Chapter 13:

"What? Are you going to sing me to sleep?"

Navier and Wade turned to face each other, her back leaning on the bed's head. They smiled at each other before Wade gets comfortable in his position and started to strum the guitar.  

She had never dreamed of something such as this happening ever in her life. She was reminded of everything that occurred, for her, it happened too fast. 

She remembered how it all started that night. Under a sky of perfect midnight, under the stars so brilliant, a footstep was suddenly heard and in the shadows appeared a Star Spirits who altered her life. Until now everything was a surprise, some pieces are still quite a blur but she thought she would like to take things slowly.

As the sound of guitar trails around the room, they beamed at each other once again. It was fun spending time with all of them but when it comes to Wade she just wants to be alone and be beside him, it was a different feeling, a feeling that's familiar but at the same time new, it's unparalleled. 

As the moonlight shone above them it made the momentum more romantic.

"I might never be your knight in shinin' armor

I might never be the one you take home to mother

And I might never be the one who brings you flowers

But I can be the one, be the one tonight~"

Navier's breathing becomes softer, the pensive look melting into a smile as soft as the moonlight. He was looking at her full of love, it was the sort of gaze telling that his home is next to her and his only duty is to protect and love her.

"When I first saw you

From across the room

I could tell that you were curious, oh, yeah

Girl, I hope you're sure

What you're looking for

'Cause I'm not good at making promises~"

Navier became too into the song that Wade smirked at her. Her cheeks were flushed rose pink. The air was sweet and there was no hurry, they felt like their world had been cast anew and they were savoring every moment. It was as if the world slowed down and agreed with them.

"But if you like causing trouble up in hotel rooms

And if you like having secret little rendezvous

If you like to do the things you know that we shouldn't do

Then, baby, I'm perfect

Navi, I'm perfect for you~"

Him, changing the lyrics of the song made Navier's heart flutter. She felt herself actually welling up with happiness.

"And if you like midnight driving with the windows down

And if you like going places we can't even pronounce

If you like to do whatever you've been dreaming about

Then, baby, you're perfect

Baby, you're perfect

So let's start right now~"

"And if you like cameras flashin' every time we go out

Oh, yeah

And if you're looking for someone to write your adventure songs about

Baby, I'm perfect~"

Navier knew that deep down her heart was pounding massively as he stared at her while singing every line. She can feel the openness and tension between them. His face was at haven, he was happy that it made her feel nervous and weak.⅜

"Baby, we're perfect if you like causing trouble up in hotel rooms

And if you like having secret little rendezvous

If you like to do the things you know that we shouldn't do

Then, baby, I'm perfect

Baby, I'm perfect for you~"

"And if you like midnight driving with the windows down

And if you like going places we can't even pronounce

If you like to do whatever you've been dreaming about

Then, baby, you're perfect

Baby, you're perfect

So let's start right now~"

The sound of his perfectly deep gentle voice never failed to make Navier smile. She was smiling with such happiness at Wade. He reached out and stroked her cheeks as he planted a kiss on her forehead. Navier couldn't help but chuckle with his sweetness.

"You know, this is a much greater serenade and proposing than pinning someone on a wall and giving them no choice but to be their girlfriend. Right, Wade?"

Wade who was just smirking portrayed a shocked and betrayed face. "I- What who told you, that's nonsense! Don't believe that."

"It ain't nonsense if it's true! Wade, you're blushing," Navier giggled. Wade was about to complain at her but stopped as he saw her smile, he stared at Navier giggling. He subconsciously smiled and tried to settle the guitar aside but unexpectedly hurt his hand with the edges of the strings.

"ACK-!" He winced and scowled. Navier who hear that immediately shifted her attention to him.

"Are you okay?" Navier saw him flinging his hand, she snatched it, looked at it, and started kissing it.

"Aigoo! You should be careful, how can you get so easily?"

Navier was still giving kisses to his hands while Wade's frown turned into a smile that grew larger every second as he remembers her always kissing him whenever he was hurt and sick back then. He then gently pulled her face closer to his, rubbing her cheeks with his thumb.

