Lily looked at her husband, sitting across from her.
Want to know what kind of husband he is?
Let me tell you,
No, no…
Let me show you.
"Dear, what are you doing?" Lily asked.
"Waiting," Ray said, "for the moment you'd turn your gaze to me, call my name, and give me a mission.
So tell me, Lily…do you have a mission for me?"
Lily smiled.
"Mission to love you."
"Aah… mission accepted.
But careful, Lily... Ray's heart isn't easily conquered.
…Except by one person.
And her name starts with L.
So tell me, O commander of love, what's the next step in this mission?"
Lily smirked.
"Next… to your heart."
"Nice try, Commander Lily.
But it looks like this heart beats only for you."
"What now, Lily?" Ray asked.
Lily stood up, walked over, and leaned in placing a kiss on his cheek, right near the corner of his lips.
Ray froze, blushing hard. caught off guard, nearly collapsing on the spot.
She grabbed his collar with both hands.
"Don't you dare collapse in front of me," she said.
"I hate weak-hearted men."
Ray swallowed hard, eyes locked on Lily's fire.
"Then I'll stand tall," he whispered, voice low.
"Even if my heart trembles… because it only beats this wildly for you."
Lily hugged him tightly.
"That's my man," she whispered.
And something shifted.
Ray didn't speak.
He just held her tighter, like a promise made in silence.
Then, after a pause, Ray murmured,
"Is there something more this man of yours needs to do?"
Lily pulled back, her eyes playful.
"If I'm doing everything," she said, "then what are you doing for me, Ray?
I love bold men."
He gently pulled back just enough to meet her gaze, his fingers resting at her waist. His voice was lower now steady like a vow.
"You want bold?" he murmured.
"Then watch me."
He leaned in not to kiss, but to whisper against her skin:
"I'll be the man who doesn't just stand beside you…
I'll be the one who makes the world kneel if it ever dares hurt you."
He tilted her chin slightly, eyes steady.
"You love bold?" he repeated.
Then he added, voice like thunder wrapped in silk:
"Then remember this, Lily..
You're mine.
And I never let go of what's mine."
Ray playfully said,
"Do you surrender now, or do you want to see just how far Ray's boldness can go?"
Lily smirked.
"Dare to claim me."
His hand rose gently,deliberately to her jaw. His thumb brushed her cheek with a tenderness that clashed deliciously with the fire in his eyes.
Then, in a voice rough with devotion, he murmured,
"Lily...
By heart, by soul, by every breath I ever take…
I claim you."
He leaned his forehead against hers, breathing in her closeness.
"Not as a possession…
You're the only woman I'll ever belong to.
And from this day forward…"
His lips hovered just at the edge of hers, not quite touching.
"…you'll never question who you are to me again."
Lily whispered,
"Then let me claim you back, my husband."
And she kissed him.
The moment her words touched the air.
"Let me claim you back, my husband."
Ray forgot to breathe.
Time forgot to move.
And then… she kissed him.
His hands gripped her waist, pulling her in like the world might vanish and she was the only thing left that mattered.
When the kiss finally broke, he was still holding her dazed, ruined, smiling.
He whispered against her lips,
"Then from this moment on… I'm yours.
Husband, heart, and everything in between."
After a moment, Ray added with a soft chuckle,
"This morning, you were saying you wanted to go on a vacation. Want me to do something about that?"
Lily tilted her head, amused.
"Why ask me? Do as you feel right if I'm the mistress and you are the master."
Ray's smile darkened, a glint of mischief flickering in his eyes. He stepped back just enough to catch his breath.
"The mistress, huh?"
His hands moved to her wrists gently, but firmly, guiding her back against him.
"In this game of ours... there's no master without the mistress.
And there's no fire without the spark."
He leaned in again, voice deep, playful.
"So tell me… where do you want to go, my mistress?"
Lily's answer was soft.
"In your heart."
Ray took her hands and placed them over his chest, right where his heart beat strong and sure.
"Then stay there," he whispered, voice rough and low, "because I built this place for you…
long before you ever claimed it."
He leaned down once more, his forehead resting gently on hers, eyes closed.
"Welcome home, my love."
Lily suddenly shifted her tone, smirking,
"Wwoooowww, what a drama, Ray. You're more drama queen than me, huh?"
Ray pulled back, blinking like he'd just been slapped with a rose petal.
"Drama… queen?"
He placed a hand on his chest, mock-offended.
"Excuse me! I am the Drama King, thank you very much."
Then he twirled, yes, twirled and dropped to one knee with outrageous flair.
"And you, my fierce and fiery Lily, are the only one worthy of this crown beside me."
