Third person's pov
With a skip in the steps, Meera followed the path out of the yacht. On the dock, a green heart-shaped paper was stuck on a pipe rod of the railing. Intrigued and curious, she picked it up. Glancing around to see anyone around, Meera opened the folded paper when she saw no one meaning it was for her.
"Does your heart beat fast and accelerate like the waves of the ocean around me? "
Automatically thinking about him, her heart fluttered. Smiling, Meera tucked the note in her palm. Excited, she walks ahead. Another note come across her stuck to the end of the railing of the dock. She opened it smiling excitedly.
"Does your stomach flutters as when the sand on the shore tickles your feet when you think of me? "
Yes! It does, Meera answered in her head. Closing her eyes she saw the smiling face of Elijah winking at her. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach fluttered. Opening her eyes, she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Keeping the note, she walked on the white crystalline sand. When she took the first step on the sand, a burst sounded. Startled she looked ahead to see the shower of red feathers along with red sparkles in heart shape from the sand. Thoughtfully, she took another step, and consequently, another burst opposite to the previous one of feathers and sparkle showering on her. Like a giddy kid, she took step after step. Burst after burst filled her with joy. Jumping around in the middle she twirled around with arms wide open. The touch of smooth feathers was pleasant and the sparkles shined in the rays of the morning sun. It was magical.
Stopping, giggling, Meera looked ahead at a huge green heart banner made up of green feathers, in the middle another green heart-shaped note was attached. Breaking into a grin, she ran towards it amongst the feathers. Plucking it out, she read it.
"Do you feel warm as the sun warms the coastal sand when I make you happy? "
I was, am happy right now from what you did Eli with the feathers, she thought. He remembered that she likes feathers. It made her happy. It was a piece of minute information about her but still, he did remember and used it in the most romantic way. Smiling hard, she joined the note with others resting in her palm. Moving ahead, she walked around the heart towards the bar on the beach. Upon reaching, she was surprised to see drinks of her choice, watermelon and guava punch, on the counter full of smiley watermelon and guava plushies. Twinkle bells in red heart shapes were ringing in the air hanging from the roof of the bar. The sound soothed her. Another one of her likes, she loves twinkle bells and he yet remembered it. She recalls how she complained to him on their honeymoon when she saw no twinkle bells in his mansion. Gently pushing one bell, she let it ring. Smiling in joy, her eyes landed on another green heart note stuck to a glass of watermelon punch. Opening it, she read.
"Does your heart sings in happiness as the sound of ocean waves when I laugh because of you? "
You have no idea how much! She wondered. Her heart is like a drum, beating so loud whenever she makes him laugh. It's her favorite sound, his laugh, and giggles. Kissing the note, she keeps it with the rest. Looking around, she searches for the man in question who is giving her sweet surprises till now. Far away on left, she saw a huge green balloon. Getting up from the seat she occupied, she went to it. Upon reaching, she immediately took the stuck note which made the balloon burst. Surprised and startled, she took several steps back. Around her, plenty of small red heart balloons were floating in the air released from the green balloon. On each was written, "I love you, say yes".
Laughing in happiness and at his silliness, Meera chased after some balloons, touching and playing with them. Remembering the note in her hand, she opened it.
" Do you have a burst of fluttering emotions as a wave crashed on you for me? "
Every time when you say ' I love you', Eli, she recalled. Having enough of his hide-and-seek game, she turned and looked for him in all directions to see him nowhere. Each question was like an eye-opener to her about her confusing feelings. She now understood what it meant. And the realization took her breath away and her heartbeat into overdrive. Oh my god! Eli, she thought to herself, a grin breaking on her face. Jumping and laughing out loud in happiness, she shouted,
"Yes, Eli! I now know how I feel about you. Come out!"
But he didn't come to her but, someone else. Frowning in confusion, she looked at the man dressed in a beach shirt and shorts running towards her in frenzy and alarm. Before she could ask him anything, he shout asked,
"Mrs. Mancini?"
