AfterLife

CHAPTER 1

"Why are you pouting? You want me to kiss you?" Andrei, my boyfriend, asked.

"You ate all my chocolates, Andrei!"

"Well, I bought them."

"For me!"

"I didn't say that." He chuckled. I pouted even more, and like how fast my heart beats when he's around, he gave me a peck on the lips.

"I can't resist. You're too cute, pfft." And he laughed like a kid who won the lottery.

I pretended that I was annoyed, but his laughs were contagious! A smile crossed my lips as I watched him laugh with his eyes shut. Just the sight of him beaming with happiness makes me completely blissed out. This man is dreamy. I love him so much.

We are spending our time in the park on a lazy Sunday morning. I can't believe we are having our first public date. Everything is serene. My heart is at ease. Everything is perfect.

"Let's go?" Andrei said as he offered his hand to help me get up.%0D%0A"They are already there?"

"Yep. Mother had texted me multiple times already. Just boomers being impatient." I laughed at his remarks.

We intertwined our hands as we walked past the trees. The smiles and giggles of the people staring at our hands, particularly the elders strolling around the park, inflicted an emotion on me as if something caressed my heart. An overwhelming yet fulfilling moment of belongingness that I'll never want to stop.

We reached our destination where our families were waiting for us - a cozy restaurant. They are casually talking and laughing with each other - a perfect sight that brought me to the verge of crying out of overwhelming euphoria. Andrei hugged me as if he was imparting the same emotion of contentment and softly spoke, "You are the best thing that ever happened to me, my love. And being supported by our family makes it surreal. Tell me if this is true".

I nodded, my eyes glistening with tears. Indeed, being supported by your family brings you another level of comfort. The liberation you have as a couple is something that only a few can experience. And I am grateful that we are one of them.

The rustling of the sand, the sinking of my feet, the serene melody as the crashing waves meet, and the intoxicating salty ambiance of the ocean breeze wrap me in an ecstatic feeling of being in paradise.

Andrei removed his hand from my bare skin and kissed me on the forehead with intensified sparkling love and care.

"Sol and Luna rarely meet, always chase, and always miss one another. Once in a while, they do catch up, and they kiss, and the world stares in awe at their eclipse. But this time, my Luna, I want to be your Sol for the rest of your life. Tomorrow, the next day, next weeks, next months, and the next hundred years."

I was stupefied by the strikingly bewitching words he uttered. My senses suddenly stopped, and the only thing I can hear is the violent ecstasy suffusing my every cell. Though I'd thought I was prepared for this moment of proposal, I was not entirely ready for the combustion.

With the overflowing love I had, I responded by closing the tiny distance between us, pressing my lips softly against his.