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Months. This sly motherfucker has been planning this for months. How have I realised only now? No clue. Everything seems so obvious in hindsight. He’s been asking oddly specific questions all throughout December and January, but I didn’t think anything of it. It totally slipped my mind that the timing was leading up to our third anniversary. So here I am, scolding myself for my ignorance, freaking out over what to wear after he told me we’re going out today.
By the time I came out, the guy was by the car looking at his watch with a distressed gaze. I didn’t take that long to get ready, did I? I did take longer than I anticipated, considering how simple my outfit is but not that long. He saw me and walked over to the passenger side of the car, opening the door for me.
“What a true gentleman you are.” I commented as I slipped into the car.
“Only the truest for a lady such as yourself,” he said as he closed the door and fumbled with his seat belt.
“So where are we going that you’re so dressed up?” I liked poking at his outfit choices, it was rare that I saw him in a shirt with slacks.
“That’s a surprise, but we have to get going now if we don’t want to be late.” He sounded worried, so I guess things aren't going his way already. We spent the rest of the car ride in a comfortable silence, our favourite playlist faintly playing in the background. After about twenty minutes of driving, we reached the outskirts of town. There were little to no cars on the road, all the shops and restaurants around looked antique but beautiful. Like something you’d take out of a book.
There was one building that stood out from the rest. Not only was it separated from the rest, it looked like it was straight from a fairytale. A red brick building, with spruce accents. It had big windows that had plants in front of them. More specifically sunflowers and red rose bushes. It had no doors at the entrance, but you could see spiral birch stairs leading up into the first floor. Through the windows on the first floor, you could see a few tables set out, each with two or four seats around it. There was also a fireplace in the middle of it all.
“What is this place?” I asked, mesmerised. It felt like we were in a whole different universe, perhaps one filled with cubes.
“You’ll see, looks like you’re the one that needs some patience this time,” he said, a small smile gracing his face. “Let’s go inside, we’re already late for the reservation.”
The stairs leading to the first floor led us to a quaint, calm and cosy restaurant. There was a maximum of five people scattered around the tables, and we were led by the waiter to a table by one of the windows with two chairs. We ordered and our food arrived within fifteen minutes of being ordered, I guess that’s the perks of going to a practically empty restaurant. We talked about all sorts of things, from his codes to my writing journey. It’s nice having someone like that to talk to, about anything and everything.
“Are we getting dessert here or have you got something else in mind?” I ask, once we finished our food.
“As much as I like it here, I do have something else in mind. We have another ten minutes before we have to go. I just want to avoid rush hour.”
“That makes sense, we wouldn’t want to wait forever for something and increase the chance of being recognised,” I agreed.
The ten minutes flew by like they were ten seconds instead and we found ourselves back in the car.
“So…” I started, “Where are we going?”
“You’re really impatient today, I hope you know that.”
“Oh, I know. So, where are we going?”
“Give it a few more minutes and you’ll see.”
After being stuck in traffic for what seemed like an eternity, we got to an ice cream parlour by the beach, close walking distance to the pier. He swore as soon as we got to the door.
“Damn it, I looked at the wrong day on the website. It said that they’re open until five p.m, but they’re open until four p.m today.” He exasperated.
“Hey, don’t stress it. We can always get ice cream from the truck by the pier.” I tried to soothe his irritation. It wasn’t often he got irritated, but when he does, it takes a toll on him. He starts blaming himself for most things, and pretty much all the time it’s something he doesn’t have control over.
“Yeah, you’re right. But if only there wasn’t that stupic traffic jam that we stood in for fifteen minutes.” he sighed out, defeated.
“Dream, look at me.” I told him, he did. “It’s fine, this is the best day I have had in a long while. Stop doubting yourself.”
“Okay, okay. I believe you, fine.” He gave in.
“There we go, now. Ice cream? I call dibs on vanilla.” I said with a smile.
“Yes, ice cream. But why call dibs on something they probably have a lot of?”
“Why not? I’m just making sure I get vanilla.”
