Neva leans toward the rose-gilded, full-length Victorian mirror, her breath a faint mist upon the glass.
Her lips part as she glides clear, glossy lip gloss over the soft peach hue of her lipstick, the strawberry-scented gloss catching the golden light and smoothing over the delicate texture of her mouth.
A slow, satisfied smile curls at the corners of her lips as she breathes in the sight of the delicate, oval-faced girl reflected before her.
Her soft, feminine features enhanced by the light make-up she wears for her third visit to church in Vernellia, but this time, it's with Rhett.
It has been a month and a week since she moved to Erriador, and a little over a week since she said yes to him wanting to stay by her side.
She twirls, the sheer, intricately layered peach-beige flares of her pale tea-green skirt swaying around her ankles. Curving gracefully from her waist, the skirt is embroidered with blush-pink petals and muted green leaves, its flares almost touching the ground, paired with her fitted, lace-trimmed pale tea-green bodice.
Except for the nights they had to spend on their own, and the occasional lunches they missed due to her lectures, they shared breakfast and dinners together almost every day, over helping hands, visits to her favourite bakery café, or takeout from restaurants.
Her fingers gently brush the delicate gold chain and pearl pendant resting against her chest,
wondering if she has dressed a little too extravagantly for a church service, though they will be visiting a restaurant and a flower farm afterwards.
As she confides in her Heavenly Father about the miraculous emotions stirring within her, seeking His truthful guidance on what she ought to do with
them, the chime of the doorbell draws her gaze towards the open doorway and into the living room.
She steals one last glance at herself in the mirror, her fingertips brushing the stray curl that has decoratively slipped free from her half-woven, half-loose hair. An elegant distraction, even as her heart quickens in anticipation of his reaction.
Another chime echoes, and she snatches up her cardigan and little handbag, just the right size for her compact Bible and a few small essentials, before stepping out. Hurriedly slipping into her ivory Mary Jane shoes with their low heels, she
reaches for the doorknob and pulls the door open.
Rhett's eyes meet hers,
slowly unfurling as she finds herself reflected in their depths, a blush rising to her cheeks.
"Hi," Neva says, her voice small.
"Hey," Rhett replies, a smile tugging at his lips. "Ready for our first date to Church?"
"It's not a date," she protests, trying to sound firm.
He narrows his gaze in playful suspicion, folding his arms across his chest. "But I thought a Church service with the woman I've fallen for counts as one? Especially if I'm seeking blessings to win her heart?"
She presses her lips together before slipping through the narrow sliver of space by the entrance,
his tall, unyielding frame claiming nearly all of it.
He catches her hand, halting her mid-step.
Confused, she glances at him.
He lifts her hand to his lips, his breath warm against her skin. "And did I mention," he whispers, brushing a feather-light kiss to her knuckles,
"that to me, you are like Heaven on earth?"
Gooseflesh blooms across her arm in helpless shivers.
"We... we're gonna be late," she stammers, slipping her hand from his.
"Wait for me, Angel," he laughs, following her across the open-air corridor,
his warmth brushing along her spine.
And somewhere inside her mind, a voice whispers,
There's always a first time for an ever-after.