Lover Enshrined

Most likely they met in the middle.

Neither said anything while they embraced. Sometimes words didn’t go far enough, the vessels of letters and the ladles of grammar incapable of holding the heart’s sentiments.

The Brotherhood started to clap.

At some point, Phury reached out and took Cormia’s hand, drawing her close.

He pulled back and looked at his twin. “Tell me, does she have yellow eyes?”

Z smiled and nodded. “Yeah, she does. Bella says she looks like me… which means she looks like you. Come meet my little girl, brother mine. Come back and meet your niece. There’s a big empty place on her crib, and we need the two of you to fill it.”

Phury held Cormia close and felt her hand rub the center of his chest. Taking a deep breath, he swiped his eyes. “That’s my favorite opera and my favorite solo.”

'I know.” Z smiled at Cormia and referenced the first two lines, “Che gelida manina, se la lasci riscaldar.” “And now you have a little hand to warm in your own.”

“Same can be said of you, my brother.”

'So true. So blessedly true.” Z grew serious. “Please… come see her-but also, come see us. The brothers miss you. I miss you.”

Phury narrowed his eyes, something sliding into place. “It’s you, isn’t it. You’ve come to the community center. You’ve watched me sit on that swing afterward.”

Z’s voice grew hoarse. “I’m so damned proud of you.”

Cormia spoke up. “Me, too.”

What a perfect moment this was, Phury thought. Such a perfect moment with his twin before him and his shellan beside him and the wizard nowhere in sight.

Such a perfect moment that he knew he was going to remember for the rest of his days as clearly and as poignantly as he lived it now.

Phury kissed his shellan’s forehead, lingering against her, giving thanks. Then he smiled at Zsadist.

“With pleasure. We’ll come to Nalla’s crib with pleasure and reverence.”

“And your ribbons?”

He looked down at the green and the gold, the lovely satin lengths intertwined, symbolizing the union of him and Cormia. Abruptly, she tightened her arms around him, as if she were thinking exactly the same thing he was.

Namely, that the two went perfectly together.

“Yes, my brother. We’re absolutely coming with our ribbons. ” He looked deeply into her eyes. “And, you know, if we have time for a mating ceremony, that would be great because-”

The hooting and hollering and back slapping of the Brotherhood cut off the rest of what he was going to say. But Cormia got the gist. He’d never seen any female smile as beautifully and broadly as she did then while looking up at him.

So she must have known what he meant.

I love you forever didn’t always need to be spoken to be understood.

***