“Let’s give the kids some privacy,” he smiled.
When they were left alone, Dorian reached into his pocket. He was sitting next to Eva, to her other side were Sebastian and Frey, and across from her, were Bella and Darlith, holding hands.
“Listen, Eva…” Dorian started, clearing his throat a little.
She turned to him. She lowered her gaze, and noticed that he was holding a little plush box in his hand. She looked back at him, then at Frey and Sebastian. Their faces were kind and welcoming, she’d never seen more love, than on their faces at that moment.
“Yes?” she asked, patiently.
It looked like something important would follow. The moment felt special, like it would never happen again, and she didn’t want to ruin it by rushing anything.
“Me and the guys… we were thinking…”
She’d never seen Dorian seem so confused, so at a loss for words. It was cute. She smiled at him, soothing him with her eyes. Sebastian and Frey were equally patient, waiting for him to muster the courage to say what they all wanted him to say.
The wind blew a little, rustling his hair, and he raked through it with his hands. Eva thought how some people wore their smiles adequately, but Dorian was the smile. Everything with him was a loving, warm, inviting possibility, a promise of more to come. That was exactly how she felt about Frey and Sebastian too, even though they were all so different, one from another. It was the way they were, not the way they could be. She loved them, she truly did.
“We wanted to show you how special you are to us, and how important this circle is, how we never want it to be broken,” his voice quickened, as he finished his little monologue, offering her the little box.
She accepted it, gently cupping it with her hand, like a wounded birdie which needed to be taken care of. She glanced at the boys, then back at the box. Her fingers toyed with the lid, opening it deliberately. Inside, she revealed a little dainty ring, with a ruby apple adorning it. She swallowed a little, releasing a moan.
“For me?” she asked, barely able to speak.
“Yes,” all three of them replied, in unison.
“It’s an apple, because you are Eva,” Frey smiled.
“It’s a ruby because you were born in July,” Sebastian surprised her, and she tried to remember if she even told them when she was born.
“It stands as a symbol of us being a group of four,” Dorian added, “because it is the number of order, stability and justice, which is what we managed to accomplish.”
Eva could feel her eyes filling up with tears. Her body was trembling. She was almost afraid that she would drop the box and the beautiful ring in it.
“Can someone put it on?” she pleaded.
The guys looked around, and Dorian was the first to offer. He took the promise ring and placed it on her finger. It shone beautifully in the sun, like a drop of blood, symbolizing their union which would last forever.
She pressed her hands against her lips, in an effort to prevent herself from bursting into tears and ruining this special moment.
“I don’t know what to say…” she whispered.
The three of them hugged her, and she realized that she could finally be herself, in a place where she truly felt she belonged.
*****
THE END