"Navi, my lips hurt too." He smirked as if he had found his prey. 

"What? Let me see."  Navier faced him.

He then proceeds to kiss her, their lips bumping tentatively. Navier was surprised but Wade had no intention of ending it there. He positioned his hand at the back of her head slowly moving them closer. 

Warm and soft, that was Navier's thoughts. As they kissed longer tenderly, she let her lips relax. She felt her stomach leap at the prospect of what was to come, she was feeling butterflies in her tummy.

Afterward, they sat back and gazed at each other. For a moment they couldn't speak, Navier was stunned while Wade was smiling like he had been waiting to do that since forever. It was he who broke the tension.

"Oh, you were saying? Who's blushing?" He teased. He calmed down after seeing Navier who he thinks stopped working. He buried his face into the crook of her neck.

"Hey what's the deal?!" Navier who just got her senses back replied agitatedly.

"I'm sorry, I'm just tired of not kissing you every day like how I used to," he whispered, his breath reaching Navier's neck making her flinch.

She loves this feeling. She knows this is what feeling in love feels like. Never in her life has she imagined something like this happening. Too close, they were too close that she could feel his breath, but never did she once felt that awkwardness.

She pushed him slightly away and looked at him. There was this one thing she has been wanting to ask him for a while.

"You know Wade, you're like every girl's dream boyfriend. You're handsome, can cook, has a very fine body, sweet, funny, you're just-just too perfect. Why..." she said softly.

Navier looked towards Wade with shaking eyes as the mood becomes tense. Wade somehow felt his heart beating loudly. Although it was night, it looked as if there was a bright light shining behind Wade.

"Wade... Why me?" She looked at him with sincere eyes, hoping for a definite answer. Wade stared back at her with the same eyes and cupped both of her cheeks.

"The answer is easy..." He stopped for a moment before sitting straight back and leaned his body to the chair, he was in a position that could easily see Navier. He intertwined his hands in hers.

"Because you're Navi, Navier Evangelista, my angel, my hero..." His voice faded away as he stared at Navier with gentle eyes. Navier who seemed to be unable to think properly snapped out of it and started to speak.

"Huh? How?"

"You were the one who brought me out of hell and taught me a lot of things I didn't get the chance to know. I was a lost soul who lost his path in the midst of darkness."

'What? What kind of language is that? Did I hear it wrong?' Navier sat there with an innocently stupid look. It seems that she cannot understand deep language that much, it was because she is an airhead and a half foreign at the same time.

"I don't understand..." She said full of honesty. Wade smiled softly while Navier stiffened up a bit.

"You fixed me Navi. You showed me the world, you showed up and gave me hope exactly when I had already lost reasons. It's fate, no matter what they say I'll believe it's fate." For a moment she didn't really understand so she just smiled at him.

"Do you wanna know how we met?"

"Will you tell me?" Navier had sparkling eyes when she asked. Wade contemplated for a bit before nodding and continuing on.

"I was not who I am before. I was a naive boy wanting approval from his father. The boy you're seeing now? The one who's a boyfriend material, the one that can cook, the smart one, the athletic one, I gained all those talents because I wanted my father to acknowledge me. That boyfriend who's sweet, has a lot of emotion, funny... I'm not even close to that before."

"I didn't even know what a playground is, I have always thought that friends only exist in fantasies too. I never left the house my entire life before. My life was too boring to be even called life," he continued as he stared at Navier.

"Then for the first time, I left the house and I ended up in a park. I was just resting near the tree when suddenly a notebook fell off to my head. I was really annoyed, the notebook was too bright, it has lots of stickers, not to mention that there's a lot of mountains and unicorns."

"I was not taught about other's privacy so I opened it. There's a lot of doodles, it also has your picture glued in it but not your name. You were ranting about something, about how your mom won't let you go to Pyeono Cave your writing was beautiful but how you write words and phrases was a bit off so I thought the book was owned by a kid."

"At the lower part of the second page, you wrote a question saying 'Why do we even need parent's approval?!' so I wrote as a reply 'Because we need to'."

