We're one
Our souls are entangled,
Spirits mingled
We are the will of the Lord Most High
—H

❥⁠˙⁠๑

Him

"Eva, why are you crying?" Adam's knees bend as he crouches before the little girl who is wailing.

His golden eyes examine the girl's flushed face. Fat teardrops tumble down her chubby cheeks relentlessly, trailing down her neck. Eyes red because of her reckless rubbing.

"Adam, Adam, that boy..." She points to a group of boys bouncing around the playground, making noise. Adam follows her gesture, listening to her as she complains further, "that bad boy took my baby bear!"

He sees one of them revolving a pink teddy bear by its ear in the air which makes him sigh. He throws that toy and his friends run after it.

"They look crazy!" His friend comments, giggling.

Evalena cries harder.

"Hey, stop crying!"

"Aaron," Adam gets his attention, "I'm going. Continue with Noah." He takes out his handkerchief and wipes away Evalena's tears, consoling him so sweetly that she stops crying.

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere," he says and leaves with Evalena. He gets his bicycle and takes out a helmet to put on Evalena's head but she refuses and he is okay with it.

She sits on the back seat while he's holding the handles and while his friends watch, they ride away.

"Where are we going, Adam?"

"You should've asked before coming with me, Eva. What if I'm kidnapping you?"

She laughs carelessly, her shoulders perk up. Thin straps of pink floral dress match her skin tone. The skin around her eyes wrinkles. Her teeth are all visible and her hair sways by the cool breeze of summer dusk when the sun is melting at the beauty of her smile. Her sunkissed skin is ethereal.

Adam can't help but steal a glance at her through the sideview mirror. He sets it on her face while they talk.

"You're a cute kidnapper then! And I'm ever-ready to come with you!"

He smiles, and a tint of pink coats his cheeks like the sky above.

"Why so?"

"Umm..." Her bottom lip tugs between her teeth as she thinks. Her grip becomes tight on his shirt and she says, "Because you make me happy. Because you keep me happy! You're like the sun. Always shining."

"And you?"

"Me?"

He chuckles. "Yes, you, Eva."

"I'm like the plant that needs your sunlight to bloom, Adam."

❥⁠˙⁠๑

At the age of thirteen, he went hiking with his friends. He is fond of adventures and loves nature. The beauty of nature fascinates him. The flood of words come to sweep over him as he beholds nature and he praises the One Who made this all with His righteous hand.

But that day, he saw that the sky was darker than the other days. He could assume it was about to rain. Shades of gray stood in between and the chilly wind made the trees dance there but a place he was never able to forget. A place where the trees were crooked and almost leafless.

He wondered why.

When he went nearer, he saw nasty insects covering the entire trunk, eating it savagely. The bark was injured like a person who had leprosy. His eyes saw the tree dying and it was painful to him because he loved nature.

Time passed and the moments in his life were various and intriguing enough to make him forget such petty pieces of the past. But the look in Evalena's eyes reminded him of the same.

Those beautiful emerald eyes.

When she cries, her eyes remind him of that dying tree, its shedding leaves that have no life. The emotions in her eyes are bottomless, one can barely say, 'I understand!' because nobody can. Her eyes get red-rimmed like her soul is sinking into the pool of her own blood. They flicker like the extinguishing flame of a candle whose wisp has been burnt to the very end. Her eyes hold so much. The look in them alone can make you sad, but Adam isn't used to seeing her crying often. Nevertheless, it has been happening since they met after she grew up into a mature woman.

Like any other, sometimes his mind takes him to his past where Evalena and he were best friends. Childhood friends. He was older than her yet so close. She wouldn't let go of him on weekends. She would grasp his shirt and play with him until her mother called her, reminding her of the dying sun as the day would end. They were so close. She was so happy. He was so happy and everything was so beautiful, then time passed and they grew up and things became so flimsy between them that a feather touch became heavy enough to trample them down.

Unintentionally, they hurt each other and now, are in a relationship that is unwanted.

