magical moments

Ariana was still lost in thoughts, trying to figure out whom to ask to accompany her to college the next day for the parents-teacher meeting.

Before she could make a decision, her professor called her name and asked her to step forward. Panic surged through Ariana as she frantically tried to find a way to prevent her professor from contacting anyone.

But her efforts were in vain.

"Remember that day when your guardian, Mr. Alex, called about your health issue? I saved his number. Let me find it," her professor said, scrolling through her phone contacts.

Ariana desperately wanted to stop her, but before she could say anything, the professor dialed Alex's number.

"Hello, am I talking to Mr. Alex?" the professor asked.

"Yes," came Alex's concerned reply. "Is there any matter? Is Ariana all right?"

The professor assured him, "No, sir, there is nothing wrong with her. Actually, I wanted to inform you that Ariana scored less marks in her test. As her guardian, you will need to come to the college with her tomorrow for a parent-teacher meeting regarding her test performance. I will send the notice and details through Ariana."

"Okay, ma'am. Tomorrow, I will definitely visit," Alex promised.

"That's very kind of you, sir. See you tomorrow. Thank you for your time," the professor said before ending the call.

Meanwhile, Ariana stood there, gnashing her teeth and clenching her fists, utterly frustrated.

"You witch! What do I owe you from a past life that you are taking revenge on me now?" she seethed in her mind. "First, you are my 1.5 marks for nothing. Now, without even asking me, you called Alex. Now, with what face am I going to face him? You made me lose face in front of my husband! This is too embarrassing!"

Back home, Ariana, with a heavy heart and a long face, handed the college notice to Alex and said, "This is the notice about which the professor was talking to you on the call. All the details are mentioned in it."

Alex nodded, understanding the situation. "Okay, I will go there with you."

The next day, Alex accompanied Ariana to her college and entered her professor's cabin with her.

The professor welcomed Alex warmly and offered him a seat, engaging in some formal conversation.

After a while, she chuckled, "Oh, Mr. Alex, you are quite young! When I talked to you on the phone and you said you are Ariana's guardian, I thought you were her uncle. But you are too young to be her uncle. Are you her elder brother?"

Ariana started coughing uncontrollably upon hearing the words "uncle" and "brother," but then she couldn't help but smile a little.

Alex noticed her reaction and smirked, then replied, "No, actually, I am her husband."

Ariana's face went pale as she thought, "Why did he have to disclose our relationship in front of my professor? Now, the entire college will know that I am married, and the teachers will look down on me."

Her professor, with a startled expression, said, "What? Husband? Ariana, you are married?"

Alex, beaming with pride, replied, "Yes, we are married! In fact, on the 3rd of this month, we will be celebrating our 6-month marriage anniversary together."

The professor's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, Ariana, that's big news! Why did you keep it a secret from us?"

Ariana, now feeling annoyed, thought, "Is this woman a marriage bureau officer? Why do I need to give her an account of my marriage, like when I got married and to whom I got married? She yelled at me before, and now she's talking sweetly to my husband, huh!"

In an indifferent tone, Ariana said, "Professor, he's getting late for work. Can we start the meeting now?"

Alex smiled, noticing Ariana's annoyance.

The professor nodded, "Yes, of course. Mr. Alex, for the past week, I've noticed that Ariana hasn't been as attentive as she used to be. For example, yesterday, she was 20 minutes late for her test."

Alex thought, "How is that possible? I dropped her off at the college gate 15 minutes before her class started."

The professor continued, "Before that, she skipped a test, and then she was absent for two more consecutive days. Now, she's scored less marks in her test. Maybe you could discuss with her if there's any problem in her personal life. I understand that being newly married can be distracting, but when she's pursuing her studies, she needs to focus on them too."

While Alex knew why Ariana had been unfocused for the past week and why she'd been skipping classes more frequently, he grew suspicious about her being 20 minutes late. He had dropped her off 15 minutes early and had seen her enter the college himself. Yet, she had been 20 minutes late for the test, which meant she was missing for 35 minutes.

Although he trusted Ariana and believed she would never do anything wrong, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad had happened to her in college.

As Alex secretly held Ariana's hand, he delved into her thoughts and uncovered the events of that day, understanding why she had been late for class.

With a hint of arrogance, Alex questioned Ariana, "Ariana, that day I dropped you off at the college gate myself, 15 minutes before your class started, and I even saw you enter the premises. So why were you late for your class?"

