In the cool of the afternoon, Aryanna and Sebastian ran up and down the mall, going store to store buying whatever caught their eyes.
They paid no heed to the other customers and employees of the mall who watched them and took photos of them. Their eyes fixated on each other as they marvelled in the beauty of being together.
"No woman will ever compare to you, again," Sebastian whispered to Aryanna.
A perplexed smile touched her lips. Aryanna feared what it meant to be the envy of all that desired to be the best. His statement awakened the nightmare of Elisa pointing a gun to her head in her mind.
Aryanna shivered. Especially since Elisa lived right down the hall from her matrimonial bedroom. She had invited enough jealous eyes to her by marrying Sebastian, she hated the idea of provoking them further.
"You must be joking, right?"
She thought he was joking but there was no humor in his expression. Perturbed and fascinated, Aryanna how much more he intended to spoil her, until he considered it enough.
Aryanna was distracted when Sebastian pulled something out of one of his pockets. A round leather casing wrapped nicely with a ribbon.
"A present," Sebastian stated, handing it over to her.
Her green eyes went round with surprise. "You didn't need to get me anything, thank you," she she opened the case and beheld a diamond necklace arranged on the velvet lining like a pool of glittering fire. It was a heavy garland of sparkling flowers.
"Do you like it?" Sebastian asked casually.
"Yes, of course. It's...breathtaking." Aryanna had never imagined owning such jewelry in the past. The only necklace she possessed growing up was a single pearl on a chain. But Sebastian redefined her definition of wealth and gifts.
"Shall I...shall I wear it right now?" she asked.
"I think it would be appropriate with your new dress." Sebastian took the necklace from the case, stood behind Aryanna, and fastened it gently around her neck.
The cold weight of the diamonds and the warm brush of his fingers at her nape elicited a shiver. He remained behind her, his hands settling lightly on the curves of her neck, moving in a warm stroke to the tops of her shoulders.
"Beautiful," he murmured. "Although nothing is as beautiful as your bare skin."
Aryanna stared into the looking glass, not at her flushed face, but at his hands on her skin. They were both still, watching their shared reflection as if they were glued in place.
His hands moved sensitively, as if he were touching a priceless work of art. With the tip of his middle finger, he traced the line of her collarbone to the hollow at the base of her throat.
Aryanna pulled away from his hands and stood to face him. "Thank you," she managed to say. She moved to embrace him, her arms sliding over his shoulders.
It was more than she had intended to do, but there was something in Sebastian's expression that touched her.
Sebastian's arms went around her, pulling her farther up against him. He smelled delicious, and he was warm and hard beneath the layers of his clothes. The soft gust of his breath against her neck was hot and ticklish.
Closing her eyes, Aryanna let herself lean against him. He kissed the side of her throat, working up to her neck and jaw.
She felt warm from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head. Aryanna found something surprising in the embrace, a sense of security.
They fit nicely together, softness and hardness, pliancy and tension. It seemed that every curve of her was perfectly made compatible with his masculine frame. She wouldn't have minded standing against him, with him, for a while longer.
But Sebastian chose to take more than had been offered. His hand went to the side of her head, easing her back at just the right angle to kiss her. His mouth descended swiftly.
Aryanna arched and twisted away from him, nearly causing an awkward collision of their heads.
She turned to face him, refusal stamped on her expression, their were people watching them.
Sebastian didn't seem to mind public display of affection but she did. Everyone staring at her made her nervous.
"Why are you pulling away, love?"
Aryanna nudged him gently on the stomach. "Shameless," she walked ahead of him.
Sebastian gracefully chased after her. Amused by her shyness and his bold actions. All of which were provoked by her presence. Aryanna made him want to make a declaration to the world of his love for her. He acted like a teenager in love for the first time.
"We are married, you need not feel shy, Ari," he spoke up.
"Being married is not an excuse to act shameless," she fired back.
"How is a husband kissing his wife shameless?"
"I'm surprised you're even asking that, Seb. It's wrong to do it in public," she scolded.
"What is wrong in it?"
Aryanna gritted her teeth, fuming mad at his irritating questions. It was wrong and he knew it but he insisted she justifies her reasoning.
"Such behavior is abhorred in society," Aryanna explained. "I've been shunned enough growing up. I won't give people more reasons to hate me."
Sebastian raised his palm in the air, a form of surrender. He straightened his clothes and pushed back his childish antics.
"I'll listen to you," he admitted submission to her.
Aryanna linked their arms and together they walked into a room full of wallpapers on displays. Her eyes immediately landed on a butterfly wallpaper. It caught her eyes, she pictured it in Jasmine's new room and smiled.
She fetched her phone from her pocket and took pictures of the wallpaper. Sebastian stood on the side watching her fall in love with the art, drowning in the beauty of her glowing olive green eyes.
'You are what I was missing in my life, Aryanna,' he gave her thumps up internally.
She was the hope that made him want to open his heart to new experiences. To open up deeply and have her fill him up with her light.
"So beautiful!" Aryanna exclaimed.
"Yes, very beautiful," Sebastian said, staring at her and barely at the wallpaper.