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Dunia hummed softly as she put her pearls around her neck, and then her other necklace. She had a yellow sundress on that had a purple trim, which she smiled softly at in the mirror. 'perfect' she thought, 'just right for Nura-'
She stopped herself mid-thought. She didn't want to jinx anything.
Her phone buzzed on the bed behind her, the screen lighting up. She hesitated for a moment, then turned and picked it up. Nura's name flashed across the screen, followed by a simple message: "Hey. I'm outside."
Dunia felt her stomach do a little flip, and she took a deep breath. She grabbed her bag and headed for the door, stopping briefly to check her reflection one last time. "Okay," she whispered to herself. "Here we go."
Outside, Nura leaned against her car, arms crossed, looking effortlessly cool in a dark gray jacket and jeans. She glanced up as Dunia approached, and a slow, easy smile spread across her face. "Took you long enough," she teased, though her tone was warm.
Dunia rolled her eyes playfully, but she couldn't help the way her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Nura's smile. "Well, some of us like to look nice," she shot back, stepping closer. "Where are we going, anyway?" Nura smiled, her now silver lipstick shimmering. She seemed to be in a mood for silver that day, silver lipstick, silver eyeliner, silver jacket, yet it suited her perfectly.
Nura pushed off the car and opened the passenger door with a theatrical flourish. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she said, her voice low and teasing. Dunia hesitated, she would like to know, but something about the glint in Nura’s eyes made her bite back the question. She slid into the seat, catching the faint scent of jasmine and something smokier underneath, Nura's perfume, probably.
The car purred to life as Nura got in, adjusting the mirrors with quick, practiced movements. Dunia watched her hands long fingers, nails painted the same silver as her lips, then caught herself and looked away. Outside, the late afternoon light painted the street gold. "So," Dunia said, fiddling with the hem of her dress. "You're really not going to tell me?"
Nura smirked, pulling out onto the road. "Nope. Its a surprise." A pause. Then, softer, "Trust me?"
Dunia exhaled, leaning back into the seat. "Yeah," she admitted. "I do." Nura nodded and drove. She was smiling now. Much more than she usually did. She clearly had a good plan for their date. That made Dunia curious about the spot she had picked out.
The car rolled to a stop at the edge of a narrow dirt path, half-hidden by overgrown wildflowers. Dunia blinked as Nura killed the engine, the sudden silence pressing in. Beyond the windshield stretched a field of tall grass, swaying in the evening breeze, and beyond that, a lake, its surface shimmering with the last orange streaks of sunset.
"Here," Nura said, unbuckling her seatbelt with a quiet click. Dunia stared, her eyes flickering around at the open and empty field. "This is... nowhere."
Nura laughed, the sound warm and unguarded. "Exactly." She reached into the backseat and pulled out a woven basket, its contents hidden beneath a checkered cloth. "Come on."
The path was uneven, the earth soft beneath Dunia's sandals. She followed Nura, watching the way her silver-tipped hair caught the fading light. Fireflies flickered in the grass, appearing and disappearing like tiny, scattered stars. Nura set the blanket and basket down with a flourish and they sat there together. Looking like the sun and the moon in human form.
Dunia watched as Nura lifted the checkered cloth with a dramatic flick of her wrist, revealing a spread of carefully packed food, fat strawberries glistening with condensation, crusty bread wrapped in wax paper, a small wheel of cheese, and a bottle of something amber-colored catching the last of the sunlight. "You packed a picnic?" Dunia asked, unable to keep the surprise from her voice.
"Obviously." Nura grinned, popping the cork from the bottle with a practiced twist. "Wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I just dragged you to an empty field and went, 'Well, here we are.'" She poured a shallow measure into two tin cups and handed one to Dunia. "Try it."
Dunia took a cautious sip, the sweetness of honey and the bite of something herbal blooming across her tongue. "Oh, that is this?"
"Old family recipe," Nura said, leaning back on one elbow. "My grandmother used to make it. I forgot what she called it but... It has rosemary and lemon. I figured..." She trailed off, suddenly looking unsure for the first time that evening. "I thought it might be nice. Something different."
Dunia studied her face, the way Nura's brows knit together just slightly, the silver glitter on her cheeks catching the light. She reached out, brushing a loose strand of hair behind Nura’s ear, fingertips grazing the sharp line of her jaw. "It’s perfect," she murmured, "like you." Nura blushed softly, they shared a small kiss before Nura also took a sip of her own cup.
The two sat there calmly laughing and talking, holding hands, looking like they had no care in the world. The fireflies blinked lazily in the dusk, their tiny lights weaving between the tall grass like scattered embers. Dunia leaned back against Nura's shoulder, their fingers tangled together, the empty tin cups forgotten beside the crumpled checkered cloth. The lake shimmered under the rising moon, its surface a mirror of stars.
There, in that moment, neither wanted anything more than just each other.