A Different Kind of Heaven [ Silmarillion ] 1

Chapter 30: See the Light

Finno sat next to her, he looked down the hill at Valmar below. Specks of torches and fires and mystical lights gleamed and flickered in the city. He smiled softly, thinking to himself. “Eve, what did you do for fun in your home?”

She paused before answering. “I followed many stories. We had these things called TVs, where we could watch moving and talking pictures that told stories.”

“That is…Cool,” Finno replied, turning his head and winking at her.

She rolled her eyes but a smile was now firmly plastered on her face. “Anyways. One of these stories I liked to follow was called Star Trek.”

“What was the story about?”

“It's hard to explain. There were these ships, but instead of sailing the ocean, they sailed the sky, in space. They would visit different worlds and peoples.”

Finno looked at her in amusement. “Sky ships?”

“Space ships, actually.” Eve closed her eyes, thinking about home. “There was one, called Voyager. It got stuck very far from home and had to learn to live in new areas. It tried to get home.” She paused again. “Sometimes I think about it.”

Finno turned to her and frowned slightly. At his reaction, she sat up next to him. Eve gave a small smile.

“Do you wish to leave? To return to your home?” He tried to smile to reassure her. “To be like Voyager?”

Eve hesitated. Did she? She missed her family, and her friends. She missed her work and even classes. But here she had found friendships and new miracles like she never could have imagined.

“No.” She paused and felt herself blushing deeply. “I- I wouldn't want to lose this.”

“Good.” He nodded. Finno looked away down the hill again. He felt heat rising to his face, taking over his chest and squeezing his heart. It constricted him so much he felt like he was going to burst. Oh how he regretted teasing his brother. “Eve…”

She looked at him and felt tears springing to her face. She didn't know why, really. Eve just knew her emotions wanted to explode. But she smiled at him, and he back at her. Behind them, Telperion illuminated the world in a soft glow. Eve realized it made Finno’s features even more handsome.

Finno reached out and took her hand hesitantly. She didn't draw back, and his smile widened in amusement as she bit her lip. With his other hand he reached up and wiped away the two tears on her left cheek. She laughed, choking on the air and her tears. She went to hide her face but Finno rolled his eyes with a chuckle.

“You are so beautiful,” he said quietly. “Your ability to see such beauty in the everyday, it astounds me.”

“Don't tell me I'm beautiful when you're literally gorgeous,” she reminded him with a soft giggle.

Finno laughed and shook his head. Eve felt her heart pounding, and spent all her energy she had to not freak out and smile like an idiot. They stared at each other for a moment before he leaned in. Her breath hitched.

“May I kiss you, Eve Gallowyn?” he asked quietly.

She whispered, her voice leaving her. “Please.”

Their lips met softly. Finno and Eve held hands still, their fingers interlacing together tightly. Her heart pounded a million times faster than she knew to be healthy. His heart, little better off, beat so fast he thought it would leap out of his chest. With his right hand, he cupped her face gently. She nearly cried. She had never felt like this, and wasn't sure she'd ever feel it again.