Treasure for All

18. Bell Peppers and Nail Polish

"Angel, are you sure?" San asked as he cupped Celestia's cheeks once Yeosang and Phoebe left the room.

She nodded slightly. "And in all honesty," she confessed, "I probably should have stayed on the ship in Italy. The ground we were walking on wasn't good for my back, and I was in pain after we boarded again."

San frowned with sad eyes. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"You were in worse shape than me, and I was too busy crying my eyes out over you."

A sigh left San's lips. He never meant to scare Celestia, but it was one of those things he had no control of. If he had known there would be arrows, he would have dodged it. Seeing his wife in tears broke his heart. It always felt like a punch in the stomach knowing he wasn't able to protect her from the cause of her tears, and if he was ever the reason, it destroyed him.

"Celestia," he whispered as their foreheads touched. "My angel, my wife, my best friend, mother of our daughter, my love, please don't ever not take care of yourself. You are one of the most loving and caring people I know, and that's one of the things I love about you; but if you're hurting in any way, shape, or form I want you to seek help or at least take care of yourself."

"I promise," she whispered with a nod before lying down next to her husband.

-

"A little more to the right, babe," Grace-Anne grimaced as Seonghwa carefully placed the ice pack on her shoulder. The impact of jumping over the stones had been hurting her shoulder, and Dahae was quick to provide her with an ice pack to ease the pain. She hated how cold it was, but it helped melt away any irritation she was feeling.

"Just leave that on for about thirty minutes," Seonghwa instructed as he gently rubbed Grace-Anne's back. "Are you hungy?"

"I'd kill for some bell peppers right now," she sighed as she lie down on her stomach.

Seonghwa got up from the bed, left the room, and then came back a few minutes later with a bowl of raw, cut up bell peppers.

"Aren't you a gentleman," Grace-Anne chuckled as she accepted the bowl and sat up to eat. "Thank you, baby."

"May I paint your toenails, too?"

Grace-Anne stared at her fiancé. Of course she loved being pampered by him, but this was a little sudden. Most of the time she was the one instigating he give her a massage or preparing a bath for her. Why was he doing this without her requesting it?

"Sure," was all she could get out. "Nail polish is in a purple box under the bed."

Seonghwa got down on his knees and pulled the said box out from Grace-Anne's side. He placed it gently on the bed before grabbing a towel from the bathroom. When he returned, he sat on the bed, placed the towel on the bed; and his fiancée set her foot on top of it. From the box, she handed him the base coat, a purple color, and a topcoat.

Grace-Anne was quiet as Seonghwa worked, allowing him to concentrate on delicately applying each coat. By the time he finished a second coat of color, she got bored with the silence.

"Why all of a sudden?" she asked.

"What?" he replied without looking up.

"The sudden pamper treatment. I haven't gotten this treatment from you in months."

Seonghwa lifted his head and met her eyes. "Am I not allowed to treat the one I love with a few hours of relaxation?"

"I mean," Grace-Anne shrugged, "we've been so busy with our travels and now the whole missing diamond situation that I've missed this."

Her soon-to-be husband finished the last coat before twisting the cap back on the bottle. He leaned in closer to her face before whispering. "You deserve to be treated like a queen, because you're my queen. I'm sorry if I ever ignore you or get caught up with my work. You know they're like brothers to me."

"But I'm the one who gets to steal your surname when we say 'I do,'" Grace-Anne chuckled.