Chapter 1 – The Gifts of Love

I ran down the school's hallway, looking for him. Then I saw him. Darren Night.

"Darling!" I jumped onto his back and kissed him on the cheek lightly. He banged into the locker from the sudden weight thrown onto him.

"Ouch!" Darren rubbed his forehead, which came into contact with the locker hard. "Angel, gosh, do you have to do that all the time?" He said in a little irritated tone. All the students in the hallway paid us no attention as this happened very often. Darren and Angelina – the closest couple in Heathrow Academy. I slid off his back and landed on my favourite white and blue striped flats.

"You do remember today is a special day, right?" I smiled brightly up at him, looking earnestly into his eyes. I have been Darren's girlfriend for 2 years and today is our anniversary. He is half a head taller than me with tanned skin and messy, golden hair. He wore a plain black shirt and faded blue jeans. Basically, Darren was the most handsome boy in school – well, in my eyes.

"Of course I remember, how can I have forgotten?" He locked his locker and threw his sling bag over his shoulder. "I have something to show you at my house. Also, Emma wants you to try her new dish." He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the school building. His house wasn't far from school, only a 10 minute walk. We held hands as we walk, with me smiling like an idiot the whole way. We reached his house soon and entered through the gate. Royale, the family's dog, ran up to me as soon as he picked up my scent.

"Aww," I bent down and pat the golden retriever's head. "I bet Royale has been a good boy so far, right? Miss me don't chya?" He barked at me and wagged his tail happily. "I'll take that as a yes." I took off my shoes and left them neatly at the doorstep. Emma, one of Darren's servants, came up to greet us as soon as we stepped into the house.

"Welcome, Miss Angelina. Welcome home, Young Master," Emma bowed courteously. She was a sweet old woman in her 70s who has looked after Darren since he was born. "Would you like to have lunch at the dining room now?" She asked both of us. Darren nodded and walked to the dining room with me following behind him.

"So what's the surprise menu?" I asked Darren. Emma has already hurried to walk past us to the kitchen to serve the food.

"Emma has been working on this baked fish or something the past few days. She is really looking forward to your opinions on it," Darren replied. He pulled out the chair at the dining table, allowing me to seat. He sat opposite me at the glass table. A servant came to serve our food immediately. The servant was accompanied by Emma by her side. Emma lifted the cover of the plate that was in front of me.

"Baked Fish in cream sauce," she introduced it to me excitedly. "Enjoy your meal!"

Darren started to dig in, putting a forkful of fish into his mouth. He licked his lips in appreciation. I looked at my plate. Fish fillet with some kind of sauce over it, looking like melted cheese. I took a bite of it. It tasted heavenly.

"Mmhhh, it's really good!" I said to Emma. She smiled, "That's great, eat more than!" She excused herself and went to the kitchen. I could hear her squeals of excitement from the kitchen. I giggled. She was really a simple woman, as long as I liked her dish, she is filled with happiness. When both of us finished our meal, Darren led me up to his bedroom. His bedroom walls were the colour of Jewel Blue, the same colour as my room. He threw his sling bag on his bed and went to the window ledge. The curtains were drawn, however, leaving a few rays of sunlight to enter his dark room. The few rays of sunlight dawned upon a single flower in a pot that stood at the window ledge. Darren stood beside the flower, gazing down on it. The light made the white flower glow in the dark room, making the flower seem like the ray of hope when life is filled with darkness.

"It is a white iris flower, your favourite. Beautiful, isn't it?" Darren lifted the pot up and placed it in my hands. A smile illuminated my face as I gazed upon the beautiful white iris. "It is for you."

"Really?" I smiled sheepishly. "Such a beauty."

"You are just as beautiful as this iris," Darren whispered, his lips brushing against my ears so softly. I placed the flower on his bedside table and allowed him to pull me into his warm embrace. "You are so beautiful." He placed one hand around my waist, the other hand caressing my face. It made me feel feminine, small and delicate in his arms. He slowly leaned down and put his lips on mine. His soft lips sent a warm tingly feeling throughout my whole body, making me feel weak all of a sudden. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers tickling the hair at the back of his neck. His hair felt soft under my fingers. He broke the kiss soon and a wave of disappointment hit me.

"Angel, I have a small gift for you," he reached into his back pocket and took out something. He opened his clenched fist and revealed a shiny necklace. I gasped. "I bought this using the money I have earned myself, not the money from my parents." He held the necklace up for me to see. There was a heart inside of a circle, studded in diamonds. Darren gently tugged at the necklace and the circle opened up. He took the heart out of the circle and I realized it was two necklaces. One chain connected to the heart, the other to the circle.

"The circle necklace is mine and this heart necklace is yours. If there is a day we get separated, we can find each other again," he unhooked the heart necklace and place in around my neck. I gathered all my hair to one side so he could hook it on easily. The heart necklace felt cold against my bare skin.

"Thank you, Darling," I flashed my brightest smile. I took the circle necklace that is in his hands and helped to put it around his neck. The silver circle was a contrast to his black shirt, making it really obvious to people even when seen from far.

"Can you promise me forever and always?" I asked, looking into his sapphire blue eyes. His eyes were like endless depths of water which I always find myself swimming in. He took both my hands in his and looked me in the eye seriously.

"Yes, I promise you. Forever and Always."

I smiled as he leaned down to give me another kiss. This kiss sealed my happiness forever. I'll never forget this moment.