"Hey Kazume can I talk to you for a sec?"
Kazume looked up from her breakfast at her best friend, who was wearing a sceptical expression.
"Uh…sure Megumi, what's up?"
Megumi leaned her elbows on the table and linked her fingers together. "Do you have romantic feelings for Arimon?"
The redhead choked on her cereal. "WHAT?"
Her friend shrugged. "Well, you're a girl, he's a guy and you guys are becoming really close lately. I mean you do everything together!"
Kazume stared. "Well yeah…because we're friends."
Megumi face-palmed. "You really don't see it do you? Just how inseparable you two are. I feel like I'm being replaced as a best friend."
Kazume shook her hands in denial. "Of course not! I'm not replacing you at all!" She sighed. "But it's true, I have been spending quite a lot of time around him lately haven't I?"
Her friend nodded. "Exactly, which is why I'm asking if you like him. You seem happiest and more like yourself when you're around him anyway."
Kazume frowned and averted her gaze downwards. "I do care about Arimon, in more ways than one. But I don't think I'm ready to go down that road yet. I've never been in a relationship before, and I'm not sure I want my first experience to be with Arimon…he seems great as a friend for now."
Eve as she spoke, Megumi could detect a hinge of doubt behind Kazume's words. She could understand how she would be hesitant to become close to a man on an intimate level. Her own father had abandoned her. The only man she'd really known her whole life was a creepy old man that kept orphan girls all to himself. 'Creepy old paedophile.' And then when she had met Arimon, he had left a terrible first impression on her, respect for men lowering even further inside Kazume's mind. So even though the two had become close friends, Megumi could sense the fear that her friend felt at the possibility of romance.
"Megumi? Are you ok?"
Megumi's mind snapped back to reality. "Huh? Oh yeah…fine, just fazed out for a minute."
Kazume giggled. "Are you sure you're not the one with a boy on your mind?"
Megumi gawked at her. "What the hell makes you think that? I don't have anyone on my mind! Where did that even COME from?"
Kazume giggled even harder. "Aw come on Megumi! You know I'm just having a go at ya!"
Megumi mock-glared at her. "You can be so cruel, there's nothing innocent about you… its all just one big façade."
Kazume smiled innocently. "Guess you just know me too well."
The fun, relaxed mood was interrupted by Kazume's phone. The redhead reached over and picked it up. She looked at the callers' name 'Arimon' Quickly pressing answer; she pulled it up to her ear.
"Hi Arimon!"
…
"WHAT?"
…
"Ok! We're on our way now!"
She hung up and looked with desperation at Megumi. "We need to head over to the hospital right now!"
Megumi looked at her friend worried. "Why? What's going on?"
"It's Keiichi! He's been in an accident!"
Megumi stared in shock for a moment before jumping to her feet. "Well let's go then!"
The two girls wasted no time as they raced out the door and towards Kazume's bike. They jumped on the bike and Kazume turned on the engine and took off towards their destination.
Arimon sat patiently on a chair in an empty waiting room. His face seemed blank as he stared at the ground, but his eyes swirled with concern and fear. Belldandy was leaning on him, her face buried in his chest as she quietly sobbed. With an arm wrapped around her, he squeezed her shoulder gently in silent comfort. He could think of no words to console his distraught cousin. The love of her life was currently fighting for his life, a fatal accident caused by some sort of cruel twist of fate.
Keiichi had been riding home after another typical day at the university. He had called his girlfriend, telling her he was on his way home. Belldandy had happily told him she was looking forward to seeing him, and that she would have supper waiting for him. But Keiichi never made it home. He had obediently waited for the red light to change at an intersection. He took off the moment it turned green, but as he crossed the middle, he didn't see the out of control truck hurtling towards him.
Arimon clenched his fist. The truck driver, who had been completely drunk, was completely unscathed by the accident. While Keiichi, a completely innocent victim, was lying somewhere in the emergency room, his life hanging by a thread.
"Arimon!"
He whipped his head to the side to see Kazume and Megumi running through the entrance. The former ran and sat directly next to him, reaching over and gripping his sleeve in fear. This gesture did not go unnoticed by her best friend.
Kazume leaned forward. "How is he? Is Keiichi ok?"
Arimon frowned. "We don't know… there's been no word yet."