"I left the notebook there and a week passed, I was taking a walk near it and found the exact notebook, I thought it haven't been found yet so I was about to ignore it but I saw a slight difference on the cover, it has an angry pouting red face and a note saying 'HEY! Write back whoever you are'."

"You wrote a whole page of complaints asking who I was. Long story short that was how we met each other, through writing. After that I accidentally caught a glimpse of you at first I hesitated but eventually, we met. After we met you would always run away from your house jumping out of a window so that we could visit the place your mom wouldn't allow you too but if I don't allow it too we would go to amusement parks or anything fun. You really love little rendezvous."

Wade gave a sad half-smile as he remembered how that little secret rendezvous made him change his perspective about the world and himself. That night when he was appreciated for the first time in his life, the night when he remembered his name, that night when someone spoke his name without anguish, pain, and disbelief.

He can vividly remember it. She was smiling as if she has not yet experienced the painful reality, the harsh world where all is dark.

"You were a bundle of light while I was a horde of darkness you know? The difference between us was unimaginable. It was like your world was about a fairytale with lots of rainbows while mine was a movie about the sad actuality."

He tried to smile... which quickly turned into a frown as he sees Navier getting closer to him. She touched his cheeks and looked straight at him with a worried face. He puts his hands above hers. Navier let him because she can feel how much he needed it.

*BEEP BEEP*

Startled, the both of them pushed each other away. It was the alarm of Wade's watch that made them flinch, once he realized he laughed.

"Navi time to sleep, you still have a schedule tomorrow. Goodnight," he said as he gently laid her whole back on the mattress.

"Huh? But you haven't told me the wholes story yet-"

"No buts, come on. Goodnight or rather a good morning."

"I'm not yet sleepy."

"Well then here's a magic," he kissed her forehead.

"What are you- oh wow... I'm really feeling sleepy now," she yawned and positioned herself in a much comfortable position. Wade was about to pick the chair up but was stopped when he felt a pull on the tuck of his shirt.

"Don't go... I love you," she said before closing her eyes. It was just three words but he was suddenly at loss for words. He missed that line.

"I love you too... You don't know how much of a great person you are," he sat again and held her hands.

"It's not just me who thinks like that. Everyone, the twins, Zheon, and Xyleen. You became our hope when we have given up, you become the light that saved us from the darkness. That's why it's you. It's you Navi who saved us, Navi our friend who we promised to protect. The Navi who we wanted to be with for a very very long time."

"If we can, we would turn back time, we would make a wish, we would want a miracle to happen and live again... by your side and not as your guardian angel who can only watch you from above."

Wade looked at Navier's sleeping face lovingly as he tightened his grip on their holding hands. He missed this, he has always loved her warmth and sleeping expression. 

He missed how he would peacefully hold her hands and just stare at her for a long time and then just smiling all of a sudden. He missed being in love with the girl he treasures very much.

He took the time to stare at her face before signing to the others, "She's asleep."

Xyleen who heard him appeared on the window sitting like a boss as well as Aniel who was hiding in the shadows. The door also opened revealing Arien. Zheon followed behind her and made eye contact with Wade. He closed the door completely with a quiet noise.

"Arien agrees with Wade, Navi is really Arien's light! You guys too are Arien's world and Zheon's her love. She very much loves all of you," Arien said. Zheon nodding behind her.

"That is true! Though I didn't understand much about what you said since your vocabulary is just top-notch I agree!" Xyleen enthusiastically said.

"No wonder you and Navi are childhood friends, you guys just don't understand things," Aniel shook his head but then smiled.

"It's cute," he added that made Xyleen satisfied.

"Let's do this," Wade brought all the attention back to him.

"Sure."

They surrounded Navier who's sleeping with no worries embroidered on her face. They tap her forehead leaving a circular water-like motion with their destined colors. Zheon goes first with his color blue, Aniel with his gold, Arien with her yellow, Xyleen with her green, and lastly Wade with his black.

"Have a nice journey with your memory lane, Navi," they all said in unison before smiling and letting out their flows and magic out directing it directly to her forehead.

"Goodnight Navi. See you soon."

******