Page 119 of Unravelling: Aria & Crispin
On the morning of her birthday, the sun came in slow and golden through the tall windows. It was a good start for a November morning. Crispin stirred early, but before he could rise, Aria inched towards him, a smile playing at her lips.
"Stay," she whispered, fingers curling into the back of his neck.
They made love, slow and quiet, the kind of love that came from understanding. She kissed his temple, he cradled her body.
As he moved to get up, she reached for him again. "There's something I want to say."
He paused, one hand on the quilt.
She looked at him then, amber eyes clear and shining. "It's always been hard for me to trust as life didn't give me too many opportunities. But you...you never demanded it. You just earned it with every gesture, and not just with words, but by following through."
She took a small box from the drawer beside her and opened it.
And slipped the yellow sapphire ring onto her finger.
"I'm ready now," she said. "I love you. But more importantly...I trust you."
Crispin stared for a moment, with a suspicious shine in his eyes. Then grinned a blinding smile like he was bursting with joy. He kissed her hand, then her mouth. "Happy birthday, future Mrs. Du Valares."
Epilogue 2
Later that evening, the sitting room was full of life and Lule.
She was already three jokes deep at Crispin's expense, arms flung dramatically across the back of the sofa like she owned the place, when Rahul arrived, balancing a tray of pastries from a bakery she'd apparently "bullied him into visiting under threat of bodily harm."
Crispin volleyed back with dry sarcasm, effortlessly keeping pace, while Aria and Rahul exchanged quietly amused glances from the couch.
Then the doorbell rang again.
Crispin excused himself and returned a moment later with a wide grin on his face. "One more surprise."
Behind him stood an older man with a trimmed white beard and kind eyes that crinkled in the corners-her old neighbor, Khalid.
Aria was already surging to her feet, hands reaching out instinctively. "Jiddo!" she breathed, the name slipping out like a prayer.
But before she could embrace him, Khalid caught her hands gently and shook his head. "La, la, binti. Not so fast in your condition."
She laughed through the tears that had already begun to fill her eyes. "How are you, Jiddo?"
"I am well," he said, placing a warm, weathered hand on her head in a gesture of blessing. "Better now that I see you blooming like spring."
Her throat thickened with emotion. She clung to his hand for a moment longer, before remembering herself. "Please, come eat. The buffet's just over there."
Crispin stepped in smoothly. "Everything's halal," he added with a polite nod.
Khalid smiled. "Of course it is. You were raised right."
Crispin arched an eyebrow at Aria. "She's been working overtime on me."
Khalid chuckled as he stepped inside, the room bright with laughter and the quiet hum of love threading through it all.
"Where's Dorian?" Aria asked suddenly, looking around.
Lule's face darkened instantly. "If he's coming, I hope he's bringing a public apology and an offering of wine."
Crispin leaned over and squeezed Aria's hand. "He'll be here."
Alice had stopped by earlier with a small wrapped box and a fond kiss for Aria. She exchanged a loaded glance with Crispin before leaving, and Aria-watching-felt the faint ripple of something...impending.
