"In Your Arms, Fear Dies"
The afternoon had reached its peak,
yet the sky was covered with clouds.
The sun would disappear behind the clouds one moment
and emerge again the next—
as if it were playing hide and seek across the sky.
And here, the faces of both of them were glowing
with the happiness of love.
Richer looked at Ramish and smiled softly.
"Shall we go inside?"
Ramish responded with a gentle blink of his eyes and a smile.
Richer held his hand,
and the two slowly walked through the beautiful entrance of Emirates Park Zoo and Resort.
The moment they stepped inside,
a strange sense of peace surrounded them.
The cheerful chirping of birds
filled the air like soft music,
while flowers swayed gracefully in the cool breeze.
Ramish's eyes suddenly landed on a giraffe standing at a distance.
His face lit up with excitement.
"Richer… let's go there first!"
Before Richer could even respond,
Ramish pulled his hand
and started running like an excited child.
Richer laughed as he ran behind him.
"Ramish… slow down!
We'll fall!"
Ramish laughed and replied while running,
"I'll never let you fall!"
Those words made an involuntary smile appear on Richer's lips.
Both of them finally reached the giraffe, slightly out of breath.
Ramish asked while trying to catch his breath,
"Richer… did you like that?"
Richer laughed softly.
"There's a little child hidden inside you…
one who is always in the mood for mischief."
Ramish wrapped his arms around Richer's neck
like a garland
and said softly,
"Richer…
when the most special person in your life is standing beside you,
what's wrong with becoming a child again?"
Richer silently stared at him for a moment,
completely lost in his innocence.
Then he smiled.
"Come… let's feed the giraffe together."
They walked closer
and got some feed from a guide nearby.
Both of them stretched out their hands,
and the giraffe gently ate from their palms.
Ramish moved closer in excitement
and lovingly stroked the giraffe's face.
The happiness scattered across his face
shone even brighter under the sunlight.
He looked so breathtakingly beautiful in that moment
that Richer's eyes remained fixed on him.
A quiet smile appeared on Richer's lips.
He took more feed from the guide
and slowly walked behind Ramish,
wrapping his arms around him from behind.
Ramish looked at him in surprise.
Richer whispered softly,
"Feed it again…"
Ramish smiled.
He took the feed from Richer's hand
and stretched his hand toward the giraffe once again.
Richer placed his own hand beneath Ramish's hand.
Ramish glanced at him.
Richer was smiling while looking at the giraffe.
Ramish smiled too.
And together,
they fed the giraffe once again.
Then Richer slowly leaned closer
and whispered near Ramish's ear,
"Ramish… shall we go eat something?"
The warmth of Richer's breath
brushed against Ramish's neck,
sending an unfamiliar shiver through his entire body.
In a slightly trembling voice, Ramish asked,
"What… what will we eat here?"
Richer moved his lips even closer to his ear
and whispered,
"Whatever your heart desires…
order anything you want."
It felt as if electricity rushed through Ramish's entire body.
He quickly looked away and stammered,
"O-okay… let's go…"
Richer gently kissed his neck
and said with a smile,
"Then let's go…"
But Ramish's eyes were completely lost in Richer,
and his ears had already turned red.
Richer noticed the redness creeping over his ears and smiled softly.
Leaning closer, he brushed his lips near Ramish's ear and whispered,
"Ramish… why are your ears turning so red?
It's not even that hot here…"
The warmth of Richer's breath against his ear and face made Ramish's heartbeat grow even more uneven.
He immediately stepped back in nervousness and stammered,
"L-let's… let's go…"
Richer smiled as he noticed the nervousness on his face
and the blush spreading across his cheeks.
He gently grabbed Ramish's arm
and pulled him closer.
As soon as Ramish came near,
Richer wrapped an arm around his waist,
pulling him against himself as he whispered,
"As you wish…"
Ramish was deeply surprised to see Richer being this romantic.
In panic, he quickly stepped back and said,
"I… I need to go to the washroom…"
In his nervous state,
he almost started walking in the wrong direction—
sometimes turning right,
sometimes left while stealing glances at Richer.
Richer burst into laughter.
He walked toward him, held his hand, and said,
"Come… I'll take you there."
Holding his hand,
Richer led him toward the washroom
and pointed toward the door.
"Go…"
Ramish hurried inside.
The moment he closed the door,
he placed a hand over his racing heart.
His heartbeat was running like a speeding car.
Looking at himself in the mirror,
he smiled shyly.
Seeing Richer in such a romantic mood
was making him unbelievably happy.
Outside, Richer stood quietly, smiling to himself as well.
His own heartbeat was just as restless
as he waited for Ramish to come back.
A few moments later,
Ramish stepped out.
Richer extended his hand toward him.
Smiling softly, Ramish took it.
Hand in hand,
they slowly walked toward the restaurant at Emirates Park Zoo and Resort,
where they sat down for lunch.
Richer slid the menu toward Ramish.
"Order something."
Ramish pushed the menu back toward him.
"You order."
Richer smiled faintly and placed it back in front of him.
"Order whatever your heart desires…"
Ramish had just started looking through the menu
when suddenly Richer said,
"Ramish… look to your right, toward the glass."
Ramish turned his head—
and froze.
On the other side of the glass,
four cheetahs were standing there.
For a brief moment, fear flashed across his face.
Richer immediately stood up from his seat
and moved closer to him.
In panic, Ramish instantly wrapped his arms around him.
Richer smiled softly and said,
"They're behind the glass…
there's nothing to be afraid of."
But Ramish continued holding him tightly.
Richer gently brushed his face against Ramish's and whispered,
"Ramish…
when you're in my arms,
you shouldn't be afraid of anything."
Ramish's heartbeat was still racing.
He leaned down slightly—
then suddenly lifted Richer into his arms
and placed him on top of the table.
Richer stared at him in complete surprise.
Ramish slowly moved closer
and whispered softly,
"I know…
they're behind the glass…"
He leaned even closer, his voice dropping lower.
"But when I'm in your arms…
I never feel fear.
Your presence
takes away every fear I have…
and gives me peace."
Richer's eyes were completely lost in his.
Ramish smiled softly and said,
"And today…
seeing you in such a romantic mood…
makes me very happy."
Then he leaned closer to Richer's ear,
his lips brushing against it as he whispered,
"So tell me…
Can we take this relationship…
to a new level tonight?"
For a moment—
Richer's breathing stopped.
His eyes widened in shock…
And time itself seemed to stand still.