Den of Vipers

by K.A. Knight

I stare at the four men in my doorway. They’re not my normal customers. One is wearing a suit that’s tailored perfectly to fit him and is probably worth more than the whole bar. The other three look like mean sons of a bitches. I’m pretty sure the one in the back is an actual giant, as he ducks his head to get through the door. And they’re all packing, I catch glimpses of the guns. So do my customers. The whole place clears, chairs scraping and falling to the floor in their rush to escape the newcomers. Cook pokes his head out, and I sigh. So this is them, the people hunting me. “Cook, go home,” I order, knowing I won’t be opening tonight. “Smart.” The one in the suit nods. His way too slick black hair is pushed back, styled flawlessly, long on top and short on the sides, so I have the insane urge to mess it up. But his eyes? They are black, cold, and calculating. They scan the room and me, noting everything. I bet if I asked, he could relay every single detail. His cheekbones are high and sharp, his jaw chiselled with stubble covering it, only framing his lush, plump lips. He’s tall, around six foot three, and his suit hugs his thick thighs and arms in the most tempting way. He’s just too perfect to look at, like a model. “Is this her?” One of them grins, strolling forward. His long blond hair is pushed behind pierced ears. Tattoos peek out of the top of his white shirt, which is partially tucked into ripped, faded jeans and black boots. His arms are huge and dotted with ...

Do you know what monsters fear, Little Bird?” “What?” she whispers shakily. “The bigger monster,” I whisper, licking her lips. “They fear me.”

Everyone’s a sinner in one way or another. You can cover it in roses and use excuses, but it’s all the same. It could be shiny and rich, but a sinner is still a sinner in a suit. There is no black and white, only grey. Deep down, we all do things that are considered bad, even for good causes. Me? I do them for fun.

You’re walking a blade’s edge, pretty little bird, and one day, you might just slip, but wouldn’t the fall be worth it?”

I can hear the hammering of her heart as her eyes drop to my lips. “Fine, what do you want in exchange?” “Your surrender,” I growl. “I know there is a wild one inside you, like me, just waiting to be set free. I noticed it in your eyes the first time I saw you. You will do anything to survive, like us. You’re more like us than you can imagine. You see the darkness, and you walk that line, one foot in and one foot out. Put both feet in, Little Bird, this is your world now. Filled with bloodshed and snakes. You want something, then take it. Do whatever the fuck you want, Little Bird, because the rest of the world does.”

😻

The Vipers won’t stop until they own everyone and everything. But that can’t include me. Not now, not ever. Not if I want to survive.

Giving up and accepting us would be the strongest thing she could ever do. We’re monsters, vipers, and to love a monster makes you one of the strongest people in the world. To let them into your heart, knowing they could destroy you, kill you…that’s the ultimate show of strength, but she will learn that one day.

Roxy tries to stomp away, but I circle my arm around her waist and toss her back to Ryder. Someone out there is trying to kill us, and they don’t care who gets caught in the crossfire. But I refuse to let it be her. I hear her arguing before a smack sounds and she yelps. “You spank me again, buddy, and I’ll chop off your hand and give it to D.” I grin at that, even as I keep my eyes peeled, scanning everything as we walk. I don’t like it, it doesn’t feel right.

“You’re just a sore loser, especially to a woman.” I laugh, and his eyes narrow, nostrils flaring. He’s a good-looking son of a bitch, it’s a shame about his personality. “Yeah, and how’s it feel to be a toy?” he snaps. I arch my eyebrow at that, leaning back as I sip my beer. “I dunno, how does it feel? You act like a walking, talking dick, so you must be a dildo.” Sam and Tony roar with laughter as I hide my smirk behind the rim of my bottle. The sun is almost rising behind us, so the guys should be back soon. I ought to put this all away before they return and get pissed at me for distracting their security.

🤣🤣🤣

“There is nowhere in this world you can go, nowhere you can escape us, princess.” I crave her heat, her body, her mind, even her fight. She is my ever-growing weakness, a grey area blooming in my dark heart and stretching its colour across my soul until I can’t help but want to be a better man for her, to be the man she deserves. But I will never be, so instead, she gets me. She will have to learn to survive it and get used to it, because I have a feeling she’s going nowhere.

I can keep fighting myself all I want, or I can revel in it. Bathe in the pleasure and power they offer. I’m tired of running, tired of living day to day, and Garrett doesn’t get to push me away because he’s scared. I’m terrified. Of him, of them, and what they mean to my body and heart. But I’m still here. Still fighting. So he has to as well.

