Nicholas really held up his end of the deal and healed as fast as he could.

He was extremely obedient when undergoing treatment, a major reversal from his stubbornness when seeking treatment from his prosopagnosia in the past. I would visit him often and reward him with kisses. We spent as much time together as we possibly could. I would stay in the ward and fall asleep on his shoulder when binge-watching Netflix together. I would bring him lunches, and laugh at his attempts to pretend that my food was good. Even I knew that I was a horrible chef.

The funeral was the worst part of the week. Nicole had wanted to keep it small, so we bid our goodbyes to Jonathan Sheldon. In the dark hall, I held Nick close to me. He was a never a person to cry, but he let go for once. He let himself be vulnerable, and I was relieved that I could share some of his burden. 

Finally, he could be discharged. Obviously, I was still very concerned about his health. Miracle or not, we were talking about a patient who was shot in the heart here. Who would have thought that the Scarlet Plague could come to be of great help someday?

But Nick was doing well, he would even jump around the room to prove his point. He was probably supposed to stay for more observation, but I suspected he pulled some strings to get discharged early.

After all, he was going to be their future boss.

Now that Jonathan was gone, Nicholas was next in line for the "throne". Being his girlfriend kind of made me forget that he was the company's "prince" after all.

Anyway, Nick pushed the work back until we returned from the trip. He shrugged everything off, telling everyone that nothing else would take precedence. It brought me so much happiness to think that this was happening.

I decided to let him spoil me, at least for the week. We were flying out in the Sheldons' private jet, but when I got onto the plane, Nick wasn't there.

Finally he appeared, sporting a pilot uniform. I had to admit that he looked incredibly charming in that get-up. The captain's hat, tie, and even the god-damn epaulets made me want to pounce. My jaw dropped to the floor at another realization, though.

"Wait a minute. You're flying this plane?"

He winked. "Did I not mention that I had a Private Pilot License? Yes, I know how to fly a plane--"

"Oh my god, we're going to die --" I teased, pretending to climb out of the door.

He pretended to be hurt, then sighed. "Okay, fine. I'm only the co-pilot. Jeremy is the real pilot here."

"Can I sit in the cockpit?" I asked excitedly after greeting Jeremy, who was dressed similarly. Jeremy was definitely the more experienced one, though. He looked like a wise person who meant business, while Nick was just my fashion-model boy who stood there looking like a real snack.

"There's a lounge behind for you to rest in, but I mean, sure."

Too soon we had to touch down. Nick had left the decision of where to go entirely up to me, so I had chosen the beautiful Caribbean Islands. It had always been a dream of mine to visit the sunny beaches and breathtaking coastal views, so I jumped at the chance to book it.

Like I said, I was going all out this week, so I chose the most brilliant beach villa I could find. It was a work of art itself, a perfect accompaniment to the coasts.

"You have great taste." Nick said, awestruck when we had arrived. I was equally delighted when we toured the rooms hand in hand, drinking in the beautiful place.

It was evening when we had unpacked, and I headed to the couch to watch a movie. Nick unpacked fancy bottles of liquor too, which made me raise my eyebrows.

"You only just got injured, Nick. Is drinking really such a good idea?"

He chuckled while opening the bottle of champagne in a very experienced manner. What a show-off. "I was shot, not sick. It'll be fine."

He handed me a glass, and we gave each other a toast. "To us."

"To us." I have never smiled so bright in my entire life.

After drinking from the glass, I turned to my side and realized that the sun was going down already. With alarm, I stood up.

"Come on. Tomorrow we can go out and explore, but for today we have to watch the sunset." I tugged on his sleeve, and we walked out to the beaches.

The sand seemed pink underneath our feet. The sky was full of orange hues and iridescent yellow, just as how I imagined it to be.

It was the perfect setting to sit down and talk. I loved how the sunset cascaded around him, really emphasizing how beautiful he was. I leaned over him with my back to his chest, and he propped me up as we stared into the distance.

His right arm wrapped around me while his other played with my hair. His voice suddenly became lower as he spoke, his breath deliciously tickling my ear.