He thinks she wasn't ready for this responsibility and he doesn't judge her for this. She is very young though. He knows she agreed because his son felt safe and happy with her and desperately wanted her as his mother.

In a few days, she won his heart, broke down the wall of despair, and gave him a shower of joy and comfort.

Other than that, he doesn't know anything.

Oh, then what about the sweetness in her eyes that he sees and always desires to avoid?

He has no answer to it.

He just knows their fates were intertwined, maybe because they were just scribbled, not written carefully.

And how wrong is he?

Being a man who believes in the Most High, the Author of lives, he says their fates are scribbled. He thinks the woman beside him is forced to marry him.

So wrong, Adam.

Is he? He wonders while staring at her. He is getting used to it—getting caught by his wife while staring at her—and he doesn't mind it. At all. If she decides to retort, he can say that she's his wife and he has gotten all rights to behold her, no?

"Am I doing well?"

Big green eyes stare at him for an instruction while he just nods. Her cheek is stained, along with a few strands of her hair in flour while her hands knead it.

After several attempts!

When they started cooking and he told her about the dinner he was going to make, he found her clueless. So was enough to know his wife didn't know how to cook. Not even a bit.

His lips curl leisurely into a small smile. "Yeah, you're doing well." He blinks, going to handle the stove on which he cooks paneer makhani.

"Don't hide!" She retorts. "You're smiling!"

"So what? Can't I smile?" He chuckles softly, his voice deep and attractive.

She frowns, glaring at his back. His broad shoulders move slowly as he stirs like a chef. She looks away, but not after comparing those movements with the lovely ocean waves at night which go low and high.

"You can." He hears her faint reply which makes him smile wider. He tips his head to escape her eyes.

"If I make a mistake, tell me. I want to learn."

"Sure, I can teach you. But after you finish kneading the dough."

"Okay!"

He comes back to her and stands in his previous place, folding his arms on his chest. He stares at her and wonders again about the reason that made her cry. Was it really just her father? But sweet memories should not make you cry so bitterly.

"Eva," he says, dragging a chair to sit on it. She hums, not leaving the sight of the dough.

"When a couple doesn't connect well, it leads to severity, you know that, right?"

Her hands halt as he watches her. He was expecting the same. The next is, the elevation of her gaze before falling back to the marble slab like she is afraid of getting caught. She resumes her work, humming again.

"We share good communication, Adam."

"You think so?"

"Yes?"

She is confused even while answering him, which makes him sigh. He wants to have another way to make his wife understand the austerity of her secretive behavior.

"The same was with Judas." He gets her attention back.

"The disciple who betrayed Jesus?"

"Yes." He gets up and walks to turn the stove off. He puts down the dish and takes the pan, along with the dough Evalena kneaded.

She washes her hands, watching him making balls of dough after rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. His hairy forearm reveals itself, the veins on the back of his palms so prominent. She is amazed to find he knows cooking.

"How?" Her little inquiry gets his attention. He looks at her above his shoulder, arching up a brow. She confirms, "How does my mentality match Judas'?"

He can see a corner of her heart is gloomy by the sense of realization that she's been compared to Judas who was a betrayer.

"I didn't mean that, Eva," he rushes to clarify, confusing her even more. Her perplexed gaze worries him and he speaks, "I meant; among the twelve, Judas was the only one who betrayed Jesus because..."

"Because?" She inches closer, perching her hip against the slab.

"Because I think he didn't have good communication with Jesus. If he had, he would've known Jesus and have never betrayed him."

"I thought he disliked Jesus."

"It wasn't about liking or disliking. Judas decided to follow Jesus but later, he was bribed to betray Jesus and he did, because he wasn't close enough to know who Jesus was. All the disciples loved Jesus but Judas couldn't, because his heart was away from Jesus."

Adam cooks while preaching to Evalena as she listens to him silently. He is right, the truth starts to sink into her heart as she realizes that indeed, it wasn't about liking or disliking.

He gives a round shape to the dough, spreading it and lying it over the pan. A few of his dark strands fall over his forehead as he lowers his head. He looks magnificent even while cooking, he is made that way.

