"I want to live with you forever."
Nya looks up at the sky as she speaks, her eyes glistening in the darkness. The starlight reflects off of her beautiful raven hair like a halo around her head. She is gazing into space when Jay appears beside her, his face close enough for him to feel her breath on his cheek. He's been staring at the same point in space as well, but he can see something different about what lays beyond it than she does.
"You know," says Jay softly, his voice low and barely audible over the sound of wind rustling through leaves overhead, "there was once an old legend told by our ancestors, that there exists somewhere out among the stars another world where two lovers could be together without being separated again."
Again.
The word rattles around her brain like a painful reminder of all the times they were forced apart. She pushes the memories away and keeps staring at the stars.
"Land? Like another planet?"
"Or a portal to another realm."
He turns slightly toward Nya and smiles warmly down at her. Her cheeks flush pink from embarrassment as she blushes and tries not to look directly at him. Instead, she keeps her gaze fixed firmly upon the night sky above them. Despite her efforts, she knows that he has seen right through her attempt to avoid looking at him.
Their gazes meet anyway, locked together until one or the other breaks first. They both freeze as they realize this fact, neither able to move or speak before the silence becomes too awkward. Jay reaches out and takes hold of her hand, his elemental power brushing against hers like a gentle, trembling warmth.
They stand silently holding hands while they watch the constellations drift across the sky above them, searching for any sign of the mythical land described by the ancient legends. Jay pulls Nya closer to himself and wraps his arms tightly around her waist. With gentle strokes of his fingers along her back, he tells her how much he loves her, just as he always has since the first time he said those three words.
She feels safe within his embrace, but that pesky, unresolved trauma part of her wonders if he truly means everything he says. She forces herself to believe that he does. Even when she faltered, he never stopped caring for her. His grandiose, over the top, head over heels, hopeless romanticism isn't an act, it's just who he is.
She hesitates momentarily before leaning forward to kiss him, unsure whether or not she should take advantage of such an opportunity. In the end however, curiosity wins out and she leans forward, placing a soft kiss on his lips. As soon as their lips touch, she feels a jolt of his elemental power spiking in resonance with hers.
The stars shine brightly on them as their tongues entwine in a passionate dance. Soon after they break apart they turn to face each other fully and smile. There is no trace of uncertainty left in either of them anymore. No longer do they need to hide anything from one another. Tonight, finally, they've reached the conclusion that every couple hopes for. A happy ending to a story which began long ago.
