Chapter 3: Chapter 3

We walked to the back garden where the view took my breath away. Wrapping the stairs were vines of Jasmines. In front of the stairs was an archway with multi-colored Wisteria hanging down. On the right was a pond with fishes of varying colors swimming. On the left was a large swing centered around blooms of every color you can comprehend. There was even a hedge maze. A gazebo that looked like it was made from a multitude of trees that decided to join together. There was a small bridge over the pond that leads to a small cottage that was covered in yet another type of flower I had never seen before, the petals begin with the color yellow and it progresses to orange and finally, the tip is red. It was the most breathtaking assault on the senses. I walked through the archway and headed in the direction of the swing. I sat down as James stood in front of me. "This is the best I could do. I did this from memory. I hope you like it." I looked at him speechlessly, "How did you do this?" He chuckled, "Five years ago you were in that car with your cousins Stacy and Sonia. You were talking about living in a small cottage surrounded by flowers. The car missed its turn. I watched the car turn but the drunk behind you decided to ram his truck. You weren't wearing a safety belt, so you went flying out of the windshield. I had to feed you a lot of my blood before I saw your eyes opened. I watched as your frail body recovered and I thanked myself for deciding to become a vampire" I interrupted him, "You chose to be this? Why? Did someone do something? Is this revenge?" He smiled, "My family has been amongst the humans who fought for the sake of justice. When the witches killed my family, they came to my rescue. I made such an impression on the defenders that they asked me to be a permanent member. I agreed only because the seer told me. My life will begin in another century. I just need to keep myself busy till then. So I chose to be a vampire. The other choice was a Fenris wolf. They are unstable when they get angry and no doubt the stuff of nightmares when that happens. I chose to be this because if I had chosen to be a Fenris wolf I would lose a portion of my free will. They let their alpha decide on everything but who to marry. They always remain in wolf form and rarely change to their human forms. They are part gargoyle so they can sense evil creatures and fend them off to a point." I was a solid marble statue for a minute and a half. I asked him, "When did you acknowledge that you loved me?" He gave me a shy smile. "After the accident, I pretended to be a nurse to see you. You were asleep with a smile on your face. I wanted to know why. So I tried dream dropping. I slipped into your fantasy. I saw this garden where you dreamed of meeting me. I was in my fur coat as always. With my face well hidden, I was supposed to be there by those rose bushes. You came and poured your feelings into me. You said your life felt meaningless until I came into it. You said it was like God gave you the world. I gave color to a life that was just shades of gray. You felt like a blind person seeing the sun for the first time. You just had to be with me. You said your life is incomplete until I was by your side. You proposed to me. The version of me in the dream disappeared. You sat on this swing disappointed when a single blood-red rose fell in your lap. On the thorn was a small note with one word 'Yes'. Your face immediately lit up like a fireworks display." I felt hot in my cheeks as I looked for words to speak. He smiled, "I am going to miss your blushes but these precious moments will be my most priceless memories forever."