It was past 1 A.M.
Neva carefully opened the door to mind the sound, since her children were sleeping in the room.
Then she closed it behind with the same, gentle prudence.
She adjusted the pale pink, knitted throw blanket around her body and headed towards the darkened living room, where the door had already been exposed.
She stopped on the doorway.
Rhett was half–lying on the couch: his back on the cushioned arm rest, long fingers clicking the buttons on the laptop shored on his lap.
It was the only distinct noise in the hush midnight. The light of the screen in the inked living room, luminating his face.
He looked up and saw Neva on the doorway. The lit hallways edifying her silhouette, illuminating, all swathed in a throw blanket.
Rhett smiled. "Come here."
Neva smiled back, and did as he said so.
Rhett reached for the tiny remote on the coffee table and turned on the lights.
The blackness stripped, and the sudden brilliance hurt his vision.
But he could see Neva clearly, walking to him with a beautiful serenity in her features.
Her nebulous, hazy chocolate eyes absorbing heavens. The slightly raised, dark and feathery, carved perfect eyebrows lifting.
Rhett closed the laptop and placed it down on the coffee table. When he raised himself to sit up, Neva pressed a palm on his chest, and pushed him back.
He relented, his head falling on the cushion.
She unveiled the throw duvet and climbed on the couch.
She lay on her side, gazing up at him. Beside, on the slim space that was left with him beside.
He wrapped his arms around her frame, and she lay her head on his sinewy chest.
"Why are you still awake?" Neva asked, her hands moving to cover him with the duvet. "Just working on something." Rhett kissed the crown of her head.
"What?" She closed her eyes.
His chest humming with vibrations as he spoke, this steady beating heart soothing.
Cheek smoothened over his chest, leaning into him more.
She sighed in comfort.
"Monitoring situations." He mumbled.
He had fielded covert malware to observe Raka's operations.
Although he had concluded his position of being an agent of EIS serving as the deal with Elk, his objective would not cease until Raka is apprehended, or dead.
He had been attempting to track his location, gathering data from surveillance cameras and network traffic. But he found nothing on him.
"There's a whole team behind him. You can atleast take a nap."
"I can't risk you anymore." His voice was weak. A tone shrouded in guilt.
The hurt slowly rotting him from inside.
Neva craned her neck and threaded their eyes. His eyes were dusky, the small smile in his lips concealing sorrow and insecurity.
She ran her gentle fingers from his forehead. Between the deep eyebrows.
Gently closing his eyes. She felt his long straight lashes.
Down drifting the bridge of his tall nose... grazing the tip...
And fingers lingering on his lips... Tracing his bottom lip.
"Don't be so burdened." Her voice was breathy.
"Hmm..." His smile drifted a bit further.
Rhett held her hand and kissed, and softly kissed the tip of her fingers.
"Keep the faith alive." She whispered.
And she pressed her lips against his.
Rhett returned the kiss.
He grabbed the back of her head, deepening the passion, lips moving, warm tongue slinking, swaying with her warm, wet one.
A pleasant moan escaped her.
The nibbling of the teeth, him suckling her bottom lip.
She was now atop him, the kiss long, drowning into a heated passion, the dancing of flaming tongues, their fast beating hearts—their forgotten breathings melting with wet noises.
Lightheaded, feverish body, they were losing themselves.
He bounded them closer, hands on her back, pulling her into him further.
Her face heated up and rosy, as she felt him stiffened down there.
He sensually squeezed her waist, the connected lips devouring sweetness.
He flipped her under him, taking her aback, diving for her shiny, swollen lips again.
Drinking from her, his oasis; giving him life.
There was heat.
There was a forest of butterflies.
Neva had to push him away by the chest. Sucking in a deep air, lungs burning. Rhett attached their foreheads.
Both of them breathing heavily. Burning, aching heart thrumming rapidly, their cheeks flaming red.
She opened her eyes. And caressed his cheek, the pad of her thumb stroking.
When he met her eyes, met her smiling, radiant face.
He felt like dying then and there in her arms; and then and there living all he could ever achieve being alive.
And this agony of wanting her closer, closer than ever imaginable burned him to eternity, withering him to ashes.
"I want you Neva." There swirled love and desire, an ache in his eyes, begging to soften her own.
"I need you." His hot minty breath fanned over her face. "Please,"
He cupped her cheeks, capturing her lips once again.
And Rhett lingered close, over her heated face. Tangled eyes melting, drowning. "Let me make love to you."
Neva turned away her face, her core warmish and fluttery.
Heart making to leapt out her ribs.
He saw her lips pursed. A pang in his chest.