She let go of his arm and faced herself forward, her body slouching. "This isn't fair. Just when life was making a good turn around too."
Kazume suddenly remembered her best friend, and looked up to see her staring emotionless at the large Emergency Doors. How could she have forgotten? This was Megumi's brother! Goodness knows how she could be feeling.
"M…Megumi?"
The brunette didn't respond, just kept her blank gaze ahead of her as if expecting her brother to walk out any second. Kazume stared worriedly at her, sensing her friends denial. Keiichi was her only sibling and Kazume was well aware of how lonely life can be being an only child.
A hand on Kazume's shoulder forced her to look away from her best friend and into compassionate amethyst eyes.
Arimon smiled comfortingly at her. "Leave her be, for now all we can do is wait."
Kazume sighed sadly and leaned her head on his shoulder. He reached over to gently grip her hand, leaning his head on hers.
Megumi couldn't move, let alone register anything around her. All she could think about was her brother, the one constant family in her life that had always been there for her. And now he was lying on a table somewhere, possibly dying for all she knew. She vaguely heard Kazume calling her name, but couldn't bring herself to answer or even look at her or any of the others. But at the corner of her eye, she could see her best friend leaning her head contently on Arimon's shoulder who in turn had rested his on hers, their hands loosely clasped together. Even with the situation at hand, Megumi began betting inside her mind, wondering when those two would admit they liked each other.
Suddenly the large double doors opened and a doctor emerged. He looked around the waiting room before announcing loudly. "Who is here for Keiichi Morisato?"
Megumi's eyes widened and she dashed forward, Belldandy following closely behind. Arimon and Kazume stood up, but had stayed back to let the two most important people in Keiichi's life go. Kazume watched nervously as the doctor motioned to something on his chart, shaking his head but then nodding. This confused her until Belldandy started bawling and Megumi's shoulders slumped in what seemed to be relief. For the first time since they arrived, Megumi turned and looked at her best friend, giving her a shaky smile and a thumbs-up.
Kazume let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Phew, seems like he'll be alright."
Arimon, who was standing next to her, smiled. "He really is a lucky guy isn't he?"
She nodded, whilst watching Megumi comfort the crying goddess. "He really is."
Megumi turned around and beckoned to them, indicating they could go in to see Keiichi. The small group made their way down the hall until they reached a certain door on the left. When they walked in, they found Keiichi lying unconscious on the bed with a mask over his face to help him breath. But other than that, he seemed to be sleeping peacefully.
Belldandy let out a cry seeing her boyfriend in such a fragile state. She walked over, sat by his bed and held his hand. Tears flowed down her face as she whispered Keiichi's name, over and over. Megumi sat on the other side holding his other hand, but was much more calmer than the girl opposite her. Kazume could feel her heart breaking, Keiichi looked so weak and helpless. She was so used to seeing him in such high spirits while riding his motorcycle and showing his affection to Belldandy. Tearing her eyes away from the scene, Kazume turned on her heel and fled from the room.
Arimon was startled when the redhead next to him suddenly took off. Feeling concerned, he followed her, leaving the other two girls alone with Keiichi. They needed a moment with him anyway. He strode down the corridor, looking left and right for Kazume. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted a lone figure sitting in a dark corner of an abandoned patient room. Kazume was sitting in an all too familiar position, hugging her knees tightly to herself with her face buried in them. As he slowly approached her, he could hear the faint sound of her soft crying. He bent down and placed a gentle hand on her knee. The girl jumped a little, startled by the sudden contact but upon looking up, calmed down when seeing it was only Arimon.
He felt his chest sting seeing her cry. "Kazume…he's ok. He's over the worst."
She shook her head. "It's not that. I just…this reminded me of my father. One time when I was little, he had a sudden heart attack. I was only three at the time, so naturally I was scared for him. I was terrified I was going to lose the only family I had, so I stuck by him for days. I never left his bedside. I was in no better state than Belldandy is in right now. But…" She clenched her fists tightly. "…How does he repay me? By taking everything and leaving me to die in the middle of a street, not to mention in the frigging pouring rain." She looked into Arimon's eyes, fear swirling in her own. "I know I'm being selfish, but I can't stand watching it all again. Keiichi was nearly killed; I don't think my heart could've taken it if he had died. And if it's this bad for me, just imagine how devastated Belldandy and Megumi would be…Damn I hate hospitals."
