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“Awww.You look handsome all the time.”I said, unable to stop myself from blushing as my smile widened.
“I love you.”He said in a soft voice.
I blushed as I looked around at the others seated around, doing their own things, and pecked him on the lips.“I love you too.”
After gazing at each other for a while, I cleared my throat, looked down at the bag containing my lantern, and changed the subject awkwardly.“Let’s set up our lanterns.It will be dark outside soon.”
Aiden and I wrote our wishes on the four sides of our lanterns and set them up on the square base upon which the lantern would float on the water.Because we got to the festival a bit early, we had to wait until dusk before we could push out our lanterns.
While we waited for the right time to push out the lanterns, we decided to eat something.While I stayed behind with our lanterns, Aiden went to get us some food.When he returned, he brought the delicious beef kebabs, whose aromas were teasing me all the way from the vendor tents to where we were seated close to the lake, some drinks and submarine sandwiches.
After wolfing down our submarine sandwiches and several beef kebabs, to the amazement of the humans seated next to us, dusk had arrived.
Once the countdown got to zero, we placed our lanterns on the water’s surface and released them onto the lake with a soft push.Then several of us stood at the edge of the lake, watching and recording with our phones the movement of the lanterns as they gracefully glided farther away from us in the directions provided by the night’s breeze, their soft light flickering and reflecting over the lake’s surface.
A big smile covered my face as the beautiful lanterns stopped moving and gathered in front of the black buoy line the lantern festival organizers had used as a barrier to prevent the lanterns from dispersing too far across the lake.They looked like glowing fireflies on a moonless night, and the sight of them filled me with so much peace.
Staring toward the lake and the glowing sea of lanterns that shone atop it, a somber realization washed over me.A deep sense of loss and helplessness had marred the past few days, especially with Nyra’s imprisonment weighing heavily on my heart.The flickering lanterns mirrored the fleeting nature of our moments, and in that serene atmosphere, I recognized the need to accept the harsh realities life had dealt us.
Nyra’s fate, although sad, was now a part of our shared story.It was time to acknowledge my sorrow, honor her current reality, and find the strength to move forward.Instead of wallowing in the feelings of loss for the years, she would lose in prison, I was going to be grateful for the fact that she was getting the help she needed in prison.Whenever I thought of her, I’d visit her or send a letter.I would share all the things going on in my daily life and use them to give her joy and reassure her that once she got out of prison, her best friend would always be waiting for her.
I turned to Aiden to share my epiphany and found him kneeling beside me.If the lit lanterns scattered over the lake were a stunning sight, the shimmer of the lights dancing on the side of Aiden’s face, which made his coffee-brown eyes look so dark they almost looked black, was the most breathtaking thing I’d ever seen.
“Aurora, before I met you, I never knew I could love someone as much as I love you.I always thought I would live a long, lonely life, but you’ve illuminated my darkest days, and your friendship and love have filled my life with laughter and joy.I no longer have to fill my every waking moment with activity and close yet distant friends.This bracelet is a family heirloom that has been in my mother’s family for centuries.Will you accept this courting gift, make me the happiest man in the world, and become my partner in crime forever?”
“Yes!”Since I already had experience accepting proposals, I didn’t hesitate as I pushed my hand into the bracelet Aiden was holding open in front of my hand.
Several people around us applauded as I pulled Aiden to his feet and kissed him under the moonless sky full of stars that echoed the warmth that filled my heart.
38
Aurora
“Where are you going?”
I paused and looked back at my door to make sure that it wasn’t open like it usually was during the weekends.Thankfully, it was shut because Levi had a meeting, Caden was getting some much-needed rest after a two-day trip to Moon Goddess knows where with his father, Mateo was preparing for our picnic date after sending me to get dressed and Aiden went for basketball practice.
“Aurora?”Nina’s voice on the phone pierced through my thoughts.
“I’m going on a date with Mateo,” I said, chuckling knowingly.“Based on the way he’s been sneaking around lately, I think he wants to propose.”
“Awww, that is so cute.Do you know when Caden is going to propose?”Nina asked over the phone.
“No idea.I think they’re trying to push their proposals far apart so it would still come as a surprise to me.If Caden plans to surprise me, it would be easier because he has unscheduled meetings with his father and pack meetings as an excuse.Mateo has a fixed schedule for his training with the pack enforcers, his pack Beta, pack meetings, and the disciplinary committee meetings he has to attend, so when he started sneaking around, it was obvious.”I said, staring at the fit of the shorts I was wearing for our date since Mateo had instructed me to dress as if I were going for a picnic on the beach.
Nina laughed and said, “Try to pretend you didn’t know he was going to propose.Don’t ruin his surprise.”
I chuckled.“I won’t.”
“When are you four going to get officially mated?”She asked.
“Mom says she’s not accepting an official mating until after a year or more of courting and getting along to see if anyone wants to opt out.”I said, taking a deep breath and trying to stay positive as I pronounced the words ‘opt out.’
“Oh sweetie, you’re still worried one of them is going to get tired of sharing.Although I think your mom is right about you guys courting for at least a year or more, I also think you don’t have to worry about them opting out.They would have to be complete idiots to opt out of a relationship with an angel like you.Since they said they’ll stay, they’ll stay.If they disappoint you, I’ll deal with them myself.”Nina said.
“No need ...I’d let them go if they wanted to leave.I did some counseling with Uncle Tariq and Aunt Ciara, and we talked about my fears.”I sighed and sat on the floor before continuing, “I feel much better now that I’ve decided that I’d let them go if they wanted to leave.I’m less jittery and I’ve stopped having those nightmares.”
“Well, that’s great, isn’t it?You can ...”