"Angel,"
"Rhett," Neva faced him.
"Can you wait for a bit?" She revealed a small smile. Then she raised her head—kissing him again.
Rhett's smile was faint.
He lacked the ability to.
"I can."
He could more. There was a lifetime more of them; of him with her.
.
.
.
They lay in each other's embrace, with the glow of a dim golden lamp on the small vintage tabletop by the three–seated sofa against the wall.
Her head on his chest, hair sprawled over. She fondled with their fingers entertwined.
"And what were you upto?" Rhett asked in a groggy, sleepish tone.
"I wanted to sit on the balcony." Neva returned, still wide awake, and sober.
"You'll catch cold."
"I have a strong immune system."
He chuckled softly. "Do you?"
"Uh–huh. You don't remember?" She teased.
"But you'd be more fragile during your luteal phase."
Neva surprised glanced up at him, who had his eyes veiled.
She turned away, attempting to close her eyes and catch some sleep.
"That's true. Most woman do. But I'm still in my follicular phase."
Rhett only hummed.
"Symptoms of this virus may seem like a normal cold at first. Then fever. And gradually impairs the functions of nervous system and vital organs." He suddenly said.
Neva opened her eyes. "You mean, this virus Ruhd?"
"Yes."
"So basically it freezes you do to death."
"Exactly."
"And it's winter soon."
"All the more lethal."
"How does it spread though?"
"Air, basically a contagious disease."
The pandemic was unrestrained. And yet, no hope for vaccines. The issue from the government over a nationwide lockdown for a month was underway.
Globally, 60, 656 more confirmed cases were publicized with 2, 666 deaths. The shortest amount for the affected to prevail were at most three days.
There was a long pause. Both of them were quiet now.
"Rhett are you alseep?" Neva asked, glancing up at him.
Rhett instead replied with a kiss on the crown of her head. "Almost."
"Angel. Will you marry me again?" He fastened their eyes.
Marry him again?
She smiled. "Sure. Once, this situation calms down." Once, Ishmael would be a danger no longer.
He grinned. "Then soon."
She nodded. "Soon."
She was his light. Glowing twilight in the dim–lit golden room.
Rhett leaned and their lips merged.
"I love you." He whispered over her lips.
A drop of tear fell on her cheek.
God. He loved her.
Loved her to death.
And deaths in their world never existed.
For even if the flesh rotted.
This soul would live, and live on for eternity.
Neva was thawing.
She could hear the thrumming heart in her ears, loud and rapid.
And she could feel his own familiar heart as she lay her head soundlessly on his chest again.
"I just wish to take you away, somewhere far away. Only us. And Rhean. And live in peace everafter."
A short silence.
"What do you want Neva?" He asked, for she was awfully quiet.
"So much." She whispered.
"But now as I am here, I wonder; this was all I ever needed."
He smiled, squeezing, closening her into him more.
"No matter what. I will always be standing beside you."
And the anxiety that previously shrouded Neva, it burdened her no more.
For; she had faith; in this feeling of sacredness from the depth of his soul.
It was when she heard his steady breathing, that she knew he was asleep.
And her whisper of the phrase he yearned to hear, even if he was just fulfilled to have this blessing to embrace her warmth.
"I love you too."
---
Rhett woke up feeling cold and barren.
He forced his heavy eyes to open and dizzily looked around.
Neva wasn't here anymore.
Had she went to sleep in her room?
Did the kids need her?
He fisted the duvet over him which she covered them with.
How long had he slept?
He rubbed his eye with the heel of his palm.
He removed the duvet and sat up.
He looked at the balcony door.
Through the chinks of the curtains, it still showed dark outside.
He felt the laptop and opened it.
Four past thirty in the morning.
He shut the laptop and stood up.
Then he turned to the balcony again. Walking towards it, he doubted the difference in the wide agape between the curtains, as it had been closer before.
And the lock was open.
Had she been out in the balcony before?
For she wasn't to be seen now.
The next he knew, he was sweating in anxiety as he unceasingly searched for her in her room, where the twin children were still sleeping.
And the room to the left where Rhean slept, the bathrooms, and back to the living room and kitchen.
Going through the surveillance cameras shown on the screen of the laptop, that's when his heart dropped: there it showed Neva being awaken half an hour ago, heading to the balcony.
But then the cameras showing the scene of her in the balcony after turned black.
In the blur of the next moment, he had woken up Ace and Sky.
And they were confused at the only impaired footages of the balcony as the normal functioning surveillance cameras did not show Neva coming in from the balcony after she led there.
There was not a single trace of any suspicious movements.
Or any other footages that showed she had gone out.