Her silence makes him steal a glance at her and he catches her staring at his forehead.

"Indeed severe." He hears her whispering.

"It is. Later when they all realized that Jesus was the Son of God, Who came to redeem the world, Judas regretted very much. He was so ashamed to betray the Son of God that he committed suicide and it was another time he couldn't understand Jesus."

"So bad. I never read what happened to Judas after he betrayed Jesus."

Adam only smiles, not judging her.

"Jesus had another disciple, named Peter. He said he loves Jesus the most. But when Jesus was arrested and brutally punished by the Romans, Peter stayed outside. When the palace workers asked him if he was with Jesus, he denied Jesus three times, saying he didn't know who Jesus was. Because he was afraid of getting punished along with Jesus."

Silence remains between them as Adam tells her further. This feels sweet to her soul—them being alone and she listening to him like her favorite melody. She doesn't decide to interrupt him. She doesn't want to, because she wants to listen to him.

Just by listening, she can feel her heart sinking into the depths, realizing they all forsook Jesus at the time he might have needed some support. Even the love they claimed fell short at the time of his persecution.

How easily all say they love but who stands firm till the end except for the love of God?

"Jesus already knew that Peter would deny him and He gave Peter a sign that after he denied Jesus three times, the rooster would crow. Peter heard it and cried bitterly as he, too, betrayed Jesus. After Jesus rose from the dead, He came to meet His disciples. They were happy to see Him but Peter jumped into the sea so he could hide himself, however, he couldn't."

Evalena smiles slowly and so does Adam. He can see how much he loves talking about God.

"See, Peter was also ashamed but he didn't commit suicide like Judas. Even though every sin is equal."

"Right."

"But because one knew Jesus better than the other, he was saved. Peter knew Jesus was forgiving. He will forgive every time, every sin. But Judas didn't know that. Even if he knew, he considered his regret to be greater than Jesus' forgiveness. How wrong, right?"

She hums. "If the Son sets you free, you're indeed freed," she mumbles the verse she recalls all of a sudden.

"Exactly." He smiles brightly, like he is proud of his wife. "His forgiveness is greater than our any sin. But Judas didn't consider it and died of shame and regret. However, Peter preserved and preached the Gospel throughout the world that the kingdom of God has come."

Putting aside the pan, he goes to wash his hands. "You see the consequences of not communicating well? Only if he had known better." He turns to wipe his hands and soon stands before Evalena.

Their height difference makes her crane her neck to look at him while she is getting restless at heart. He is right.

Only if Judas had known Jesus well.

❥⁠˙⁠๑

Her

"So the way I don't want between us, Eva," he speaks his concern, eyes sinking into the pupils surrounded by those emerald toruses. While she is dazed by his eyes which are like burning coals in a furnace. How beautifully they glow.

"Can't we be like Abraham and Sarah?"

Her eyebrows shoot up, letting him catch the glimpse of surprise that meets her face. He talks about Abraham and Sarah as them, does he know what he says, she wonders. Her lips part like she never expected it and Adam keeps himself from breathing on those lips like he has been kept from it for so long.

"Yeah, s-sure but..." She steps back, stumbling.

He catches her arm, snaking an arm around her waist to save her from falling. Her heart goes wild and crazy like a child running into the woods after a fairy has taken its tooth. Convulsions start rising from the core of her being. Silence prevails, deep enough to let her heart get all attention as it beats so crazily. She has no idea of it because when Adam speaks, he is all that matters to her.

"But?" He asks, all cool. But he can't ignore the way her whole face goes blasting pink and her eyes widen. For her, how can he react so coolly? While her mind threatened to lose memories in his arms.

"B-But I-I..."

"But you, what?"

"You're t-touching me." Getting so flushed, she takes another step back and the slipper betrays her. She throws her arms to catch him, completely losing balance but she has her husband to catch her before falling.

Shaky breaths escape her as everything around seems to cease working. Her stupid mind gets her into an illusion that the world has stopped revolving around the sun for a moment but blame her heart that says; he's the sun she has while her world revolves around him.

