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Rafayel had been sitting on Zayne’s side of the bed for several minutes, staring down at the shining orb sitting on the doctor’s bedside table, his posture straight and oddly stiff. The pearl caught the morning light from the windows beautifully, casting rainbows against the walls and ceiling of Zayne’s bedroom. Of course, any normal pearl would not refract light like this, but this was not a normal pearl. Rafayel had created it.
These types of pearls were extremely rare, and while some would argue that they were not pearls because their appearance was so different, many argued that they were because they came from the same source – the tears of Lemurians. Pearls created by a Lemurian typically symbolised pain, loss, sadness or anger, only coming into existence when those feelings overcame the sea folk to the point of their tears crystalising into the white spheres. However, in very special circumstances, a Lemurian could create one of these extraordinary glass-like shining pearls, and that was when the person had found their beloved. Pearls created from tears of love shined with gorgeous iridescence, catching the light beautifully and thus appeared closer to a crystal opal or a diamond than a regular pearl. When placed side by side, there really was no comparison to be made, the usually lovely pearls looking dull and unimpressive next to the glimmering jewel created from pure devotion. In Lemurian culture, these lustrous pearls held immense meaning – a treasure to be gifted to the one you loved, literally a piece of yourself that came into existence because you are completely happy, so overwhelmed with love that your body can no longer contain it, the evidence of your adoration spilling out in the form of tears.
All Lemurians knew how significant being gifted this pearl was, almost as important to the merfolk as a soul bond. If one was gifted a pearl, they would keep it on them from that day onward, as a symbol of their reciprocation of love. While not all Lemurians were lucky enough to be gifted a pearl in their lifetime, Rafayel saw firsthand how special the love that created it was, as he was surrounded by that love as he grew up. Rafayel’s father had given his mother a pearl before he was born, and his mother had given him one in return not long after. From the moment the pearls were given until the moment of their deaths, his parents had carried their pearls with them; his father’s adorning his wrist as part of a silver cuff, and his mother’s as the centrepiece of a circlet that never left her head. Even now, their pearls were still with them, resting against their skeletons, buried at the bottom of the ocean. In life and in death they carried their love for one another, and everyone in Lemuria knew that they belonged to each other.
Throughout his long, long life, Rafayel had dreamed of someday finding the person who would proudly wear his gift and give him one in return. He never imagined that he would fall in love with a human, or that the initially stoic and quiet doctor his bodyguard introduced him to would sweep him off his feet. Zayne made him feel safe, cherished… seen, in a way he never had before. Zayne did not love him because he was Lemurian, or famous, or any of the other reason humans has pursued him in the past. He loved Rafayel for Rafayel. Likewise, Rafayel adored Zayne, not for his achievements in medicine but because he was kind-hearted, witty and unlike anyone he had ever met before. After being in a relationship for six months, the two men were extraordinarily happy with one another, and Rafayel realised that Zayne was indeed his beloved groom, the one who would always own his heart. Of course, Rafayel had known Zayne was special for a long time, but the realisation of just how special he was hit him after a wonderful evening together about a month earlier.
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Zayne had taken Rafayel out for dinner, and afterwards they had walked along the river together as fireworks exploded over the city skyline, Zayne gently holding onto Rafayel’s hand as the artist walked precariously on a ledge. They had decided not to spend the night together tonight, Rafayel insisting that the precious few hours Zayne had between their date and his morning alarm ringing should be spent actually sleeping, so they were fairly quiet, just enjoying the remaining time they had together. Zayne looked so unbearably beautiful looking up at him, wearing a red suit jacket and black turtleneck, hazel green eyes glimmering as the fireworks reflected off them. Rafayel felt a squeeze on his hand, making him pause, before the doctor spoke.
“…I don’t want this to end. And I don’t want to go home.” He moved his head to nuzzle against Rafayel’s stomach, holding him close.
“I don’t want to leave you.”
Rafayel let out a small huff of a laugh as a smile spread across his face at the whispered declaration, running his hand through his partner’s ink-black hair.
“You need sleep, Doctor Li. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
They sat down together on the ledge he had been walking on, and Rafayel leaned into Zayne’s chest as they watched the fireworks light up the night above the Linkon City skyline. The two shared a tender kiss under the fireworks and the glimmering moonlight, and Rafayel felt his heart catch with how much the dark-haired man meant to him.
