DESPITE THE HEARTBREAKS and tragedies, Seattle was still a place where she deeply rooted in.
There, she met the best of friendships and the strongest people she could ever dream of. Everyone cared for each other like they were all family-they indeed are.
Sure, there always were ups and downs, but nothing could break them apart, not even deaths. Conflicts and misfortunes were unavoidable, but the joy and hope were able to top them all.
Perhaps she had finally found her place in this cruel yet brilliant world, she found herself with him.
He is the person who keeps every single promise they make; he is the one who ensures that there is nothing in the world that can possibly break them apart.
He is the person who is the best father for their children and the best husband she can ever wish for; he is the one with whom they have a beautiful family together.
He is the person who knows her better than everyone else, just as she knows him; he is the one.
He is the greatest love of her life, and she is his.
❦ ❦ ❦
TWO LITTLE KIDS ARE running around, a boy and a girl, chasing each other as they hurl sand at each other.
A man and a woman are sitting next to each other on the blanket under a large umbrella. His arm is over her shoulder, and her head rests on his chest.
The beach is rather busy on that cloudless morning but not crowded. The family still have a wide enough space for their privacy while the kids play in the fine golden sand.
The boy grabs up a handful of sand before running toward his parents. With the tiny particles still slowly slipping off his hands, he stops abruptly in front of his dad with a mischievous grin.
"Hey, little man. What's up?"
"Heh-lo, Dada!" the boy shouts before throwing the golden sand at the man.
"Hey, you-Laurie, your son threw sand at me!"
"He's your son, too, Mark. Deal with it," the woman snickers while the little girl dives into her chest.
The man scoops the boy up and tackles him in tickles; his giggles fill the warm, humid air.
The girl huffs before getting up from her mom's chest and staggers over, pulling her brother's hair to get him off their dad's arms. The boy shrieks and rubs his head while dropping between their mom's legs, sending a pout to his little sister.
Their parents stare at each other; she has her brows furrowed in concern while he cracks out a laugh.
"Looks like someone has a favourite parent," he smirks and receives an unamused glare from his wife. He chuckles before lowering his head to their daughter. "You can't pull your brother's hair like that. Go apologise to Kai."
The little girl nods before crawling over to her older brother, who is sitting cozily on their mom's lap. She wraps her still-sandy hands around him-perhaps a little too tightly-and mumbles, "Sowwy..."
The boy narrows his eyes before blowing a raspberry at her. The siblings stare at each other intensely, just like they would always do when they get into fights. When he breaks into a grin, both siblings burst into cheeky laughs.
"Well, love, it seems like I'm the favourite parent," the woman smirks back at her husband, who eyes the two kids cuddling in her arms.
Their giggles turn into screeches as they are lifted off the ground, their legs kicking in the air; the man scoops them up, standing tall and beaming from ear to ear.
The woman smiles at the sight of them-a smile that is warm and fuzzy.
When he eventually lets the kids down, they scurry off hurriedly, back to where they were playing.
The man let out a long exhale as he scoots closer to his wife on the beach blanket. He brings her chin up, placing a sweet kiss on her lips as they smile into their kiss.
He stares at the pair of hazel eyes that he is still falling for, till this very moment and every to come. "I love you, Laurie."
She was the fall he had always desired.
"And I love you more," she says back, looking into the bright blue eyes that have always, and forever will belong to her, and only her.
He was the warmth she never knew she needed.
"Impossible."
They were love at first sight that neither realised...
...but had always been destined within their beating hearts.
"We really are perfect, aren't we?"
Mark glances down at Norah while she rests her head on his chest. He places a kiss on top of her head and hugs her tight, grinning to himself at her question.
"Perfect, just as you promised."
━ THE END ━