Arimon didn't comment. Instead he grabbed her hand and gently pulled her towards him into a comforting hug. Kazume was startled but quickly sunk into his arms and openly cried into his shoulder. He understood now, she was letting everything out. Her father, a lifetime of loneliness, and as much as it pained him to admit, he was partially to blame too. The horrible way he had treated her when they had first met was something he could never forgive himself for. All he had done was add onto the pile of wounds that had built inside her all her life. He was glad she knew that he cared about her, but he wouldn't be surprised if there was a part deep down inside her that hated him. He sure wouldn't blame her if that were the case.
But all he was able to do now is hold her and be the friend he promised he would be. Even if it meant…ignoring his newly found feelings for her.
It was another full week before Keiichi was discharged from the hospital, even then he was still rather weak and would be weary more quickly than usual. Belldandy did her part as the faithful girlfriend and barely left Keiichi's side, along with feeding and nursing him back to health. Megumi was the dedicated sister and visited him regularly, making sure her brother was never bored. Urd and Skuld were his entertainment, or rather he was theirs. With no energy to move, the sisters took this as a good reason to practise more tests and inventions on him. But eventually it became too much and Belldandy forbid them to go near him. Arimon helped as well by escorting Keiichi to and back from school, and occasionally the Auto Club. At times he would drive him there on Keiichi's bike, but the times they were in a rush Arimon would fling him over his shoulder and fly him there.
Kazume on the other hand, lent her help by filling in for Keiichi at the Auto Club. She wasn't much of a maintenance keeper but she more than made up for it with races, winning many competitions for their team.
After several weeks, Kazume was starting to get anxious. She understood that Keiichi was still recovering, but all this back and forth with their club was beginning to take its toll on her endurance. So after another long gruelling day of racing in what felt like every single type of vehicle in existence, she trudged through her apartment door.
"Megumi! I'm home! And I'm sttaarrrvviinnggg!"
She turned into the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks. Instead of her best friend, there stood Arimon, who was standing at the stove with a sizzling frypan.
Kazume could've sworn her jaw was dragging on the ground. "Arimon?"
Her male friend grinned. "Hey there, welcome home."
She stared incredulously at him. "Welcome home? What the hell? What are you even doing here? Where's Megumi?"
He chuckled. "Whoa, calm down one question at a time. Megumi is staying over at Keii's place today, so she asked me to come here and make some food for you for when you got home."
She sighed. "Well I guess it can't be helped then." Her attention then turned to the stove. "Wow that smells really good, what are you making?"
He shrugged. "Nothing major; some sausages, potato and veggies."
Kazume could feel her mouth starting to water. "Damn…anything sounds good right about now."
Arimon laughed. "Well take a seat, I'll have this served up for you in just a minute."
She smiled and made herself comfortable at the table. While she waited, she found herself staring at Arimon's back while he cooked. An unfamiliar feeling rose in her chest, similar to the one she felt several weeks back when Megumi had told her he had carried her home. 'What is this feeling? Why can't I figure out what it is?'
"Ok it's ready!"
She jolted in her seat when he turned around with her freshly cooked meal on a plate. He placed the food in front of her before sitting in the chair opposite her. She grinned happily and clapped her hands together. "Thank you for the food!"
After a few big bites, she looked at him. "Hey, aren't you going to eat something?"
He put up his hand in protest. "No thanks. I'm not a big eater."
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, I've never really seen you eat anything. Is food not a necessity because of your immortality or something?"
He shrugged. "Something like that, we never really get hungry. But we can still eat if we want to."
Kazume gazed at him in wonder. "Interesting." She said before she took another large mouthful. "Mmmm this is really good!"
Arimon smirked in amusement. "You say that when you're already half way through your meal?"
Kazume glared at him. "I chose now to comment because I was too busy eating it! Excuse me for enjoying a meal that YOU made for me!"
Her glare hardened when he just laughed at her rant. "It's NOT FUNNY!"
He put his hands up in surrender, calming himself down. "Alright, alright I'm sorry."
Kazume sighed. "No…I'm sorry."
Arimon looked at her, surprised by her quick change of mood. He gazed at her concernedly. "Are you ok…Kazume?"
His eyebrow rose when she looked at him with pleading big eyes. "Are you any good at giving massages?"
