Page 88 of The Ruler
“But what if it doesn’t last?”
“We’ll make it last.” Brushing strands of hair from her face, I stared into her eyes. “I love you.”
“I think I love you too,” she said seriously.
“Then marry me,” I asked again and saw her eyes get wet. “You would make me the happiest man alive.”
“But couldn’t we call it something else?”
“Like what?”
“Like a joining, or a partnership; I don’t know.”
I cupped her face. “Marriageisa partnership and a joining.”
“Khan, I really do want to be with you,” she whispered. “But could we keep it secret?
“No, I want the whole world to see how lucky I am that the brightest, kindest, and most beautiful female chess player in the world is mine.”
“Why did you have to add ‘female’ to that sentence?”
“Because I’m still the best overall.”
She laughed. “You sure about that?”
“Confident.”
“Then that’s our solution. We’ll play and this time your prize will be my hand in marriage, but if I win…”
Waiting for her to finish, my heart was beating a million times per second.
“If I win,” she said, “We’ll live together as partners.”
I hesitated.
“What’s wrong? I thought you said you’re the better chess player,” she said challengingly.
“I am, but this is too important to me to put on the line.”
“So you’re not going to play me?”
“No, I’m not. But Iamgoing to marry you. Not because of some bet or game, but because I crave you and love you.”
Pearl’s resistance was melting. I could tell by the way she smiled and pulled me in for a hug. “You’d better be worth giving up everything for,” she whispered in my ear.
Closing my eyes in relief, I hugged her tightly and soaked in the feeling of her body against mine, the scent of her perfume, and the sound of her breathing in my ear. I never wanted to forget the feeling of gratitude that I felt in that moment.
Slowly I let go to meet her eyes. “So it’s a yes?” I asked.
“Yes.” She smiled and broke into a hearty grin when I raised both hands in a sign of victory.
CHAPTER 19
Why?
Pearl
Nervousness rippled through me like waves when I met my mother in the virtual reality office that we had met in so often during my time here in the Northlands.