Rafayel had come home after the date and felt so overwhelmed, his throat and chest feeling very tight. He had never felt so loved before, so completely adored. Nor had he ever felt this way about someone else. Even though the kind doctor had dropped him home with a promise to see him tomorrow after his shift at the hospital, Rafayel felt it so deeply in his soul that they were apart. He regretted telling Zayne that they should spend the night apart. He wanted to bring Zayne back and tell him all the reasons he loved him and make sure his beautiful boyfriend would never feel loneliness again. He wanted to prove his devotion so irrefutably that the green-eyed man would never doubt that he was loved, or that he was important. His lemurian heart was screaming at him to go be with his love and not let him be alone, even for this one night. He was almost frantic with the need to tell him, his thoughts racing.
He needs to know how much I love him. My beloved groom.
Rafayel hadn’t realised that he had started crying until he heard an odd “clink” sound, as something hit and subsequently rolled across the floor. With misty eyes he glanced down, scanning the area around him, a confused expression on his face until he saw it, a faint glimmer from next to one of his potted plants. He froze in shock, his spiralling thoughts momentarily halting as he realised what had happened. When his brain switched back on a moment later, he desperately dropped to his knees and reached for the pearl, holding it up towards the light. It didn’t look exactly the same as the pearls his parents had exchanged; at the very centre of his pearl there was a slight swirl, a tiny dash of red. He didn’t know why the imperfection was there, and he likely never would, as there was no one he was close enough to that he could ask about it, his aunt having passed a few years earlier. Nevertheless, he could not believe the day had finally come – he had found his beloved.
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It took some time for Rafayel to feel brave enough to give Zayne the pearl, worrying that the custom may seem odd to the human, or that the doctor would reject it because of the red imperfection. Deep down he knew Zayne would never do that, the man had a kind and loving heart, especially when it came to Rafayel. They were sitting side by side on Rafayel’s couch, the artist having invited his boyfriend over to view his latest painting, when he finally got the courage to give it to him. When Rafayel had placed the gift into Zayne’s outstretched hand, the doctor’s green eyes widened slightly, likely stunned by its beauty, never before having seen something like it.
“This is beautiful, darling. Where did you find it?” Zayne uttered softly, looking up from the pearl and meeting his lover’s eyes.
The artist had anticipated this, of course, and much of his hesitation in giving his beloved this gift came from not knowing how to articulate just how much it meant, and what it symbolised. So Rafayel did his best to explain it to Zayne; how Lemurian tears create pearls (which the doctor knew already, though he did not interrupt, seeing how nervous his partner was), and how this one specifically was created. That Rafayel’s body had always had the ability to create it, but only when Zayne had come into his life and Rafayel had cherished him so dearly had it come into existence. In a way, Rafayel had made it for Zayne, and thus it was a gift for him.
“It’s proof of how much I love you. In Lemurian custom, we would carry our pearls with us every day, as a way to show that we accept each other into our hearts fully.”
Zayne’s face was full of adoration as he reached forward and pulled Rafayel into a hug, kissing his temple. Rafayel squeezed his eyes shut, relieved that his beloved accepted his gift, and tightened his arms around Zayne, somehow trying to pull him even closer.
“Thank you, my love. I will always keep it with me.”
After Rafayel had given Zayne his gift, it was like something had shifted imperceptibly between them. Rafayel began spending every night at Zayne’s house, leaving only during the day to return to Mo Art Studio to paint, and returning each night. His partner had always been affectionate towards him, but it now seemed to be on another level. For the next few days when the two of them would have sex, it was especially tender and gentle, Zayne holding him impossibly close and murmuring “I love you” into Rafayel’s skin at every possible moment. Rafayel knew that he had been right in giving his gift to Zayne, and that the taller man appreciated his gift for what it meant. For the first time in a long time, Rafayel felt truly at peace, happily going back to his studio to paint each day because he knew that Zayne carried his heart with him at Akso Hospital. Even when they were apart, Zayne still held his love close.
Or he did, until a week ago.