Like mighty ocean waves, tiding in the moon's direction, sweeping over sprouting lives to ruin everything and drag it away, filled in their arms—she has experienced the same.

His touch. It is not like some mere touch that would get attention alone. No. It is the touch that electrifies her very cells, waking up goosebumps. Her very soul knows it belongs to him. It is the touch that floods away her senses. His arms have not just held him, they have immersed her.

"To not let you fall, I have to touch you, Eva," he says once but she hears twice, blinking her eyes, more than thrice.

While she is still clueless, not knowing what to do, she stays like that. Especially when her belly tickles like butterflies being uncaged to embrace freedom. His touch and his proximity are hot yet so soothing like having divine light itself bestow upon her.

And the next, she is standing straight, watching him walk away to the fridge. He brings out an ice cube holder and walks back to her. He makes her sit while holding her wrist and starts rubbing upon it a cube, cooling her skin.

She winces in pain, finding a burn mark near her wrist. She had no idea when it happened.

"I-I didn't know how it—"

"I know. Calm down," he says, focusing on the task. After that, he applies some petroleum jelly and then leaves her hand in cool air.

❥⁠˙⁠๑

Him

Midnight sky has its own beauty that only its lovers know. Pigeon hues of blue, spreading around are as if trying to embrace the infinity. Cirrostratus clouds are veiling the same endlessness, however, being as naughty as a kid. And the full moon is shining bright, looking so innocent among the stars after snatching all the attention that could belong to them.

His lips chant words that only he and his Creator know as he sends Him a silent petition. His gaze lingers upon the moon that is being hidden by those thin clouds of the sky as they play hide and seek but he has nothing to do with it because for him, spending this time with his Creator is more beautiful and pleasant. There's a famine of words if he comes to describe it.

Behind the door, he hears the sound of gigglings that make him smile. He lowers his head as if hiding it from the very One Who is sitting right in front of him but his eyes can't see.

His wife and son are on the other side while he is praying here and every time he hears the proof of his son's delight, he can't help but thank the Lord Most High.

He deserves it. He deserves every bit of praise for whatever Adam has received in his life.

Time passes as he prays. Hours, he spends with the One Who loves him the most. The sound of his wife and son's chuckling and jumping had ceased to cross the door an hour ago. He gets the idea that they have slept.

A few more minutes, he can't help but let his lips part and shut more. Like a son to his father, he shares some of his feelings and experiences, knowing that He hears. And in no time, his chest starts getting light like a heavy burden has been put upon it.

"Guide me," he mumbles, "I fear nobody but You, my Lord. Let me walk as it pleases You and show me what I'm feeling nowadays, for nowadays, I'm unable to understand my own self. But You do. Oh, Creator of hearts, only You know its deepest desires, too. Open my eyes so I can see what path You've given me to walk on. Open my ears to Your righteous commands and hold my hand with Your righteous hand to lead me through the way so I do not stumble, for Your ways are upright and just, while I'm a sinful man, made of dust."

He sighs, realizing that spending hours made no difference to him. His soul is still longing to spend some more with its Creator. And he pays heed to it until he is satisfied.

"Because Yours is the might, kingdom, and glory. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen."

He bows, closes his eyes, and sits back upright. He holds the Bible and kisses it before getting up and putting it in its place before folding the mat and leaving the room.

Coming out, he catches the sight of his wife and son sleeping soundly. He goes to them. He prays for his son under his breath, putting his hand on his forehead, and so does to his wife before making his way to the bed and sleeping beside Barak.

This way, he protects his family. Heaven is on his side if he clings to his Lord.

❥⁠˙⁠๑

"N-No, don't go there!"

He doesn't know why his wife is stopping him from entering the kitchen. He isn't going to make breakfast because it has already been cooked by Evalena but he has something else to do.

"Why not? I need my banana shake, Eva."

He tries to walk past her but again she comes to stand before him. The funny restlessness on her face makes him smirk and so does her way as she thinks, being so small compared to him, she can stop him. Can she?

"Why would you when I'm here!"

