Spark

Part Three

The following day came, and they had their time filled with lazy morning cuddles, languid kisses and sweet nothings said to one another when they truly meant everything to each other. Squall's favorite pastime when allowed was to tell Selphie she looked beautiful. She used to be bashful and modest about such admittance, but now she becomes alight as a faint blush grace her features.



The way her auburn hair tousled, how her eyes usually so bright, was foggy with sleep, and how sometimes, she drooled every other morning when they shared a bed together. Squall remembered the first time he pointed the latter out, Selphie was embarrassed. In her bout of wide-eyed mortification, she had surged up from her resting position on his body and inspected it for herself. Her mind exacerbated how much it was as she gave a sigh of relief before she resumed her position back on top of Squall, enjoying the rhythmic sound of his heartbeat.



Squall stroked her exposed back as she slept soundly on his chest. He contemplated returning to the realm of sleep as well. However, he allowed himself a few more minutes of enjoying the soft snoring the woman emitted.



Today marked another adventure for the pair.



Hours came and went. Both were up actively visiting the various shops and food selections. Sleeping in did much to invigorate their spirits; the monotony of work—-while not the same as everyone else, was dragging them down. They needed the revitalized energy to enjoy themselves.

Selphie never without her camera to take photos for her blog and Squall encouraging the shots that she takes. Her asking for his opinion about which is the best one when she tries to upload them. Their alignment for a hobby that Selphie openly shared with him made the event a peaceful one.



They enjoyed the beautiful sunset the country had to offer. Watching wistfully as the blue sky deepened in hue to a mauve and peach pink gradient orange once the sun disappeared from Esthar's horizon, painting the city's eccentric lights an ambient violet hue. Squall gently nudged his girlfriend, informing her they should head to the hotel he booked for them. He had a surprise for both of them. The nunchaku specialist, one for surprises, was giddy and attempted to race him there, even though they both would be using the same mode of transportation to get there. He let her win because, in his opinion, they would both prove to be the true winners in the end.



The hotel had a grandiose front entrance which was humbled by the staff within that were hospitable and escorted them to their room. The worker bowed gracefully as they were brought to the top floor, a floor with a perfect view of both the city and Esthar's Ocean. Before opening the door, Squall reminded the shorter woman that he had a surprise chose then to add his hands over her eyes. Where the heel of his hands settled on her cheeks, he could feel her grin with excitement. With his hands preoccupied, Selphie had her hands free to press the key card against the door, hearing the satisfying beep, and then the mild gust of wind from it opening.



"Squall why won't you give me a hint?" Excitable as usual. The woman becoming antsy and full of anticipation.



Smiling, he responded, "If I did that, that would ruin the surprise." He allowed her to guide him further into the Deling City-inspired hotel room. Her delicate hands holding onto his wrists, waiting for the moment to pull them down. The lionhearted male asked the staff if he could arrange something special for his girlfriend. Explaining to them that they missed celebrating her birthday and their anniversary and she found it strenuous for her to do anything with their other friends. They offered Squall an arrangement of romantic options for him, including bouquets of flowers and confectionery items. He hand-selected an assortment of flowers in canary yellow, scarlet red, and porcelain white arranged in a thoughtful manner all around the perimeter of the table. On the table was a small cake that had the words Happy Birthday, Selphie with the candles 24 waiting to be lit.



Slowly removing his hands as he told Selphie to open her eyes. He admitted silently to himself that the squeal of excitement followed by unintelligible sounds that neither could articulate had her turn around in awe at Squall. Her pine green eyes welling up with emotion as she covered her mouth with both hands. Her cheeks pink before turning full-on red like the rest of her face.



He gave a weak smile at first before it broadened as he spoke, "I know it's late, but... Happy birthday Selph—!!" He couldn't finish his sentence, the shorter woman jumped into his arms and kissed him with tears of joy running down her face. He returned it in kind until she began fervently peppering kisses from his lips to all over his face. The laughter on his part didn't help. She pulled away, wiping at her waterline before saying, "I love it! I—I wasn't expecting any of this!" The woman shared sincerely, amazed by the attention to detail.



He reached for the lighter to ignite the candles for her and waited for her to make a wish. After calming herself down, she closed her eyes before blowing out her candles. The wistful expression caused Squall's heart to feel full, however, his surprise didn't end there. Before Tilmitt could even consider a slice of her birthday cake, he took hold of her hand and led her towards the bedroom. Pushing the door open, leading first he made sure his eyes were focused on her reaction.



Priceless could barely do the expression justice.