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Rafayel woke up alone in Zayne’s bed, as he did most mornings recently, eyes slowly adjusting to the mid-morning light. Covering his mouth as he let out a large yawn, Rafayel’s gaze fell on a mark on the ceiling, that he’s certain was not there the night before. It took his sleep addled brain a few seconds to realise that it wasn’t a stain of some sort, but a small beam of refracted light. The confusion remained clear as day on his face until he turned towards the window and saw it. His pearl, sitting on Zayne’s bedside table, the doctor nowhere to be seen. The clock cruelly displayed that it was 10:07am, and Rafayel felt his throat catch.
Zayne left for work hours ago… and he left it behind.
Despite the tense feeling that settled in his chest, he tried to be reasonable – Zayne was not a Lemurian, after all. He didn’t understand how hurtful the gesture was, how much it upset Rafayel to see his love left behind as though it meant nothing. So, he tried to push the feelings down, rationalising that Zayne likely just forgot it today. After all, his love was a busy man, maybe he got a call about an emergency surgery and forgot it in his rush to get to the hospital.
So, he really tried to understand, wanting to give his beloved some grace.
But it kept happening. Zayne had to work overtime every day that week, and every day Rafayel woke up alone to see his gift sitting on the bedside table, an unsettling feeling settling in his gut as his gift acted more as a decorative trinket than a symbol of love. As the week wore on, he found himself getting more distracted and upset, barely being able to paint when he went back to his studio – merely spending hours sitting in front of his canvas without even placing the brush to the palette. Towards the end of the week, he stopped even bothering to return to his own house, because he felt like Zayne was pulling away and he didn’t want to miss a moment when Zayne was free. Maybe that had been a mistake, in retrospect, because it became glaringly obvious to Rafayel that they had not had sex all week, the usually healthy sexual appetite of his lover apparently no longer present. Part of him knew that the surgeon was likely just tired from working so much overtime, but if that were true then why did he spend so much time reading research papers on his tablet? If Zayne was not sleeping, eating or showering, he was on his tablet, apparently reading something that was a lot more interesting to him than Rafayel was.
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After a week of feeling rejected and uncertain in their relationship, Rafayel’s patience wore out, as he stirred awake while Zayne was still getting ready for work. He had not been sleeping well over the past few days, tossing and turning in a state of half-sleep, usually waking up just as tired as when he went to bed. Today was no exception, as even the sound of Zayne quietly getting ready before the sun had even risen had awoken him. He could hear him in the kitchen, his spoon lightly scraping against a bowl as he ate his breakfast. Rafayel debated just trying to roll over and go back to sleep, but he couldn’t help looking at Zayne’s bedside table, where the pearl still remained. His heart felt so fragile that he didn’t think he could bear it if Zayne left it behind again, so he resolved to try. Maybe he didn’t do a good job explaining it the first time, and this was all some horrible misunderstanding. He knew Zayne would not leave it behind if he really understood, so he got up and walked into the kitchen, cleared his throat lightly and spoke into the quiet room.
“Zayne?” Zayne’s head immediately shot towards him, clearly not expecting Rafayel to be there.
“I’m sorry, did I wake you up?” Rafayel shook his head in response, the doctors face seeming less tense upon finding out that he wasn’t the cause for Rafayel’s wakefulness. If only he knew.
“I need to talk to you about something.” Zayne made a ‘hmm’ sound, and raised his eyebrows slightly, keeping eye contact with Rafayel, which he took as his cue to keep going.
“Umm… it’s about the pearl. I don’t know if you remember when I gave it to you, I told you about it and where it came from.”
While he was speaking, Zayne’s phone buzzed with a notification, causing the dark-haired man to pick it up and look at it. Rafayel tried to keep going but felt his voice falter as his continued his ill-prepared speech.
“I-I don’t think I explained it well and I want to tell you what it means. In Lemurian culture-”
“I know what it means, Rafayel.” Zayne replied, cutting off his sentence, while clearly distracted and typing on his phone. Zayne didn’t say anything else as he moved out of the kitchen toward the front door.
