#I moved a couple of weeks ago and am fiiiinally getting settled in

[zara-mayfield-silva]

Zara cranes her neck downward and to the side so her chin is against her shoulder, eyes looking up at Javier in a rather coy manner. “I’ll consider that a, ‘yes,’ then,” she teases him; enjoying the sensation of his lips against the exposed part of her shoulder. How they still manage to flirt and taunt each other like they did when they first admitted to having feelings for one another is beyond Zara. Being as happy as she is now, she tends not to question things between them, and why they’re still as good as they are. Waiting for the other shoe to drop simply isn’t necessary anymore; not when he’s seen every part of her, good and bad, and decided to stay. The waiter comes by to introduce himself and fill their waters, mentioning he’ll be back to take their drink orders once they’ve had a chance to look over the menu. 

Even as she picks up and opens the menu to look at it, Zara knows she won’t actually need to because she already knows what she wants. Javier’s comment has her snickering behind it, and she lets out a small snort in amusement as she sets the menu back down. “Hm, well, to be fair, the Mexican dude who's thrown off her game is pretty sexy, and awfully tempting…” she muses aloud, biting down on her lower lip as her brow arches up. “And that’s Mrs. Silva, to you. Better start correcting yourself now before it’s too late, babe. Won’t be long now before Zara Mayfield is a thing of the past…y casada con el amor de su vida…” Zara points out as she leans in closer towards Javier. Their hands aren’t too far away from one another’s on the table, so it’s easy for Zara to absentmindedly begin toying with his fingers. There’s a familiarity to it, an unspoken comfortability that two people get from being around one another for so long. 

The waiter comes back around a little while later, and they order their drinks, and Parmesan bread to start. When he leaves, Zara turns her attention back to Javier as he speaks, and laughs. “Yeah you really should have thought about the word, ‘anywhere,’ a little more carefully before you agreed to it…luckily for you, I’m only dragging you around the States, and not across Europe…yet.” They still have their honeymoon to look forward to, after all. But it seems like a helluva lot in such a short period of time…is it too much? An engagement, a tour, a wedding, and a honeymoon, all in the span of five months? Christ, that’s a lot of change. And it’s not that she doesn’t welcome it, it’s just…a lot with what they’ve already both got going on, and can feel a bit overwhelming when she thinks about it all at once. Javier’s hand in hers serves as a lovely distraction; as does the kiss he places on the inside of her wrist. “You mean that though?” She breathes out, looking him over with slight nerves. “Anywhere? You'll follow me?” Yeah, it still amazes her to this day that he’s willing to commit to this thing long term. But she’s selfish enough to accept it for as long as he’s willing to give himself to her.  Now she’s looking down at their hands, fiddling with them again. “And this isn't... too much, right now? The engagement, the wedding, the tour, our honeymoon…you don’t think with all the shit happening with the group, and Kishan, that we shouldn’t…I dunno...postpone, or something?” 

Life outside The Grid had become much more interesting to experience in the last year. As real as the digital world was, as intense and thrilling as every sensation in there was, it wasn't reality. What Javier had out here in the real world was, and for once, he didn't need more. The pretense of appearing alright but craving for something more had vanished. His family was in a good place, with Nat and Ri forging their own paths forward. His professional life continued to thrive, as the webcomic he and Riley worked on continued to cement itself as a cult classic with a steady, strong following. His poetry continued to flourish, and he'd managed to balance his work at Atlas Publishing with his own personal projects. He was happy. He was truly happy, having found the woman —who for lack of a less clichéd term— was the love of his life. Javier wanted to spend his life with her. He wanted to be her family. And so the thought of marrying Zara was effortless and natural, the right course for them to follow together and become each other's home.

All that Zara was accomplishing was worth celebrating. She'd battled too much to get to where she was, and Javier continued to stand by her side to praise her hard work and undeniable talent. “You know, I won't confirm or deny that accusation,” the writer replied with a smirk, leaning down to kiss her shoulder after helping her out of her coat. Zara looked stunning, but when didn't she? He also had in mind another way of celebrating her success once they returned to their place, an idea he was sure she also shared. She stole a kiss in turn and Javier draped an arm around her for a moment, enjoying the closeness.

“Oh, it's my fault then? Who knew all it took was a Mexican dude to distract the great Zara Mayfield from her craft,” he joked as he took his seat across from her. “Sorry, Zara Silva,” he corrected himself with special emphasis, raising a finger. A playful grin spread across his lips then, and he looked at her the same way he did at that Halloween party years ago. Even now, he still looked at Zara with the same quiet attraction of two people who flirted like they were just getting to know each other. She still kept him on his toes like that. She still made him fall a little more each day. Her next words made him smile again, amused, endeared. Chasing her on her tour was a no-brainer, really. “I know, right? I really got into some trouble when I said I'd go anywhere with you,” he chuckled. Despite the humor in his voice, there was some undeniable truth. He reached for her hand across the table and brought it to his lips, kissing the inside of her wrist. “I can write anywhere. So wherever you go to succeed, I'll follow, amor”.