I was standing at the back door that led to the backyard of my house; being the godmother, my gift to the bride and the groom was essentially providing them with the means to have the wedding ceremony of their dreams and so, I offered my place for the reception party. Everything went as expected and now, the day was near the end. I let out a content sigh before looking up at the starry sky and seeing it was the most perfect way to end a ceremony. The wind was chilly, and the stars burned with the brilliant sapphire pallor of electric light. I found myself staring up at them; The stars all glimmered in the dark blue, almost pitch-black sky. They all seemed to cast an entrancing spell on my eyes, not letting me look away. I held my hand up to the sky as if to catch each one of the bright moon's friends in my fingers; such a nonsensical, lunatic idea of mine to ever think I could get a hold of those beauties in the palm of my hands, they were nothing more than clusters of gases, it was physically impossible. Frustrated, I closed my eyes and let my hand fall to the side, closing it in a fierce fist. "Sometimes I can be such a child... daydreaming won't get me anywhere. I should know that by now." I whispered quietly to myself and left the main area event in a rush, carrying my hand purse and high heels in hand, only stopping by the gazebo. However, I halted way before reaching it as I came across a glimpse of a tall figure already near it. I squinted my eyes in an attempt of identifying who was it but, unfortunately, was too dark despite all the luminosity coming from the manor. Could it be a guest? No. Everyone was accounted for. Could it be that someone lost his tracks and ended up here? Oh God-- could it be a robber?! A chill ran down my spine and I felt some tingling at the tip of my fingers. I didn't know who it was but, I needed to find out. So, I decided to slowly approach the stranger. I could almost hear my heartbeat with each step I took, every single pound in my chest. Deep heavy breaths came out of my mouth. The hairs on my arms stood to attention as I got nearer. The idea of being a robber, made my arms and legs go jelly. But, I couldn't jump to any conclusions. If indeed my suspicions are correct, I'll deal with it then. Now, I had to get a hold of myself and face it properly. I liked to give everyone the benefit of the doubt before judging. Finally, I was able to distinguish it from man to woman. It was a figure of a man and, apparently, he was dressed to the occasion. I sighed in relief and a huge weight left my shoulders; it was a guest. "Thank God!" I sighed, thinking about how I certainly did not have the strength to cast a robber out on my own if that was the case. I looked over to see a gingery haired man with a polished black tuxedo. I didn't yet see his face but, even from his back, he surely was handsome. I continued to slowly walk to his meeting. Hearing the grass beneath my feet, the man turned his head towards me; I immediately jolted back startle, letting everything fall on the grass. He had a beautiful face-- well defined I mean, with a sharp jaw and angular cheekbones. He had strong arched brows and eyelashes so thick, it should be illegal. And then his eyes-- I gasped surprised; words just left me.
He smiled and swirled around in his feet. For some reason, the way he carried himself through the grass, made him look like a prince. I was not only in awe of his gorgeous complexion and confident attitude, accented by the lavish suit he wore but, also due to the fact that I had made acquaintance with him already. "Good evening, Mrs. Anderson."
"M-Mr. Erik..." I mumbled shyly. "I-I didn't expect to see you here..." I mentioned, fidgeting my fingers behind my back.
"I bet you weren't." He said followed by a rather innocent grin. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" He asked; his gaze locked exclusively on me.
"Uh-uh... S-So... what are you doing here?" I asked, and looked up at him with a curious smile.
"I wanted to see you." So, he confessed and it was all written all over his expression.
My heart skipped a beat at the words. I suddenly felt awkward, demure, and coy with such forwardness; I turned my head to the side to avert my gaze and found a distraction in meddling with my dress' shirt. I could feel the heat intensively growing and burning in my cheeks by the second. "W-What... me? Don't be ridiculous..." I hurried on, with a hot blush.
Erik chuckled, most likely being able to see a blush through the darkness of the night. He dared to take a step forward. "I hope I didn't frighten you with what I said. Don't want to come out as a creepy stalker." He held out his hand toward me, making me place my hand in it out of manners. Then, he lifted my hand to his lips, kissing it respectfully.
"N-Not at all..." I managed to say.
Erik delicately released my hand and smiled at me before looking at the sky again. I could see his eyes longed for something; the spark in them showed me that he hoped to find it up there. "Please, may I?" He asked, pointing out to my high heels laying forgotten on the grass, "I would like to have a dance with you."
"S-Sure," I nodded, giving him permission to do so. He dropped down on one knee and grabbed one of the pairs next to my purse; giving the situation, I shyly stretched my leg forward, the skirt of my dress falling nicely to the side, revealing the entirety of my limb. He glanced up, looking at me directly in the eye while skidding it onto my foot, deliberately slow. He did the same with the other one, and I, once more, complied without questioning it. At that moment, I felt like Cinderella in her old ragged clothes, sitting on one of the limn chairs of her house, trying on her glass slipper and proving she was the mysterious princess that danced with Prince Charming at the ball.
