[IC] Fateful Convergence

[Daxam]

Feeling Arlia brush some loose strands of hair from his face, Nigel feels his heart beat a bit faster, as it always does when she touches him. Without realizing what he was doing, he reaches out and threads his fingers between hers, smiling. "That sounds like a wonderful idea," he whispers. After a few, brief moments of inner debate, he then says, "You know, I've kind of wanted to travel, as well, especially to Europe." Unable to hide the hopeful tone in his voice, he asks, "Maybe we could...go together?"

[Vocalia]

"I'd be honored to travel alongside you," Arlia replied without so much as a pause for thought, almost as if she was voicing the first thing that came to her mind. Her face took on a rosy hue and her strange symptoms returned with vengeance. Her mind was a maelstrom of thoughts and emotions, but all of them were centered on the man sitting beside her now. Unable to contain the raging storm any longer, she turned to look at Nigel and, summoning all the courage she had, asked, "Nigel, forgive me if I have threaded into a forbidden territory, but do you believe in love?"

[Daxam]

Nigel feels his face heat up, hearing Arlia's answer, then her sudden question. Turning to the beautiful Italian woman next to him, he opens his mouth to ask why she was asking, until he looks into her eyes and sees the same tempest of emotion that was raging inside of him. Suddenly, it all became clear to him. Pulling Arlia closer to him, he whispers, "Yes...I do. I never really gave it much thought until now, honestly. I never thought I'd live long enough to truly experience it, but...I love you, Arlia."

[Vocalia]

Arlia's mind maintained its rational functions until it registered the last four words in Nigel's sentence, upon which it seemed to lose that function entirely, reducing Arlia into an unintelligibly stammering woman with a face as red as a tomato. It took her a while to regain some measure of composure, but even then, her body felt jittery at best. "I-I... I-I... certainly d-didn't expect that..." she stammered, then tried her best to prove that she reciprocated his affection, which she turned out to crave quite strongly. "I love you too, Nigel. Perhaps I was being blissfully naive when I first became infatuated with you upon our first meeting, but now I see that there is a wisdom in it after all..."

[Daxam]

Nigel didn't even realize he had told Arlia that he loved her until he saw her face grow beet-red. He was about to apologize profusely when he heard her return his feelings, which practically made his heart skip a few beats. Gazing into her green eyes, he finds himself utterly speechless. After all, here was this beautiful woman who, by all intents and purposes, he had met only recently and they already told each other that they loved one another. He was so lost in thought, he didn't notice that his body had decided to act on it's own, making it slowly lean toward her.

[Vocalia]

Arlia knew she was no longer thinking straight. In normal circumstances, she would have chastised herself for being so careless and irrational, but as her hands suddenly placed themselves gingerly on his cheeks, pulling his already leaning body closer to her, she couldn't care less about the world as all she could focus on was Nigel. His sight narrowed even further as the two of them moved themselves closer to one another, her green eyes transfixed on the earthly dark brown orbs staring back at her. She felt as if his gaze alone could make her body melt on the spot, yet she found joy and a sense of ecstasy in that burning feeling inside her. As the sun began to sink into the horizon, their lips finally met and locked them in a loving kiss, Arlia instinctively pouring all her passion and affection into her first genuine kiss of love.

[Daxam]

Nigel's arms automatically wrap around Arlia as he feels her soft lips against his own, pulling her close into their passionate first kiss. If just feeling her hand on his arm or face made a pleasant warmth run through his body, the kiss could've set him on fire. Long, long moments pass, Nigel not wanting their first kiss to end so soon, until the need for air makes him break the contact, breathing heavily. Reaching up, he gently caresses Arlia's cheek and whispers, "Wow...That was...incredible..."

[Vocalia]

"I... concur..." Arlia was too busy being in cloud nine to even pay heed to her body's desperate need for oxygen. If kissing him could bring so much joy to her despite feeling as if she was being lit alive, she'd happily go through it again. "Nigel, I personally swear upon my own blood that this love of mine is only for you and you alone. You, who bothered to take the time to see me without my mask, are the only man I know whom I truly desire, physically and emotionally. If anyone is telling you otherwise, know that they are nothing more but liars," she said with a smile full of joy and longing.

[Daxam]

Nigel grins at Arlia, seeing the truth behind her words in her eyes, and whispers, "I feel the same way, Arlia. I'm yours, through and through, just as you're mine. You're the only woman I could ever see myself with, no matter what would happen." Pulling her even closer, he brings her into a loving embrace and says, "I've never been as happy as I am right at this moment and it's all thanks to you, my dear Arlia. I love you, so much."

[Vocalia]

"I love you too, my beloved Nigel," Arlia whispered and leaned herself against his body, tuning in to the sound of his heartbeat. She felt as if she had just scored a karmic jackpot after all that had happened to her until now. As she rested herself against Nigel, tears began to streak down her cheeks, as if Nigel had not only opened her heart, but also released everything she had hidden within it.