"Yes?"
it was her first time being addressed like that. It was welcomed though. She likes the sound of it, Mrs. Mancini. Her happy bubble was burst by the unknown man who rushed to her and said in panic and alarm,
"Mrs. Mancini, your husband collapsed and is not breathing. Please immediately come with me"
"What!!! How? When?"
Meera felt her heart stop from the news of Elijah not breathing. Immediately a life without him flashed before her eyes. She didn't like one bit of it instead it left her bitter and tasteless. It was like living without any colors, black and white only. Elijah is her color in life filling different shades of happiness without which she can't live. Nodding her head, she ran after the unknown man, her throat clogged with heavy emotions to even utter a word. He was taking her to the resort on the other side of the beach facing the ocean secluded by huge rocks.
In these five gruesome minutes, every kind of bad thought crossed her mind regarding her Eli. Yes! He is hers, her Eli. She can't see her Eli in pain, lifeless. No! Her Eli has to be alive. Her eyes watered and her heart fell into the abyss of dread and fear. When she reached the room where he was lying unmoving on the couch, her heart leaped to her throat in fear. He is not moving! Running to his side, Meera sat down on the floor on her knees, and held his face in her hands saying in a trembling voice,
"Eli, hey, Eli! I am here. Wake up, wake up! Please wake up!"
The tears fell down her eyes seeing him unconscious and unresponsive. She wept badly. Her Eli was not waking up. She just understood her feelings for him and now he was not awake to listen. They were just getting happy and now, no! She won't let it happen. He has to wake up and hear her.
"Don't leave me, Eli. Come back to me, please"
she begged in between sobs. Pecking his lips, her tears fell on his face. His godly handsome face. She cried more. Attaching their foreheads, she confessed,
"Please don't leave me. Eli, come back to me! I want to tell you how much you mean to me, how you make me happy, and how I can't live without you anymore. Please wake up! Most desperately I want to tell you that I--"
She gulped when he didn't even move a finger. Closing her eyes she let her feelings out in a whisper,
"I love you. Yes! I fell in love with you. I love you, Eli! I love you! Please wake up"
Laying her head on his chest, she sobbed hugging his torso. She cried, cried, and cried such that she didn't notice a pair of hands engulfing her, hugging back tightly. A chaste kiss on her forehead broke her stupor. Startled and shocked she jumped back to see Elijah grinning at him. Her eyes widened, and she latched back to him, crying in relief,
"Eli! You are alive! Thank God! I was so afraid!"
He hugged her again, caressing her hair.
"So you love me"
she froze. Stiffening, she realized what she has said and he heard which means,
"You were acting?"
she asked in disbelief and betrayal, backing up. Getting up in a sitting position, Elijah held her hands and confessed softly seeing how much betrayed she looked,
"It was a part of your surprise"
"How could you play with my feelings like that? Do you even know how much scared I was? I --"
he cut her off with a deep kiss. Moving his lips against hers passionately, he poured his feelings of love and overjoy. She kissed back, feeling his emotions like a train wrecked her. Overwhelmed, tears spilled down her cheeks. Feeling the wetness, Elijah pulled back and said,
"Don't cry my doe. I am fine. Today you have given me many lives by reciprocating my love. Say it again"
He wiped her tears and held her face looking affectionately with all the love he has. Blushing she avoided his looking into his eyes. Biting her lips, she whispered,
"I love you"
Grinning in happiness that can't be described, he feigned saying,
"What? I couldn't hear you clearly"
"I love you"
"Again"
"I love you"
"Again"
"I love you"
"Again"
"I love you!"
she shouted at the end having enough of his tactics. Both looked at each other.