He gawked. "What? Massage? What for?"
Kazume lifted her arm and rolled her shoulder, her joints grinding. "All this racing has worn me out, I can feel knots all in my neck and shoulders. Can you help get them out for me?"
Arimon gulped. "Um…sure I'll do what I can. Here let's go to the living room where it's more comfortable."
They stood and made their way into the other room. Arimon sat down and leaned his back against the wall. He placed a pillow in between his legs to give her a comfortable place to sit.
He smiled and patted the cushion. "Come sit and face with your back towards me."
She obliged, plonking herself on her butt in front of him. He was about to lift his hands but stopped when she reached back and pulled her hair over her shoulder, exposing her slender neck.
Arimon swallowed slightly before placing his hands gently in the crooks of her throat and rubbing up and down her neck with his thumbs. He worked on her neck for a minute before moving down to her shoulders. He gently kneaded his fingers into her shoulders, squeezing them gently going from there and down her arms. After massaging that area for several minutes, he then moved to her upper back. He placed his fingers around her shoulder blades and pressed in, repeating this several times around that area. He was starting to feel more comfortable with what he was doing, until Kazume decided to make matters worse. Once he started focusing on her middle to lower back, she had moaned in pleasure before leaning back against him with her head on his shoulder. His stomach was practically on fire by now. He could feel her breath on his neck, which sent shivers down his spine. But he kept his focus and continued to work out the knots in her back. When his fingers pressed into a certain sensitive point, she had gasped and reached up to grab the back of his neck. Arimon wasn't sure how much more he could take. Luckily for him, she pulled away before the last of his resolve could crumble.
She turned around and smiled brightly at him, oblivious to her friends' embarrassment. "Thank you so much! I feel heaps better!"
He smiled back. "Not a problem, I was glad to help." Holy crap he needed to get out. He stood up and brushed his jeans down. "Well I'll head on back, unless there's something else you need?"
Kazume stretched. "No it's ok. I might turn in early, today has just wiped me out." She giggled. "Besides, that massage of yours has left me all floppy and sleepy."
Arimon grinned. "Glad to be of service."
Kazume followed him to the door and stood at the entrance while he turned to face her. She smiled at him. "Thanks again for your company."
He smiled back. "Not a problem, give me a call if you need anything else."
She nodded, then shyly; she walked up to him before leaning up and placing a soft kiss on his cheek. Arimon froze when he felt her velvety lips on his skin. He closed his eyes, imagining what it would feel like to have her lips against his own. But the moment ended all too soon when she pulled back, leaving a tingling sensation where her lips were seconds earlier. She gave him a small smile before walking back inside the house.
Arimon lifted a hand and touched the place on his cheek where she had kissed him. Her lips were extremely soft and gentle like a brush from a butterfly wing. He sighed as he walked down the dark road. He couldn't lie to himself anymore, no matter how many times he tried to convince himself otherwise. There was no use denying the truth any further.
He was in love with Kazume Miyazaki.
He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. How did this happen? He had sworn to his Aunty that he wouldn't fall for a human girl, and now he had gone and done just that. But he didn't regret anything. In the number of months he had known her, Kazume had shown him more kindness than his whole family had his entire life. How could he not fall in love with her? And she had this astonishing effect on him. He was a mighty god, born with no weakness and was able to stand up to anyone. But he only needed to stand within metres of Kazume and he could feel himself become weak in the knees. And let's not even begin to go into what her smile does to him, and how the brightness of it seems to rival the sun itself. He sighed, if being in love with Kazume meant giving up his immortality…then so be it.
Hild growled in rage as she watched her now smitten nephew. She had given him one simple rule and he couldn't even obey that. Arimon had always been rebellious, even in his childhood. But up until now, he had never shown any interest in the human race, except for rare occasion where he would complain how useless they were, all the while wearing a devious smirk. And now look at him, just a short time with this human girl and she's turned him into a bumbling lovesick fool. Stupid, meddling girl, she would regret taking away her most precious demon.
The Ruler of Demon kind smiled as she watched the redhead girl, happily falling asleep in her bed.
"That's right, enjoy him while you can little one. Your days with Arimon are numbered. I will make sure that both of you suffer the consequences."
'Riinngg!' 'Riinngg!'
