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The sky was painted a golden rosy color, dark silhouettes of the maple trees covering the nearby hillsides. A little Italian restaurant was letting warm light stream through the doors and windows, giving off a homey, welcoming air. It was neatly tucked between two larger buildings, but the neighboring glass and steel buildings only accentuated the small, faded brick building. The hand painted wooden sign hung by the doorway boasted the name of the humble place: Cibo del Sole, Food of the Sun. It seemed fitting, somehow, and it never failed to make Nico chuckle inwardly a little each time they visited. The "they" of course, referred to him and his boyfriend, Will.
The owners of the place smiled as the pair walked up the sidewalk. After their daughter had had an accident and broken some of her ribs, Will had healed her to the best of his ability, free of charge. That gesture had earned him, and Nico by extension, a special spot in their hearts, and they made sure they always had room when the boys visited.
The restaurant was empty when Nico and Will arrived. This wasn't too unusual, but it also wasn't the most common, either. The wife, Marie, winked at them as they came in, sorely confusing one of them and sending a nervous rush through the other. They sat down and Marie hurried off to the kitchen along with her husband Joseph, and soft music filtered through the old speakers. It crackled a bit now and then, but neither of them minded. They weren't paying much attention to the music, too focused on their conversation to give any mind to the background noise. The talk flowed between topics; politics, new shows, and even sports were open to debate, though neither of them could offer much on the latter. Time passed quickly, and after their dinner was brought out (with a meaningful glance from Marie) and quickly eaten, there was a lull in the conversation. Nico took a nervous breath, and started to talk.
"Will," he began, glancing nervously at his partner, who seemed slightly preoccupied. "I have something I'd like to ask you. And say."
"Yeah?" Will asked, leaning forward slightly, eyes dancing.
"It's, um, kinda important, so, uh, I wrote it down. Well, no. I wrote down what I have to say. I'll ask later," Nico stuttered quickly, reaching into the pocket of his long, black jacket. He pulled out a piece of paper that was worn at the edges and creases, a result of time and use. Sliding it across the table as though it burned his hand, Nico passed the paper to Will.
"I wrote this pretty soon after we got together. You know how I was. It's not good, but it's special. I, uh, hope you like it."
Unfolding the paper and smiling fondly at Nico's sharp handwriting, he read:
Will,
You are the light of my life
And the light to my dark.
You filled my heart with a flame
When I asked for a spark.
You make me laugh
And you make me smile,
For you I would shadow-travel
'Til I couldn't go another mile.
You saved me from falling
And you heal my from harm
Whether a bruise on my heart
Or a scratch on my arm.
To me, you are far beyond flawless,
You know, I think I love you, Will Solace
To my solace from the everyday miseries of life
-Nico
By the end of the poem, Will gave up any pretense of not being on the verge of tears.
"I didn't know you were such a poet," he teased, voice rough with unshed tears. "You should go pro, publish a book. Who knows?"
Nico flushed, glancing down at the table. "Yeah, I know it was a bit silly, but I figured, why not, you know? Might as well show you now. I still have to ask you the question, you know."
"And what question would that be?" Will asked, voice an odd combination of lighthearted and serious.
"Will you," Nico broke off, glancing back at the table again and fidgeting. Slowly, he reached into his pocket again, coming out with a little black box. "Will you marry me?"
Will's hands flew to his mouth,but they still weren't enough to contain his smile. The tears, which had sprung up in his eyes while reading Nico's poem, made a reappearance.
Dumbly, he nodded, and Nico broke out in his own grin.
They remained like that for a moment, before Will recovered and said: "Well, it looks like my arrangements were unnecessary."
"Arrangements?" Nico queried.
The blinding smile of before was replaced with a more sheepish one, and Will pulled out his own ring from his pocket.
"Guys," he called. "You can come out now."
Joseph and Marie came out from the kitchen, with Joseph carrying a huge cake with frosting writing that said: "Will you marry me, Nico?" Marie, on the other hand, carried an acoustic guitar that gleamed a golden brown.
"I learned how to play a guitar in my free time," Will admitted. "And I wrote you a song. Well, I wrote it with the help of my dad, so some of the lyrics are gonna be bad, I'm warning you." Nico laughed at that. "Also, I may have gotten a guitar. I can return it, but it's really nice. You may have to endure my playing for a while."
"I'm sure I can manage." Nico replied drily. The creases near his eyes and faint smile around his lips, however, betrayed his real emotions.
Will picked up the guitar, and after strumming a few times, proceeded to play songs late into the night, while Nico watched and ate devil's food cake.
The evening passed quickly, as they tend to do, and the sky outside went to dark blue, then black. The couple, oblivious to the passage of time, sat in the warm little restaurant, with their hearts in their eyes and their love for each other.