Rafayel stared at the back of Zayne’s head as he walked away and felt a lump form in his throat. Which was why the most he could summon in response was a ‘hmm’ sound in the back of his throat, not even sure what he was trying to convey, but not wanting the silence to cause Zayne to turn around, lest he see the heartbreak that was likely clear on his face. And luckily (or unluckily) for him, Zayne didn’t turn, he simply opened his front door to leave and said a simple goodbye over his shoulder.
The sound of the front door clicking shut echoed over the cold tiles in the empty house, and Rafayel was left standing near the front door where Zayne had discarded him. So… he understood, but it just didn’t matter to him. Zayne’s dismissal echoed in the artist’s head.
I know what it means, Rafayel.
He had called him ‘Rafayel’. Not ‘darling’, ‘my love’, ‘sweetheart’ or any number of endearments he usually called him. Just ‘Rafayel’. Worst of all, his beloved didn’t even look him in the eyes as he broke his heart, he just stared down at his phone. As though he would rather be doing anything other than speaking to him.
Which was how he found himself here, sitting on Zayne’s side of the bed. Staring at the evidence of his love that was still sitting in its place, cold and untouched. Zayne had disregarded his gift… like it was nothing. He hadn’t looked at it or held it or cared about it in days. Rafayel mind went to thoughts of his parents. He had never seen them without their pearls – he was unable to even picture what they looked like without them. The pearls were as much a part of their body as their eyes or their fins. He thought he had found his love, the one who would love him just as fervently as he loved them. His mind started to spiral, wondering how things went so wrong so quickly.
His mind was questioning their relationship, rethinking all of their recent interactions to try and dissect what had happened. And as his mind often did, it provided a helpful solution – it was his own fault.
Maybe he pushed Zayne away by being too serious, they had only been dating for half a year after all. He was too much, trying to insert himself as a permanent part of Zayne’s life when the doctor didn’t view him that way. Rafayel wasn’t someone who other people took seriously – his appearance and personality led most people to write him off as someone to have fun with, a “bestie” more than a love interest. Maybe that’s why Zayne was dating him. Just for fun, nothing serious.
Why was he here, in Zayne’s bed, every day? He never asked him to be here, but he was probably too nice to ask him to leave. He asked him to stay over after dates but then Rafayel just kept coming back every night unannounced… the revelation felt like a rock sinking into the pit of his stomach.
I’m scaring him away, being too intense. If I keep being like this, I’ll lose him forever.
Even if it killed him to take a step backwards, he couldn’t bear the thought of losing his beloved groom. The possessive instincts that came so naturally to Lemurians were starting to show their head and he just wanted to hold Zayne and never let him go. That was what he had been doing all week – holding on tighter and tighter, never letting Zayne have a moment away from him unless he was at work. He was suffocating him. But if the doctor wished to be let go, then he would loosen his grip. He would do anything to stop Zayne from getting sick of him, including pretending that the pearl meant nothing. But he couldn’t bear to leave it sitting there any longer.
He moved the back of his hand to wipe at the moisture that had accumulated around his eyes. His decision was made. Standing up from the bed, a clattering sound echoed through the quiet room as the physical evidence of Rafayel’s broken heart scattered from where it had fallen on his lap. Several small white pearls fell to the floor beside Zayne’s bed, but Rafayel paid them no mind, not even registering their existence as his mind was so preoccupied. He simply grabbed his gift from its forgotten place and left.
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After returning to Mo Art Studio, Rafayel allowed himself to wallow. Tomorrow he would be able to pretend everything was fine. He would behave the way Zayne clearly wanted him to; playful and not too intense. But today, he would let himself feel. He flopped onto the couch in his living room as soon as he arrived home, and he remained there from the time the suns rays first appeared to late into the evening. He heard his phone buzz several times throughout the day, but he didn’t bother to look at it – he didn’t want to speak to anyone, and certainly not to Thomas, who was likely the one messaging to hound him about his lack of productiveness this week.
He fluctuated between feeling heartbroken and just feeling numb, the pearl remaining clutched in his hand all day. He never wanted to see it again; it was a reminder of his failure. But like picking at a scab, he just couldn’t resist holding it, the weight in his hand never letting him forget that he had pushed away his beloved. Occasionally he would open his hand and stare at it. It felt like the red streak in the centre was taunting him. If the pearl was a representation of his love, then clearly there was something wrong with it.
