's fine."

"Good, so it's my turn to beat your ass."

"But I am single, and I didn't break any rules."

"I know baby, I'm not going to beat your ass again. Seems like Tre did a good job with it anyway. But if you kiss him again, I will beat your ass so hard you won't sit right for a week."

I nod.

"It hurts me when you care about someone else. You're supposed to be mine. If you love someone else, it makes me feel hurt and jealous. Does that make sense? It makes me feel like I'm not good enough."

I give him a big hug. "You are to good for me, Dipak. You are perfect and I love you so much. I am happy you are mine every day. I don't need anyone else. I just like being chased, and you don't chase me anymore."

"Why were you crying to the monkey's?"

"I wish I was normal. All I ever wanted was to find my mate and rule my village and make babies. Travel a little bit first. I was telling them how I never asked for any of this and all I want is to be normal. Be a normal teenager for 5 minutes. But I'll never be normal with anything. It's not fair." I start to cry again.

"Are you happy you found out who your mates are early?"

"Yes. You 2 mean everything to me. I think the fighting would have got worse between the 2 of you. I don't think I would have ever been able to really pick. It would have been 14 years of fighting and going back and forth. At least the fighting stopped."

"No, I mean, when you found out we were mates. Are you ok with it? It seems like you are having a hard time being locked down so young. You like other boys chasing you. You like dating. You like Tye entirely to much. Do you wish you hadn't found out? I never realized how much it was taking away from you, to find out about me so early."

I give him a big hug. "You're my whole world, Dipak. You would have been anyway. You mean everything to me. Even before we knew, I was in love with you. I'm glad I know, but yea, it did take away a lot. But I would still want to know if I had to do it again. Now I know you're mine. I don't have to wonder. Are you glad you know?"

"Yes, sweetheart. But I waited forever for you. I had so much time without you. All I ever wanted was my mate. I'm so happy I have you. But I do feel like it was selfish of me to take all the normal teenage stuff away from you. You went from a boy crazy teenager to a locked-down mate overnight. I know that's been hard for you. I couldn't imagine finding you when I was a teenager. You would have left my ass."

We both start laughing. "I don't want to know Dipak."

"Yea, probably better that way." I give him a dirty look, and he winks at me. "Actually, I was a good kid. I didn't get rowdy till about 50 years after I came of age. I always thought I would find my mate right away. Turns out you weren't born yet baby. But, I searched forever. It really started getting to me. I felt like I didn't have a mate and no one would ever be with me. I went stupid and did all kinds of stupid stuff."

"You had to wait forever for me. Then I found you early."

"You're the only girl I've ever been in love with, sweetheart. The only one I've ever really wanted. I couldn't wait anymore. I needed you so much."

"Did you hold me when I was a baby?"

"A lot."

"Did you ever think it?"

"I only knew you were a beautiful baby. I loved holding you and seeing you. I think I might have liked kissing and hugging on you as much as Tre did. I never beat up any 5-year-olds though."

I laugh. "I would hope not, sir."

"There were things you did growing up that made me think that maybe someday we would be mates. Like you always tried to protect me. Which is odd for a little girl. You would offer me food. And I know that day you were staring at me without my shirt on."

I giggle and cover up my head. He pulls the blanket down and kisses me.

"I guess by then, I didn't want to get my hopes up about ever finding a mate. But you did always have my attention. When you hurt, it would break my heart. I was scared to think it. If I had got my hopes up, it would have been devastating if you weren't my mate. You were such a little girl for so long. I got to watch you grow up. I grew so attached to you. Then one day you jumped out my office window and I realized you grew up. I didn't have to see you as a little girl anymore. Then the race was on to get you. On that one day, everything changed for me. I knew I couldn't stop from falling in love. You were everything."

"It really shocked me when you got upset the day I said I would bond with Tre right then."

"Yea, that shocked me too. I didn't want to get my hopes up about you being my mate. But to hear you say that. I didn't like it. I at least wanted a chance even if I was positive I would never find my mate."

I smile at him. "I had the biggest crush on you for so long. But it seemed like you never even seen me as a girl. I gave up on you. I was positive Tre would be my mate anyway. No other boy ever noticed me. I thought he would be the only one to ever care or see me as pretty."

"You were always beautiful to me. But you were a little girl. I wasn't going to get attached to you like that or try to touch you. That would have been wrong. You had to stay a little girl in my head. Until you shattered my window and altered my perception of reality anyway."

"When did you know for sure I was yours?"

"The day your mom and Asa said what purple was. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't my mate. I was in love with you so much. I would have made you take a bonding potion with me when you came of age. I don't think I would have given you an option even. You were my whole world. I didn't want to go on without you. I don't think I could have."

I cuddle into him. "I'm yours sir."

"All mine sweetheart."

"Can you be happy like this?"

"Like what?"

"Everything around me is so weird and different. I can't seem to be normal at all. Even when I try, I mess it up. Can you really be happy spending your life like this?"

He wraps me in his arms so tight. "I've never been happier. And what is normal to 1 person is weird to another. So don't base everything on normal or average."

"I put together a 100 monkey army yesterday, and I found out I have 4 mates somewhere. Pretty sure I'm winning the not normal challenge."

"Ah yea, and you were crowned queen of the mermaids the day before that. The monkey army was a neat trick though."

I sigh and shake my head a bit.

"Sweetie, I don't care if you have 25 mates. It doesn't change the fact that I love you. I will forever. I am so happy I have you. You mean everything to me. I will never leave you. It's you I want, and I really don't care how many monkeys there are in the next army. I'll keep pulling them out of my hair, it's fine."

I give him a kiss. "I love you."

He smiles at me. "That's my babygirl finally. Don't worry so much about everything else, ok? We'll always be together. I will never let you go. No matter how weird things get. You are mine."

I give him a big hug and hold him. "I will never let you go either. All mine."

"NO MORE SLEEPING. IT IS AFTER BREAKFAST. GET UP NOW. YOU ARE NOT SLEEPING UNTIL LUNCH AGAIN!"

We start laughing.

We get up and Dipak kisses my head. "I'm going to fix my hair. I'll be down in a minute sweetheart."