Rose Gold

Nikaloas watched patiently from the balcony of his manor. He leaned against the gold and silver *balustrade, and admired the fading city lights as a new orange hue rose into the violet skies.

Standing 25 stories high above the ground felt very different. It wasn't the calmness in the air or the feeling of peace. It was more like a change of perspective and perception of other people.

It's not that his ego grew with the height, it was more like reality had grown small.

What was the point of a thousand years of blindness only to see a few seconds of a view from the "top"? Eventually everything which once seemed important only grows more insignificant and minute with time.

The giant crystalline doors behind Nikaloas opened with very little sound.

The "click-clacking" of high heels could be heard walking on the glass and diamond floor.

Nikaloas wasn't too bothered by it, and continued to look at the city below him.

"Are you sure you have to go, again so soon?", asked Rachel placing her hand on the back of Nikaloas's black suede coat.

Nikaloas didn't take his gaze away from the city lights below them,

"Well you know how Quentin gets about business.", he replied.

"But..."

Nikaloas suddenly shifted his gaze to Rachel,

"Hey."

Rachel was taken by surprise by his sudden change in tone.

"Hey.", she said with a slight smile on her face.

"Don't worry about it.", said

Nikaloas as he gently moved a portion of Rachel's hanging *mulled wine hair to the back of her ear.

She quickly changed her focus to the glass floor beneath them.

The faint light of car head lights passing by could be seen as refracted luminescence through the diamond and glass floor.

It was most probably people getting ready for their morning shifts.

Nikaloas softly picked up Rachel's chin so that he could look into her brown eyes,

"I'll only be in *Strasbourg for a few days and then I'll be right back here with you. I promise."

"But the wedding. We still have to sort out the flowers, the guests, the venue and decorations. Plus our house papers still need to be put in ord...", Rachel was running out of breath in her rant but was cut short yet again by Nikaloas who placed his finger lightly on her red lips.

Nikaloas stared knowingly at Rachel's worried face ,

"You are marrying the 21st century's first ever trillionaire aren't you? I already have everything taken care of. It's going to be perfect."

Nikaloas paused and put his arms around her waist to pull her closer to him.

He smiled,

"It's going to be fit for a queen... A queen just like you. But I don't want to spoil it. And I promise afterwards, we'll be back in the states where you can light up Broadway... Even if they don't deserve you."

"Promise Promise?", asked Rachel with a glare in her eye.

"Promise Promise.", replied Nikaloas while leaving a kiss on her lips.

Rachel returned the kiss and giggled, "Now get out of here, you have a plane to catch remember?"

Nikaloas looked at the time on his *rose gold watch.

"I love you.", said Nikaloas as he let go of Rachel.

___________

DeFiniTIonS iN tHis ChApTEr

*Balustrade - Originating from "baluster," it was mainly used by the French in the mid 17th century.

Balustrades are installed at the side/edge of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling over, ie. A fancy word for railing.

*Rose Gold - is a blend, or an alloy of pure 24 karat yellow gold, copper and silver. Pure 24 karat yellow gold is the base for all gold colors and qualities, but is too soft to be used in a pure state for jewelry.

*Mulled Wine Hair -Similar to the cozy seasonal beverage, "mulled wine hair" is characterized by a deep red, almost purple hue with touches of orange and/or chocolate-brown.

*Strasbourg - The capital city of the Grand Est region, formerly Alsace, in northeastern France. It's also the formal seat of the European Parliament and sits near the German border, with culture and architecture blending German and French influences. It is also home to the Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg.

Fun Facts :

*Notre-Dame is French for "Our Lady", referring to the Virgin Mary.

*Yes there is a separate Cathedral Notre-Dame in Strasbourg. The one in Paris is considered as the sister seeing that it is smaller, coming in with a spire height of 91.44m vs Cathèdral Notre-Dame de Strasbourg with a spire height of 142m.

In fact there are more than a hundred churches dedicated to "Our Lady" ("Notre Dame") scattered around France.