58. Simon's POV Part 7: Ending

(Author's Note: This is the last official chapter but there will be an epilogue coming very soon!)

Simon's P.O.V.- (first morning of marriage)

We exited my father's old bedroom hand-in-hand. The angel guiding my way turned her head to smile back at me, and that's where I was in the dream when I began to wake up.

My eyes gently started to flutter open prompted by the morning sun creeping in through the skylight. The tv was still on, with Netflix screen static showing. The realization that I must have fallen asleep hit me as I slowly regained consciousness. I was still in half a daze, so I didn't notice immediately…. But soon I became aware of this pressure on my chest and lower half. Without giving it much thought and momentarily forgetting where I was, I did the most natural action of peering down to what might be causing the weight on me.

I couldn't have flinched harder, though I managed to thankfully do so without waking her. D-Daphne! There was Daphne, in bed with me… laying overtop my chest! She was in what looked to be the most restful, most peaceful sleep of her life. Her head was curled up against me, and her hand was resting right where my heart was. At first I believed this was still a dream, I was still dreaming… This couldn't be real! Daphne and I couldn't have really fallen asleep last night in the same bed…. could we? I was afraid to take another look, to confirm my sneaking suspicion that I was actually truly awake and this wasn't a dream after all…. But as the sensation of her presence didn't disappear, it dawned on me that this was real- it was all real. Daphne and I were really…..

Glancing back at her, this profound feeling set in. Something of remembrance, maybe. This felt somewhat familiar, like I'd experienced this scene before. The awareness of her body on mine, the warmth radiating off her hand onto my heart, even the memory of us in our pyjamas- it was buried somewhere deep inside my subconscious. Perhaps that's because I've been dreaming of this since I met Daphne. Not being so intimate with her per se, but just being so close to her; having her so physically near me. Her body betrayed herself and gave the impression of complete content, of sheer endless bliss. Seeing her like this brought on yet another new feeling I'd never yet experienced before. Or maybe I have… back when we were in Edinburgh together, and she fell to sleep…. holding my hand.

This woman, this creature, was one of pure magic. Nothing in the world could convince me that she was mortal. Nothing so lowly to be considered "human" could possibly describe what she is. She was so entirely different, distinct…. so high above whatever I could be. The recollection hit me again that I could watch her for hours and never get bored. And to think that such a person is my wife- is mine completely. She was mine and I was hers. I couldn't imagine belonging to anyone else in any sense of the word- not when she owned me body and soul. Look at her; just look at her now. She's the dawning of the day, the creation of colours, the first woman to have ever lived or to have loved a man. She was every princess and maiden in every fairy tale. She was Elizabeth Bennett and Anna Karenina. She was it all- everything that was good in the world. And I knew then and there that I would grow to love her more each and every day. Not a day would pass when she wouldn't leave me breathless…. She did leave me breathless, and she did it all with one look. As I've also realized long ago, Daphne's that special kind of person.

When a girl like Daphne looks at you, you change.

I have no clue how long I laid there, watching my wife softly sleep on me like that. I didn't dare disrupt her, enjoying myself too much. Her touch was static, her breath was enchanting, her heart was endless. Watching her was like watching a movie or novel unfold in front of me. Effortless and full of joy…. I can't count all the times I stayed up like that through-out our very long marriage. I would sit up often in our bed just to observe my precious wife sleep, each time growing all the more beautiful and breath-taking. I would rest my cheek in the palm of my folded arm and watch her, thinking about how insanely happy she made me, what I could do to make her happier, and how lucky I was to have met someone like her. I know most marriages aren't as good as ours, but I'm convinced that's because they haven't found someone as perfect for them as we were for each other. Daphne was born to be a PhD- of which she got several- and I was created to watch her fly so high. I didn't mind not having my own set of wings; her wings were enough for both of us. She was my soulmate, and I hers. I watched Daphne sleep, all the while thinking to myself…

Meeting you was the greatest blessing of my life.

Wrapping both arms protectively around my wife, I held her close. My head fell back against the pillow and I stared up at the ceiling for a minute. This enormous smile blossomed naturally across my face. Then I shut my eyes and fell back to sleep.