Yeah, they’re criminals, but half the people I know are. Yes, they can be cold, evil bastards, and this…this relationship didn’t start off in the best way. But what ever does in real life? They aren’t knights in shining armour, no, they are the villains in the dark, with brooding eyes and beast-like tendencies. I never needed a knight. I needed a body to stand with me in the dark, and these snakes? They do.

Turning away, I smirk at my little bird as I palm my small knife from my waist. She gasps as I spin and slice his neck. His eyes widen in shock, and he sputters as blood squirts and pumps from the wound. He can’t stop it, and I put my face directly in his as he dies, seeing the light dim from his eyes. “She is mine. Mine!” I roar. I watch him die, and then, still feeling that need roaring through me, I turn to face my woman. She’s watching me with fear and desire warring in her eyes as I step closer. Good, she should fear me. I could burn her as easily as she could consume me. She knows I’m dangerous, knows that maybe being in my arms means her death, but she steps forward willingly. We are just two people who found each other in this dark, brutal world. She’s fucked up, but I am too. Together, we could be something amazing, or we could explode. I want to find out. I won’t be her saviour, I’ll be her sinner.

Keep pushing, you’re going to have to be stronger than you have ever been to get through to him.” “Why do you want me to?” I question, searching his eyes. “Because I’m realising it’s all of us or none of us. I know Garrett wants you, wants what we’re building, but he doesn’t know how. His past is blinding him to what’s right in front of him. Rip open that wound, drag him out kicking and screaming, and make him yours the same way you have everyone else.”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone, I really don’t. At first I did, I hated you all, and I think a part of me probably still does, but I also care. D told me something which makes sense now. If I really hated you, I would have killed you that first night, and he’s right. I’m strong, I know that, I could have killed you, I had plenty of opportunity. But I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to earn my freedom that way. But like D’s name for me, I am a bird, I need my wings. I need my freedom. It was taken from me as a child, I lived in constant fear and hatred so strong it warped me, and when I was free? I could be me, I found who I was. I don’t want to lose that again. I don’t want to hate you.”

“I’m your worst nightmare, Ryder Viper, something you never saw coming. Something you can’t control.” I grip her hands to my stomach as I lean into her. She’s right. But she’s also the best thing to happen to us. She’s filled with such life, such capability for laughter and joy. She brings out the best in us and accepts the worst.

Am I doomed to repeat his mistakes?” She’s quiet for a moment. “Am I doomed to repeat my father’s actions?” she counters. “To be a person so weak and cruel? I don’t know, I could be. But I think the fact we are worried about it shows that we won’t, because we don’t want to be, because we are aware. Yes you can be cruel, cold, and manipulative. I can be mean, a bitch, and cruel too. But that doesn’t make us them. It makes us, us. Stop fighting who you are, Ryder, stop fearing who you might find if you do. You never know, you might even discover you love yourself.”

I could keep her here with me, but that might kill the part of her I love. The strong, crazy, unpredictable Viper, because that’s what she is—one of us. There is no use denying it, I knew it when I first saw her. Which is why I was so afraid. Because if she is one of us…what happens when she leaves?

I’ve done some evil shit in my life. I’ve stepped on people. I’ve killed them. I’ve destroyed their lives and families and businesses without a blink. My hands are covered in more blood than she could ever imagine. All for them. My family. So what will I do for her? Everything. It comes to me easily. I would do anything. Everything. I would burn this whole fucking city to the ground and find her...

“Is this him angry?” Garrett actually laughs. “Hell no, you’ll know when you see him angry, baby. He will be okay. Now, today…” I nod as he talks, but my mind keeps going back to Diesel. What’s wrong with my crazy Viper? And how do I make it right? I never thought I would miss his brand of crazy, but as the morning drags on, I hate it. I want my crazy, batshit Diesel back, so I enlist Garrett’s help. He sets up as I go to find him. I find him lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Leaping onto it, I crawl up his body and press my face to his. “Your little bird is being naughty, want to help?” I grin. He blinks, his arms wrapping around me. “Like you need my help,” he mutters, but his voice is off, his blue eyes not as brilliant as usual. “Uh-uh, come on, crazy pants, or I’ll have all the fun, and then who will punish me?” I wink and grab his hands, yanking him up. He sighs but lets me, and when he’s on his feet, I throw myself at him. He has no choice but to catch me as I wrap my legs around his waist and bite his lip, making him groan. “Play with me,” I murmur. His hands clench my ass and hold me tighter. “Little Bird,” he growls, and I’ve never been more relieved. Biting his lip until I taste blood, I yank myself away and tumble to the floor before I get up and run. I hear him laugh as I race down the corridor. “I’m going to get you, Little Bird!” he calls. Once, that would have terrified me, but now it just sends desire spiking through me while I laugh.