Amusement dances in his eyes at the choice of her words. She shuffles in her place, hands behind her back, and gazes down. Her cheeks go fading pink and he finds her cute. Very cute.

"I-I can make it! You should go to drop Barak. He's getting late."

Adam contemplates for a moment, rubbing his chin as he realizes she is hiding something. Why is she not letting him enter the kitchen? He wonders what is so special there.

"Please?" She requests, blinking like a fairy.

He chuckles. "Okay, okay! Save this look, Eva." He raises his hands in defeat and steps back, leaving her alone to complete the task of dropping Barak at his school.

Barak walks with him, looking as excited as always while Adam holds his hand.

Just as he walks through the corridor, pulling the keys out of his pocket, he hears a woman giggling which catches his attention. As he looks to his left, he finds a handmaiden of his house, talking with the other. He goes to ignore it but not when one of them uses the word 'My lady' and he knows they are talking about Evalena.

Considering it important, he can't help but stand where he is to listen to them, not wishing to hide himself because the women seem too engrossed in their chattering.

"No, Saliha! Don't be so presumptuous!"

"Come on, Aliah, we're alone! Besides..." She laughs, covering her mouth, "Besides, My lady is quite funny! She doesn't know how to cook yet went to make breakfast and dirtied the whole kitchen!" And she laughs harder.

"What's her fault in this? Every woman has to cook something to impress her man."

"Oh!" The woman ignores her, saying, "Three plates are broken and we have charred handles of the knife, too! Don't know about impression but she'll definitely bring My lordship poverty!"

"Saliha!"

Mocking chuckles die soon as the woman hears the very familiar voice of her master. She turns around, her eyes round and mouth slightly opened.

"M-My lordship." She blinks in surprise, looking embarrassed, too.

"You're fired!" He dismisses the woman, turning his glare to the other woman whose face is already pale. He doesn't allow mercy otherwise. "And Aliah, you, too, are fired for you weren't sincere in your job of respecting and honoring the Lady of this house, listening to the junk being spitting out against her." With that said, he leaves, giving the handmaidens no chance to speak more. They don't desire either because instant guilt has gripped them.

After dropping Barak off at school, he comes back with urgency and walks straight into the kitchen where he expects to find Evalena.

And he is right.

She is sitting on a stool, treating her wounds. As soon as she finds Adam there, her trembling hands haste to hide behind her back but her mind doesn't allow her to. She keeps watching him, being nervous, as he walks to her and holds her wrist to examine the cuts and burns she got while cooking.

"They are too many," he almost grits under his breath, looking up at her for an explanation but the very intense look in his eyes shuts her up. She was already silent though.

He goes to wash his hands and then comes to her. She has stopped tending her wounds and only watches him as he sits beside her and takes her hand to treat other wounds.

"You could've taken help, Eva."

"I wanted to do something for you and Barak. On my own."

He sighs. "We don't want it if this is what you get while making efforts for us." He wraps a bandage around her forefinger tip. It was the last.

"Now go and get ready if you've had your breakfast. I'll drop you to the hospital." He gathers the blood-damped pieces of cotton as well as bandage tapes.

"And Barak?"

"I'll pick him up on my way home." Because his job doesn't require many hours like Evalena's. He throws them into the dustbin when he hears another question from his wife.

"You fired Saliha and Aliah?"

"Yes. They weren't sincere in their work." He turns around, eyes attacking hers like getting used to drowning in them. It's becoming his favorite.

"Forgive them," she requests but he almost ignores the look in her eyes to win his agreement. He goes to get his banana shake which she has readied while he was out.

"You know what they've done?"

"I'm not skilled, Adam. It's normal for any woman to talk about it behind my back. Saliha and Aliah offered me help but I refused them."

"Acha?" He knows she's trying to save them. "But it's not acceptable to me; I can't hear others speaking nonsense about my wife." And he shuts her up, breaking the hope of the women who are eavesdropping on the husband and wife.

