Song of the chapter is
Until I Found You by Steven Sanchez

-58-
-Veronica D'Rosario-
-Present-

__________

Paper Lantern
16 December, 2030
5:57 pm

"Come on! It's a surprise."

Twilight had dawned in on the town of Delmore as little birds and children alike, retreated back to their nests after a long winter day. Once the wedding pleasantries were over, our friends had insisted that they had some sort of a surprise planned for the two of us and wanted to keep it hidden from us until the last moment.

And so, currently, Moose and I stood completely blindfolded, with the rest of them by our side, wondering what exactly was brewing around us.

"Zoya, you've been saying that since we left the church. I'm gonna start getting fussy now." Moose complained and I chuckled softly.

"Just wait for five more minutes. We're almost there." Zoya's reply came.

And as she had promised, exactly about five to six minutes later, the car we were seated in halted to a stop. I felt the rest of them get out of their seats, while Moose and I sat clueless.

Moose leaned over to me and whispered in my ear, "Ronnie, do you have any idea what's going on?"

"I promise I am as clueless as you are." Was my reply.

"Come on lovebirds, out the car!" Zoya's dramatic voice made its way over to our ears. Slowly and gradually, they helped us get out of the vehicle and walked us over seven to eight steps before halting again.

I heard a door open slowly accompanied by Saina's voice. "You can open your blindfolds now."

I took it as an opportunity to unfurl the blinfold that had been graciously tied to blind my vision and stopped in my tracks.

The paper lantern in all its glory, stood in front of us. Yet, that wasn't the surprising part. The surprising part was that the entire diner had been decorated to its core. The entire place had been covered using white and yellow curtains and covered in a million string lights. A number of paper lanterns hung from the ceiling like stars crescending from the night sky. Each table had been covered in white and had flowers scattered all over.

My eyes glistened at the sight of it all.

"Guys..."

"How did you like the surprise?" Kartik asked. I turned to him.

"It's beautiful....wow."

Spellbound, I walked over to the counter where once, Jen and I had spent countless hours working and sharing innate details of our lives. I absentmindedly touched the island and felt all the memories flooding in.

"How did you guys manage to pull this off?" Moose asked, his tone of voice equally surprised as mine. "I mean, this is just-"

"Well, since both the owners of the diner are um..." Siya began.

"Since they are both dead, the diner had been closed off as for now." Zoya completed, sensing Siya's hesitance. "So we just got the key from the police department and asked permission to have a reception party for just one evening."

"Wait, how did you get the key from the police department?" I asked.

"Perks of being a police officer's girlfriend, I guess." Kartik mocked.

"Shut up! I'm not his girlfriend." Zoya immediately retorted.

"So what are you guys?" Saina asked. "He did walk you down the aisle today."

"We haven't put any labels yet." Zoya said with gritted teeth. "Now if we can just shift the focus off of me to the newly married couple, that'd be great!"

We chuckled.

"You guys are our guests today, so allow us to entertain you today." Siya said, smiling as she made Moose and I sit over at one of the booths.

"Okay then! Let's start with gifts, shall we?" Kartik announced, as Siya went and stood next to him.

"You guys really didn't have to get us anything." I said feeling extremely overwhelmed. "I mean...look at all of this! You guys have done enough-"

"Oh please! It's not like you guys are gonna get married every year!" Zoya immediately interjected, saying. "It's a once in a lifetime experience! And considering the amount of years it took you both to come to your senses and finally get together, I guess it's safe to say there would be plenty of time before a baby shower gift."

My cheeks reddened as I heard Moose cough beside me.

"Now now, Zoya! Stop teasing them!" Saina said, laughing at our faces. "Let's get started with the gifts, come on."

Once they all took their seats, Zoya chimed, "Me first!"

Saying that, she went behind the counter and carried a medium sized white box covered in light blue ribbons and placed it on our table. Moose and I exchanged a glance before looking back at her.

"Holy smokes, Zoya." Moose commented. "The packaging is huge. I hope it's not just an empty box though."

Zoya threw a cushion at him in response and he chuckled. I took my time to slowly and carefully unwrap the gift. Gingerly opening the lid, I peered inside. So did Moose.

There were several items inside. A white porcelain swan showpiece sat atop a big wooden framed picture of Moose and I from when we were seventeen. A beautiful lilac cover journal rested next to it with two keychains at the very bottom.

"Zoya, this is..." Moose began.

"A lot." I finished.

"Oh come on! Like I said, it's not like you're gonna get married every year." Zoya reasoned.

"But still..." I tilted my head at her. "You've outdone yourself."

"All the more reasons for you guys to name your child after me."

Laughter ricocheted and bounced off the walls of the diner. The evening wind reverberated with a mix of happiness and content.

"Okay, my gift next!" Saina announced. She picked up her gift from underneath one of the booths and handed it over to Moose. As he unwrapped the box, two Cartier watches came into sight.

"These are beautiful." Moose said as he handed me one. I grazed my fingers over the dial before wearing it on my wrist.

"Thank you, Saina."

"There's a note as well! But you guys can read it later." Saina said.

"Hey, what's with the secrecy?" Zoya complained.

