Standing in the doorway to his bedroom, Nick stands, staring. “Hey sleepy head, how are you feeling today?” He asks smiling. “You sure as hell didn’t sleep, I heard you crying all night. My shirt’s still soaked.” Glancing at his shirt I can easily see what he’s talking about, there are patches of wet spots from where I held on tight, crying while he held me.

Lowering my head, I’m embarrassed this is where I ended up, but I needed him. Like always, my trusted friend put his feelings aside to comfort me. He listened, he wiped my tears and let me vent my frustrations. I owe him so much, and I know I don’t deserve him. As if he can read my mind, he strolls over and sits next to me.

My smile hits his caring eyes. “I owe you so much, thank you for just being you,” I say laying my head on his shoulder. “Wow, what a difference a day can make.”

A sigh escapes his lips. “That’s for sure.” Adjusting our bodies so I’m leaning against his, Nick slowly rubs my arm. “You know you don’t need to see him again, he doesn’t deserve you. After the way he acted yesterday,” he’s struggling to find the right thing to say. “You deserve better, Elsa.”

I heard it from him all last night. He sat and listed all the reasons why I should let Micah go. Unfortunately, my heart never believed in one.

“Yeah,” I sigh. “Maybe you’re right,” I say it, but don’t for one minute believe it. The only thing my mind is concentrating on is what he’s doing right now. With every nagging thought, I bite my lip and wonder. “He has to be going stir crazy, he knows I’m with you, all night by now.” I can only imagine how frantic he is.

Nick arches his eyebrow before letting out a chuckle. “I love the fact he knows you spent the night with me, serves him right.” Of course he does.

Realizing I need to get this over with, I leave my dear friend, and head back home to face the music. All the way home I’m sick with worry. I have no idea what I’ll come home too. Unlocking the door to our building, I look around for him, but I don’t see him. I feared I’d find him camping out by my door or parked in the parking lot. Breathing a sigh of relief, I head to my apartment thinking so far so good.

Pushing the door open, I don’t have to wait long to wonder where he is. He’s here, looking disheveled. Eyes bloodshot, clothes wrinkled, he looks plain awful. He’s sitting with a very pissed off looking Liza. Wow, can’t imagine these two sitting together was a fun time.

Keeping my silence, I shut the door and quietly stroll over to the kitchen table and put my purse down. The eerie quiet from them both has me on pins and needles. Not sure what the hell to say, I decide not to say a word and walk to my room.

“Where the hell have you been, El?” He doesn’t raise his voice, or sound mad, in fact, his voice is filled with so much regret and sadness. I’ve never heard him like this, well, that’s not entirely true. Last night in his messages, he sounded pretty much with the same regretful tone.

I stop and turn back to face him, seeing him deflated and lost is not comforting at all. I should be the one who is pissed off, but I’m not. I’m tired and drained. Continuing to walk to my bed, I sit, and out a sigh. Lowering my head into my hands.

Micah joins me, kneeling in front of me settling between my legs.

“Pretty girl, why baby? Why go to him? Why spend the night with him?” He pauses when I partially close my eyes, knowing the tears are coming. “Me, Elsa, you should have been with me.”

My nerves and lack of sleep have my tolerance at an all time low, and his remark has hit a nerve. “Really?” I say with a bit more sarcasm than I intended. He’s taken back with it as well as his eyes winced.

“Hell yes, it’s my job to comfort you. Not his.” Clenching his fists, I can see he is contemplating his next words carefully. “Look, I screwed up…badly. Baby,” he says, stretching out his hand for mine, “you just turned my world upside down. I didn’t handle it well and took it out on you. I was so wrong. Please say you forgive me.” His intense look and warm feel of his touch, softens all of my anger I had with him yesterday.

With his arms around my legs, he squeezes them tightly, laying his head in my lap. Not being able to stop myself, before I know it, I’m running my fingers through his hair. Comforting him, helps ease me in strange ways. The tears form and fall with ease, and it’s not just my tears that are falling. With each tear that escapes his eyes, a part of my soul weeps. I can also feel my pants getting wet from the tears Micah is shedding.

“I’m so damn sorry, El. I’m hurting here…and I’m scared.”

His apology is all I needed.

“About what?” I choke out.

“Losing you, babe. I can’t lose you…not again. Put me out of my misery Elsa, will you forgive me?” Staring back, his eyes highlight his pain and agony, if he only knew seeing him this way is agony in itself.

Biting my lower lip, my tears fall faster. How I ever thought I could stay mad at this guy is beyond frustrating. If he only knew how much of my heart he owned.

“Can I show you something?” I shakily ask him knowing how significant this moment is going to be.

His head peers up. “Of course.”

Not an easy task with him in my lap, but I finally stand. Pulling off my jeans to expose my hip, I reveal my tattoo.

Staring back to him, I ask, “What do you see?”

Hesitantly, his fingers gently trace my butterfly. He’s nervous, his eyes squint and the gentle shake of his head tells me he’s taking it all in.

“Butterfly, honey. I see a butterfly…and the letter M.”

“You’re very observant. Can you make out two letters M’s sideways to make the wings?”

“Yeah,” tracing the wings with his finger, he parts his lips in a smile.

“Remember when I told you I named our son?” Saying the word son out loud causes me great pain.

The unrest in his eyes resonate with me, “Oh honey, I can…”

Sobbing my voice cracks, “Michael. I named him Michael. Micah and Michael, two names that start with the letter M. The two loves of my life forever commemorated by a simple butterfly.”

My words must hit home with him, because he eagerly draws me into him. His cheek resting against my hip. He gently kisses my butterfly as tears continue to fall down his cheeks. Having his tears wash over my tribute to him and our son…there are no words to describe those emotions.

“I love you so damn much Elsa. Oh God, I’m so fucking sorry.”

His words grip a hold of my heartstrings. Pulling me to him, my body crashes into him. His arms cradle me, so we are face to face, cheek to cheek our tears mix getting lost in each other’s gaze. Pools of tears give way to the sweetest, most incredible tender kiss I’ve ever experienced. Our lips, soaked with salty tears, graze one another when we both halt our precious moment. It’s a silent realization; iris to iris…we both feel it. No words are necessary, it’s as if our eyes are in a deep conversation of their own.

A moment passes, a very monumental one at that. It’s like our broken souls have finally found their way home. All the aches in my heart finally have this ease. To prove we were both thinking the same thing, together we mouth the words, “I love you.”

Bruno Mars is filling my room with his sweet voice. When I was your man, is playing on my iPod. Pulling us off the floor I lay in bed cocooned in Micah’s arms. Laying side by side, my play-list sets the mood. We take this time to hold one another, get lost in each other’s eyes, while holding hands. I think we finally both found where we belong…home.

Before long, we both drifted off to sleep. Sleep did not come last night for either one of us, and now it has taken over our wrecked bodies.

It’s the light whisper in my ear and the warm sensation spreading across my body that alerts me to the fact Micah must be awake. Before long, my shirt is being pulled up over my head. Surprisingly, my jeans and panties have already been stripped, and I have no memory of that happening. Right now, I don’t care. A few moans suddenly escape my throat.