Maybe that’s why Zayne doesn’t want it.
Several times he contemplated destroying it, or throwing it into the ocean, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. It was still a part of himself, even if it was defective. After stewing in his own thoughts for the entire day, the lack of proper rest for the past week finally caught up to him and he fell into a fitful sleep on his couch, with the pearl clutched to his chest.
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When Rafayel woke up from his emotionally drained couch nap, his head felt groggy, likely from having neglected to eat or drink anything all day. It took him a moment to realise that the thumping sound he was hearing was not a developing migraine, but someone knocking on his front door. Standing up from the couch and absentmindedly placing the pearl into his pocket, Rafayel rubbed his fist against his tired eyes as he walked to the front door. He didn’t question why someone would be knocking on his door at almost midnight or consider that it might be the very man he was crying over all day. Hence his surprise when he opened the door and was immediately pulled into a hug by the aforementioned man. Rafayel’s body tensed up. He wasn’t prepared to see him yet, his loose plan (if it could even be called one), was that he would wait for their next planned date and play it cool in the meantime. The artist didn’t need to voice his confusion at Zayne’s presence, as the other man answered his question without even hearing it.
“You didn’t answer my messages all day and I got home and you weren’t there. I was worried.” Zayne spoke quietly into Rafayel’s shoulder, his body slightly hunched to bring him as close to the shorter man as possible. Zayne released his arms and took a step back, possibly at the realisation that Rafayel had not reciprocated the hug at all, his arms laying limp at his side, shocked at the sudden appearance of his beloved. He asked if he could come inside, and Rafayel felt his heart twinge at the uncertainty in his loves face – as though he wasn’t sure if he would. He didn’t want to hurt him, but he couldn’t let Zayne see how affected he was. His heart was still raw, and he didn’t trust himself to maintain his composure for long, so he knew he needed to get through this quickly. If he got upset in front of Zayne, that would surely be the end, and he would scare him off for good.
They ended up sitting on the couch, Rafayel electing to sit much further away than he usually would. The contrast was stark – usually the two men would be sitting side by side, with Zayne’s arm wrapped around the lavender-haired man’s shoulders to keep him close as they watched a movie or read together. He did not want to speak first, he could feel his heart calling out to Zayne and didn’t trust himself to remain detached. Sitting near him and not touching him or holding his hand was hard enough. He simply kept his hands clasped in his lap and looked down towards the coffee table – anything to avoid looking into the eyes of the man he loved. In the lingering silence, his beloved spoke.
“I’m sorry about our conversation this morning, one of my surgeries got moved forward because the patient took a turn. I’ve wanted to talk to you about the pearl for a while, and I didn’t want to start an important conversation right before I had to leave. But I should have handled it better.”
“It’s okay, no biggie.”
Well, that sounded unconvincing, even to his own ears. Zayne has wanted to talk about the pearl for a while – oh god. He definitely scared him away; the pearl was too much. The small, strained smile on his face felt ridiculous and of course, Zayne instantly saw right through him. He felt Zayne’s hand take his, but he didn’t look up, keeping his eyes down towards the floor.
“Sweetheart. Please look at me.” Zayne’s soft pleading tone convinced him to finally meet his eyes, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself steady. Don’t break, you’ll scare him.
“I’m sorry for upsetting you. Will you let me explain?”
Zayne proceeded to tell Rafayel why he had started to leave the pearl behind. The previous week, the doctor had been walking through the hospital talking to one of his colleagues when he realised the pearl was no longer in his pocket.
“Thankfully, after searching, I found it next to my desk in my office. But I was so worried that I had lost your gift, and I wouldn’t be able to get it back. That’s why I started leaving it at home – I couldn’t risk losing it.”
Rafayel logically understood why Zayne would do that, but his Lemurian heart was still wounded, confused why he didn’t feel he could talk to him. He felt himself crumble, despite how much he just wanted to pretend it was nothing, he couldn’t do it, confronted with his beloved who abandoned his gift.
“…so you were just going to leave it on your bedside table forever?” He pulls his hand from Zayne’s, his heart stinging. At his withdrawal, Zayne’s green eyes flashed with hurt, before he spoke.