Ariana couldn't help but feel a tinge of suspicion from his tone. She thought "Is he suspecting me?" before replying. She explained, "Actually, that day, I came across a girl who had passed out in front of me. With no female around, I took her to the sick room and stayed with her until the doctor arrived."

With a stern demeanor, Alex turned to the professor and demanded, "Do you have CCTV footage in your cabin?"

Nervously, the professor complied and played the footage from the day before around 8 am.

After reviewing the footage, Alex's anger simmered. "It seems Ariana was telling the truth. Your college lacks female staff, and these CCTV cameras seem to be for show. Instead of complaining about her lateness, you should have appreciated her kindness and checked the CCTV footage first."

The professor was left speechless.

Alex continued, "Now, may I see her test paper?

The professor, now speechless and sweating, handed over Ariana's test paper to Alex, who scrutinized it carefully.

"Professor, this 78.5 is out of 80 marks," Alex declared confidently. "It's evident that Ariana only attempted the 80-mark questions. As she was delayed due to helping another student in need, she didn't have the chance to complete the rest of the exam. So, after considering everything, it appears she is the highest scorer in your class."

The professor, intimidated by Alex's reaction and explanations, apologized profusely. "Sorry, Mr. Alex, for not looking into the matter carefully. Ariana, I apologize to you as well. You're a good student, and I misunderstood your intentions. Thank you, Mr. Alex, for your time."

Hypocritically, Alex brushed off the apologies. "No need to apologize, ma'am. You're a professor, after all. Let's just leave it at that. Ariana and I will take our leave now."

As they left, the professor breathed a sigh of relief, "Phew! What a fierce and intimidating couple. In the future, I'll make sure never to call her guardian unless absolutely necessary."

As they drove back home, Ariana's mind was still clouded with thoughts of embarrassment and self-doubt. She couldn't shake off the feeling that Alex might look down on her for being called out by her professor. Despite her discomfort, she remained silent, lost in her thoughts.

Noticing her somber expression, Alex broke the silence, saying, "Ariana, I just received an urgent message from the company. I need to be there within 30 minutes, so I can't drop you home right now. Would you mind accompanying me to the office? It's not safe for you to wait here alone, and I can't leave you on the road. We can head home together once I finish up."

Ariana nodded in understanding and agreed to go with him.

Once they reached the office, Alex assigned Ariana the task of sorting some files, a familiar job she used to do when she worked as his personal assistant. Engaging in the familiar task helped Ariana distract her mind momentarily from her worries. She delved into the work, focusing on organizing the files efficiently.

As the evening wore on, around 6 p.m., Alex informed Ariana that it was time to wrap up. She quickly finished sorting the files and prepared to leave with him.

Throughout the journey back home, Ariana's mind was still preoccupied with her concerns, but having been busy at the office, she felt a slight sense of relief. Alex, sensing her unease, took the long and deserted path on purpose.

As Ariana looked out of the car window, lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the route Alex was taking. The road seemed deserted, and the night sky was gradually enveloped by heavy rain clouds. Soon, raindrops started to patter against the car windows, and the cool breeze wafted in through the open windows.

Alex, noticing the rain, turned to Ariana with excitement. "Ariana, look outside! It's pouring! The view outside the window is amazing, don't you think? Nighttime, a deserted road, and rain with cold breezes—it's magical."

Ariana, still feeling downcast, replied with a somber "Hmm" and continued to stare out of the window with melancholy.

Suddenly, Alex stopped the car, and Ariana looked up, surprised. He got out of the car and walked around to her side, opening the door with a smile. "Have you ever experienced dancing in the rain on a deserted road at night, feeling the cold breeze envelop your soul?"

Ariana's eyes widened with surprise, and a hint of excitement flickered within her. "No, never," she replied, her voice tinged with curiosity.

Without hesitation, she stepped out of the car, and a smile spread across her face as the raindrops touched her skin. It was the first genuine smile she'd had since she got into the car with Alex.

Alex gently pulled her closer, his arms around her waist, and whispered, "Late-night rain and flying are the perfect combination."

Then, in an instant, his massive wings unfurled, and with Ariana securely in his arms, he soared up into the sky.

Ariana's heart raced with a mix of shock and exhilaration as Alex held her tightly against him. Her heart beat wildly (badum... badum...), and she felt a surge of joy, like a child experiencing a roller-coaster for the first time.

