A/N: Okay, so this is a sequel to 'So Cold By Fire'. Second in Fire Trilogy. The third story to complete this trilogy is 'Beginning Sparks'. Yes, I know that one came out first, but just hear me out, alright? Okay, Emily's POV, one-shot, tells what happens between the two. Might be a little OOC, fair warning.
"I still can't believe you came for me," I say earnestly to Jayden as we walk out the back door, the sun shining in my eyes. The screen bangs behind us, the crisscross of the wires cutting the kitchen lights into small squares.
We had just had dinner with my family and now we were on our way to the babbling brook. Where we could just talk and think and be. Probably one of my favorite places in the entire farm. I had showed it Jayden the second day of his stay here. Not even Serena knew how much that place means to me. Only him.
Jayden had been here for close to two weeks now. I'm still not sure what our plan is, but for right now it's just to live and breathe and spend it together. After all his time here, we had never really talked about what was coming in our future and now I was bringing it up. Not that it mattered, as long as we were together, but I just want to know-for how much longer?
Jayden intertwines his fingers with mine as we step off the back porch wooden steps and onto the soft green grass, swaying slightly in the evening breeze. He doesn't say anything, just smiles gently as we make our way past the stables and shed, darkened silhouettes in the fading sun. It was still light, but becoming darker by the minute as the world is preparing for the next day, not knowing how many important things happen at the time they're all ready to leave behind.
"I would do anything for you, Emily. You know that. Or do I have to remind you again?" He leans down to snatch another kiss from me, his lips pressing onto mine. I lean into it for a minute, closing my eyes and savoring the perfection of it but then giggle and gently push him away. He looks at me, mockingly offended, but smiles.
"I know. And I would for you too. But after I broke up with you," my stomach clenches at the thought. Even though it's all resolved and nice and pretty, I still feel awful about it. Have nightmares, even. That's how bad it was for me. That's how much it killed me as well. "Didn't you just want to forget about me? Don't get me wrong, I' m happy, but what did I ever do to deserve someone like you?"
He doesn't answer for a minute as we continue to walk through the plains of grass. The sun is sinking down beneath the horizon. We have a perfect view of the last little sliver of it. The colors above it are lavender, light pink mixed with cream, a strip of white separating the two, gold splashed in there, all different shades of blue above it.
It's beautiful.
It's us.
"Emily, it's more like what did I do to deserve you? I know you don't see the yourself for what you really are, even with me, but I can see it. And everyone else can too." I feel myself blush as we reach the brook. Even after everything, he still sees me as his version of perfection.
The splashes of the water droplets are the only sound between us. The water is running over the stones, creating ripples in the otherwise smooth water. It's disorienting the reflection of the sunset, showing only the mixture of colors and not the sphere of light.
Like in life. Like how everyone always sees you, just your physical appearance. Not the real you. Not the you inside yourself. Just your looks. Not the real you.
"Thank you, Jayden," I whisper. We sit down on the ledge of rocks on the bank of the water and I lean my head on his shoulder. His rests his head atop of mine. The gesture is comforting, safe, and reminds me of warm firelight. Dark nights. Dried tears.
Jayden moves closer to me. "You have no idea of how long I've wanted to do this," he whispers softly. His breath is warm on my face. He is so close I can count the faded freckles on his face. I feel the scars and calluses from many years of hard work and determination on his hand. I feel so much strength coming from him. But at the same time his touch is tender, gentle. It's amazing.
He slowly leans his head towards me. I have a feeling of what he's going to do next but I don't believe it. It seems too good to be true. It seems like a dream, that I'll wake up at the best moment, that if I move, he'll disappear.
"Probably not as long I've wanted to do it," I say, breathless. He just smiles and closes the small gap between us with his lips.
My heart stops beating when he kisses me. I close my eyes, seeing the last picture of today in my mind before I fall asleep. The picture of me and him, kissing before the firelight, in the warmth of the flames and each other in the obsidian night.
"Remember our first kiss?" I ask, feeling strangely sentimental. I feel his head nod, knowing he, too, is reminiscing the night we really knew how the other felt. The night I truly started living.
"Yeah," he sighs happily. I smile, watching the sun take its last look at today before vanishing into tomorrow.
"Emily?"
"Hmm?" I ask, still entranced by the sunset. The memories of this night, the night we danced, the night we were truly alive are all flowing into the sunset, the words turned into colors, the pictures faded to patterns.
"I have a question for you and I want you to answer honestly." That catches my attention. I perk up, lifting my head from his shoulder to look at him in the evening shadows.
"Oh?" I ask, intrigued. He chuckles softly.
"I thought that might catch your attention."
"What is it, Jayden?" In the sudden darkness, I can barely make out his expression of amusement.
"Well…" he pauses. "It seems I've forgotten it."
"Oh come on Jayden, what is it?" I demand to know but not stopping the smile spreading across my face. My suspiciousens are aroused at his question.
"Hmmm, let's see if I remember it…nope, it's not coming back," he teases me.