Kazume groaned as she turned over. Who in the hell is calling at this hour? She picked up her clock and squinted at the time. Six thirty. She sighed, oh well this was about the time she woke up anyway. She reached over and picked up her phone.
"H'lo?"
"Oh! Kazume! I'm so sorry, did I wake you?"
She scrunched up her nose in confusion, "Belldandy…" Why was she calling? "No…it's fine I was getting up anyway. Is everything ok?"
"Oh yes everything is fine! I just need to talk to you about something, if that is ok?"
She smiled. "Sure Bell, that's fine. When did you want to meet?"
"Um…actually, I'm outside your apartment right now."
Kazume's eyes widened. "What? Oh…I'm coming!"
She threw off her covers and bolted for the front door, still in her pyjamas. She wrenched open the front door to meet a very patiently waiting Belldandy. She grinned sheepishly at her before stepping aside to let her in, to which the goddess smiled politely and then stepping into the house.
Kazume looked at her as she closed the door. "So, what brings you here? Are you alright?"
Belldandy's smiled faltered somewhat. "I need to talk about Keiichi."
Kazume raised an eyebrow. "What about him? How's his recovery going by the way?"
The goddess smiled sadly. "He is doing great, he's practically back to one hundred percent. But that's not what I came here for." She looked intensely at Kazume. "I found…an engagement ring in his drawer."
Kazume's eyes bulged. A ring? But she thought Keiichi wasn't going to go through with the proposal.
"I gather from your stunned silence, you knew about this."
Kazume looked up at the now stern gaze of Belldandy. She sighed. "I did know he wanted to propose, but I had no idea he had bought a ring."
Belldandy frowned. "But you knew he wanted to ask me."
Kazume nodded. "Yeah...and I know why you can't say yes either."
The goddess sighed. "Yes, I heard Arimon had told you everything about us."
Kazume gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't you worry Bell, your secret is safe with me. I won't breathe a word to anyone, not even Megumi. It's not really my business to tell anyway."
Belldandy smiled. "I'm thankful to you Kazume, you're a good, honest person."
Kazume looked at her closely. "What's wrong Bell? That's not all is it?"
Belldandy looked away. "I…I'm not sure what I should do. I love Keiichi so much, and I wish for nothing more than to become his wife. But my duty as a goddess is the only thing that's preventing me from accepting his proposal…even though I really want to say yes!"
Kazume watched sadly as Belldandy collapsed onto her knees and cried into her hands. She walked over to the heartbroken goddess and knelt down before reaching over and wrapping her arms around the girls trembling figure. She didn't know what she could say to her, it wasn't like she could convince The Almighty One to let her stay for good on earth. She had a feeling that conversation wouldn't turn out well. But she needed to help somehow, there had to be some sort of loophole that could give some sort of exception for Keii and Bell. Their love was something that was rare to find, it would be a waste not to see it last right to the very end.
With that in mind, Kazume pulled away and held Belldandy at arms length to look her in the eye. "Listen Bell…we'll sort something out. You and Keii belong together, it was practically written in the stars, it had to have been." Belldandy giggled. "So whether you're a goddess or not, you guys are going to stay together; I guarantee it."
Belldandy smiled at her with teary eyes. "Thank you Kazume, you're a good friend." Her face suddenly dawned with realization. "Oh! I just remembered, there's something else I wanted to ask."
Kazume tilted her head. "What's that?"
She twiddled her fingers around. "Well…after Keiichi's accident, it made me realize how short life can be. So I wanted to do something to create memories, in case one of us…you know…doesn't make it the next time something horrific like that happens."
Kazume tapped her chin. "Hmm…you have a point there, so what were you thinking?"
Belldandy smiled brightly. "I want to make a photo album! I'm going out later today to buy a camera, so if you like you can come around later for some photos?"
Kazume grinned. "Sure! Sounds like fun! How does lunch time sound? Cause, you know…Megumi likes to sleep in and everything."
Belldandy giggled. "Yes, understandable, that's fine. I will let everyone else know as well."
Kazume nodded as they rose back to their feet. She walked Belldandy back to the door, staying in the doorway as her friend turned to say goodbye.
She smiled. "Thank you again Kazume, you're a wonderful person. As a matter of fact I'm glad Arimon told you the truth about us, you're a very trustworthy person."
