... And Love Bloomed

She said, "If only I could sing like Celine Dion!"
He said, "But Celine Dion would not sing to me in the middle of the night."

Had it been anyone but him, she would have brushed it off as mere jest or even flattery. But, it was him and she knew that the words spoken were meant to be true. And once more, like in so many other moments, in so many earlier memories, she felt the depth of his feelings towards her.

She had not been this trusting from the very beginning. Oh no, she was very much a lady of the world, not trusting good dreams to come true, only having faith in her worst nightmares, in short, a cynic, a pessimist. She hadn't completely believed him when he had promised a world full of happiness to her on their first conjugal night. Life had taught her the hard way that the roses are far apart and densely interspersed with thorns. She just took his words with a pinch of salt, quietly resolving not to be overtly critical, as was her nature, when he failed his promises.

But nothing, neither her dreams nor her wildest nightmares, had prepared her for this. At first, she didn't know how to deal with it. Whether to believe it, or patiently await the blow of disappointment.

She had never imagined that life could indeed be so wonderful, that someone could love her so selflessly, so completely, love her even more than she did herself. She took some time getting used to it. Accepting the fact that someone could love her with all her flaws, not be mean to her or play on her insecurities. But by and by, she regained her trust, her faith, her confidence. The mists of cynicism and pessimism were clearing, not all at once but gradually.

The hollowness within her was receding, being filled with love, contentment and peace. This reflected on her face, her eyes. He noticed it as she turned to smile at him, her whole heart in her eyes, believing his promises and returning them all with the same intensity.