Aww Diesel🥺

“So what’s your evil scheme, Little Bird?” Diesel grins down at me. “We’re going to tattoo Garrett.” I smirk. He laughs. “How the fuck did you manage to convince him of that?” “Easy.” I snort as I get down and wink at him. “I have a vagina he wants to fuck. You going to help me or what?” “She also threatened to beat up my balls again,” Garrett calls. I nod seriously. “That too, this time with a frying pan, seeing as though I still don’t have my bat.” Diesel laughs. “You gotta stop beating people up, Little Bird. It’s easier to just kill them.” I wave that away. “Killing spree later, dick tattoos now.” “No fucking dicks,” Garrett yells, and I turn around and narrow my eyes. “I will do a dick if I want to do a dick,” I snap. He glares and goes toe-to-toe with me. “No. Fucking. Dicks. If I so much as see a goddamn dick on my skin, I will…” “Will what?” I prompt sweetly, trailing my hand down his chest to his dick and cupping it. “Well?” “Fair is fair,” he growls. “I will draw one on your face.” “You wouldn’t dare,” I seethe. “Try me.” He smirks. “I liked you better when you just grunted. Fine, no dicks, sit down,” I demand, letting go of his hard cock and stomping around him while he laughs. But then an idea hits me, and I beckon D closer as we debate what to draw. I lean in and whisper in his ear so Garrett can’t hear. “We’re going to sneak a dick in it, in the design space, he will never know.” “He’s going to murder you, I’m in.” He laughs.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

“What trouble can we get up to now?” I question, wiggling my brows. It turns out we could get into a lot of trouble. I seem to have started a prank war among the Vipers, but these criminals don’t fill water balloons with flour or hide fake snakes somewhere. No, they play it for fucking real. It’s crazy, and I can’t help but laugh as we mess with Kenzo’s car. We decided to spray paint it, which I’m betting is worth millions. I draw dicks on it, because why not, and so does Diesel. Garrett helps, and we all giggle like kids as we do it. For Ryder, we head to his office which is below the apartment. Diesel suggests a grenade under his chair, but we luckily manage to veto that idea. I really want to ask where he got the grenade, but honestly, it doesn’t even surprise me. Instead, we do something equally as crazy. We buy a brothel in his name. All communications are sent to his email, and within a few minutes, he calls us. “What the fuck is happening? Have I been hacked, or did you get bored and buy a fucking…what the fuck is this shit, Garrett? Slippery Hole? What the fuck?” I can’t stop laughing, and he must hear it. “Love, if you did this, why are they asking me if I want a test run? My preferences are…a fucking golden shower by men? Jesus, Roxxane.” But I can hear the smile in his voice. “You want war, love? You got it.” He hangs up. Oh shit.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I fell in love with her slowly. The first time she smiled at me. The first time I made her laugh, our first kiss, our first time together. When she fell asleep in my arms and held my hand at my mother’s grave. When she confided in me, trusted me. When she stopped flinching, when she started reaching for me. Trusted me. I fell a little more each time until, before I knew it, I was completely in love with her. I’m hers, but she’s not mine. Not fully. Her heart still reaches out to the city. To her old life. To her freedom beyond these walls. Nothing will replace that, no gift or love. She needs to be free. And I need her to not hate me. I couldn’t bear it.

Kenzo...🥺

“I won’t repeat my father’s life, love,” Ryder snarls. “I couldn’t bear you hating me, everyone else? Fine, but not you. Not ever.” Then he leaves, letting me deal with it like I said I would. He’s not running away, he’s not hiding, he’s learning that sometimes it’s okay to let others help. “Ry?” she calls, as he storms upstairs, but he freezes, his hand on the bannister. “I love you with all the broken, blood-stained pieces of me,” he murmurs, and then he’s gone. She gasps, stumbling back, and looks at me in shock.