After getting our ice cream and paying, we start walking towards the pier. There’s barely any people out, which is very surprising considering today’s weather. I like February weather. It’s not too cold and it’s not too hot. It’s warm enough to wear a summer dress. I wore one today that reaches to my ankles. It’s pale blue, and just in case the wind picks up, I have a white cardigan too. To go with the white cardigan I have white sandals which strap around my ankles that just happen to add an inch or two to my height. Sadly even with those he’s still a head taller than me. And to go with the shoes, I have a wide brimmed white straw hat.
I walk towards the railing of the pier, my hat shielding my eyes from the late afternoon shine and lean against it. The water splashes gently beneath me, washing a sense of calm over me. Today was amazing and I don’t think there is much that could top it off. The sun started setting, casting the horizon into multiple shades of pinks, purples and oranges. Even the water began to reflect the golden orange glow from the sun. I've seen this thousands of times before but it just gets better each time. It's breathtaking. Each and every time. I only turn away from the sea when I hear Dream call my name behind me.
"Yes?" I say, turning around. The sunset made his hair glow golden, it seemed as though he had a halo on top of his head. It made him look like he was an angel among men, like he didn't belong here.
"You know, I've been thinking about this a lot recently, and I thought, what if we moved on?" He said, puzzling my thoughts. Did he mean break up? Move past the point of living separately and move in together? To be fair, we basically already live together. I have half of his closet to myself.
"What do you mean?" I whispered, afraid he'd walk away if I talked any louder.
"Don't worry, I don't mean break up. Honestly, you're the best thing that's happened to me, ever." I could hear the sincerity behind those words. "I mean, what if we moved past the point of boyfriend and girlfriend?" He asked, but it sounded like he himself was afraid of the answer.
And suddenly, I'm taken back to our second anniversary. It was raining that day, but it was the nice type of rain. It was a lazy drizzle. It was muggy, and I could feel the slightest rays of sunlight through the clouds. Like it wanted to show it was there, but couldn’t quite break through. I was sitting in the garden, overlooking how the rain gave the trees all shades of green, from dark sea green to emerald green. People don't like rain, but I have grown to love the rain. Someone once told me "the green of nature wouldn’t happen without the spring rain to nurture it." And they're right, I just never saw it that way.
"What are you up to out here? You're going to get sick if you don't get a coat." Dream questioned, and he did make a fair point. But I'm not one to listen to fair points.
"Have you ever just looked at the rain, and appreciated it so much, that you wanted nothing more than to just be with it?" I ask him, it may be seen as avoiding the question but I think it answers it quite well.
"Answering the question with a question I see. I can't say I've appreciated rain that much but I can think of something else," he mused. "Like you, for example."
Not even the harshest and coldest rainfall would be able to soothe my burning cheeks at that comment. "Don't know what to say, hm?" He teased, but why wouldn't he?
"Actually, I do but I'd prefer to keep the comment to myself," I shot back, a playful smile on my face. “Who knows, perhaps even you would be speechless at the things I could say.”
The rain started to pick up, drenching the calm atmosphere it gave before. It became persistent, a constant tapping on the roof of the patio. I wouldn’t have minded staying out here a little longer, after all I was sheltered from the rain, but Dream had other plans.
“Come on, let’s go inside, the rain is getting heavier.” He called from the back door, and as much as I would have liked to stay, I came up with a better idea. I know he doesn’t like books all that much, but on the contrary, I love books. I’ve loved them since I was a child.
“Okay, fine. I’m coming. But you’re going to have to listen to me read a book.” I said, smirking because I had the perfect book in mind. I’m not even going to start reading it from the beginning. I’ll just go to my favourite part.
When I came inside, he was already sitting on the couch with two cups of hot chocolate and a blanket. “Look at you, already bundled up. Make some space for me too! Give me a moment, I’ll go get the book and change into my pyjamas.”
“I will, don’t worry, but I suggest you get a move on if you want to get to at least the middle of the book.”