"It's meant for the two of them." Saina retorted back. "You should really stop being a nosy bitch."

Zoya gaped at her dramatically.

"Okay okay, before they get into a cat fight again, let's end the gifting process." Kartik announced before Zoya could say a word. He pulled out a small gift box from his pocket and handed it to me. "Here you go guys. This one's from me and Siya."

"How come you two get to give one gift?" Zoya enquired.

"Well, when you're married, technically two souls unite to become one and hence-"

"Okay okay, forget I asked!" Zoya immediately interjected, making Kartik laugh.

I gingerly opened the lid to the gift box and what was inside surprised me.

A beige-brown hand-painted name plate, with the words 'Moose & Ronnie' printed across laid inside. I slowly pulled it up and held it with both hands.

"For when you guys buy your own home." Kartik said, smiling as he exchanged a look with Siya.

I looked over at Moose and just like me, his eyes were glistening too.

"This is truly....the best." I said, looking back at Kartik. "Thanks, guys."

Siya came over and engulfed me in a hug, seeing how overwhelmed I was. As we parted, she looked at both Moose and I with earnest eyes and smiled wide.

"I'm really happy for you guys."

Once all the gifts had been unwrapped and Zoya had finished demolishing the diner's counter top with her high heels as she danced merrily to some Taylor Swift, I took a minute to step aside and watch the rest from afar.

Perhaps for the first time in life, had I ever felt so happy.

Happiness as an emotion had always been very alien to me. Ever since I was a kid, all I had ever experienced was sorrow and anger. All my life, I had always expected that I'd forever feel numb and miserable, considering the things I've been through. Never had I ever thought that I'd be able to overcome it all and emerge out of that dark tunnel.

But I had.

And it was only because of these five people.

And most importantly, him.

As I watched him twirl Saina to the beats of the music, my heart felt pure joy. The rhythmic contractions seem to be running a marathon. I felt like an innocent schoolgirl, watching her first love being happy and merely breathing in the essence of that very moment.

He was and will always be my saving grace.

His gaze found me eventually and they never moved. I smiled at him, knowing fully well how perfectly he knew what this smile meant. He smiled back, tilting his head slightly, just like the seventeen year old boy who used to throw every knock knock joke he could think at me, so as to make me crack a smile.

The music faded away in that moment, the only thing remaining was the rhythmic drum of our heartbeats.

Nothing mattered.

Nothing ever mattered when we were looking at each other.

Even in the midst of a hundred people, the only thing important was me and him.

Us.

As a soft romantic ballad came on, he walked up to me, not taking his eyes off of me for even a second. I knew the question that was lingering on his lips before he could even utter it.

"Can I have this dance?"

He bowed down like a gentleman, extending his hand towards me. I chuckled softly.

"Sure." I responded. "But I can't guarantee that I won't step on your feet."

He laughed. "I think I can handle that."

Taking my hand, he led me over to the make shift dance floor right in the middle of the diner. The rest of our friends were all around us, Kartik and Siya lost in each other's eyes already while Saina and Zoya were trying to take a jibe at slow dancing themselves.

I put my hand on his shoulder while his hand rested softly against my waist. Spinning and circles and shuffling our feet to the slow, rhythmic music. It was paradise, but even so more when our eyes met. His softest green infused brown eyes caused my knees to buckle, and my lips to quiver slightly. He slightly narrowed his eyes, and let out a small chuckle.

As we swayed, Moose's hand rested warmly on the small of my back, guiding me with a tender reassurance that spoke volumes of our shared journey. His touch ignited a cascade of feelings, each step an echo of promises exchanged and dreams woven together.

The flickering candlelight of the lanterns cast dancing shadows upon the walls, casting an enchanting spell that seemed to suspend time itself. Our eyes locked, and within them, a universe of emotions unfurled - the happiness, the excitement, the quiet certainty of a love that had weathered all storms.

As the dance unfolds, the world outside the diner faded into insignificance, leaving only Moose and me in an intimate embrace, swaying to the cadence of our love.

"What do you say?" He asked as the music faded."Am I a good dancer?"

I chuckled. "I'm not the best judge of that....but I'd say you faired quite well."

"Uh-huh? Really?"

I nodded, grinning wide.

"Well, you're not that bad either."

"Please, I almost killed your feet with my heels." I joked. "Let's admit Moose, I'm a terrible dancer."

"Hey, not a word against my wife."

I chuckled at his serious stance. "Uh-huh, well sorry to break it to you, sir, but that's the truth. Your wife can't dance to save her life."

"If you say one more thing about my wife, I will-"

"You will what?"

He paused for a moment to think of a brilliant answer.

"I will-"

"You will what, Mr. Husband?"

"I will kiss you so hard that you'll regret ever speaking a word about my wife."

I laughed out loud. "Wouldn't your wife be mad then?"

"I'm sure she'll understand." He said and crashed his lips onto mine.

And in that fleeting moment, we were infinite.

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i love love love making myself feel completely nauseated with the amount of sweetness i include in a chapter-

atp, i don't even need external proof of couples being happy in order to feel dilapidatedly single. my writing does the work for me itself-

*several cry emojis attached*

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love,
Bosedisha