"YOU'RE so lucky you came out of that alive." The paramedic pressed an ice pack to Muse's ribs. "I've heard from the marine crew the ocean current's been unusually strong the past few days."

It didn't seem like Adrien cared about luck as she levelled a dark glare on the paramedic. 

"CPR has such a low rate of success," the paramedic continued. "You did a good job, Mrs. Vitale. I'd hate to think what would have happened if you hadn't jumped in after her."

"Honey, did you have to break one of my ribs, though?" Muse rasped out. Her eyes captured Adrien's, something soft and teasing in them. 

"I'm going to put you in swimming lessons as soon as we get back home," Adrien promised. "And I'm still waiting for my thank you for saving your life, darling." 

If Muse had had the strength, she would have reached up and traced her fingertips along the sharp underside of Adrien's jaw.

"Am I going to die?"

"Absolutely not. I'm going to take care of you, you hear me? I'll nurse you back to health."

"What, like role play?"

"See, you're still capable of making jokes. You're going to be okay. I should have realized with the stress your body's been under that you might faint. I'm telling you, I'm enrolling you in swimming lessons."

"I hate swimming."

"You're scared of swimming. There's a difference."

"I'd have to go back to level one or something. I don't want to learn how to swim with six-year-olds."

Adrien scoffed, her chest exhaling against Muse's cheek. "Muse, you forget who I am sometimes. I could buy out the whole community centre if I needed to. And, anyways, I'd hire a personal swim instructor for you. No six-year-old teammates for you."

Muse felt herself smile drowsily. "Like in a private pool?"

"Yes, baby, in a private pool. I'd sit by the side, watching you. And you'd look so good in your little swimsuit, all wet and . . ."

"Can you be my swim instructor instead? I want you to be all wet, too."

"I like the way you think, baby."

"This is kind of starting to sound like the premise of an old porn movie. Lifeguard and helpless swimmer . . ."

"I'm not opposed to that." 

"I'm going to go, um, check on things," said the paramedic, hurriedly removing his gloves and climbing out of the truck.

"We should talk," Muse said, swallowing, once the door had swung shut behind him, leaving them alone. Blue and red lights flashed through the windows, illuminating Adrien's face. She had never looked so beautiful, her cheeks sunburned, still drenched in water from the ocean. 

"Talk?"

"Yeah, with words. You know."

Her eyes bright, Adrien said, "I never meant to hurt you, Muse. I never want anything to hurt you."

"But you did, Adrien. You did so many times."

"You hurt me, too, my love. Every time you ran away, every time you didn't tell me the truth."

 "I've thought about it a lot." Muse felt herself crying. "Everything you've done while we've been together . . . getting married, going on a honeymoon . . . everything with us has been based on you getting the Vitale Enterprises when this is all over. And I know―I know―how important it is to you. I know that, for a long time, it's been the most important thing in your life. The company, the money, the power. Which is why I want to know . . . I want to know honestly . . . am I more important to you, than all of that? Than the money and the power? I want―I need to know if I m am the most important thing in the world to you." She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. "Because that's who you are to me. And I want to know you're mine, as much as I am yours."

Tears rolled down her face, wetting her neck, her chest. "I haven't stopped loving you. And I never hated you, not even for a minute. I hated how you make me feel. I hated how much I love you. I hated that I still want to be with you. But never you." 

Adrien opened her mouth to speak, but Muse continued, "Every woman you've ever been with, you've chosen your business over her. For the first time in your life, I want you put your ambition and your ruthlessness and your plans aside. I want you to choose me. I want to know that you love me more than anything else in the world, and I want . . . I want you to prove it to me every day. I want to know I matter more to you than everything and everyone. I think that's what I deserve."

Muse had begun sobbing now.

"I know you can give me the world, Adrien. But I don't want the world. I just want you."

"You can have me," Adrien whispered to her. "I'm yours. For as long as I live, I'm yours. My company and my father's have never had a fraction of the power that you have over me. I love you, Muse. You are the most important thing in the world to me." 

Muse kissed her. Her lips were soft, damp from her tears. She tasted like vanilla and salt, a sweetened sea. "I love you, Adrien Vitale."

"I love you, Muse Vitale." Adrien felt her cheeks grow warm. "I mean―if you want to keep my last name. You don't have to."

"I want to," Muse interrupted. "I always wanted to. I love the way it sounds."

Adrien kissed her gently.

"Please don't lie to me ever again," Muse whispered against Adrien's lips. "And please never die."

"I will never lie to you again," Adrien swore, kissing her gently. "And I'm immortal. We both are. Okay?"

"Oh, yeah? Is that some invention all the billionaires have kept secret? Eternal life?"

"No, it's just us," Adrien said. "We're going to live forever. Because I'm not going anywhere without you. And you're not going anywhere without me, my darling."

"Sounds good to me," Muse said. She lifted her head off Adrien's shoulder, as if something important had just occurred to her. "I'm not perfect, Adrien."

"I know that, my love."

"We haven't known each other that long. What if we're still in our honeymoon phase?"

"Well, technically, we are."

Muse lightly hit her shoulder. "You know what I mean."

"I do," said Adrien. "And I'm not perfect either. I can be vain, and prideful, and possessive. Once something is mine, I do everything in my power to make sure it stays that way."

"I'm independent to a fault," Muse said. "I hate letting other people do things for me. I feel like I owe them. And I'm avoidant. When I get scared, I run away. It's just how I've survived. And . . . a lot of times, I feel like a burden."

"I hate feeling second-best," Adrien admitted. "I'm so competitive that I won't stop until I know I've won. Makes me a horrible person during board games."

"I'm messy. I leave clothes on the floor, but I like it like that. I know exactly where everything is, even if it looks like a hurricane swept through."

"You're not a burden," Adrien said. "I know you run from confrontation. I know how independent you can be. But I will take care of you no matter what, I will follow you wherever you go, and I will show you that you never have to be alone again. And I don't care that you're messy. I think it's adorable."

Muse kissed her. "I love everything about you. I love that you're possessive. I love that I'm yours, and I'll be yours forever. I love how competitive you are. But if we ever play Monopoly, I'm letting you know in advance I will beat your ass."

"I'll take that deal, honey." Adrien rose to her feet, and then knelt down. "I know we're already legally married. But, right here and right now, will you marry me for real?"

"Yes," Muse said, standing up and colliding into her so hard the stretcher squeaked. Adrien pulled her against her chest. The blue and red lights continued flashing mutely outside. Their faces both glistened with tears in the small, cramped space of the ambulance.

"Muse Gardner, soon to be Vitale, will you take me as your wife, travel the world with me, have babies together, and live forever?"

"Yes," Muse whispered, looking down on her, Adrien's arms still wrapped around her. "Adrien Vitale, will you take me as your wife, raise babies with me, and if, in the case that we do die, be buried in the same coffin as me so we can be interlaced eternally?"

"Yes," Adrien whispered, and she tugged Muse down to kiss her. "Wherever you are, that's where I want to be."

"Then, I declare that we are wed, for real, from this day onwards until the end of time."

***

I see my girlfriend in less than a week from today<3333333

From the moon and back,
Sarai