They made it to the outskirts of the city, where the smooth white concrete met a cluster of tall, looming trees. Smirking, Tally glanced sideways to David, who flashed her a crooked smile.
She chuckled, picking up the folds of her glittering violet dress, stepping down delicately from the ledge in her pain-making stilettos. David followed closely behind her, pushing aside stray branches as they walked together into the forest. He began to whistle a tune, and Tally smiled, enjoying the peacefulness of it all.
She stopped at a tree, impulsively kicking off her shoes and leaving them in a heap next to a cluster of tangled roots. David smiled as she let down her hair, letting it spill down her back in soft, sinuous waves. He shrugged off his sleek tuxedo jacket, hanging it neatly on a branch above her shoes, and she grinned, rolling her eyes.
Streams of moonlight peeked through the branches, lighting up the uneven path with a soft, subtle glow. They walked deeper into the woods, listening to the quiet crunch of leaves under their feet and the sound of David's cheerful whistling.
Tally sighed, breathing in the crisp, sweet-smelling forest air. She wrapped an arm around David's waist, and he pulled her closer to him. Smiling, she rested a head on her shoulder, closing her eyes and letting him lead the way.
He stopped at a small clearing, illuminated by the moonlight and the soft layer of dew that blanketed the grass. Tally opened her eyes and looked up at David, smiling in thanks. He smirked back down at her and ran a hand through her hair, breathing gently through his nose.
"You're beautiful," he whispered.
It was a cold night, but Tally felt warm in David's embrace. Every impulse to push him away dissolved in her chest, and she hugged him closer, feeling his slower heartbeat against her quicker one. She felt safe and secure in David's arms, despite her lethal abilities. She felt… normal.
David's fingers running through her hair was soothing, and for a second she forgot that she was Special and he was still Ugly. Right now, none of it seemed to matter.
She looked up and saw his slightly-big nose and the scar across his right eyebrow. She reached up to touch the scar, and he smiled crookedly down at her again. For the first time, Tally saw David – the boy who called her beautiful when she was Ugly and incredible when she was Pretty, and who didn't see her as Pretty or Special or famous, but just as Tally. She saw the man who was able to see past all of that, right into her heart.
She smiled, thinking it was about time for her to do the same.
"David," Tally whispered, looking into his refulgent gray eyes.
He looked back at her as if to say, I'm listening to anything you have to tell me.
"David," Tally repeated, a laugh layering her words harmoniously. "Do you still think I'm beautiful?"
He looked amazed for a second, then he smiled softly and brought his hand up to her face, caressing the flash tattoos on her forehead that were beating smoothly and steadily. Tally closed her eyes and leaned into his palm, breathing in his scent and warmth. He smelled like fresh laundry and smoke. Like home, Tally thought.
"Tally." David breathed, sending a chill tingling down her spine.
"You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."
She looked up.
"The most beautiful thing in my life."
The flash tattoos on her face beat faster, spinning wildly.
"The most beautiful thing in the world."
For a second, the tattoos stopped completely. She broke into the widest smile, her eyes twinkling, showing her sharp teeth that she knew looked just beautiful to David.
She closed her eyes as David's lips met hers, and through closed eyes, she saw his beauty just as he saw her.
Tally remembered the first time she kissed him, soft and sweet. This was like kissing for the first time all over again. She felt like a whole new person, thinking through the things she and David had been through.
He's all I've got, she realized.
David pulled away, breathing deeply. She smiled at his human flaw and leaned into his shoulder again.
"David," she whispered into his shirt. "I –"
She hesitated.
"I love you."
Suddenly, David backed away from her, his lips slightly parted. He sank to his knees, his head hanging.
Alarmed, her tattoos spinning, Tally fell on her knees next to him, soiling her glamorous dress.
"What, David?" she asked anxiously. "Did I say something wrong?"
He looked up and grasped both her hands tightly.
"No," he half-laughed. "You said something right."
He lifted one knee, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Marry me, Tally."
I haven't read this book series in a very long time, and just found this story I wrote from a few years ago. Sorry if the facts aren't 100% correct. (: I hope you enjoyed it anyway.
-Ellete