"I promised you that I would let you have me all to yourself for the week. What do you want to do?"

The first thought that came to my mind just wasn't the right yet. I sipped on my champagne. "I needed the perfect moment to tell you something." I confessed.

He breathed deeply. "So do I."

Was he going to talk about the part where he told me he loved me? I placed my hand on his chest. "Wait, you're not going to take it back, are you?

"Take what back?" He asked with confusion. Then, a smirk emerged on his face, but he was waiting for me to say it.

"You know, you told me you — ... And I —"

"Say it, Emma." His voice sounded more like a plea than a command, as he locked eyes with me.

I didn't want to, but I couldn't stand it. With that, I lost, and won, and breathed, "You said you love me?"

With that, Nick flipped us over. We did nothing but stare for a heated moment, the tension running high. Then, with an awestruck sigh, Nick pressed his lips to my cheek, twisting his fingers around my hair gently. It had collapsed out of my french braid that I had painstakingly tied, but I didn't care.

His lips hovered around my ear as he touched down on the tender skin. His words were soft, calming. "I meant every single thing, Emma. There's so much about you to fall in love with. And when I say that, you don't have to say it back. Even if it was unrequited, it would have been a blessing to have gotten to love someone as amazing as you, Emma."

He said I didn't have to say it back. Little did he know that it would bring me immense joy to say it to him every single day.

I leaned into him cheekily. "You love me? Tell me how much you do."

I didn't expect him to comply, but he did, like it was a best-kept secret that he couldn't keep anymore. With a hand running down my side, told me everything.

"Ever since that day you stood in my way stubbornly, I started falling for you slowly. I guess love at first sight could never happen in my case, since I can't recognize faces. But there was something about you. When you spoke and pretended to be someone you weren't, I was already suspicious. You were simply different. No one else could compare.

I was afraid of revealing what I already knew, because I didn't want you to go. Without your little act, there would seem to be no other reason for us to meet, and I knew that'd break me apart. I didn't get why I was so worried about losing you at first. I thought it might be because I didn't want to lose someone who understood me and gave me companionship in my darkest times. But I started to realize that it was more than that. I realized that if you had left then and there, it would have left such a hole in my heart. I would never be the same.

And when you met me in the lab as Emma Trinket, I was so happy to know the mysterious girl that was beginning to occupy all corners of my mind. I had you memorized. Your personality, your gait, and everything else about you is imprinted in my mind.

And in that moment before the gunshot rang out, it scared me so much to see you running towards me. And I knew right then that I was willing to protect you till the very end. If I lose you, I wouldn't just have a heartbreak, or walk out a changed man. I would be broken. You're my everything now, Emma."

I breathed in harshly when he said that Gosh, I'd never thought I'd cry at something like this, but his words just wrapped me with so much warmth that it was enough to bring me to tears. It was taking everything I could not to let myself go and make that jump now.

"Thank you for loving me for who I am." I was about to continue, but he spoke first.

"And with that, I need to tell you something, Emma." His voice took on a more serious tone.

I braced myself. What was it? My mind was always in a frenzy whenever I was this close to him, and now it was working at a million miles an hour. A breakup? A wedding? I sat upright really fast.

He chuckled at the sight of my anticipation. He brushed his thumb against my cheek, and whispered with a grin, "You have active imagination, huh?"

"Yeah." I laughed along nervously.

He observed me, and recited what he saw. "Your eyes are as green as the luscious lawns, so alluring that I can lose myself in them." He slid down to kiss the tip of my nose. "You have a grecian nose. It's utterly adorable, by the way." And next to my lips. "You have plump lips the shade of burgundy, almost as if you have permanent lipstick on. It's interesting  that it's so naturally consistent even in the mornings when you wake up. By the way, they turn very red when you want to be kissed, I can tell."

"Why —" I stuttered, a flush rising to my cheeks. Then, the realization came. My eyes widened. "Wait, what are you saying, Nick?"

His eyes creased as he beamed, telling me what it was that he intended to say.

"I think my prosopagnosia is gone. I can recognize faces now, Emma."