Chapter Twelve

Reigner looked at the beauty infront of him and felt his heart constrict. She had first caught his eye at the art gallery; he had seen her observing the piece that she later went on to damage and couldn't keep his eyes off her. She had been beautiful that night, her completely entranced by the piece and him by her. He had loved her then, as ridiculous and folly as that sounded. The warm feeling he had felt had refused to disappear ever since. Sheenah, such a lovely name.

"And Tash vowed to never listen to Lilly. She had almost died!" She was saying, her eyes crinkled with laughter. He hadn't heard what had been said but laughed anyway.

Happiness looked so good on her. He remembered how he had been standing from her one minute and the next one she was on her knees, trembling and crying. The sight broke his heart. And nobody had been in the least bit interested to help her! How could fate be so cruel to her? He knew the universe owed nobody shit. It could mess up one's entire life with no second thought and definitely no consideration. Sometimes good people had the worst of things happening to them and it was just how things were. There was no guarantee of anything. That's how the universe was. It was funny.

But one thing he knew with certainty was the girl with a lovely name deserved happiness. Simply because it looked good on her.

"You're not listening."

"Huh? Of course I -" she glared at him and he almost laughed.

"Okay, I'm not. I was wondering."

"About what?"

"Why your second name is more famous than your first." He lied although partly. He had at some point indeed wondered why she was using her second name more.

"Because it's much prettier?" She asked. "I don't know, I never quite liked the name Abigail."

He wanted to ask why but bit his tongue. Abigail was quite nice too. Sheenah moved a bit toward him, and touched the grass. Her hand came up with a blade, her twirling it between her slender fingers. Playing with it. He knew her grey skirt would be soiled from the dirt but he had asked her to sit anyway. He loved sitting with her.

"You'll be leaving soon." He finally said what had been on his mind. He hated to think of her leaving. She furrowed her brows in question before nodding.

"Yeah." She drawled and there was a faraway look on her face. Her eyes especially looked sad. Reigner hoped that he had something to do with it. That she hated leaving him as much.

"Vacation is nice and all but duty calls. Bills have to be paid after all." She laughed humorlessly and cut the blade in half. Crushing one half between her left forefinger and thumb.

"Will you come back? Ever?"

Sheenah looked at him and then ahead and then her gaze dropped to the crushed blade. She let it drop from her hand. She seemed to be pondering over the question and Reigner was subtly irritated. Was it really that hard for her to answer the question? Did she not want to come back? To see him at the very least? Did she not like him enough for her response to be instant?

"Would you like me to come back?" She countered instead.

"Of course!" His response was instant. "In case it's still not clear, I like you. And not to scare you or anything but I liked you the very first time I saw you and I would be thrilled if you came back. If you don't want to, that's fine also." He gave her a tight smile.

Reigner saw her mull over what he'd said and couldn't even bring himself to feel irritation. What if she didn't like him that way? Maybe she had agreed to go out with him because she had nothing else to do, after all she was in a new city. He felt his heart constrict, but not in a good way this time.

"If I was to come back, I'd be alone and the mere thought of living by myself in a hotel room isn't quite appealing. So unless you'd be willing to host me, then no. And even then, considering I was raised in a Christian manner, living with a man who isn't my husband is also another no. With my Catholic upbringing and all, you'd have to marry me. So Reigner would you be willing to marry me?"

Reigner gasped, then gulped and then blinked, all in one second. Was she proposing to him? Yes he liked her very much, but marriage? Wasn't that-

A loud deep throaty laughter interrupted his train of thoughts. Sheenah had her head between her knees, guffawing. He blinked again, so she was teasing him.

"What? Say something." She laughed again. "You wouldn't be so heartless as to turn down my proposal would you?"

He looked at her happy face and smiled. He was happy that she was so comfortable around him. Enough to tease him with a marriage proposal.

"In Aoro Sigus words, and I quote: 'it isn't every day a girl proposes to me. As a a matter of fact this is the first time- so forgive me if I don't quite know what to say. But you know there's never been anyone else since I met you. To hell with it, since we are in the age of equality, why don't I just say say that there's never been anyone else?" Sheenah furrowed her brows, and he almost laughed but caught himself and continued.

"The answer is- yes I'll marry you. Any day you want. Today, if we can get anyone to marry us." He finished before sighing deeply, surprised that he still remembered those exact words.

"You are unbelievable." Sheenah said. She was impressed. "The River and The Source huh?"

"Margaret Ogola was epic. A gem."

"That she was." She paused. "Anyway why of all the scenes did you memorize Aoro's?"

Reigner scratched his neck, embarrassed. "It's a good scene. And I acted while in highschool and happened to have gotten the character of Aoro. You know being smart, good looking and all. So yeah, I had to memorize it by heart." He looked anywhere but at her. He was sure she'd laugh at him. "Plus I hoped to meet a doctor someday and woo her with those words. Seems like fate was in my favor. No?"

"You were in drama?" He groaned and regretted telling her that.

"Yes."

"You don't look-" then she laughed. Her laugh was loud, but beautiful nonetheless. After regaining her breath, she apologized for laughing and went back to playing with another blade of grass that she had picked. Reigner sat beside her, quiet.

"They say men can't tell colors, no matter how colorful or bright they are. In case it's still not clear, or the colors not vivid enough, I like you. A lot more than I'd like to."

Reigner looked at the girl beside him: she was breaking the blade into tiny pieces, dropping the pieces on her feet. She liked him too! The feeling was mutual! His heart swelled with happiness. The warm feeling intensified and he grinned, looking at her.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not marrying you."

He laughed. Then he grinned again.

"You like me too?"

"Is your hearing bad?"

"You said a lot of stuff about men and colors. I didn't quite catch up. Say it again."

"That men can't tell colors?"

"No. The other one. That you like me."

She looked at him in a funny way and he didn't care that he looked like a teenager high on love. He wanted to hear her say it.

"I like you."

He kissed her. He couldn't help himself. His lips met hers and he knew that Sheenah had been utterly wrong. Of course he could tell colors. He knew bright and colourful colors, he could definitely identify them.

When Sheenah touched his cheek, dropping the blade in the process, Reigner thought he couldn't be happier. When she finally kissed him back, he was sure what bliss looked like. Of course Sheenah was wrong, men could tell colors. He was kissing the girl with a lovely name and he saw the bright and colourful colors of happiness. He felt them vivid and clear; in his blood and bones and every part of his being. When she bit his lower lip, then gently soothed it with her tongue then slowly slid that same tongue in his mouth, he felt insanity. When he finally had a taste of her, again, Reigner knew he could die then and he wouldn't have a problem. He'd have died a blissful man. A man who saw the bright and vivid colours of happiness. Who felt them.

They pulled apart, their breathing ragged, chests heaving slowly. Sheenah smiled. She gently traced her thumb on his slightly swollen lips and it smelled like grass, and the color green. He returned the smile.

She moved until she was leaning on him, no distance between them. Sheenah raised her eyes, and looked at him. She stared at him for quite a while, smiled then looked ahead, her head on his shoulder. When Reigner gently cradled her face, her eyes closed with a sigh. He hoped it was one of contentment.

There were things still to be said, ground still to be covered but those would be done later on. They still had time he liked to believe. He sighed quietly, his a sigh of bliss.