Toxic

Toxic: Chapter #61 | Forever & A Day

Zach's Present

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I feel a smile spread across my face, unable to fight the way it stretches all the way from my left ear to my right ear, and I am unsurprised. After all, I have just realized what I get to write about next. I've been writing in my journal for days and now I see the burden I was carrying is already lighter. I've written the hard stuff and now I get to write about not only the happiest day of my life but about the day that I finally became one with My Sunflower.

Speaking of Giana, I look over at her and find myself tearing up at the memory of that day, at the memory of our wedding day. I say nothing as I watch her, noticing that she's once more consumed with reading her book. Right now, she is a vision with the sun shining on her auburn hair, bright red with orange streaks like fire glimmering in the sun's rays. I admire the darker pink of her lip that has been pulled between her teeth, a tick she has when she's concentrating really hard on something.

I'm mesmerized by the sparkle in her eyes when she reads something that intrigues her, and my eyes follow along with the occasional gesture she makes when she tucks her hair behind her ear every time it falls out of place. There is no beauty that can compare to the woman I am lucky enough to behold every day and there is no beauty that can compare to the woman I am blessed enough to call mine.

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Time has no meaning right now, and I don't know how long I watch her for, but it's long enough that she looks over at me in turn. Apparently, she has noticed my pause, having not heard my pen scrawling across the pages for a while. "Is everything all right, My Penguin?"

Blinking myself out of the haze of admiration, I clear my throat and wipe the stray tears away before nodding. "Yes. In fact, everything is better than all right."

A smile, both soft and sweet, is my reward for honesty, and I don't move as she sets her Kindle aside and makes her way over to me. "I hate seeing you cry but it is cathartic."

"That it is indeed," I say, nodding in agreement. I always used to hate crying, but I have learned over the past two or three years in particular just how cathartic it is to let the tears do as they must.

"What's next in the journal?" she asks, flicking her eyes towards the item, but then back to me. She's not once tried to read a single word or letter and that to me means quite a lot even though there is nothing in it that she doesn't already know and there's nothing in it that would make me not bare it for her to see.

I smile as I take her hand and gently press a kiss to the back of it, my eyes flicking up to meet her gaze. "Our wedding."

Her cheeks darken slightly but a sweet smile overtakes her face, brightening the room more than the sun could ever hope to. I know that she is thinking fondly back on that day just like I am, as is currently evidenced by her smile growing until she too is grinning ear to ear. "The happiest day of my life."

Gently tugging on her hand, I pull her closer to me, beaming beatifically as I guide her to settle on my lap. "Mine too."

She puts her hand on my cheek, and I mirror her. For a moment, neither of us says anything, simply admiring the one we love and basking in the love that is palpable around us. Then with a silent conversation lasting the briefest of seconds, we come together in a loving kiss full of passion.

As we kiss, I think back on every single time that I've kissed her. From our very first kiss at the waterfall to the kiss we are currently sharing. All of them, each and every single one of our kisses, always have been, always are and always will be phenomenally indescribable except to say they are perfect.