Bibliophile - a person who collects or has a great love of books.
* * * *
Nicholas loves to read. It is his passion, his source of air, his world. He'd lose himself among the pages of an alternate reality. It is his daily routine, so getting a job...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Dina zipped the last bag of hers, sighing in relief at their last minute packing. Running through a mental checklist, she tried to remember whether or not she had any other unfinished tasks left before she did one of the biggest interviews of her career. A national disaster plagued the American lands, and she was the first to jump at the opportunity to capture every detail from the beginning.
"You ready in here?" asked a familiar, deep voice.
She turned to her husband with a smile. "All good here, but remind me again why you're coming with me?" she asked him, light-heartedly even though she knew exactly why. Her Nemo could be so predictable.
"Because there is no way in hell that I'm letting you go to a dangerous neighborhood on your own."
Dina scoffed. "You're so overprotective."
His blue eyes glimmered like the reflection of an ocean's gaze. Walking up to her, he pinched her cheeks, hearing Dina whine her frustrations. "Maybe if you weren't so reckless all the time, I wouldn't have to be like this," he said as he let her go.
Dina rubbed her cheek, scowling. "You're such a bully, Nemo!"
"No, I'm your husband. There's a difference."
"You mean a jerk."
He waved her off, grabbing her luggage along with his. "We've got to drop off the kids. You can hate me later."
As much as she hated to admit it, her husband was right. After so many years, the still kept their timeless bond alive, kept the spark in their marriage, and the light in their eyes. Though Nicholas tended to be much more aware of her careless behavior, it only made Dina feel more secure.
It was how she knew that she truly found the perfect man for herself, someone who could match her personality equally.
* * * *
The two young Muller children stared at the chestnut door to a house that towered over them, eyes widening at fear that grasped them, the horror of being separated from their parents for a full week, time they've never spent apart. The situation was dire, and even the clouds bonded together to storm their disappointment
Naira tugged at her brother's sleeves. "Do you think he'll be weird again?" she whispered.
"He definitely will."
Dina and Nicholas climbed up the steps with the kids' bags full of their favorite games, toys, picture books, and extra study materials. Nicholas dragged a luggage full of clothes for the two troublemakers, setting it on the front porch of his brother-in-law's home.
Nicholas noticed the nervous expression on his children's faces, the timid gaze and their pouting lips.
They were scared.
Sighing, he bent down to their level, raising a brow at both. "If I remember correctly, this set of Muller siblings never look this nervous," he said, half-jokingly. "What's bothering you?"