“Of course not… I tried to do some research into typical Lemurian customs during my spare time this week, but as you know, most information out there is rooted in biology, not cultural practices.”
Of course, Rafayel knew that. Humans had never cared about Lemurians as a people, only as specimens. Something to be studied, dissected, trafficked. Cut up and sold as though they were as inanimate as their pearls. It did not surprise him that humans did not know about the iridescent shining pearls, and perhaps it was better for the safety of the remnants of his people that humans remained ignorant of their existence.
“What were you trying to find out?” Rafayel replied in a small voice, far from his usual playful lilt. Zayne seemed to hesitate before seeing the vulnerability on Rafayel’s face, how even though he was clearly hurt, he was going to listen to whatever explanation he was given.
“I had an idea for the pearl, of turning it into a piece of jewellery, so I could always wear it, and I wouldn’t risk losing it. But I didn’t want you to think that I was unhappy with it, or that I didn’t appreciate it. I was worried it might be insulting to suggest such a solution. After my research turned up nothing, I had resolved to ask you this weekend, because I didn’t want to keep leaving it behind.”
Oh.
Rafayel realised that perhaps he had done a poor job of explaining the pearls to his groom after all. When explaining their significance, he had mentioned his parents having their own set, but he didn’t mention how they wore them. After his quiet admittance that Lemurians often turned the pearls into a piece of jewellery, Zayne visibly relaxed, seeming to release some of the tension in his shoulders. Clearly, he was worried that he was about to further hurt his already upset boyfriend.
Zayne’s beautiful hazel green eyes shone with earnestness, and Rafayel felt himself weaken. He wanted to trust his beloved, he wanted to forgive him. But he didn’t want to keep thinking things were more serious than the doctor believed they were – it would only lead to more pain in the long run. He needed to be sure their relationship was equal, otherwise his Lemurian side would go crazy with the uncertainty.
Perhaps his inner turmoil was clear on his face, as Zayne once again spoke without Rafayel even having to voice his questions.
“Will you come home? I have something to show you.”
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The drive over to Zayne’s was quiet, where usually Rafayel would joke and tease his partner, only for Zayne to reply with a witty comeback delivered in a dry tone that always made Rafayel laugh, there was only unspoken tension. After parking in his garage, Zayne wordlessly got out of the car, and for some reason Rafayel stayed seated, not moving. He didn’t know why, but he felt like today reminded him of his status of ‘guest’, not ‘member of the household’.
Rafayel jolted at the sudden noise of his door opening, glancing up to see Zayne looking down at him. He gently reached his arm toward the lavender-haired man, who hesitated before placing his own slightly smaller hand gently in his lover’s palm. Together they walked into the house, the doctor keeping the artists palm grasped against his own as they headed towards the master bedroom.
Was that why he wanted me to come back – to have sex?
He felt his heart break a little at the idea. His steps faltered a bit before fully stopping. At the tug of their palms, Zayne realised Rafayel had stopped walking and looked back at him with a gentle expression. “What’s wrong?”
Swallowing hard, Rafayel voiced his concern in the only way he could, not being able to bear the full truth he was worried would resonate with his boyfriend. “Why are we going to your bedroom?”
Once again, Zayne proved himself able to read Rafayel like a book.
“What I want to show you is in the closet. If you don’t want to sleep here, I can take you back to your studio after.”
“Why do you call it that?”
“Call it what?”
“My ‘studio’.”
“It is your studio, is it not? It is where you work, where you do your painting, but your home is here. A moment ago, you referred to this as ‘my bedroom’, but it hasn’t been for a long time. It is our bedroom, our home. It does not feel right without you in it. But I won’t force you to be here if you do not want to be.”
Rafayel felt his face crumple at the words spoken so honestly by his beloved. Moisture gathered around his eyes, and his lip wobbled as Zayne stepped closer and placed his cold palm against his cheek.
“Will you let me show you, darling?” Rafayel nodded gently, feeling the last of his resolve crumbling.
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Together they walked into the walk-in wardrobe, where finally Zayne released his hand’s hold on Rafayel as he turned and reached up to grab a box from an upper shelf, having moved a leather duffel bag and a rolling suitcase to the side to reveal it. It was clear that Zayne had not wanted anyone to know of the box’s existence apart from himself.
