Tabitha's POV
My heart skipped a beat as I turned to Derek. "What are you talking about?"
Derek continued to gaze into the distance, his expression indifferent. "People will all die eventually. If there're any accidents to me in the future..."
"There aren't that many accidents. Don't jinx it," I said, feeling suffocated. I didn't want to hear the word accident, and my hand instinctively placed on my lower abdomen.
Derek quietly took me to a nearby shopping mall. We wandered around, had a meal, and watched a movie, just like any ordinary couple.
These were all the things I wanted to do in the past. Even though I didn't remember them anymore, there was a sense of fulfillment.
As night fell, snowflakes began to drift from the sky.
Derek walked out of the mall, one hand carrying shopping bags and the other holding mine.
After watching the movie, it was already past nine o'clock. In addition, it was super cold, so there weren't many people outside.
The trees and surroundings were adorned with sparkling decorations, reflecting the dancing snowflakes in a romantic glow.
"Cold?" Derek asked me.
"A little bit. Anyway, the car was just across the street, only a few steps away," I replied.
Noticing the mist from my breath, Derek took off his coat and draped it over me. "Let's go."
"But you..."
"I can handle the cold," he said, gripping my hand tighter. I felt that he was afraid I might slip away if he let go.
Looking at my small hand enveloped in his warm one, I felt an unexpected sweetness in my heart.
It felt like I had waited for that moment for so long.
I suddenly stopped, and Derek patiently waited for me.
"What's wrong?"
"There is a tree ahead."
In front of us was a large tree adorned with red silk ribbons fluttering in the wind. With Christmas approaching, many businesses had decorated it to attract customers.
This century-old tree had been preserved, but now it was dressed up for the season. By spending over $1,500 at the mall, one could receive a love knot with their receipt.
Despite being a marketing gimmick, it drew many young people.
The high spending requirement meant there were only a few love knots on the tree.
I paused to take a photo and was about to move on when I saw Derek already pulling out the receipt to claim a love knot.
We had spent quite a bit today, and Derek had a total of ten.
"This is clearly just a marketing stunt," I said, teasing Derek for falling for it despite his materialistic tendencies.
Derek held a red ribbon in one hand and a marker in the other, carefully writing our names.
He didn't raise his head until he wrote on all ten red silk ribbons, and then he looked at me with gentle eyes.
"Tabitha, I never used to believe in ghosts or gods. But ever since I met you, I've decided to start worshiping them, hoping that we can be together forever."
I muttered quietly, "One is Christianity, the other is Catholicism. You got it wrong..."
"It doesn't matter. What matters is having you."
The starlight hanging down from the tree outlined Derek's face very gently, and I saw myself among the countless stars in his eyes.
A certain part of my heart seemed to have been strongly touched.
"There are ten chances in total. Let's toss them together."
I held five red ribbons in my hand. At first, it seemed like a simple game, like something kids would play. But seeing Derek's serious expression made me take it more seriously too.
Each red ribbon was tied with a small ball, and it wasn't too difficult to aim the ball at the tree branch.
I took careful aim and threw it, but the ball brushed past a nearby branch.