The room was large with all the aesthetics of Deling City everywhere. A King-sized bed with a soft duvet and multiple pillows at the ornate headboard. On the bed, itself was a gold dress laying neatly atop the blanket with heels, and jewelry adjacent to complement the attire. The shocked expression returned as she rushed over to the dress and grabbed it by the hanger, spinning around in excitement and then jumping in her last (or so she thought) wave of elation. Smirking knowingly, Squall knew that his next gift for her would probably put her



"Do you want your next surprise before or after dinner?" He asked, strategically having both hands behind his back. Selphie looked at the poor man as if he grew an additional head, flabbergasted.



"There's more?!" As if her ears deceived her, causing Squall to toss his head back and laugh.



"Yes, there's more—probably best to put the dress down." He advised gently. She put the dress down as she found it, smoothing it out before meeting Squall in the middle of the bedroom. Her face tinged pink from earlier, her eyes glossy and with her significant other's full attention. He smiled, taking her hand in his.



"There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not grateful to have you in my life, I think about you as often as I remember to breathe," He confessed, feeling his face start to heat up from the admission. Teasingly, Selphie commented "Cheesy." Crinkling her nose temporarily, but she didn't mean it negatively. Squall had come to learn how Selphie was a romantic that loved everything to do with romance, including the cheesier aspects of it. She personally just preferred the less showy aspects of it, which Squall appreciated. Selphie's beaming smile was all it took for him to continue. Sure, a few years can help shed some of the awkwardness of expressing his intimate thoughts, but he could still be reserved about it.



"Our conversations, or rather, whenever I would just vent to you and you would listen quietly to me... It solidified that I can just authentically share the rawer side of myself." He continued, taking her hand in his, interlocking their fingers together without a second thought.



"You asked me years ago, what do I want. What do I actually want? Well," He swallowed before continuing, "I want you." Before he could add more, Selphie's eyes began misting up, she sniffed softly.



"I'm already dating you, but I want much more than this," He knelt down before her, who covered her mouth with her free hand, another well of tears threatening to burst out. Squall couldn't help but feel good about her reaction. "So, Selphie Tilmitt, will you mar—"



The Commander couldn't even finish, he was tackled to the ground immediately. Selphie's lips found his in a heated, emotional kiss. Squall could feel the tears roll down her face onto his and trail down his neck. He held onto her as she held his face in her hands, as her lips slowly tried to let up, she dove in for repeated kisses, not showing any signs of ending them. He was enthralled by her enthusiasm, but he still had the velvet case with the ring in his hand. It needed to go on her finger eventually.



"S-Selphie, you didn't even let me finish." He said in-between kisses before Selphie sat back in his lap, realizing that her over-zealousness truly didn't allow him to finish.



"You already know my answer!" She shrieked as she bounced on top of his lap, ignoring how this position was compromising. Without a second thought, she stuck her left hand in front of him for her engagement ring.



"Do I?" He challenged coyly, earning an impatient look from Selphie as she lightly glared at him.



"Put the ring on my damn finger!" She wiggled, unknowingly sparking Squall's desire to pool in his lower abdomen. Chuckling, he popped the box open before trying to place the engagement band on her. It was a solitaire style ring with the Golden Beryl gemstone in an emerald cut, it was Selphie's favorite gemstone and the shade was also Selphie's favorite color, canary yellow. Her face couldn't hide the mesmerized, far-off look before it came back to the reality that there was a ring on her finger. She was going to be someone's wife, Squall Leonhart's specifically.



Afterward, she couldn't help but look at the ring in shock, sniffling because this day really happened. They were two weeks late missing her birthday, and five days late from celebrating their own anniversary, but they can celebrate all of that tonight. Hell, Squall wanted to celebrate much more than tonight if Selphie allowed it. He at least had dinner planned for the evening, anything else was up to the discretion of his fiancée now. The woman in question had quite the coquettish look.



"So, since you're my husband now," Oh, we're calling it like it is, huh? The arched brow, he tilted his head, while both of his elbows were trying to prop him up. A smirk came along with his next thought, I expect nothing less from my future wife.

Selphie couldn't resist waggling her eyebrows, as her voice deepened suggestively, "You going to show me the raw side of yourself tonight?"



The way his arousal pulsed underneath her didn't add to the crimson tint of his cheeks and down his neck. The straightforward nature of his future wife was something that could keep him on his toes, even if he should have expected it. Well, could not deny her an answer. "After dinner." That was all he said.



The slow smile that curled on her lips caused another pulse between them.