Author's Notes

I know it was time for the ending of my Kissing Booth sequel, but I'll explain about that at the bottom! Plus, THIRD PERSON AND PAST TENSE? There's something wrong here!

This may also be the first time I am warning my audience beforehand that the story is rated T for a reason. I probably should have done that for A Mutual Feeling, but I didn't think of it back then.

This is not as lighthearted as my usual pieces, but it's not like anyone dies or anything. :p

What I Love About You

Florina didn't understand her husband at all...

He was the one who asked her to be his wife, and yet he couldn't think of a reason why he loved her?

Today was the annual day that everyone from the war got together to reminisce and catch up, and somebody decided to play a certain game with all of the married couples; each person had to tell the entire group the thing they loved the most about their spouse. There were a variety of answers... some heartfelt:

"There is no other man who has ever been so concerned about my well-being..."

"I've never seen such deep blue eyes... that was what first attracted me to her."

Some... not as much:

"He's never flirted with another woman ever since he proposed to me..."

"I could never... and still can't... stop staring at her chest! (OUCH! That hurt!) But after a year of marriage, I've never met a woman with so much determination..."

Finally, it was Florina and Hector's turn. Florina looked happy, while Hector looked annoyed. Florina spoke first:

"He may seem like a brute, but he is always so gentle with me, treating me so delicately..."

This earned a slight chuckle from Sain, which caused his wife to slap him a second time, but she grinned the whole time. After the short interruption was resolved, Florina looked expectantly at Hector, and she smiled graciously as she waited for his answer as to what he loved most about her.

But unfortunately for her, it never came.

"I... cannot say."

Florina could feel the colour draining from her face while the rest of the group goaded Hector for an answer. It was unfathomable to her as to why her husband could not say why he loved her...

And it was the first time that she ever felt inadequate as his wife.

Now, the evening had ended, and the two of them sat on a bench as they waited for their carriage to arrive and take them back to Castle Ostia. Hector didn't say a word, and Florina continuously asked herself what was wrong with her and why her husband no longer loved her.

"Florina, I'm sorry about tonight, but..."

"Sorry? That's all you can say?" Florina squeaked as tears threatened to fall down her face. "I just don't understand... why you don't love me anymore..."

"WHO SAID I DIDN'T LOVE YOU!" Hector shouted, and Florina jumped sideways on the bench in fear at her husband's sudden outburst. Hector would never do anything to hurt her; Florina had complete trust in that; but his occasional shouting and loud personality still scared her sometimes, and Hector noticed this, for his face immediately softened and he cautiously wrapped his arm around his trembling wife before quietly continuing, "Florina, I love you. That will never change."

She jumped slightly at his touch. "But... then why couldn't you..."

"I couldn't say... in front of all those people." Hector said while he lowered his voice somewhat. "I would be a laughing stock."

It was unknown to Florina what the answer would be that he couldn't even mention it to his colleagues, or even his best friend, Eliwood. But she really needed to hear it for herself right then and there. "Well, Hector, tell me then, please..."

Hector looked around him to make sure nobody was around before he began speaking: "Florina, ever since I married you, I've discovered that I love... that you trust me so much, and want to be close to me."

Florina raised an eyebrow, waiting for more clarification from him until he complied: "Even when we married, you were still scared of me... and yet, you pushed through that fear. You said to me on our wedding night, 'I'm still afraid of you... but husband and wife must always be close to each other, and fulfill each other duties for each other.' I was completely taken aback by that statement and your actions that night. During the consummation, I could see the fear in your eyes... and yet you went through with it, constantly reassuring me that there was no other man you loved more than me."

Those startling words had made Florina sit simply wide-eyed as Hector continued his confession: "I had told myself months before the marriage I was never going to force you to do anything, no matter how many years went by; I didn't want to scare you. But you did it anyway. And that was just the beginning. Even now, after a year of marriage, you are still scared whenever I am too close to you. I can see you trembling as my arm's around you!"

She noticed that she was indeed still trembling, but as he started to pull his hand away, she pulled it back and kept it there. "But you wanted to conquer your fear of me, so every day you cuddled in my lap for ten minutes after dinner, hoping that you could be comfortable around my presence. And strangely... those ten minutes are one of the things I actually look forward to every day. Sheech, my status as a man is almost gone now..." he groaned, rubbing his forehead in shame. "My family was never touchy-feely, but you seem to have changed me..."

It was understandable why Hector did not want to tell anybody about this; his pride would not allow it. But now that Florina heard the truth from his own mouth, completely sincere from the lack of onlookers, she began to cry in his arms, happy that her husband still loved her. This conversation was exactly what she needed, and she lightly planted a kiss on her husband's lips to show her appreciation for his honesty.

"So, Florina, if anyone says that I don't love you, tell them they don't know what they're talking about."

Yes, Florina certainly didn't understand her husband at all... but she knew that he loved her.

That may now the thing that she loved the most about him.

THE END

Author's Notes

Holy crap. I've noticed lately that I'm becoming a... I don't want to say "dirtier" writer, but I think you know what I mean. I believe I pulled it off graciously though. I'm not even embarrassed this time.

The whole flashback was unintentionally past tense orientated, so I decided to tough it out and stick with it throughout the entire story. The first couple was Eliwood and Ninian, and the second one was Sain and an anonymous wife I'll write a story for one day, but not anytime soon. I have too many other writing projects to write first.

So, why did I write this instead of the end of the Kissing Booth sequel? Well, I'm close to halfway done writing the final chapter of that story, but this randomly popped into my head this afternoon, (to be specific, the beginning, the end, and one or two details in-between like most of my stories) and I wanted to write it before I forgot. Hope the quality is good. The rest of Guy and Serra's escapades will be hopefully posted within a week!

I worry about OOC-ness again, mainly with Hector. But I am still happy with the story. My only complaint is the dialogue; there's too much of it. Writing in third person AND past tense? That's my recipe to avoid setting as much as possible. :p

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