𝘏𝘈𝘙𝘉𝘖𝘙 ° 𝘙𝘖𝘔𝘈𝘕 𝘎𝘖𝘋𝘍𝘙𝘌𝘠 ✓

29 | gleam and glow

IN THE DAYS FOLLOWING THE DISASTROUS NIGHT OF THE GALA, Rory turned her focused on Solara and Roman, her little family holding her together in spite of the anxiety that everything else was bearing down on her. Solara had learned to sit up, smiling and giggling at her parents with every coo and kiss, cheeks as chubby as ever. Her little girl was her everything and Roman was her anchor.

She could endure any hardship for their sake.

"Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell..." Roman read aloud from the book in his right hand one night. Solara was fast asleep on his bare chest when Rory entered the room, dressed in her usual night attire.

She paused a moment, in the doorway, locking eyes with him.

It never changed—that is, the way Roman looked at her, like she was everything to him. She supposed it would've faded, the electricity in his eyes, in the air, the honeymoon months passing by, all the things they'd been through. But he had always looked at her that way, even as children, running in the woods.

The world could fall apart and his stare wouldn't waver. He understood what she was feeling from a single glance, from the hitch in her breathing to the crease of her mouth. They had seen each other at each other's very worst and best. Two flames that could only settle in each other's presence.

They smiled.

"Macbeth?" She crawled onto her side of the bed, facing her toward Roman. His hair was getting long, she mused as she ran her hand through the thick, dark blond locks.

One thing she had learned about Roman since moving in together was his unexpected taste for classic English literature. Their bookshelves were full of rare, first edition collections he had scoured from the Godfrey mansion.

He nodded, setting the book down on the nightstand and kissed the top of Solara's head. The baby snuggled in closer to her daddy. If he was meant to do anything in the world, it was to be Solara's father. They had a bond unlike any other.

Rory melted at the sight, sighing lightly. "It's hard to be away from her now."

She laid her hand on top of his, she mindlessly played with his fingers, twisting the platinum gold band of his family ring so that the square-cut obsidian rock glinted prettily in the dim light. He squeezed her hand, bringing it up to his pouty lips, still slightly stained red from his dinner.

"I never want her out of our sight. I can't trust anything right now," Roman said solemnly.

Long gone was their peaceful summer, the reprieve so far from their usual reality, not that Roman was too overwhelmed by all the auspicious returns and betrayals. He was raised in chaos, so it was sort of normal to him. It was just annoying how it was affecting Rory and his daughter.

He sighed, "It would be nice to just run away from all our problems." Roman turned off the night lamp, sinking the room in darkness save for the light of the night.

"I agree." She pressed a kiss to his cheek, scooting in closer so that they were all cuddling properly. She had never been an affectionate person and was usually an avant proponent for personal space, but Roman and Solara were the exception to that rule. They were just so damn adorable, she couldn't help herself. "I feel like we were forced to grow up too soon. They forget we were children not long ago. We deserve to. Solara deserves better."