"You're given to me, not as a possession to keep within the walls, but to honor and respect, cherish and live with. Though I'd have wanted worse for the women, I only fired them." He sets his gaze upon Saliha and Aliah who are hidden behind the kitchen door wall, listening to them with sad faces. Getting the flaming set back to Evalena, he asks, "I hope they've apologized to you."

"They have."

"Good. Because they'd have born a loss of their salaries too if they didn't."

He leaves the kitchen with his banana shake and water bottle while Evalena sighs. However, she hasn't lost hope. She knows Adam. Not whole. But a bit enough to know he's a gentleman.

She goes after him, stopped by Saliha who is crying.

"Hey, don't cry. I know he'll understand," Evalena tries to console her, holding her shoulder.

"My lordship is right, my lady. We'd have thought times before doing this. Oh no! We wouldn't have done this. I'm so sorry, my lady."

"I've forgiven you, Saliha. Adam will also. He's a kind man."

"My lordship is!" She cries harder, hugging Evalena. She doesn't interrupt the woman and rubs her back. Her gaze falls upon Aliah who is standing behind Saliha with a sad face, eyes filled with tears. She has apologized already. Even on her knees. The job is so dear to her.

Evalena knows that the women's regret and the desire to keep them in their house makes her follow Adam to the gym room. She enters the room, catching him by the sliding doors where he's working out. She goes to him.

"Have you come for them?" He asks, without even looking at her because he knows she has entered.

"Give them a chance, Adam."

A minute of silence passes between them in which none of them speaks. She knows he is thinking. Doesn't he trust them? The answer is clear in his reluctance. Evalena respects it, looking around the room even though Adam is distracting.

And after the silence, he says, "Only because you say."

A huge smile comes to adorn her face as she nods. "Thank you so much!" Her heart says to hug him tight but she withholds.

She dashes out of the room to tell the women they are not fired. Saliha thanks Evalena with tears and Aliah squeals.

While Adam? Adam smiles, remembering something so beautiful.

❥⁠˙⁠๑

"My goodness!" She runs into the place that is surrounded by flowers. So many flowers of different kinds like any girl would dream of. Spreading her arms, she runs everywhere, making the butterflies leave their place for a moment.

Adam smiles, watching her doing silly things.

Passing through the arbors, she rounds the lake. She stands beside the white statue of a woman who is holding a pot that lets the water fall into the lake. She pinches the vine on her head, plucking a flower from it to tug on her ear.

She flashes Adam a smile before running to a pergola. She admires the flower bushes planted there and then she goes to sit on a swing. She holds the chains around which flower vines cling. Adam follows her, running a hand through his hair.

"Liked it?"

"So much! You knew this place and never told me!"

"I discovered it just yestereve."

She smiles, calling him to sit beside her. He does as the swing moves. Her small legs hang while his feet touch the ground, controlling the movements of the swing.

"Can we come here often?"

She tilts her head. Green innocent eyes peer at him hopefully. Her face glows under the warm sky and his heart melts.

"Whenever you wish."

He too slants his head, looking into her eyes that are so soft. They are like the meadows above. The lovely sweetness of honey is what they pour. His eyes find her so adorable. He keeps controlling the swing, soft movements don't disturb them.

"Come here," she whispers, like she wants to tell him a secret.

He obeys, bending his neck. She takes the chance to cup his face and kiss his cheek. Retreating, she giggles while he is looking away. Once again, warmth catches his cheeks and it makes her giggle.

"Look at your cheeks! You're so shy!"

He touches his cheek and then his ear. Both feel warm to him. And he realizes he is indeed shying away from her. From a little girl?

She laughs while he watches her, smiling.

❥⁠˙⁠๑

A/n:- How was Eva's reaction? Lol!
She reminds me of Yor. She would just stutter Loid's name while he comes closer and lol that was funny.
Well, Loid and Yor are Manga Characters. Series are "Family x Spy".

Also, about Abraham and Sarah. Oh, this couple is really very beautiful. Especially when Abraham is the father of faith! They have a beautiful story in the Bible which I admire even though Abraham was somewhere a liar but God makes him perfect and amazing!

Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter.

Please, vote, comment and share.

Thanks for reading (:

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