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Oh no.
Oh dear.
Nene was panicking, rapidly retracing her steps through the apartment, flipping over pillows on the sofa and moving stuff off the tables.
Where did it go?!
Today was June 24th, the birthday of her boyfriend, Rui. Unlike the typical birthday gift, like a birthday party planned behind his back, Nene had thought of something more impactful.
Proposing to him.
She weighed the pros and cons, like the odds of her chickening out last minute because everyone expects the guy to propose to the girl, not the other way around! But Rui was always full of surprises, like when he first made Nenerobo, and the times he would show up with new contraptions or a bouquet of flowers just because he “felt like it.” And because of this, Nene felt like it was finally her turn to catch him off guard.
Unfortunately, there was one big problem.
She couldn’t find the ring.
The small navy blue box could be anywhere in the apartment–and right now, Nene knew she only had a few minutes before Rui would be back home from his outing with some of his other friends. The plan for tonight was for them to go out to a nice restaurant, then when they were leaving, Nene would bring them to the quiet but moonlit garden outside of the restaurant and propose.
Obviously, she couldn’t do any of that if she couldn’t find the ring! Nene caught a look at herself in the mirror as she walked by it. She was almost ready, wearing a simple but elegant dark purple dress that complemented her eyes. But because of her desperate search, her hair was now a mess. Right when she was about to rush to get a brush, she heard the click of the door being unlocked.
He’s back… The woman felt her stomach twist. Time was running out. As soon as Rui was ready, they would go out and Nene’s birthday gift for him would be ruined. She smoothed out her hair and dress before walking to the front door to greet him.
“Hello, Rui…” Nene managed to get most of her worry out of her voice, holding the door out as he stepped in with a smile and something in his hands behind him.
“Nene! On my way back, I passed by a florist and noticed how vibrantly colored their flowers were.” He pulled the bouquet out from behind him and extended his arm to her. “Our dining table has been a little empty recently, so this should fill in the space.”
“Rui, you shouldn’t have, it’s your birthday, not mine…” Her heart warmed up as she took the beautiful bouquet from him–purple hydrangea, deep red roses, and the leaves complementing the flowers with an emerald hue–
Then, her heart froze. The purple, red, and emerald tones…they reminded her of the stone she chose for his wedding ring. A silver band with an alexandrite stone. In the day, the stone gave a green-blue tone, while in darker places, the stone reflected plum and maroon. She chose the stone for the unique range of colors it showed, and how it’s one of the birth stones for June.
Nene quickly tried to recover by bringing the bouquet to the vase on the table. “Y-you should probably go get ready, it’s almost time for dinner.” Rui nodded, heading off to their room to put on something more formal.
As soon as he left the room, Nene leaned over the counter and sighed. She needed to find that ring, and fast. Where did she last put it…? She recalled how as soon as she got it from the jewelers with Emu, they took a photo to show Tsukasa, but she couldn’t remember where exactly she left the box after that… And there wasn’t much time to ask Emu if she knew where it was.
When Rui came back out, fixing his blazer, he noticed how the throw pillows on the couch weren’t as they were before he left. His observation led him to ask, “Nene, were you looking for something?”
She stiffened momentarily before turning around to face him, one of her hands at her neck. “Uh…yeah… I was looking for…my earrings.” Thankfully, she hadn’t put any on yet.
“I can help you look for them, then. Do you remember where you last put them?” Rui walked around, looking for the familiar box where she held her earrings.
“I put them on the dresser, but I already looked there a few minutes ago.” Nene also began “looking” for her earrings, knowing well that they’re still on top of her dresser. “I’ll go back and see if it’s still there.” She rushed back to the dresser, finding the box of earrings but also looking around in a last ditch effort to find the box with the ring. But it wouldn’t be long before Rui would come help look, so she had to just put on her earrings. Once she fixed her earrings and her hair, she grabbed her purse and went back to the living room.
“Found them… let's go.” Nene walked to the front door, putting on her heels. Her heart ached in disappointment in herself for not finding the ring. Rui noticed the solemn expression on her face. “Nene, are you ok?” He asked as they walked out. “You seem a little… distracted.”
“Hm? N-no, I’m good.” Nene schooled her expression back to normal. She didn’t need her disappointment to ruin the mood. She smiled, “Let’s just go, I’m sure you’re hungry.”
The fancy, romantic atmosphere and the food did raise Nene’s spirits a little. But, how could she tell him that aside from dinner, she didn’t have an actual gift, now that the ring was lost? As they got in the car, Nene gave a sigh as she sunk into the passenger seat, facing left and looking out the window.
But, when Rui sat down and put his phone in the cup holder, he noticed something in the holder closer to Nene. He picked it up, examining the little box while turning the white-yellow overhead light on.
“Nene, what’s this?”
Nene turned around, expecting it to be nothing, but her eyes widened. The ring! Then, the memories flooded in.
“Nene, could I see the ring again?!” An excited Emu asked while putting her seat belt on.
“Here.” Nene opened up the velvet box carefully. The alexandrite stone shone emerald under the daylight.
“It’s so pretty, Rui will love it!!” Emu exclaimed, taking a photo. “Let's send a picture of it to Tsukasa.”
I must have left the ring box in the car after dropping Emu off home, Nene thought, mentally facepalming. After all this time searching for the ring, it just happened to be found by the very person it was meant for. In a parking lot.
“That's… uh…” She stuttered. This wasn’t part of the plan. She didn’t expect to find it in the car of all places. But, she swallowed, steeling herself and taking the box from him.
“Rui…” Nene inhaled, holding the box from the bottom in one palm and the top with her other. This was the moment she had mentally been rehearsing for so long. Rui sat across from her patiently, undoing his seatbelt so he could face her straight.
“Will you… I mean, Happy birthday.” Nene looked away for a brief moment before opening the box and getting out the words, looking right back at him. “Will you marry me?”
Before looking at the ring, Rui's eyes stayed on Nene's face. The slight blush that was half natural, half makeup, and how her gaze couldn’t stay on him for more than a two seconds.
“...Fufu, what a nice surprise.” He looked at the ring–under the dim light, it was reflecting a purple shade like the woman's dress. “Thank you, Nene.”
The words hung in the air for a few moments.
Is he going to say yes…? Nene's mind raced. The box remained open in her hand. What if he says no?–
Then, Rui leaned in for a soft peck on her lips. His arms found their place around her shoulder in a hug as he whispered, “Of course I’ll marry you, Nene. Did you think I’d say no?” He giggled right next to her ear, making her shiver.
“N-no, but–” Nene stuttered before he let out a louder laugh, leaning back. He gave her his left hand. “Will you do the honors?”
She looked at his hand, then took the ring out of the box. With her left hand, she held his hand up, and with her right, she gently slid the band onto his ring finger. The stone glistened under the car light. They both admired the stone shifting tones between purple and red, before Rui gave her hand a squeeze, then let go.
“Shall we go ring shopping for you tomorrow?” He asked, admiring the ring while putting his hands on the steering wheel.
“Yes, let's.” Nene gave him a smile, delighted that her surprise proposal had worked out.