"And I love you too, doe, so much more"
he confessed staring deeply into her eyes. Both smiled hard and hugged each other happy and overwhelmed with joy. Finally, they are together and accepted each other, and love each other. Pulling up Meera from the floor, he sat her on his lap, still hugging her. He can't express how happy he is. His doe loves him, even after everything. He was never this happier in his life before. Kissing her hair he tightened the hug burying his face in her neck.
Meera felt truly happy. Just a while ago she was dreading facing a reality where the man she loves was not with her. She realized how much he mattered to her and all her doubts or the things holding her back vanished. She only wanted him back to her. And now she wants to spend every second with him, only him.
Pulling back from the hug, he stood her on her feet and took her to the other room. Meera followed him in a daze, she trusted him. Inside the room, dozens of pictures of her were decorated filling the whole space. The pictures were of her after she married him. In them, she was sleeping, eating, laughing, smiling, sitting, cooking, doing nothing, and almost everything. They were very intimate which meant he took them. Her heart skipped several beats. With a fluttering stomach, she looked around in a daze. Turning towards Elijah, she was speechless and only stared at him in loving amazement.
"I love you, doe"
"I love you too"
she whispered in a heartbeat. She kissed him deeply expressing how she felt. Taking her both hands in his, he told her,
"Your surprise is not over. Come"
And she followed him out of the resort and towards the stairs to the ocean. On the top stairs, three children were standing. Upon seeing her, they ran to her and said,
"Mrs. Mancini, look Mr. Mancini is not letting us visit the beach saying he has reserved it whole. We want to play! Tell him to allow us"
She laughed listening to them. And nostalgia filled her body as if she has experienced this before. Turning towards a smiling Elijah, she demanded,
"Let the kids play, Mr. Mancini"
"And why though? It's mine, I don't share"
Elijah said playfully raising a brow at her. Playing along, Meera did as she felt,
"Well, I don't care if it's yours. It's open to all people. So, the kids and I are going to play in the ocean, Mister"
Without waiting for his reply, she stepped down the stairs with the kids who were shouting in joy. In the last step, the parents of the kids held rose bouquets and gave them one by one to her. Taking them, she felt surprised. Looking back for Elijah, she saw he was not there anymore. Kids tugged her along with them to the beach which looked ordinary, and normal. Well, she thought he might have decorated it, strange.
The kids told her to look at the ocean waves. Obeying, she looked to see nothing. Suddenly, a scuba diver emerged holding a huge W. After that one after other scuba divers emerged from underwater holding alphabets arranged together worded,
"Will you marry me? "
She gasped in surprise. She couldn't believe her eyes that she was getting a proposal like this. The ocean she loved, no she loves, he made her love it again. Tearing up she turned around to gasp again in surprise to see Elijah on his knees with a ring in hand. She was shell-shocked, speechless. It was so surreal and unexpected. He recreated their first meeting into a proposal that touched her heart. She could only gape at him.
"Doe, since the moment I saw you for the first time on the beach playing around with kids, I was mesmerized by your beauty. And eventually, I fell in love with the beautiful, strong, fierce woman you are. The amazing you changed me for good. I love you so much, doe. Make me the happiest man and marry me. Become mine"
Elijah said voice heavy with emotions. Meera sobbed hearing him. Too happily emotional to say a word, she nodded frantically in acceptance. After the feeling of almost losing him, she didn't want to waste a second without him. She wants to spend her happily ever after with him. Finally finding her voice, she yelled happily,
"Yes!!"
Grinning hard, Elijah put the ring on her ring finger where her wedding ring is. Jumping to his feet, Elijah picked up Meera in his arms, twirling around in utter happiness and joy. She giggled in overjoy, too delighted. Stopping, still holding her up from below the thighs, he kissed her passionately. Kids ran around them in circles, chanting congratulations, and throwing red rose petals. Their parents cheered and clapped. They both were lost in each other kissing, sealing the proposal in the blue haze of the morning sky, with the sound of waves crashing in the background, and air swaying their hairs. Finally, she said yes.