"I've looked for so long." Still down on the floor, he grabbed my hand again and kissed it, his soft whisper tickling my skin. "I found you again, and at the exact same place." He breathed in the amber-vanilla scent hovering in the air between us.
"What?" That suddenly escaped my lips, "What do you mean?" I was watching him with a confused expression.
The man sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "I've searched this entire city, trying to find my means to live, again. Somehow, I found you, and I feel like you could be my reason. Are you?"
"You flatter me with your words, mister," I said, biting onto my lower lip softly, "But I'm not exactly the type of someone anyone would be looking for."
"Don't be silly," His lips held a faint smile and his eyes twinkled, "You are everything I've been looking for."
"You don't even know me." I locked his gaze, my eyes, every bit as hard as one who harbors only perseverance.
He seemed to scoff at my skepticalness, "Let me tell you something then," he shifted with a grimace and told a quick tale about a boy and a girl who, one rainy day, have met under some odd circumstances and fell deeply in love with each other as days went by, in a large manor, similar to mine. Although, I couldn't help but feel sad with the ending. "I've met the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in my life. I couldn't believe she was mine to cherish. But, fate takes the strangest paths."
"She sounds wonderful." A blissful smile escaped my control.
"She is." Erik stared, seemingly lost at what to say and a look of longing in his eyes, "Now." His expression softened, he then stood up again and held out his hand for me to take. "May I have this dance, Mrs. Anderson?"
"B-But there's no music!" I staggered back, feeling a bit awkward at the thought of dancing along only to the silence's beat.
"We'll make our own music." He had to fight back a chuckle and, promptly gestured for me to accept his offering.
I gulped silently prior to approach him; I stared at his hand briefly before slowly reached out and placed my hand in his. He smiled and gently pulled me to him, guiding my free hand onto his shoulder and resting his own behind my back, then, at last, lifting the hand he was holding beside us, entwining his fingers with mine. Erik tightened his grip on me, making me look back at him, "Close your eyes." his faint voice echoed in my ears.
"Why?" I blinked confused.
"Just do it," He said, with a tender smile that made my heart leap somehow. "You won't regret it."
I clutched onto his shoulder, tilting my head slightly to the side and surveying him for a moment. "Fine. But, don't do anything funny while I have my eyes closed--!" I warned him.
Like a fairytale, we began to dance in perfect harmony. He gently guided me around the garden, waltzing me with tenderness and making me do short swirls from time to time. With each step we took, it almost seemed like there was indeed a song being played out just for us. I couldn't help to smile and slowly melt into that lovely dance, my mind getting completely lost in what was going on. When I finally opened my eyes, I meet him, he had this solemn expression spread across his face. Our dance became a simple sway as he moved his hand from my waist to caress my cheek; I naturally nuzzled into his gloved hand, and lightly touched its back. He leisurely began to trace a finger along with the outlines of my lower lip, "Sarah." then my name came in a soft whisper.
Glimpsing at the mixing blueberry-purple and raspberry-red colored irises, it seemed the longest second of her life. My eyes grew large, a realization hitting me like a thousand lightning bolts. I felt my heart going a million miles an hour. The memories flowing back to me made me doubt and question everything. In a flick of a switch, I was suddenly overwhelmed with different kinds of emotions and feelings, "E-Erik..." was the only sound that left me before my shoulders started to shake uncontrollably, and the tears stream down my cheeks, skittering to my jawline. My eyes were burning hot and my chest felt heavy. I could no longer see clearly.
With one rough hand under my chin, he angled my face up and towards him, "My sweet princess... I'm here. I won't ever leave your side again." His word echoed in the void which surrounded us, traveling down my body, tingling my nerves, and making my heart feel warm and light.
I breathed through my mouth, gasping for each breath as the sobbing intensified.
"Here's the symbol to that," My eyes then traveled down to my hand, his thumb grazed over my ringer finger, where I could feel soft veins of energy tingle on my skin. I watched as, around my finger, a small vine wrapped itself around and tied itself into a lovely silver ring. The ring held a beautiful purple gem in the middle, glistening in the moonlight. "This is my vow to you. I promise to cherish you, love you and, to never stop looking for you even in purgatory. I'm yours, forever."
I leisurely surrounded my arms around his neck, ending the movement by positioning my hands on each side of his face. Erik gently moved his head and kissed my palm, closing his eyes for a short period of time. He slowly opened his eyes partially, staring past my hand. What we shared with our gazes that split second, was enough. We needn't more. I gently guided his face down and slammed my lips on his, kissing him gingerly to remind him of my touch and reaffirm my own feelings. His eyes also dripped with tears; he held me to him and kissed me back deeply, pouring all of the love he nourished for me into that embrace. I felt light as a feather, not wanting to ever let go of this man. There were no words that could describe the emotions within me. I felt joy, happiness, ecstatic, high, all at once. Now I knew, the piece that was missing all along. I finally was where I belonged. I found my happy ending once more and, I sure wasn't going to ever let go.
~~ The End ~~