💔

“Roxy, I need you to listen for once and keep that pretty mouth of yours shut until I’m done. You’re the love of my life, darling. Someone I didn’t even know I was searching for all these years. But you’re here, and I love you more than words, which is why I’m giving you these keys. I know you can never love me the way I love you when you’re not free. I’m hoping, I’m fucking hoping, that even though you can leave, that you’re free, and I promise you are. We won’t chase you, we won’t hunt you. You are truly free…I’m hoping that you will still want to stay. With us. Love us, Roxy. I know I’m not asking for something easy or simple, I’m asking for everything, but I can’t not. You’re our heart, Rox, our living, beating heart. The piece we were missing from our family. You turned our world upside down. We aren’t good men, we aren’t soft or loving, we are hard and our hands are stained with blood. But I swear, I swear if you stay, you will never want for anything, and no one will ever hurt you again…well, apart from us.”

“Stay, be ours. Keep Ryder sane, melt that ice and give him the love he never had but deserved. Love Garrett, even though he struggles to love himself. Love Diesel, even though it might kill you…and love me, even though I don’t deserve it. Be my greatest win.”

🥺🥺🥺

Freedom, family, work, none of it matters. Only them. The Vipers. My Vipers. I’m their girl. So why am I running? Because I’m scared, that’s why. Scared how much I want them, how much they have consumed me. How right I feel in their arms, in their life. The cold, controlling alpha. The damaged enforcer with a heart of gold. The romantic, charming gambler. The insane killer with an obsessive heart. What does that make me? Their captive? No, not anymore. It makes me theirs, a Viper. It makes this home.

That’s right! Go back to your Vipers, Rox!

From the first kiss, wink, and smile. I was theirs. But you can’t take and not give. They took me, but they gave me themselves. And I just ruined that. I refuse to be like Ryder and Kenzo’s parents. I refuse to be the bitch who ruined Garrett. I refuse to be the mother who never loved Diesel. I refuse to repeat the past. This is our future, they are my future.

“I lied,” he croaks. “I will follow you always. I’ll hunt you across this world. Even if you hate me, us, for it. I will drag you back kicking and screaming. Hit me, slap me, fight me. I don’t care, the pain is worth it to have you with me, darling. I love you too much to let you go. I’m too fucking selfish to let the best thing to ever happen to us walk away. You’re ours.”

I crave his brand of madness, I want it all. With him, I’m free. Nothing will ever shock him, scare him. I could never do something that would disgust him or make him fear me. He would love it, revel in it, and worship me.

Where can I find myself a Diesel

This is my life now. They are my life. I chose this, I want this, and honestly…it feels right. It’s bad, but the excitement of it all has me happier than ever, and I finally feel alive. They did this. Made me into the woman I usually hide away. They pulled back the curtain and let me shine, unafraid of what they would find.

She has on a hood, hiding half of her face, but it’s her. I would recognise her anywhere. Her lips are turned up in a knowing smirk, her one cornflower blue eye locked on me. I used to stare into her eyes for hours, wondering if she was my forever, and now she’s here.

🤬🪓🩸😡🔪😤

I close my eyes for a moment, breathing through the pain. Those minutes fade as my mind drifts. It’s funny how when the end is coming, you start to think about the beginning. My life has never been easy, but I gotta admit, I didn’t think it would end here. Of all the ways I thought I would die, this was never one of them. That’s the thing, though, life doesn’t owe you a goddamn fucking thing. It doesn’t owe you life, you have to fight for it to endure and survive. And I did. It’s filled with moments, of winding paths and unexpected turns. Each person that comes into your life offers you a new world, a new place and feelings, not always good, and from each one, we have the opportunity to learn. Whether we accept those lessons is on us. From my dad, I learned to accept pain, to understand how strong my body is, even when it’s broken repeatedly, and from that, I know I can survive this. Each person has taught me something. Love, love is enduring. Love is blind. Love is messy and so perfect, we search our entire lives for it, even when we think we aren’t. I guess I wasn’t either, but I found it anyway in the form of four criminals. Their hearts as dark as their souls. The thing is, I never tried to fight them, not really. I guess a part of me recognised them, and even though my mind was muddled with betrayal and anger, deep down, we clicked like pieces of a puzzle slotting together. Diesel saw that before any of us. The rest of us lived in ignorance, unwilling to bend and brea...

