Darcella stares into his brown swirling eyes, filled with emotion. His eyes glimmered under the shining moonlight. Tonight, it was only them under an ocean full of stars.

They shined down on Darcella and Adelio, illuminating their flesh and masking their features in shadows. In Darcella’s mind, Adelio was one of the most lovable man she had ever met. She could not imagine she’d be who she was today without him. In Adelio’s head, she was everything. She was his past, present and future.

“May I kiss you?” He asks politely, his breathing ragged as if he had been waiting every waking day for this exact moment.

Darcella had only ever lived vicariously through her friend’s stories about love. She never imagined she’d live one of her own fairytales. It was… egregious, almost. That she was living through this.

Not only was she appalled, she was, quite frankly, scared.

At her silence, Adelio tips Darcella’s chin up with his index finger so she’s forced to stare into his wide eyes. Darcella tended to have a proclivity to lean away from any sort of romantic interests for it caused too much of a disrupt in her peaceful, lonely life.

To her, being in her own solitude was peace. Feeling lonely was another story.

“Talk to me,” he says, ever so softly. She cannot meet his eyes, she feels if she does, she’d break down into tears.

“I’m scared.” She admits. Her stomach twists in upon itself. Darcella could feel herself pushing away, wanting to. But, she tried to push the feeling away because she truly did love him.

“Then, be scared.” His forehead falls on hers, skin on skin.

Darcella forces herself to stare at him—his all-loving eyes, his graceful voice, his soft and comforting touch. Adelio would take it slow, if it meant for her.

Darcella braced herself, her thoughts breaking free. She wasn’t sure if this level of commitment was one she was ready for. But, she would try, for him. And as if Adelio were reading her thoughts, he looked back into her eyes and nodded. A small, soft nod that signaled every mound of reassurance she needed.

It made her feel safe. That was all Adelio wanted her to feel.

“Kiss me.” Darcella speaks breathlessly.