The biggest gift

Laila was shocked at seeing Noah all of a sudden and for him to be speaking to her. In a way she could barely believe it and wanted to pinch herself to see if she wasn't dreaming. Wondering if the end of her long nightmare had come. She was at a loss for words and with much effort she responded by saying, "Y-Yes of course. P-please. Sit." Gesturing at the empty space on the bed, while her widened eyes remained glued on him.

Noah chuckled and took a seat at the spot Laila had pointed at. With a gentle smile he looked at Laila and asked, "Did you sleep well?" Laila was a bit confused at where Noah was going with this but she was already so happy that he was speaking to her again that she refused to waste time thinking about that and just answered him. "Y-yeah. I slept surprisingly well. Though I don't know how I ended up in the bed. Was this your doing?" She asked a bit hopefully. Her heart unable to make another beat until she had heard his reply.

When she saw him nod she felt a surge of happiness. Like an arrow of light being shot right into her heart and bursting into feathers. Giving her a light feeling all over and a sense of relief. "Yes. I came in to see how you were doing but you were asleep. When I came closer I saw that your cheeks were looking so flushed from sleeping in the sun and you seemed so tired. So, I thought that it might be better for you to sleep in bed." With a chuckle he added, "Though your cheeks are still a bit red even now." as he touched her cheeks with the back of his hand. This simple action of his made her heart skip a beat, while making her wonder how much more of this her body could take.

Each little gesture and action of his had such a big effect on her. But even if this was the case, she didn't want him to stop. Not at all. She loved how a single word or action of his could make her feel like she had reached heaven or hell. To Laila, it simply proved how much she loved him and it was clear for everyone just how much he loved her. Or at least the version of her that he had known, dated and married. She never realized she could love a person so much. Never thought she could love her childhood friend so fiercely. But being apart from him, being faced with the possibility of losing him as her husband and partner in life, showed her that there was nobody for her but him. He was her perfect match, her soulmate, the love of her life and her best friend.

Being unable to handle the suspense of waiting to find out what Noah had come here for, Laila asked him straight up, "W-What are you here for Noah..?" Still feeling nervous, the words came out stammeringly but at least she managed to ask him. With widened eyes, filled with hope, Laila looked at Noah and waited for him to answer to put her out of her misery. To either give her the finishing blow or bring her salvation.

Noah's face remained as gentle as could be and with a soft smile he said, "Isn't it clear. I came here to talk. For the past few days I have thought long and hard but no matter what I couldn't come up with an answer. I couldn't figure out what the right thing to do was. All I knew was that I loved you and my feelings pulled me to this room. When I came in I saw you here, sleeping peacefully, looking so fragile yet so beautiful. When my hand touched your cheek, you smiled at me. I don't know if it was a coincidence or if you actually responded to my touch but as I sat there, looking at your sleeping face, I knew that I could not live without you." Laila's heart was beating more rapidly than ever as she heard Noah's words. Every bit, every word, seemed to good to be true but Noah wasn't done yet and seemed determined to push her heart to the max.

"I love you. No matter which version of you that might be or from what timeline, you will always be you and you will always be the person I love. No matter what, just like there is nobody for me but you, I know that there is nobody for you but me. So, instead of suffering apart, I figured we could start building together. We can make new memories, I can fill you in on those you have forgotten and we will spend our lives together just like we were meant to. I vowed that I will be with you until death do us part, so I refuse to let anything other than death to stand in our way. If you will still have me, I would like to be your husband again and I ask you to be my wife, for now and for always."

With tears in her eyes Laila nodded before she jumped into his arms and repeated the words, "For now and for always!" Just like that her nightmare was over and Noah had given her the biggest gift she could ask for. A gift she would never forget and treasure for always. The gift of forgiveness and acceptance.