When I woke up, Della was curled against me, clutching me as if I would disappear while she slept. That persistent ache of longing in my chest did not make itself known today. I felt lighter. I actually slept well; I didn’t have nightmares.
I kissed the top of Della’s head, and she let out a content little sigh that made me smile. This felt right. This felt good. I slipped out of the bed, moving my pillow so she could grip onto something. I slipped on my trousers and headed down to make us breakfast. I wanted to do something nice for her. So, I immediately rummaged through the food and found enough things to make a decent breakfast.
I worked on it as quietly as I could, hoping I could wake her up in bed with it. The permanent smile on my face made my cheeks hurt. I couldn’t believe she was here with me. Looking over the plate of berries, sweet bread, and meat, I decided to sneak out and get one other thing.
I slipped a shirt on and headed to the field in the back so I could pick her flowers. I grabbed mostly orange flowers, remembering that she said it was her favorite color. Walking back to the house, I rearranged them in a way that looked prettier. When I walked inside, Della was standing in the kitchen looking worried. As soon as I smiled at her, I saw her relax.
“I thought you left,” she whispered, and I realized she thought I left her again.
I walked to her and gave her a kiss before giving her the flowers. Her eyes glowed brighter than I had ever seen. “I went to get you these to go with your breakfast.”
Her eyes drifted to the small counter where a plate of food sat. “You cooked for me?”
She took a hesitant step forward before smiling. When she looked up to me, I could see in her eyes that no one had ever done such a thing for her.
“You remembered my favorite color.” Her smile was contagious.
“I was hoping it was still the same.”
“Your soul is still orange, so yes.”
I swallowed hard at her confession.
“I forgot what this was like.” Her voice was soft. “This reality is better than anything I imagined.” She pulled back and pushed up on her toes before kissing me. “Will you sit and eat with me?”
“Yes.” I would do anything she asked me to.
I set her plate in front of her as I made up another for me. Della waited for me to sit before she tried anything on her plate. Gods, this is what I had always pictured with her: mundane everyday things that were a million times better because they were done with her.
“What is your favorite color?” she asked with a soft moan of appreciation for the food she tried. She liked it, and that made me happy.
“Whatever color your eyes are,” I said without having to think about it. “Silver?” I looked at her as she gaped at me. “Starlight?”
Her cheeks flushed as she continued to eat. I glanced down at the ring she still wore and smiled.
“What?” She smiled.
“You still wear my ring. It just makes me really happy to see it.”
She instantly twisted it on her finger.
“We never got to get married.” She looked at me. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she struggled to decide if she should say what she wanted to. “I always wondered if maybe you asked me that morning only because you knew you were going to die.”
The realization that she thought that was soul-crushing. I set my silverware down and turned toward her, frowning. I felt like an asshole. I didn’t think about how my decisions were going to make her view our story. I gave her this ring because I was hopelessly in love with her. She deserved to know what my intentions were before I died.
“No, I asked because I love you, and I still plan on marrying you.” Her eyes shined brightly as a smile overtook her pretty face. “Besides, that isn’t just a ring.”
“It isn’t?” She lifted it to inspect it. The red stones glowed like they enjoyed her attention. “What is it?”
“It is my star.”
Della’s entire body stilled at my confession. I watched her closely, taking in everything about her reaction, and it didn’t disappoint. Slowly, her eyes lifted to meet mine, and they were burning so bright that I had to squint to watch her. But then I realized her entire body was glowing like a fucking star. I exhaled through my nose when she gave me the most breathtaking smile she ever had.
“You gave me your star.”
“It was always meant to be yours.” I smiled.
Della launched at me, her mouth crushing mine, her tongue sweeping across my lips, and I let her in, humming as she pulled me against her. She straddled me on the chair, her hands running through my hair. Fuck, I needed to make her this happy every day. Her hips rolled against me. My hands gripped her and tugged her against me. She pulled back as her hand slipped up the inside of my tunic. She dragged her fingers against my bare skin as she tugged it off.
