Geoffrey saw that Serena stopped playing and was in tears. Thus, he walked over to sit beside her on the stool. He wrapped his arms around her as he asked, "Are you alright?"
Serena wrapped her arms around him too. Then, she took a deep breath, calming herself. "I'm alright, don't worry. I'm just a bit overwhelmed by my emotions."
"We can do this another day then. I can wait." He whispered as he kissed the top of her head.
Serena looked up and saw Geoffrey's worried expression. She smiled to reassure him. "Geoffrey… I know I never told you, and… I think that this is a bit late, but I still have to say this to you now… I… I love you. And I'm sorry for the times I purposely ignored your feelings…"
Geoffrey felt his heart stutter. The more she was honest and kind to him, the more she was loving him, the more guilty he was. He shook his head. He has everything he ever wanted now. He would not destroy it by letting his guilt eat him. He was happy. To hear her finally say the words, his heart was exuberant. He smiled back, "and now, I am the luckiest man in the world. I love you too, Serena."
Serena sniffed a little. She was the lucky one.
Geoffrey pulled his handkerchief from his breast pocket to hand it to her. "You can blow your nose on this." He said, lightening the mood.
Serena laughed as she received it. "I can't possibly…" then she shook her head. "Since we will be wed soon, I think I should be able to do this in front of you."
Geoffrey this time also laughed. "Please feel free to do so. Just my only request is for you to stop those tears, I feel like my heart is being prickled by thousands of needles seeing you with them"
"Okay… that's a deal." She answered as she blew her nose using his handkerchief. It was almost disgusting, and she felt so embarrassed.
Geoffrey could only think that her doing that in front of him was also adorable. He never saw this side of her before as he always saw Serena as perfection.
"Okay, I'm done. Now, stand at the side again, I will sing you the song for real this time." She instructed.
Geoffrey followed her instruction and stood at the side. He gave her that look again, the one which she now understood as him knowing that she was being unreasonable but since he loved her, he was willing to spoil her.
Serena knew how truly blessed she was. She started playing the piano again. Before she began singing the first line of the song, she looked at Geoffrey whose eyes were on her wearing a small smile, his expression full of gentleness. What did she ever do to deserve his love?
Anyhow, she thanked Kenny Loggins and the other people who sang this song before her.
"Are those your eyes?
Is that your smile?
I've been looking at you forever
Yet I never saw you before
Are these your hands
Holdin' mine
Now I wonder how,
I could've been so blind…
For the first time
I am looking in your eyes,
For the first time
I'm seein' who you are
I can't believe how much I see
When you're lookin' back at me
Now I understand what love is,
Love is…. For the first time.
Can this be real?
Can this be true?
Am I the person I was this morning?
And are you the same you?
It's all so strange
How can it be?
All along this love
Was right in front of me…
For the first time
I am looking in your eyes,
For the first time
I'm seein' who you are
I can't believe how much I see
When you're lookin' back at me
Now I understand what love is,
Love is…. For the first time."
After that part, she stopped playing, as the next lines have higher notes, and she can do that in the recording tomorrow. Anyhow, she looked at Geoffrey's expression, she stopped looking at him after the first two lines because she had to focus on the piano keys.
Geoffrey did not think it possible. That he could love Serena more for he already loved her with all of him. However, every day, she was proving him wrong. He could still love her more than he already did, and it made him feel more unworthy. He closed his eyes. Despite that feeling of unworthiness, he would never want to lose her. He would just have to cherish her more until his last breath.
"Do you… like it?" Serena asked a bit worriedly. Gods, it's a gift for him but really, all she did was express what she felt through that song. Maybe he did not like it? "Uh… I can change it to another one if that one wasn't good enough." She tried to laugh it off awkwardly.
Geoffrey finally opened his eyes and saw her slightly awkward and embarrassed expression. As if afraid that the song was not good enough. In truth the lyrics of the song reached his heart. It was a confession from her to him. It was beautiful.
"It's beautiful Serena. I believe that that's the most beautiful song I ever heard you sing. Thank you." He finally replied.
Serena saw that he was very solemn and honest in his reply that she just wanted to tease him. "Really? With that look on your face, why is it that I don't feel convinced?"
Geoffrey sighed as he moved to sit beside her again. "It's not that. I just feel a bit sad that I could not gift you something as beautiful nor as meaningful." He answered.
Serena felt bad about teasing him. So, she wrapped her arms around his left arm. "I'm just teasing you, Geoffrey. You might not know it, but for me, you being here with me now, is a gift beyond words, and no song nor music could ever amount to that. So, it's me who should thank you."
Geoffrey swallowed the lump in his throat as he used his right hand to caress her hair. "Don't downplay your efforts, Serena. The song was beautiful, and I really liked it a lot."
Serena's eyes mooned. She was glad that he liked it. "What do you think of using that as the song for our first dance?" she suggested. What? It's their wedding.
Geoffrey nodded as he smiled. "That would be wonderful."
—
TBC
