our inks aren't dry yet but it's about time for this book to close... but a finished book doesn't mean it's about to be forgotten. everyone in this book will continue to be remembered through the words i carved here. writing this has been an ecstatic journey because everything's in full bloom—the romance, the hearts, the growth, just everything! thank you for watching the flowers grow with fleurdelonix. <3
continue to live as the flower you are and watch your growth prosper into a whole garden.
you know where to find me
twt: raeminiscence
ig: haraeyaeris
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"Congratulations on your book, petal. I'm so proud of you."
"I'm proud of myself too! I can't wait to hear your thoughts! Aside from me syempre, ikaw 'yung unang makakakuha ng physical copy nito."
He droned, "I'm really that special, huh?"
I pushed his shoulder with my finger. "Of course you are! You have to be worried if hindi ka na special sa'kin because you're not talking to the real Fleur kung ganoon. You better find this original version fast." I pointed at myself, grinning.
"What would happen if I were a millisecond late then?"
A throaty chuckle left my mouth, blinking through my words. "I'd come find you instead. Then I'll scold you... kasi why would it take you so long to find me?"
"Maybe there was traffic. Or baka nagutom ako on the way."
"You better be sure it's those reasons, Delonix," I warned with squinting eyes.
I shuffled through my bag, trying to feel the familiar feel of the book cover rasping my palms. A familiar shock of excitement traveled through my veins and I was brought back to the first time I held my book in my hands. My book! My!
"Check the dedication first ha!" I tried to hold back my scream, extending my arm to him.
He interchanged his gaze between the book and I. Slowly, he retrieved the book from my hands and did as I told him. As he was flipping the pages, my heart thumped harder against my ribcage.
I knew what was written there. I had that page memorized word per word.
To Delonix, every aspect of home is found within you. I love you.
He closed the book shut and the tenderness of his body language spoke enough for me. I took a step closer to him, leaving a few inches between us no matter how much I wanted to decline that space.
"I love you, angel."
He exhaled a sigh of content. "I love you."
I didn't care how wide my beam was at that moment. Hell, this man gave me a butterfly garden without even knowing.
"You like it?"
"Yeah, absolutely love it... but are you sure I wasn't the one who wrote this here?"
"Hmm?"
"Because you're my home, Fleur."
"I know." I smiled. "But everyone who's gonna purchase this book is gonna know you're my home. Don't try to be so competitive, angel."
"Well, I'll try not to be."
"What?" He shrugged, acting innocent and all. "What do you have up your sleeve today huh?"
"I'll have that moment saved for next time."
"Wag na!" I protested. "I want to see na today what you have planned for me."
"Who's impatient now huh?" His hearty laugh melted in my ears perfectly. "You sure?"
"I am!"
"Okay," he mumbled, still smiling.
He reached deep into his hoodie's pocket. Once his hand stopped moving, I lifted my gaze to him. He revealed the most contagious smile known to man and pulled out a red velvet case.
"What's this?" I asked, cupping the chunk of fabric in between my palms.
He clasped his hands together. "Just open it."
There was a small pop once I opened the case. My eyes speculated the glint emanating from the tiny jewels above the band. I lifted my gaze and caught a lump bobbed on Delonix's throat. I playfully squinted my eyes at him.
"Is this a wedding ring?!" I joked. "Aw, you're already thinking of your life with me?"
"Mhm..." He shook his head, pulling me closer by the waist. "I am... but that's a promise ring."
"Hey, silly, I don't need a ring. I trust your promises naman." I rolled the ring with my thumb and index finger. "But this is a very stunning ring."
It was stunning, indeed, with its lush of rose gold hues encircling the flower of pearly petals.
"This tops my dedication..." I gushed, wrapping my arms around his neck and gave him a peck on the cheek. I wore the fragile ring around my ring finger and my breaths hitched once again. "Absolutely tops it."
"Nah, nothing tops the other as long as it's done out of love."
"'Yan ka na naman... Being cheeky as always!" My arms slid down his shoulders. "I'm glad you could come visit me today... of all days. I've been really tired plus seeing you less had me craving, angel."
"Yeah, I basically had to beg my mentor to let me out on time today. They wouldn't cut me some slack. I'm already Fleur-deprived, I almost lost it back there."
Fleur-deprived... I pursed my lips to suppress the giggle wanting to be let out.
"You saw me na so this should've regained some of your energy, yeah?"
"Some? You brought me back to life."
I tapped his chin, fighting again another urge to squish his cheeks and to reel him in for a kiss.
"Kaunting tiis na lang. Just one more year left, Delonix!" I squealed, "You're now a flower-named future architect! And soon-to-be a flower-named architect! We'll get there din."
"Hmm, I still want to be called your angel though, Fleur."
"You'll always be naman." I grabbed his hand and played with his slender fingers. "My angel... The person who has my heart in every way, the person who has me. You have me."
"And you have me too."
"Yeah, I have you," I repeated in hushed tones, nodding.
While I am in combat with my most cavernous and invisible demons, Delonix is the gentle strength that never strays away as I find the light to my salvation. He lifts me up whenever darkness relishes through my veins and melancholy grows within my deepest crevices. With Delonix, I know I am never alone in the battle of life.
He whispered with his lips almost touching the top of my head, "I will forever be enamored of your divine being."
"Angel..." I breathed. "Look at that nga oh! I can't stop calling you 'angel' kahit na wala ka namang ginagawa."
He licked his lips and suppressed his tiny smile. God, the desire to just pinch his cheeks grew stronger and wilder every day. It has been a year already, by now I should've learned how to keep myself calm during these instances.
"Every romantic musing of mine is dedicated to your superlunary entirety. You are the resplendent flower blossoming in my somber garden, Fleur. The world could never dim your glow."
I never aimed for love but Delonix gave me the rarest kind—the one that was sure and steady in between personal calamities, the one that makes complicated roads straight and even, the one that is right for me. The ashes living in my skies whirled away when Delonix poured his nacreous love over it. He helped me search for my translucid days and I saw every bit of it in a vivid light.
He was perfect in his own unique way. He was just Delonix and I have him for time immemorial.
His lips touched mine and the same type of longing exploded around us. The heat of his palms were melting against my cheeks. He leaned his forehead against mine. He was so, so close... I wished we were closer.
"Thank you for making me shine as well... For showing me that we are mirific in our own ways."
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fin