"I love you."
He says it like it's the only thing that matters, as if he could now die happy having said those words. His blue eyes are brilliant and intense – they match the sky, she thinks.
It calms her.
She stands on her tiptoes and kisses him, letting him know that she feels the same.
X-X-X-X-X
"I love you," he says when he passes her in the hallway, reaching out and squeezing her hand.
The words are a lifeline, and she grips them tightly in both fists.
She takes a breath and walks on to face Parliament. She's ready.
X-X-X-X-X
"I love you," he says as they stroll through the gardens.
She looks at him, still surprised at how easily he says it. He surveys the pink roses that decorate the lawn. He looks to her and smiles, and she can't help but notice how much younger he looks now that he's escaped his uncle's abusive grip.
She squeezes his hand, and he kisses her forehead.
She wants life to just be this way all the time.
X-X-X-X-X
"I love you."
It's past midnight, and he's brought her to the kitchen, making her a dessert.
She smiles and feels the sting of tears jump into her eyes. He's known how difficult it's been for her to sleep (she tries to tell him not to worry; after all, she is queen and crippling stress and anxiety is just part of the job; it doesn't matter – he worries anyways).
She slides off the countertop and makes her way over to him, pulling him into a hug. He smells like cinnamon and books and the stars, if stars could even have a smell. He returns her embrace, and she doesn't ever want to let go.
But she does.
He finishes making the dessert, transferring it to a plate. He presents the dish to her with a flare, stating in an embarrassing accent, "Dessert is served."
X-X-X-X-X
"I love you," he whispers.
The stars blink down at them, and he looks so at peace, so young, so happy.
She hardly ever sees him like this, she realizes.
And she'd give up everything she ever loved to see him this way all the time.
X-X-X-X-X
"I love you," he says on bended knee, holding a ring in his hand. He searches her eyes with his, and all he sees are tears.
She falls into his arms, holding him close. "Yes," she manages to gasp, and she feels him relax against her.
"Oh, thank God," he mutters, and she laughs. He slips the ring on her finger, and she kisses him.
"I love you," she says, resting her forehead against his.
It's her favorite one yet.
X-X-X-X-X
"I love you," he says as she flits about, stressing over their wedding. His words anchor her, and she silently thanks him.
She hates to see him leave, but he has his responsibilities, and she has hers.
X-X-X-X-X
"I love you," he whispers, his voice barely reaching her ears. He holds her hands in his, his eyes shimmering with tears. She's never seen him look so happy.
Her smile matches his, and she's glad that she chose him.
He promises to love, honor, and cherish her, and she knows that it's a promise he fully intends to keep. Already, even before their wedding, he's kept that promise, and she tries not to cry.
She slips the ring onto his finger, and it feels so right. When the priest announces them as man and wife, he takes a step forward and kisses her.
"I love you," he whispers, and she's the only one who hears him.
She kisses him again. "I love you, too."
This one, she thinks, is her favorite.
X-X-X-X-X
"I love you." His eyes don't move from the book he's reading, but she knows the words are directed to her. She rolls onto her side, and he reaches for her hand.
He stays up late to read, and she falls asleep, her hand in his. When he finally turns in for the night, he kisses her forehead and tells her again just how much he loves her.
As he turns off the lamp, she allows herself to smile.
X-X-X-X-X
"I love you."
The night is heavy, and clouds have covered the moon and the stars. She cries in his arms, and she knows he's trying to be strong for her, for both of them.
The emptiness in the room is haunting and the absence of her child's cries is terrifying. She can't look in the direction of the childless crib.
Those are the words he should have been saying to their first child.
She cries harder, and his arms tighten around her, and he's struggling to bear the burden of the world.
The weight has forced him to his knees, and he is still struggling to hold on, even though it's breaking him.
But she can't find the strength to thank him.
X-X-X-X-X
"I love you." His voice is broken and his eyes are tired. He's pushed on, taking care of everything while she laid in bed, mourning the loss of their son.
She looks at him, cracking under the pressure of life, and the hurt that greets her is almost more than she can bear. She presses her lips together, and he lies beside her, placing his head in her lap.
And he cries.
X-X-X-X-X
"I love you," he says. Some of the happiness has returned to his voice, and his eyes are smiling again, but she doesn't have to look hard to see the sadness that still lurks inside him.
The sun is shining, and he's managed to convince her to take a walk with him.
He's done so much for her, and he's holding himself together with tape and glue, she realizes. The cracks in his façade are becoming larger, and soon he won't be able to keep pushing on.
She stops in her tracks, and he turns, his eyes searching hers. She pulls him into her arms, and she cries into his shoulder for a moment.
He holds her tightly, and she can tell he's fighting tears.
"I love you," she sobs into his shirt, "so much."
He doesn't cry this time, but when he pulls away, she can see the brokenness he's been trying to hide.
She reaches out and takes his hand, giving it a squeeze. "We're going to get through this," she says.
X-X-X-X-X
"I love you."
She's pregnant – again – and this time, they're taking every precaution possible.
He's sitting with his feet on the coffee table, the newspaper in one hand and a cup of hot chocolate in the other.
She loves how he says it randomly, as if it's the most important thing in the world to him and he must say it at that moment.
She smiles.
His happiness is back, and so is his smile.
X-X-X-X-X
"I love you."
For the first time, the words aren't directed to her, but the child cradled in his arms. They've decided on the name Juliet, and she knows that their daughter will have him wrapped around her finger.
She smiles up at him, her arms aching to hold her daughter again. As if he can read her mind, he carefully transfers the baby to her. "And I love you," he says to her, and she has never been so proud to have married him.
X-X-X-X-X
"I love you." His voice is muffled into the pillow, and she's sure that he's going to fall asleep before she will, but he looks up, and his smile brings back his youthfulness.
She loves him more than any words can fathom.
She hears padded footsteps running towards them, and he smiles, rolling onto his back, preparing for the attack of their two children.
He gathers them into his arms, and she smiles.
"I love you, too." She knows he hears her, and that's all that's important.
X-X-X-X-X
"I love you," she says, placing a kiss on his forehead.
He's fallen asleep, their three-month-old daughter lying on his chest. He gently strokes her back, and his chest rises and falls with each breath.
And this, she knows for a fact, is her favorite "I love you" of all.