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When she finally touches him, it's as light as a breeze yet shakes his insides with the force of a storm.
There's no way of calming a beating heart when the melody it sings makes its way to it. Nilou is all smiles and gentle steps when she comes around, swaying them out of the bustling route of bodies around Sumeru city.
”Hey there.” Kaveh says, tilting his head to brush against the top of hers. Her hair, soft as ever, tickles his nose with a sweet scent of flowers, festive spirits and unmistakably love.
“You came!” She chirps, leaning away to capture his face in her palm. It's hard to not let himself drown in the warmth of her touch, but he never protested. “I thought you had work today?”
“I did.” Kaveh hums, hardly keeping his eyes open when she brings her forehead to his. “Finished it early just to come see you.”
The cherry red of her lips parts to let a shallow breath in, round in adorably unreasonable surprise. It takes everything in him not to lean just a little closer. “Just for me?”
“Just for you.” He echoes, letting his eyelids fall for a little while that's just enough to recall the events that led him step by step to this moment in time, impatiently red faces of clients and mountains of paperwork to go through before he could run off the second their meeting ended. Gasping passerbys backing out of his way and muttering curses that bounced off his back, failing to land. A silent look from Alhaitham as he dropped bags home, distantly curious but thankfully never asking.
“I did.” He repeats, wincing the images off his heavy eyes before opening them again to meet a lovelier sight. “But not in time to grab you a present, I'm sorry about—”
“Oh, it's alright! Your presence is enough of a gift to me.” She says. “Besides, I already took care of that part. Ah, right! Can you close your eyes?”
She doesn't need to say it twice.
Nilou has a way of bringing him to gentle madness. When the lights around the city blur into distant stars just to frame her silhouette in a golden glow. It may just be his fault, but as long as she stays in his eye the sun will be put to shame of her glory. But when she tells him to dip into darkness, he can't bring himself to argue. Knowing she will soon lead him to light.
She cues him to take a look with a tug on his sleeve, and he opens his vision to the sun just to discover a small gift box with a neatly tied bow sitting on it in her outstretched hands. Kaveh blinks. “For me?”
“For you.” She responds, lightly nudging the box to his chest. “From me.”
“You…” Kaveh stands still, unable to take his eyes away from the nearly wrapped gift paper that she finally managed to place into his hands, weight ghostly brushing against his fingers. Chocolate. Stupid, heart-shaped, adorable chocolate. All for him, from her. Kaveh thinks he might be at his limit. “You made them yourself?”
He can feel the light air from her mouth come out in blows of laughter next to his shoulder, unstoppable in its truthful joy. Kaveh can't hold back from looking at her anymore, lifting his head from the chocolate box and catching starlight of her eye in his. “I suppose I did. I wanted to make it special for you, so, um, I…”
“I love you.”
“... Well, of course I asked Lumine for the rece— Oh. Oh!” Nilou's eyes widen as she catches on his words, tongue dancing around in a stutter. Kaveh doesn't flinch in his dreamlike state, catching the side of her face with one hand as he presses the box to his chest with the other. The string of words jumping out of her mouth soon dies down, only leaving her eyes to speak. Ridiculously big and bright, staring right back at him as her chest rises slower with the smile returning to her face. “Kaveh…”
“I mean it.” He says. “Thank you. You didn't have to do that, but you did, and— That means a lot.”
“I love you too.”
It's his turn to choke out a breath, knocking out all the words possibly left on the tip of his tongue. It's nothing out of the ordinary. She said it before, a million times. He's sure they have a few million more ahead of them, but it never gets old to his desperately racing heart. She loves him. And he's lucky enough to say it back.
“That’s why I made these.” The corner of Nilou's smile tucks into the crook of his palm, warm and dangerously soft. “With love, you know… That's why you can't keep them waiting.”
“Ah. Right.” Kaveh blinks, quickly withdrawing his hand as if burned. It may not be that far from truth. He carefully unties the bow with shaky fingers, opening the set of sweet treats with a laugh to accompany it. “Looks delicious. Thank you, Nilou.”
“They should be. I hope, at least. It would be very embarrassing if I messed up… But I made sure to follow all the steps!” Nilou responds, dragging them both into the direction of a nearest bench. “Come, have a taste. Hive me some feedback! Oh, and tell me all about your day between bites.”
“That would be a bit too boring for such an occasion.” He notes. “Should I come up with something more romantic?”
“Everything you say is romantic.” Nilou’s eyes sparkle at him over the hand she brought to her face to hide her smile. “To me.”
Kaveh picks up the first candy and slides it right into her open mouth before she has the time to answer. “Even when I'm talking about screws and wires? Your tastes are questionable.”
Her lips struggle between clear desire to respond and chewing on something, judging by the bouquet of sparks flashing in her eyes, delicious. “Mmm!”
He can feel a smile stretch his cheeks. Nilou quickly finishes the last bite off as he speaks, snapping out of the sugary bliss. “That good? Well, I had no doubts in your skill.”
“Hey!” Nilou huffs, without a hint of anger. “You were supposed to eat it, actually. It's your gift!”
Kaveh is not by any means above the pout forming on her lips, not quite offended beyond playfulness but still demanding. He has no choice but to obey — letting her push his mouth open and allow the taste to melt on his tongue. “Mmm!”
“See?” Nilou giggles, reaching for the next heart-shaped candy. “My tastes are not nearly as bad as you believe them to be.”
Kaveh closes his eyes with a smile that's impossible to keep inside his mouth, hardly believing it's the chocolate she's taking about.