"Oh come on Jayden! That's not fair!"
"On the contrary, I think it's very fair," he grins, his teeth making their way in the night. The lantern of the nearby shed automatically clicks on as the hour chimes. For all it's worth, al the light does is make me be able to see his lightened face. It casts our shadows from the rock over the water and grass, elongating them.
"Please, Jayden? You can't just tell me you have a question for me and then not tell me," I pout. He laughs lightly as I cross my arms and lean away to get a better view of his face.
"Jayden, tell me," I whine, nudging him gently. He puts a finger to his chin, pretending to think about my pleas. I roll his eyes at his stubbornness.
"Aha! It seems I've remembered," he cries out softly, the look on his face triumphant. I raise my eyebrows at him expectantly, a knowing smile making its way on my face. He pauses a second more before getting up, confusing me. I remain sitting, unsure of what he's thinking.
His back is to me as he looks out into the horizon, as the last of the sun disappears behind the earth. The water rushes at his feet, swirling patterns in the bubbles.
Patterns of nature.
This is what we fought for. This is what we risked it all for. This is home.
"Emily, you know how much you mean to me, right?" His voice carries to me on the wind. I nod, a smile tugging at my lips. He means everything to me too.
"You know I love you. How I would go through anything for you. How…" he suddenly turns back to face me, his face serious. His hair is ruffled in the slight breeze that has picked up. It blows my hair around my faces as well, strands getting in the way of me seeing his face. I brush them away with my hand, still intent on Jayden and what he will say next.
"How I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
My heart stops for a moment at the look on his face. My breath catches. Is he saying what I think he's saying…?
"Emily…" he kneels down in front of me, the light marking particular shadows on his face. The face that I've loved for so long. The face that I secretly wished would always be mine. The face that was saying the sweetest words ever.
"Will you marry me?"
Everything slows down, then stops. The water stops rushing, the wind stops blowing, the light stops flickering. There's silence after he says those words. Those beautiful, beautiful words.
I can't think. I can only stare at him as that sentence echoes throughout my brain.
Will you marry me?
Marry me.
"Oh Jayden…" I whisper, my face breaking into the biggest smile ever. The biggest smile anyone has ever seen, ever had. The smile that feels like it's going to snap your cheekbones and it hurts but feels so good at the same time. The smile that fills you with incomparable happiness.
"Yes! A thousand times yes!" I throw my arms around him, everything that had been in slow motion before now speeding up twice as fast. His laugh is loud in the quietness of night.
He pulls me down to lie on the bank beside him. I feel this warm feeling spreading through me. This hot joy. This indescribable emotion flowing through my veins, my heart.
"You had me worried for a minute there," he whispers into my hair. I let a small laugh escape from my lips.
"I'm sorry, it's just…that's everything I've ever wanted. And when you offered that…it just made my world complete."
"I'm glad you feel that way. Because you are my world." I feel myself melt inside and snuggle closer to him, his arm around me, my head resting on his chest.
"I still haven't given you an engagement ring yet," he says as an afterthought after a few minutes of silence. I shake my head.
"That's not necessary Jayden. Just the fact that we'll be together is enough." I've never had anyone love me as deeply as this so as to freak out over a simple materialistic possession is not really my priority right now. I don't want to let him go. I don't want him to leave me.
"Well it's a god thing that I got you one anyway," he grins. I lean up on one arm to look him in the face as a smile makes its way across it.
"You did not! Did you?" I ask, not believing this is happening to me. That it's like the best of dreams, the best of times. That this isn't my imagination.
"Of course. "Jayden reaches into his pocket and fishes for something before coming up with a small black box in his hand. I stare at it, still not comprehending that this is happening to me. Me.
"Jayden…" I trail off as he opens the box. Inside is a ring.
The rest of my life.
It's silver, for starters. It has a dazzling topaz in the middle. On either sides of it are diamonds, sparkling even in the darkness. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
Jayden slips it on my finger and it feels comforting the second it's on. It fits like it's made for me and the feeling…the feeling is the greatest in the world.
It's the feeling of coming home.
"It's lovely," I breathe, turning my hand this way and that to admire it at different angles. I lay back down next to Jayden, marveling at how lucky I am. The diamonds on the ring rival the light of the many stars in the sky above us, or the glow of my happiness.
"A lovely ring for a lovely girl," Jayden murmurs. I giggle softly. The stars are twinkling down on us on a backdrop of velvet sky. There is a warm breeze blowing past us, carrying on to the rest of the world. It's sweet, it's slight, it's perfect.
The waves of the water babble at our feet, the crickets starting to come out. There is light from the house but it's far behind us, barely making to where we lie. The lantern is better, but it still is unable to bring as much light as this event has brought to me.
"So this is the official beginning of us?" Jayden asks quietly. I smile.
"No." I glance at him as he looks at me curiously then turn my head back towards the darkened sky.
"It's the beginning of the rest of our lives."
THE END
A/N: Read the sequel and final installment of the Fire Trilogy, 'Beginning Sparks'! Thanks guys!