When Zayne moved the box down from its high place and crouched onto the ground, there was a very bizarre sound coming from inside. He could best describe it as a faint clattering sound, almost as though whatever was inside was moving around and knocking into each other. It almost sounded like the noise pool balls made.
From his kneeled place on the ground, Zayne reached up his hand toward Rafayel, silently asking the Lemurian to join him. Once Rafayel had kneeled down opposite from his beloved, the green-eyed man opened the box.
When Zayne first opened the box, Rafayel was admittedly a little confused. There looked to be a bunch of …marbles? inside. There were dozens of these small objects, ranging from the size of a lime to about the size of a small bead. With puzzled eyes, Rafayel looked up at Zayne to see a slightly timid look on his face.
“I’ve been practicing with my evol. I’m not used to making such small objects from pure ice, instead of snow. Even though I am not a Lemurian, I wanted to make you a pearl too, so you could carry my love with you, as I do you.”
Rafayel’s eyes widen at Zayne’s confession, and he looks down at the box again and the dozens of ‘pearls’. He could see Zayne’s love for him in each of them, how much he has tried, the orbs becoming smaller, less cloudy and more perfectly spherical with each attempt. Unable to resist the urge, the artist reached inside the box to touch them, surprised that they did not feel cold, no more than regular glass would be.
As the Lemurian was enamoured with the everlasting ice that his beloved had created for him, the raven-haired men stood and walked over to a drawer in the closet, one containing his watches and other accessories. Returning to Rafayel’s side, he clutched a small velvet box in his hand.
“I finally made one I was happy with a few days ago. I hope you will accept this gift.”
With that, Zayne opened the box to reveal the small sphere inside. Rafayel’s breath caught as he looked down at it. It was the same size as his and perfectly clear, but the centre had a small blue swirl, just like his did.
“Hopefully the blue in mine will remind you of me, as the red in yours reminds me of you.”
Overcome with emotion, Rafayel launched himself into Zayne’s arms, clutching onto him tightly, once again feeling moisture welling in his eyes. He felt so guilty for thinking so little of his beloved. This was the man he had fallen in love with, the man who had never given him any reason to doubt his sincerity and had always cared for him dearly.
“I’m sorry for overreacting.”
Zayne stroked his back and hushed him quietly as the tears started to flow. “I’m sorry too, my love. I should have been honest with you about why I stopped taking it with me.”
Rafayel shook his head against Zayne’s shoulder. It didn’t matter anymore. He had his groom back in his arms, and that was what was important. They stayed like that, holding each other tight on the floor of the walk-in closet for a few minutes until Zayne broke the silence.
“Can I have the pearl back, please?” spoken quietly, as though the doctor was afraid to break the peace of the late hour.
In all the emotion, Rafayel had forgotten that he had taken the pearl, and stuffed it into his pocket when Zayne had arrived at Mo Art Studio. He released his tight hold on his boyfriend’s larger frame and leaned back so he could retrieve the pearl from where it had sat in his pocket for the last hour.
After once again giving his beloved his gift, Zayne took his own gift from the velvet box and placed it gently into Rafayel’s open palm. Clutching their pearls in their palms, the two men leaned forward and shared a kiss, at first tender and then turning more passionate, both pouring their love for one another into each movement. Rafayel broke the kiss first, but remained close, pressing his forehead against Zayne’s as they both caught their breath.
“Will you stay here tonight?” Zayne spoke quietly in the small distance between their lips. Rafayel nodded his agreement, not wanting to be apart from his beloved.
They moved to the bed, holding each other close as the late hour and emotional catharsis caused both men’s eyes to feel heavy almost instantly. Right before Rafayel finally succumbed to sleep, Zayne spoke quietly into the room.
“Do Lemurians typically make their own jewellery for their pearls, or do they have someone else make it?”
“In Lemuria the blacksmith would make custom pieces. His son lives in Linkon, he makes metal art. You’ve probably seen his work before at one of my gallery events.”
“Tomorrow we should speak to him and inquire about having something made for both of us.” Rafayel hummed a quiet agreement, snuggling further into Zayne’s hold.
“Goodnight, my love.”
“Sleep well, darling.”