Bookworms | ✔

seventy-six

Like a curtain's call, this segment of his life slowly dissipated with the gentle wind, brushing past the joined hands of a husband and wife, of two lovers too immersed in each other's loving gazes to comprehend the bustling city behind them, the tale of a love that would last through infinity. 

Fiery, white, glimmering dots spanned the night canvas like a painter's swipe across a blank canvas, colors of a peaceful, busy city life seeping beneath the surface, a painting telling a small story. Buildings towered them, their shadows mingling with the brick walls as their footsteps gently followed the hum of others that walked past them. 

Her hand fit his perfectly, soft and comforting. He wondered if all this time his wife was merely a dream, a life he only imagined and would one day wake up to find it gone. Nicholas couldn't fathom the thought. 

The moonlight shined brightly, luminous with its strength, its pillar of continuity. Even when covered by clouds or disastrous weather, the moon still held its stance, held its ground. Sometimes people didn't see that silver lining nor did they understand the picture of complexity. 

"Nemo, look," breathed Dina, pointing at the tree before them. 

He followed her gaze, warmth filling him as he realized where they were. "The tree where you read to me," he said, voice soft, whimsical. 

Excited beyond belief, Dina dragged a chuckling Nicholas to the exact spot that their love first started to grow, when he first noticed her personality, when he first felt the familiar pull at his heartstrings, a melody he never wanted to forget, the tune that he remembered on nights like these. 

Dina's free hand touched the trunk of the tree, eyes twinkling like the stars, lucid with her bubbling excitement, her cheeky smile widening as she glanced back at him. 

Nicholas held his breath, losing his train of thought. He wished to picture the moment, frame it mentally. With the city's hues of colors outlining her silhouette, shadows flickering under the moon, and those dark, brown eyes that drove him crazy, she was as beautiful as the first night she read to him. 

Her lashes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly, heavy with every blink and eyes intense with every expression, lips rosy and graced by her mesmerizing smile, so full of life and youth, he lost himself. He couldn't take his eyes off her even if he tried. 

"Remember how sad you were that day?" she asked, biting her lip and adverting her gaze. "You didn't want to talk about it then, but I couldn't leave you. I don't know why."

Nicholas gripped her waist with his other hand, pulling her against his body, shock surprising Dina. Heart racing, the drumming followed his hearing, body heated with a desire to keep her in his arms forever, to never let go. 

He dipped his head down to her ear level, concealed by her hijab. "I've always known that we were meant to be, deep in my heart," he whispered. "You and I were destined by Allah, given a love so pure, so right, that all the darkness fades away." 

Dina's cheeks painted a ember, pink and budding with a shy blush. She hid her face in his chest, gripping his jacket in small fists, visibly embarrassed by his small declaration. 

Chuckling, he held her closer, resting his chin on the top of her head, gently swaying her body to ease the tremors of her overly active imagination and bashfulness. 

"Why must you be so embarrassing?" she mumbled, still hiding her face. 

He couldn't keep the smile off his lips as he answered. "Because I love teasing you."

Staring up at him, she pouted. "You're mean."

"And you're beautiful," he murmured, leaning closer. 

Instead of that playful spark that he usually saw, her eyes reflected the ardor and fear that coursed her vein, the same fear that haunted him. She also wondered if their love was a dream, a fantasy their minds conjured to keep their sanity in a world that lost its morals.

"You're perfect," he continued with a small smile. "Can you believe that meeting in the library and that night we spent under this tree would lead to us being married?" 

She shook her head, laughing to herself. "I would have called you crazy if you told me that back then."

"So would I."

"I'm glad you didn't run from me when I opened Percy Jackson," she said. "I'm glad you stayed."

Nicholas brushed his nose against hers. "Now, look who's being the sentimental one?" he teased. 

"Why must you ruin our cute moment?" 

"Because I can do something to top it all off."

"Oh?" 

"This," he said before capturing her lips in a gentle kiss. 

Under the dappled moonlight between naked branches, and the city that stayed awake around them, they shared a slow, passionate seal of love, lips as soft as petals, and eyes closed as they savored the moment. Neither were rushed, nor were they compelled to. Time may have left them, but their love never could.

Their love was everlasting through every trial, and with the will of Allah and His written path for them, Nicholas and Dina found each other, two lonely souls among endless pages of adventure and fantasy, bookworms relishing every story their hands touched. Allah protected their love, protected them. 

Without Allah, Nicholas and Dina were nothing. Without Allah, they wouldn't have had the circumstances to continuously cross paths again and again. 

Though Nicholas wasn't certain what the future stored for them, he was certain that Dina would stay. With his eyes closed, he saw the dream that became his reality.

----

My characters be so cute. Sorry for the wait, guys. This publishing this is really draining with final exams.

I'll be travelling soon (January), so I want to finish this book before then. Don't worry, I'll still write even on vacation XD

Basically, there's one chapter left, and an epilogue. I'm thinking of writing the next chapter tomorrow tbh.

Did you guys enjoy this book up to this point?

Don't forget to vote, comment, and follow!