's P

plex than any business deal. In my hands was a large, breathtaking b

curiosity. "Come in my boy," her father said, his voice cautious.

otice," I said, my voice polished and sincere. I could see the immediate

unwell, but to me, in that moment, she was the most real thing I'd seen in

wanted to show her that I wanted her, not a perfectly curated image. I got down on one knee on their liv

ry of your smile was the one honest thing in my life. You are the smartest, kindest person I have ever known.

she burst into full, happy sobs. Then, in a whirl of mess and emotion, she turned and ran upstairs, crying uncontrolla

my hand in a firm grip. "Congratulations, son," he said, a ge

ed our first dance for hours, finding a way to hold each other that felt natural and prevented her from having to stoop or me from being stepped on. We choreographed the photos, with me often st

er," her mother would coo. Her father would clap me on the shoulder and say, "There's abs

Tala, "Your inner beauty, my dear, it always shines on yo

giving a dismissive little shake of her head. "Oh, Mom,"

her stand out and it highlighted her natural unique beauty, I've seen many women and met many women in my life, I admit...I would have gone for a different kind of woman if

__

's p

tale blanket and convinced my life was a tragic epilogue

tanding in our living room, holding a bouquet so beautiful it looked li

de of regret, he was here. And he was more handsome than even my memory had all

nd me. He was so polite, so charming with them, and I was a speechless, dishev

own on o

it was just us, back under that college tree, but now he was here

hony I'd ever heard. "All these years, the memory

e. He'd been thinking

is savior then and his hope now. Every word was a balm, a spell, a key unl

ssure behind my eyes and in my chest. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. The sheer force of my happiness was terrifying. So I did the only thing my over

olored delirium. My Amir, my prince, was

anted to be just tall enough to look directly into my eyes without me having to look down. He wanted to see my soul more clearly.

knew why. He wasn't worried about being made fun of; he was an artist crafting our masterpiece! He wanted every picture to b

the left, my love," and I'd melt, knowing he was e

ile indulgently. She didn't understand. This wasn't about "right or wrong." This was about

he most beautiful girl in the world. I brushed it off as a mother's duty,

aybe he saw a beauty that only his love could truly illuminate. He s