Immortal Mortals

Memories

Forcing himself to stop before he took it too far, Jie looked down into her glazed passion fill eyes.  "Ai,  I am falling in love with you." he had finally said it, and he didn't care one iota for the consequences, she had to know.

Suddenly her eyes began to tear. "Jie, I am falling for you too." she said softly, then blushing heavily again, she quickly ducked her head down into his chest to hide her shyness.

Laughing , he let out a throaty growl as he gathered her up into his arms, and unceremoniously lifted her back onto the horse and himself closely behind, before once again setting off, with her still hiding against his chest, her heart beating wildly at their impromptu stop.

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The market was heavily crowded with people from many of the smaller neighboring towns attending, and the sounds of haggling could be heard the moment the market came into view.  Children ran about the adults laughing as men chased the lowest bid, and women browsed the fine fabrics and exotic spices that had just come in off the trading ships.

Immediately a young boy arrived to guide his horse to a nearby stable, and for a small fee, he would take care of it for them, while they browsed.  So helping her down, he took her hand and they slowly began to make their way into the throbbing crowd.

Immediately they were swamped by peddlers pushing their wares, but it only took one raise of his hand to see them move onto someone else.  Ai took her time looking at the different fabrics and dresses that had just arrived, and some of them were truly beautiful, but perhaps a little to extravagant for the town she lived in.  Only the ladies of the night wore such garments, but she admired them anyway, the silk and lace was of the best quality for the Mortal Realm, and it was one she would have worn even in the Immortal Realm.  Scarlet red in color that fell the full length of her body, the fine lace dress with a silk lining, and a low neckline wtih lace sleeves, was exceptionally beautiful.

But no sooner had she turned away to move to the next stall, than Jie picked up the dress she had been looking at, and purchased it for her.  Shocked, Ai looked up at him, her eyes wide that he would buy her something so extravagant.  "I want to see you in it." he said suggestively smiling down at her, waiting for the deep blush he knew wasn't far away, and of course he didn't even have to wait another second, the blush came immediately, and if they weren't surrounded by so many people, she would have ducked her head back into his chest.

Along with the dress, he also purchased matching hair pins and shoes and more dresses to update the ones she already owned.  Along with rugs, wall hangings and plush blankets as well as furniture, and all of which he paid the young stable hand to deliver for him, a young boy who was raising his young siblings on the meager earnings he was able to scrape together each day, which barely fed them all, and because Jie had paid him half up front, they would eat well for the next few weeks.

Then, purchasing lunch, they set off for the coastline to spend the rest of the day in each others company away from the noise and strong smells of the market.

Setting up lunch on a blanket he had purchased at the market, they both sat to enjoy the meal and the stunning view.  

"When I first moved to our small town, I used to love coming here at dusk, the sunsets are spectacular." she told him smiling.

"Then we shall make it a habit to come more often." he said smiling.

The view really was beautiful.  The surrounding mountains seemed to rise up out of the ocean all around them, he could imagine the sunset hitting them and sending the colors in all directions across the waves.  

The meal lasted an hour, and the conversation once again returned to their youth, but this time they talked of their young adult years, with Jie having the most stories to tell.  Having already told her he was a traveler, he talked of the many excursions had taken across the mortal realm in search of adventure. To Ai, he seemed so worldly and educated, but his stories always seemed to only involve himself.

"Have you never wanted to marry Jie?" she asked, suddenly turning bright red at her own audacity to bring up something so personal, but she really wanted to know.

With that soft tender look he always gave her, he pulled her towards him.  "Yes I have." he said softly.  "I am just waiting for the right woman." he added, his eyes never moving from her face as he spoke.

Ducking her head down into the crook of his arm, he laughed, her shyness and demure demeanor was delightful, he could not get enough of it.  "Ai, I love you." he said suddenly, making her blush the deepest red he had ever seen, making him laugh even more.  Then taking her hand, he stood her up and led her onto the sand to walk the coastline.

Hand in hand they walked the sand searching for unusual shells that Jie decided he would use in his pathway to his home, and as they filled their pockets will all manner of shells they laughed and stole glances at each other.  Jies mind was fully on Ai the whole time, that they had come close to talking of marriage had him suddenly thinking seriously about her and a life he was fully committing himself to.  Though his mind did once turn to Bai Qian, she may as well have been a million years away, her memory fast becoming a thing of the past, and no longer holding any relevance to his future, not when Ai was fully in his present.  Her sweet smile, her gentle heart and her shy love was everything he could have hoped for.  He was finally in love.

Ai too had only Jie on her mind as she continued to steal glances.  Moving closer so her hand would touch his at every opportunity, she too could feel herself falling madly in love with him.  And like Jie, her mind too went back to Mo Yuan, a man she had once lusted, but he too was forever away, and not a part of the life she had so desperately sought and found in Jie.  And the way he had looked at her when marriage was raised, she hoped desperately that it would eventuate, he was the man she had waited her whole life for, she could barely believe he had finally arrived in her life, and she was not going to let him go.  Not when she was in love and she knew as each moment that passed, that he too loved her as much she loved him.

Now resting on a low hill, looking at the lowering sun, Jie held her in his arms as they waited for the sunset to hit the water and send its colors across the mountain tops and over the ocean.  And as the sunset hit, Jie pulled her even deeper into his arms and lowered his head.  Kissing her tenderly, he was pleasantly surprised to see she had lost the shyness, and was returning his kiss with as much passion as he was giving her.  Lying down with her in the grass, under a million colors sprayed across the sky and the land, he pulled her in even more and deepened their kiss.  And though she was still pure, she was fully open to everything he gave her.  Their kiss lasting the full duration of the sunset.