“You really do underestimate my reading skills. You also need to learn some patience,” the latter point was made as I walked through the door to his room. Just as I was putting on my pj bottoms, I looked over at the bookshelf and noticed a new book. I’m surprised I didn’t notice it earlier, considering the fact that over half of my salary has gone into those books. Out of curiosity I pick it up and start flicking through it. I caught a glimpse of a proposal and a beach, so I thought why not.
Back out in the living room, when Dream sees me exit the room, he immediately moves to the side and puts his arm up to the side, inviting me over to cuddle with him.
“What took you so long?” He complained while I leaned onto his shoulder.
“I told you, you need to learn some patience. Besides that, I saw a new book that I didn’t buy, hence I decided to bring it out here and we can read it together.”
I start reading, and he plays mindlessly with my hair. It’s comfortable, caring even. Like I said earlier, he really does underestimate my reading skills. In what seems like no time I’m at the point of the proposal, and for some reason Dream didn’t see it coming. I don’t know if it’s because he’s that oblivious or if he just wasn’t paying attention. It could also be very well that it wasn’t predictable, and I’ve just read too many romance books.
“No way, I did not see that coming. Like, one second they’re trying to keep away from each other, and the next boom, getting married.” He exclaimed, ranting about how unforeseeable it was. I just smiled and shrugged. I didn’t have much to say about it, and I love just listening to his voice.
“You know, if I ever propose to you: I’ll probably be awkward that's for sure, but I wouldn’t want to make a huge deal out of it. Like, I wouldn’t propose in a restaurant full of people. We’d probably go to the pier or something along those lines, like the beach for example, somewhere more secluded. Not completely isolated but not completely full of people.” I stopped him right there, he may have used the conditional tense but nothing is ever set in stone.
“I understand where you’re coming from, I’m not much of a people’s person myself, but you also have to take into account that nothing is ever certain.” I took a deep breath.
“People will change, whether for the good or bad, and it’s something we might not like. Even the Greeks agree. You, out of all people, should know that Heraclitus said ‘We both step and do not step in the same rivers. We are and are not.’” I pointed out.
“That alone has a million and one interpretations, but a pretty widespread one is that we constantly change just like nature does,” I added. “We may think we’re ready for those changes but most of the time we aren’t. Before making any major decisions you have to take that into account.”
“Of course, that’s why if I do, it’s going to be up to you if you accept or not,” he added to my little rant. “Maybe you’d want to wait a little longer, or you wouldn’t be ready for marriage. Whatever your answer may be in the future, I’ll respect it.” He always had a way with his words that made you feel like what he said was straight out of a literary text.
I’m brought back to the present by the concern in his voice when he calls my name.
“Hey, are you alright?” He looks terrified, I don’t blame him.
“Huh? Oh yeah, I’m okay. Sorry, got lost in my thoughts.” I apologise, he doesn’t need to know what I was thinking about. “You say move past the point of boyfriend and girlfriend, does that mean what I think it does?” I question, suspicion lining my gaze.
“Knowing how your brain works, most likely yes. I did tell you I’d be awkward.” he says half-jokingly.
“So it is what I thought!” I exclaimed, suddenly giddy with the new information. “I would love to move past the point of boyfriend and girlfriend, but you do remember what I told you, right?”
“‘Before making any big decisions I have to take into account change’ blah blah blah.” He mocked, but he knows it’s true. “Yeah I remember, and I will for a long time.”
“As you should. It’s a valuable lesson that I honestly think everyone should learn.” I concluded, and silence fell between us. The only thing you could hear was the splash of waves below us.
After a while, Dream was the first to break the silence. “Will you marry me?” He asked, and looked at me like a pleading puppy would look at its owner for more treats.
“Yes! A million times yes!” I cried out as I jumped into his arms.
“You just made me the happiest man in the world, and to think I thought you might say no.” He replied as he caught me and held onto me the tightest he ever has.
“And to think I was about to say that nothing could make this day better.” I said through sniffles.
“There’s always something to make the day either worse or better, always.” He replied, and it sounded extremely solemn. Looks like I also have something to remember for life, just like he has what I said to him all those months ago.