[Daxam]

Nigel smiles and wraps one arm around Arlia while his other hand laces with hers. He was thinking about how lucky he was to have ended up with someone like her when he felt Arlia's shoulders gently shake. Looking down, he sees the tears rolling down her face and and instantly becomes concerned. Running his hand through her hair, even though she was wearing a wig, he whispers, "What's wrong, love?"

[Vocalia]

"Oh... It's nothing," Arlia replied as she wiped her tears away. "A part of me just felt... that I don't deserve this good fortune and that I should have been content with what I have instead of holding onto something new for myself, something I could cherish and love. I suppose you can say that I've never felt such a content fulfillment before. You are the only person who made me feel like I have accomplished something important." Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she gently placed one hand onto his own, pressing his firm and strong hand with her dainty fingers. "It's a shame that we couldn't be together for long, just you and me and nobody else."

[Daxam]

Nigel looks at Arlia for a few moments, thinking she was hiding something. However, not wanting to ruin the moment, he pushes the suspicions away. Feeling her fingers against his hand, Nigel flips his hand around and lets his fingers curl around her hand. "I know," he whispers. "I wish we could stay together for at least a little while longer..." After thinking for a few moments, he turns to Arlia and says, "I'd never ask this of you, but I'd be willing to risk staying with you for a while longer, yet...I don't know what we'd do, but at least we'd be together."

[Vocalia]

"I don't mind. I'm happy to just stroll around with you by my side or even sitting with you. For me, that's more than enough," Arlia replied contentedly, gazing at the darkening sky. "Still, I know we can't afford to be slightly selfish, at least not at this point in time..." With a sad sigh, she sat back up and smiled, one hand holding onto Nigel's and another caressing his cheek. "You should return. If your employers find out that you have been gone for too long, they would surely become suspicious. I don't want them to take you away from me."

[Daxam]

Nigel looks at Arlia for a few long moments, wanting desperately to take her and just run off to who-knows-where. However, he knows the likelihood of being able to escape Crey and sighs. "You're right," he whispers. "Although, that doesn't mean I have to like it." Leaning forward, he brings his new lover into a deep kiss. Moments later, he breaks away and stands up, turning to offer his hand to Arlia to help her up. "Do you need me to take you anywhere?" he asks, wanting to prolong his time with her as much as possible.

[Vocalia]

"Well, for one, I need to flag a taxi to get home," Arlia replied with a bemused chuckle, though a hint of sadness was evident at the thought of the end of their current meeting. Still, if she and Nigel could keep their new relationship under wraps, she hoped that their patience could allow them to remain together without Crey of her family ever knowing although she understood that it was just a wishful thinking. "Will you wait with me while I call one? I'd really hate to wait on my own..." Even though she was fully aware that she never had to ask him to, Nigel would instantly see her green eyes looking at him like those of a puppy.

[Daxam]

Nigel chuckles, seeing Arlia's puppy-dog eyes, and wraps his arm around her waist, saying, "Of course I'll wait with you, dear." Turning toward the park exit, he begins walking slowly, savoring every moment, every step, he had with his new girlfriend. "We'll have to come up with something better for our next date," he says, smiling down at Arlia. "Even though we're still together, I already miss you and I can't wait to meet up again."

[Vocalia]

"Aww... Now I'm feeling sad too," Arlia replied with a teasing pout, but then broke into a smile and said to Nigel, "Next time we meet, perhaps we can go for a nice lunch? I know a few nice places where we can relax without attracting scrutiny. Maybe we could even get to know each other more over a cup of hot cappuccino. Oooh, I can hardly wait!" When they finally reached the park gate, Arlia pulled out her phone and made a quick call for a taxi, then promptly clung onto Nigel when she was done. "I will see you soon, il mio amore, hopefully with a more inconspicuous disguise," she said as she playfully tapped his nose and gently tugged his hat, but not take it off and expose his hair.

[Daxam]

Nigel chuckles and says, "I'm sorry, this is the best I could come up with!" Looking down the street a few moments later, he sees the familiar yellow of the taxi making it's way down the road. Without wasting another moment, he pulls Arlia into a deep kiss, even more so than their first one. Moments later, he breaks away and whispers, "Until next time, my love." Then, grinning, he adds, "I love you."

[Vocalia]

"I love you too," Arlia whispered with a cheeky grin and entered the yellow vehicle, waving at him through the window as it sped off. As the taxi made its way to its destination, Arlia sighed contentedly and pressed her hand against her chest. Even now, she could still feel her heart racing, as if it was trying to escape from her body to be with Nigel. Looking out the window, she thought of how she was treated by others in the family, then contrasted that with how Nigel treated her, silently wishing that she could be with him instead. I couldn't let him know... If he finds out... he might not like me anymore, she sadly thought.