Smirking, he added,
"But if you insist I'm a woman…"
He flipped imaginary hair.
"Fine. Then I'll be your empress, your queen, your duchess of danger whatever you want, baby."
"But don't forget…"
He leaned in close, voice low and sinful.
"…Whether king or queen, I still make your heart skip."
Lily gave him a side-eye.
"Wonna with me even if women? What are you… don't tell me… you're… lesbian?"
Ray froze. Slowly blinked.
Then BURST into laughter, dramatically clutching his chest.
"Lily… my love… my absolute chaos gremlin…"
"You just accused your husband of being a lesbian."
He leaned forward, still laughing, and cupped her face with both hands, eyes sparkling.
"If loving you means crossing realms, flipping genders, or rewriting logic itself…
then yes, I'm the first-ever straight-up-lesbian-husband-prince-consort on Earth."
His voice dropped into a soft murmur:
"But no worries, I'm still 100% man… just dangerously soft only for you."
Then Ray stepped back, hands on his hips like a proud theater star.
"So? Do I pass the audition as your certified dramatic yet deeply loyal husband?
Or do I need to cry in the rain for added effect?"
Lily replied in a teasing tone,
"Just go find your theatre. I'm not your audience, I'm the judge."
Ray gasped, hand flying to his chest.
"A judge, huh?"
He strode toward her with that slow, confident walk, the kind that makes even the courtroom forget its lines.
"Then let me present my case, Your Grace."
He bowed with dramatic elegance.
"Exhibit A: My unwavering loyalty.
Exhibit B: My ridiculously romantic heart.
Exhibit C…" he leaned in..
"…this sinful smile that belongs only to you."
Then, with heat and mischief curling in his voice:
"But be careful, Lily. Judges are supposed to stay impartial… and I've seen how you look at your favorite criminal."
He stepped back, arms wide like he'd just dropped a mic in court.
"So, Your Honor… what's the verdict?"
"Guilty of being too irresistible…"
Lily paused, eyes narrowed playfully,
"…or sentenced to a lifetime in my arms?"
She crossed her arms and declared,
"Death penalty."
Ray froze mid-performance, hand dramatically clutched over his heart.
"Ah… so cruel, Your Honor…"
He staggered back, as if mortally wounded by love.
"A death sentence… for loving you too much?"
He dropped to his knees, eyes closed, voice soft.
"Then let my last wish be granted…"
He reached for her hand, brushing his lips against it.
"Let me die in your arms… so I can live forever in your heart."
Then he peeked one eye open, grinning.
"Also… I rise from the dead for you only. Surprise! it's a love resurrection."
He stood up, beaming.
"Now… shall we begin the honeymoon in the afterlife, or should I fake my death again for more attention?"
Lily replied,
"Fake death… huh… I hate decisiveness."
Ray stiffened, hand still frozen mid-resurrection.
"You… hate decisiveness?"
He slowly rose like a vampire who forgot the script.
"Then what do I do now, Lily?"
He paced once. Twice. Total poetic panic.
"If I die, you hate it.
If I live, you question it.
If I fake it, you loathe the drama."
He dropped to one knee again this time with a fake rose in hand.
(Don't ask where it came from.)
"Then tell me, my unpredictable judge…
Should I live in your arms?
Die at your feet?
Or wander the void of your indecision like a tortured soul?"
He blinked dramatically, then added very seriously:
"…or should I just shut up and bring you food?"
Lily raised an eyebrow.
"That would be great… I'm kinda hungry after seeing all of your drama."
Ray smirked, stepping behind her like a knight turned personal chef.
"Then let me take responsibility for that hunger, my queen."
He leaned close, voice a soft murmur in her ear.
"You watched the drama…
Now it's time to taste the love."
He picked up a warm piece of garlic naan, dipped it in butter chicken, and lifted it to her lips.
"Say ah, Your Majesty."
After a few bites, he handed her mango juice with both hands like it was a royal artifact.
Then he wiped the corner of her lip with his thumb,pretending to be casual…
…but his eyes?
Filled with a gentle hunger.
Not just for her closeness, but for the quiet chance to care for her like this… forever.
"Eat well, Lily."
He whispered.
"Because after this meal…"
His voice dropped, velvet-smooth.
"…I might steal a bite of you too."
Lily smiled.
Ray paused, captivated. Like the world stopped spinning.
That smile… that smile.
He smiled back, softer now.
More genuine. Like he was seeing her for the first time all over again.
"That smile…"
He leaned closer, voice reverent.
"That's what I live for. You know that, right?"
He chuckled softly, shaking his head, in awe of her.
"You're my everything, Lily.
But that smile?
It makes me want to be more than just a man…
It makes me want to be your forever."