Sometimes in life, you meet people worth dying for, and they are usually the same people who are also worth living for. But you can’t always have both. If all I can offer them now is my silence and death, I’ll do it.

Diesel puts on his bright purple fanny pack, complete with a sparkly unicorn on the front. I don’t question it, because we honestly don’t have time for his crazy.

HA! My boy D owns a purple sparkly unicorn fanny!!! I just fell in love more!!!

“Okay, D, why is there a man in the trunk…and how long has he been in there?” I ask as I grab on to the ‘oh shit’ handle when we almost crash.

THE ‘OH SHIT’ HANDLE🤣🤣🤣🤣

Three versus at least fifteen men, that’s how many we can see, yet they don’t let any concern show. In fact, they stroll through the room like they own it, the power flowing off them in waves, and then I realise what it means to be a Viper. Even surrounded and in an enemy’s nest, we are still the big bad. The baddest motherfuckers in the city. Even in the face of loss, even in the face of death, we own this shit. I raise my head and add confidence to my walk. I’m a fucking Viper, it’s time I start acting like it. We take what we want, we do what we want.

That’s right mothafuckas!!!!

What started as a business deal has now become my life. There’s an old quote, ‘Throw me to the wolves, and I will come back leading the pack.’ I was thrown to the Vipers, and now they are mine. Never underestimate a woman, because those seen as weak have a lot less to lose than those with everything. I’m used to being the underdog, but no longer. No, I’m a fucking viper queen, their girl, and I’m going to tell the whole city tonight after I get my man back and we kill the Triad for good. No one will ever come for us again, let this be their final warning. We own this city. We own them.

THAT’S RIGHT MOTHAFUCKAS!!!!!

Diesel passes over more weapons they had in the car, and his fanny pack is back on, but this time, it has a happy, fiery sun. Seriously, does he collect them or something?

“He’ll be okay,” she whispers. “How do you know?” Ryder asks, weariness in his voice. “Because he’s a Viper. Vipers don’t die,” she states. It’s the same thing we have said for years, and it’s like something clicks into place. How easily she slipped into our lives and became the center of our world. It will never be easy—fuck, I’m glad it won’t be, easy is boring—but having her in my arms makes all the blood, all the pain and power games, worth it. And when Garrett groans and opens his eyes, clashing with Roxy’s gaze, it’s clear that without her…we are nothing. What started as a business deal has grown into something much more than we could have ever imagined. A life. A home. Love. The very things none of us knew we needed, including Little Bird, but now we have them together, and we are never letting that go. Or her. I would chase her to the ends of this earth and drag her back, kicking and screaming…actually, that would be fun. “The fuck you all look so morbid for,” Garrett rasps, then coughs. We all share a look before bursting into laughter. Vipers never die. Vipers never fall…unless it’s for a tattooed, foul-mouthed bar owner.

“I know you, Ryder, probably better than you think. You will run through every goddamn detail, blaming yourself, thinking you could have prevented it, but, baby? Sometimes shit just happens, and guess what? I don’t blame you, and your brothers don’t either. Because of you, we are alive and together. Shit happens, Ryder, you have to deal with it and move on. If you get trapped in the past, you will never be free of its ghosts.”

Ry🥺

I would never let you hurt me more than I wanted to, and neither would the others. You are so scared of being him, you’re stopping yourself from being you.”

Ryder, you’re stronger than you know, so fucking strong. Why do you think I stayed? Even when I first came, I didn’t really try to escape and never really knew why. Maybe it’s because I knew this was where I belonged. In your arms. So you have demons? Baby, they match mine. We can do this together, but no more icing us out. We are family. They won’t judge you, just like you don’t judge them. It’s time to let go, Ryder, let the ghosts die with that hotel, because you have so much more to live for now. And I will remind you every fucking day if you need me to. I will take it all, every bit of anger and destruction. Paint it across my skin, I’ll wear it gladly. I’m yours, Ryder, and you’re mine.” He searches my eyes. “Promise?” It’s a child’s word on a man’s lips, a man who lost everything for so long. Who was never taught love or kindness. We are learning together. Words might not always be loving, no, sometimes they are downright venomous. Poison on our lips like fire pouring from our souls, but they are always true. “Promise,” I whisper.

