Outer Limits | ✓

⠀⠀⠀"I want her to more than just like this—" he pauses in time to sweep an eye over her name tag. "—Lennon. She's so special to me and this gift needs to emulate that."

⠀⠀⠀Lennon nods empathetically. She knows exactly what he means. What can you give someone that's already given you the greatest gift of all—loving you?

⠀⠀⠀After humming to herself for several beats, an idea hits her like a ton of bricks. "Special, you say?" She muses, "I've got just the idea."

⠀⠀⠀She doesn't have to tell him to follow, he takes it upon himself to trail after her through several aisles as she trots around with a blue basket full of items that she clears off shelves and racks.

⠀⠀⠀ He stays on her tail up to the front end of the store when they abruptly stop at an aisle. "Special people deserve special things," she says before holding her arms out in grand gesture. "Is this special enough for you—uh."

⠀⠀⠀"Jude," he provides and a faint smile traces around his mouth. "And absolutely. This is—wow. I think...I think she's going to love this."

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⠀⠀⠀"Can I take it off now?"

⠀⠀⠀"Just a few more steps." Jude instructs her to keep her blindfold on and she does so, smothering a wobbling smile as her dainty hands interlace with his as he leads the way.

⠀⠀⠀"Okay," he murmurs beside her ear before sidestepping into the clearing. "You're going to have to stand still for like a second, can you do that for me?

⠀⠀⠀"Yes!" She squeaks.

⠀⠀⠀"No peeking." He warns.

⠀⠀⠀"I won't!"

⠀⠀⠀"I swear if you—"

⠀⠀⠀"Asher! Get on with it already!" She exclaims and he can't help but chuckle at her short temper. "Hurry, before I start greying."

⠀⠀⠀"Alright! No need to get your knickers in a twist, I just want everything to be..." The rest of his words get lost in the distinct noise of leaves ruffling and twigs snapping underfoot.

⠀⠀⠀It doesn't take a genius for her to figure out where she is. In truth, she suspected them to come here sooner or later. It seems some of their sweetest moments have been shared in the middle of these woods.

⠀⠀⠀ So when Jude came ringing at the foot of her doorstep and subsequently told her to blindfold herself and to trust him, he had something special planned for them—a private part of her heart had hoped that it would lead to Arcadia.

⠀⠀⠀"Okay, Darce," Jude says breezily and she swears she can make out the nervous tremor in his voice. "Show me your eyes."

⠀⠀⠀At the swift tug at the knot behind hear head, Jude's tie unwinds at the heart of her hand. Darcy finds herself standing at the heart of a flame-lit clearing.

⠀⠀⠀ Around her stand a myriad of flying lanterns with faint flames illuminating inside them, encasing both herself and Jude in a heart's shape.

⠀⠀⠀Suddenly, with little warning, an all-too familiar pressure builds behind her eyes. A prickling sensation that quickly brims hot tears to her eye-line. Her mouth trembles as she breathes, "Oh, babe..."

⠀⠀⠀Jude doesn't think she's ever looked as beautiful as she has in this moment. In their moment. When did he become such a lovesick sod? He thinks it happened overnight, just like falling in love with her had.

⠀⠀⠀Unsuspectingly. Unconsciously.

⠀⠀⠀"Come here, I need to show you something," he says cryptically, giving a hand out to her and she grabs it readily. Coming up from his left side, the sight of what he's about to show her remains obscure.

⠀⠀⠀"What is it?" She asks, voice strained with full emotion. He doesn't need to answer, doesn't need anything to say anything because sometimes, in the most honest occasions—actions will always speak louder than words.

⠀⠀⠀At his side, he points at a tree's stub laden with small, lit candles curved and aligned in the shape of letters that spell out:

⠀⠀⠀I love you.

⠀⠀⠀And those three little words are the undoing of her brimming tears. Wide-eyed, she spins around swiftly only to find her boyfriend—smiling down at her adoringly, lovingly.

⠀⠀⠀She opens her mouth to say something, anything, that thing. But there's this other private part of her heart—this broken part that needs to hear him say it again and again and again. "Really?"

⠀⠀⠀Jude smiles, breathing a laugh. "So damn much."

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A / W

And that's all folks!

Thank you so much for each and everyone of you that took the time to read (and re-read) this story. It's a little heavier than the original, but has a lot more depth, a little more humility, a lot more magic.

It has been both a pleasure and mildly disconcerting to dive into a story I wrote when I was waist-deep in teenaged angst and to later re-write it as a young adult. These characters and this world will always make me feel wistful and nostalgic and it's nice to know that it isn't just an idea spinning around my head anymore; it's in thousands of your hearts now, too.

I hope you liked it enough to check out my profile for other books and updates. I have a murder-mystery titled Ashes to Ammo that came out today and I really hope you'll give it a gander, it's something of a passion project and words can't express how excited and nervous I am that it's finally out.

Yours temporarily,
Avrielle

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