Kazume had the decency to blush. "Wow…uh, thank you I guess."
Belldandy smiled. "Well I will see you later today then! Take care!" And with that she lifted off the ground and flew away. Kazume watched until she was nothing but a speck in the distance then turned back into their house. She stretched and walked towards the bathroom to freshen up for her new day. She grinned at her earlier conversation with Belldandy, oh yeah today was going to be fun.
(Several hours later)
After several more hours, Kazume's roommate finally emerged from her bedroom. It was well after ten in the morning, only a couple of hours before the time Kazume promised she would be at the temple for Belldandy's photo shoot. She informed Megumi of what was happening, which had her best friend running around in frenzy to get herself ready and look decent. Kazume smiled bemusedly at her frantic friend, while calmly reading a random book; she wasn't in any hurry.
At around eleven thirty, both girls were ready to go. After making sure to lock everything up, they jumped on Kazume's bike and took off for the temple. When they arrived at their destination, they saw Belldandy, Keiichi, Arimon, Urd, Skuld and all the Auto Club members spread out across the temple grounds. Kazume gawked at the sight, wow Belldandy wasn't kidding when she wanted to make photos. The loud engine of her bike pulled everyone's attention to the girls' arrival. Arimon grinned when Kazume pulled her helmet off, his gaze locked on her face. Ever since he discovered his feelings for her, he always found himself staring at her for long periods of time.
Kazume's gaze turned to him and she smiled brightly and waved. He waved back and made his way towards her.
She smiled when he was close. "Hey Arimon, how's it going?"
He grinned. "Yeah I'm great, you excited for this? It's kinda crowded don't ya think?"
She laughed. "The more the merrier I say! Let's get this Kodak party started!"
Arimon stared at her confusedly. "Kodak? What's that?"
Kazume rolled her eyes. "Never mind. Hey! Let's get Bell to take one of us two! Imagine all the fun poses we could pull off!"
He grinned. "Let's do it!"
The two wandered around, occasionally greeting some friends, until they finally found Belldandy who was chatting merrily to some people as well. She turned to the pair when they approached her and smiled at them.
"Hello you two!"
Kazume smiled. "Hey Bell! Arimon and I want to take a photo together."
Belldandy's eyes brightened. "Oh! Yes of course! Come with me then!"
They followed her to the other side of the temple where it was a lot clearer with less people around. She pointed to the large tree in their backyard.
"Stand over near that tree there, feel free to pose in any way that you like."
Kazume bounced over to their designated spot while Arimon calmly followed from behind. She whirled around and looked at him with a wide grin.
"Come here, I want to try something."
Arimon obeyed and placed himself where she wanted him, which was directly behind her. As soon as he stood there, she reached up to wrap an arm around his shoulders and jumped up. His arms reflexively shot out to catch her legs and hold her in a bridal carry. Arimon blushed slightly at their position, what was she thinking? As if she read his mind, Kazume turned and grinned up at him. 'You cheeky girl' He thought with an amused smile.
Kazume motioned towards Belldandy with a jerk of her head. He nodded and turned to smile at the camera, while Kazume winked and made a peace sign. A bright light flashed at them, indicating the picture had been taken.
Kazume cheered loudly. "Wooot! That was awesome! Oh! Where's Megumi I need to take one with her!"
Arimon let the hyperactive girl down, who then bolted away the moment she was on the ground. He chuckled as he watched her dash over to her best friend who was chatting to her brother. Kazume pulled on her sleeve, pointing in his and Belldandy's direction, all the while bouncing on the balls of her feet. He shook his head and walked away to give the two friends space. If Kazume wanted him again, he was sure she would find him.
Arimon shifted his gaze around the temple grounds. Friends and acquaintances talked and laughed amongst each other, some coming up to Belldandy for a picture. He watched as Kazume and Megumi struck a pose, the latter with an arm around her friends shoulder as both girls grinned widely at the camera. He smiled at his surroundings, this was the life he had always wished for. To have the people he loved and cared for laughing and smiling without a care in the world. He turned to once again lock his gaze on the girl he had come to love so dearly. He was happy with her, being her friend and being a part of her life. But one day, he hoped they could be so much more, with her loving him as much as he loved her and then maybe…just maybe, he could spend the rest of his life with her.
End of Chapter