🥺

“I bet I can make you scream ‘I love you’ for everyone to hear.” “Doubt it, buddy.” I snort, even as I lean into him, ripping my hand down his shirt. The buttons pop off, leaving his chest bare for my hungry gaze, his collage of tattoos almost blinding me. He’s a work of art, and he fucking knows it. A goddamn painting in motion. His soul is as dark as his ink, and his eyes are as cold as the society he swims in, yet I crave him. His brand of pain and love. I ache whenever I look at him. He’s too fucking much, yet he’s all mine. He can be cruel and callous. His hands and tongue a weapon. He can take me down, break me and destroy me as easily as he can have me screaming in pleasure. It’s a double-edged sword with each of the Viper boys. They love as deeply as they hate. They hurt as much as they breathe, and I am in the middle of all of that, with all of their eyes and attention on me. If I’m not careful, they could kill me as easily as they love me. I stole their hearts, and they stole mine. They keep it safe in their blood-soaked palms, and when Ryder strokes his hands down to my arse and squeezes, I moan wantonly. Such pain, such death they leave in their paths. These hands belong to killers. Sinners. Vipers. But I want them all the same. I want their bite, I want their particular brand of venom coursing through my veins, remaking me into their girl. Every touch, every look is a balm into the soul of a girl who was never loved properly. One day, it might consume us all a...

“Love, I steal things every fucking day, I’m a goddamn mobster, but you? You’re the best thing I ever stole, and I plan on showing you that for the rest of our lives, until you get bored with us and try to kill us.” “Try?” I taunt. “Bitch, please, we both know there would be no try.” He laughs again. “Admit it, love, we stole your heart.” “Nah, you stole my pussy.” I laugh, even as I melt back against him. “Orgasms are the way to a woman’s heart though…” “Well, I better get to work,” he murmurs.

They are my family, he never was. He might be my blood, but all that means is that he was my beginning, not my middle or end. Blood doesn’t always mean family. Sometimes you find your family in friends, in father- and mother-like figures…or in lovers.

Ryder in a suit, Kenzo too. Garrett in his leather, and Diesel in his jeans and wife beater, but they scream money, and I guess I do now as well. My body is encased in ripped jeans, kick ass boots, and a designer shirt. I came from nothing, just like my men, and now I own this town. With them.

Sometimes you don’t need to find a hero, it’s enough to find someone who will stand with you in the dark and not be afraid of blood and death. No, sometimes you don’t need a hero…you need a criminal, a villain.

When you find love, you hold on hard. It’s a fragile little thing, and once it’s gone, it leaves a hole and memories, we all know that. Ones you wish you could relive, but from every love, you learn something. Something important. From my mother, I learned to be strong. From my father, I learned to embrace pain. From Rich, I learned to love while it lasts and that endings aren’t always a bad thing. From my Vipers, I learned love is unconditional and can come at the strangest of times and places. And from myself? I learned it’s okay to love yourself. Even the darkest parts of you. No matter the shape, size, or weirdness you came with. Embrace your scars and never be ashamed to be who you are, because there is only one of you. And if you don’t love you, how can anyone else? I am imperfectly perfect. I am a lover and a fighter. I am strong and weak. I can be cruel and a killer, but also kind and a healer. I am all of those things, and loving my weaknesses means I can embrace my strengths and be just whom I want to be.

I’ve learned a lot since I met them. Like that life is not guaranteed, it’s made up of thousands of tiny moments that span a lifetime. Choices, actions, each and every one leads us down different paths. My path, my choice, led me to them. Four men who saw past my skin and armour, past my smart mouth and anger, to the woman underneath. The beautifully flawed survivor, because that is who I am. A survivor. A warrior. A queen. A Viper. I am all of those and so much more. When my path took me down the darkest of roads, I found the strength to go on at the very blackest of times. When I knew my parents didn’t love me, when they broke my heart, I went on. When I was alone for the first time, when fear was my constant…I chose to go on. Or when I held the hand of the first man I ever loved, the man who helped save me, as he died, I chose to fight. As I watched regret and wishes fill his tear-soaked eyes as his frail hand clutched mine, his voice raspy and skin grey…I chose to go on. But from that moment, I learned a lesson that lives with me always. Death comes for all of us, and until it does, we have to do our fucking best to live. To live our lives to the fullest, to never regret. To love so deeply it could fill an ocean, to not let fear stop you from being who you want to be. Because if you don’t, if you let fear win, regret will eat you up and it will be all you have at the end. I refuse to be that person, I refuse to regret my life or who I am. So I choose them every goddamn...

Wow...🥺