With a gentle spread of his wings, Alex lifted them higher into the sky, the rain now a blur of silver streaks around them. He encouraged Ariana to look down at the earth below, urging her to enjoy the breathtaking view.

As they flew, Ariana's initial hesitation melted away, replaced by a childlike joy. She laughed and screamed with delight, her voice joining the symphony of the rain and the wind.

Their journey took them over trees and mountains, and they glided above a dense forest and a crystal-clear lake. When Ariana caught sight of the glistening lake below, she couldn't contain her excitement.

"Please, Alex, let's go down!" she pleaded. "I want to play in the cold water while enjoying the rain and the breeze."

Alex, ever the cautious guardian, hesitated. "But Ariana, it's raining heavily, and it's not safe to swim in the lake during a downpour," he warned.

But Ariana's puppy-dog eyes were hard to resist. "Please, just this once! It's been my earnest wish since I was a child, but no one ever fulfilled it. Just five minutes, please!" she begged.

With a compromising smile, Alex relented. "Okay, but only for five minutes," he agreed.

Gently, they floated down to the lake, and as soon as they touched the water, Ariana began to play like a carefree child. She splashed in the water, laughing joyfully, and even managed to soak Alex with her playful antics.

Quietly, Alex took a few photos of Ariana, capturing her pure happiness in that moment.

After a few blissful minutes, Alex gently lifted her out of the water. "Enough fun for today," he said, a hint of concern in his voice. "It's time to go back home, or you'll catch a cold."

Reluctantly, Ariana agreed, but she couldn't wipe the smile from her face. On the way back to home, however, her sneezes began to punctuate the air.

"See, Ariana, I told you not to stay in the lake water during the rain," Alex chided gently. "Now you're sneezing badly."

As they pulled up to the house, Alex called out to Ariana, trying to wake her up gently.

"Ariana! Ariana, we're home. Wake up," he said, his voice soft and caring.

Slowly, Ariana stirred, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "We're home?" she mumbled, still half-asleep.

Alex glanced at her with concern. "Ariana, your eyes are red. Are you feeling uncomfortable? Are you cold? Do you have a fever?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.

Ariana shook her head, trying to shake off her drowsiness. "Oh, no, it's nothing. I think my eyes are red because I just rubbed them. Don't worry, I'm fine," she assured him, though her voice was still thick with sleep.

Without waiting for a response, Ariana headed straight for the bathroom to take a hot shower. Meanwhile, Alex went to another bathroom to change into dry clothes.

After a few minutes, when Alex emerged from the bathroom, he decided he needed to do something to help Ariana feel better.

"I should prepare some ginger soup for her with lotus stem. It will help prevent her from catching a cold. And she must be hungry by now. This soup will give her some much-needed nutrition. Her body has been through a lot these past few days," he thought to himself.

With that in mind, Alex headed to the kitchen to prepare the soup, hoping it would help Ariana feel better.

Alex rushed upstairs with the soup, eager to make sure Ariana was okay.

"She must be done showering by now," he thought to himself. "It's good that I prepared this soup on time. I don't want her to wait too long."

Entering the room, he called out to her, "Ariana, hurry up and drink the soup while it's hot. It will prevent you from catching a cold."

But his heart sank when he realized Ariana wasn't there. Placing the soup aside, he walked over to the bathroom and knocked gently on the door.

"Ariana, don't take too long in the shower. You've already been soaked in cold rainwater for too long. It's not good for your body. Your body is still weak. Hurry up and come out. I've cooked soup for you," he said, his concern evident in his voice.

When he received no response, his worry grew. "Ariana, are you listening to me?" he called out again, his voice tinged with anxiety. "If you don't answer me, I'll break the door down on the count of three. Ariana, open the door. One... Two..."

Before he could count to three, he summoned his powers, and with a wave of his hand, a blue light emerged, and the door swung open. Alex rushed into the bathroom and found Ariana unconscious in the tub.

Panicked, he quickly wrapped her in a towel and carried her to the bedroom. "Oh no, she's burning with fever!" he exclaimed, his worry deepening. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have let her soak in the rain at this hour. She's not immortal like me; she's human, and her body is weak. Lady Medical Head already warned me to take care of her delicately. Her body is fragile and still needs time to heal from the inside."

He gently laid her down on the bed, his mind racing with concern. "I don't even know how long she's been unconscious in the tub," he thought, feeling guilty and anxious about Ariana's deteriorating health.