Happy

“Where are we going?” I felt a giddy sensation of laughter bubbling up my throat.

 He shrugged, “Nowhere in particular.”

 I narrowed my eyes at him, “Liar.”

 His grin was my only reply.

 Looking out the window, I could not recognize where we were. It had been a long time since we had left the city, all I could see were miles and miles of land. The leaves of the large trees rustled gently against the wind. I could hear the loud song of the cicadas and the chirps of the crickets nearby as he drove slowly.

 I stuck my hand out the window and let the wind caress it. It was a beautiful sensation. It made me feel free.

 Music was quietly playing in the background, my favorite tunes on repeat.

 I glanced at my boyfriend, love for him swelling in my chest.

 He always knew how to take me to the right places at the right time.

“Are you happy?”

 His casual question caught me for a loop.

 Laughing, I replied, “Of course I’m happy.”

 His hand reached for mine, “I’m glad.”

“Are you?”

 He gave me a sideways glance, “I’m always happy when I’m with you.”

 I squeezed his hand, “Good, I feel the same.”

 Suspicion tightened in my stomach. He was usually never one to ask questions like these.

“Is something wrong?”

 He shook my head, “Why would there be?”

 I bit my lip, nervousness overtaking me. He was hiding something.

 Or maybe he was just worried that I wouldn’t like where he was taking me.

 I frowned; that didn’t make sense either.

 We pulled to a stop, and just as I reached for the handle, he squeezed my hand, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

“Ooooo-kaaaay.” He left the sound system on and then left.

 I crossed my arms across my chest. I was wearing a white fall sweater paired with a pink knee-length skirt. My feet were tucked into my favorite pair of Toms. He had told me to wear a casual skirt or dress with comfortable shoes.

 What was he up to?

 I glanced out the window, but the sun had already set so that I could hardly see his shadow moving around the back of the truck.

 A sudden knock at the window caused me to yelp. His smiling face let me know he had intended just that.

 He opened the door, holding out his hand, “You can come out now.”

 I took his hand, and he entwined our fingers together, leading me towards the back of his truck.

 I stopped in my tracks.

 He had decorated the back of his truck with lights. There was a large speaker against the bed of the truck. We were standing in a large clearing amongst many trees.

“Wh-what are we doing?” I lifted a brow, trying to compose my surprise. He did not have to know that this had been one of my dream date scenes.

 He pulled out his phone, fiddled with it, and then set it down. A few seconds later, music erupted from the speakers.

“Dancing.” I could hear the smile in his voice.

 He stepped around me and then pulled me into his arms. Our height difference made me laugh, “How exactly is this going to work? I don’t even know how to dance properly.”

“Easy.” He put his arms around me, lifting me so that my feet were on his.

 I tried pulling back, “I’m hurting you.”

“Of course not. My shoes are quite sturdy.” His hands rested on my back, his long coat wrapping around me in a protective hug. I slipped my arms through his coat and wrapped my arms around his back, gripping the back of his shirt. I could feel his back muscles and I smiled; he was stronger than he gave himself credit for.

 We danced to a few of the songs he had listed on his speaker. During the third song, a thought struck me, “How come you didn’t go with your friends on that trip you’ve been talking about?”

“I decided that being here with you was more important.” His voice rumbled in my ear.

“But you can hang out with me any time.”

 He didn’t answer, just squeezed me gently and continued swaying to the music.

 After a while, I closed my eyes, just letting him guide me. My senses attuned to the sound of nature. The song of the crickets, cicadas, and rustle of the leaves hummed around us. The subtle sound of his heartbeat in my ear. The feel of his arms around me and my hands against his shirt. The smell of the end of summer and beginning of fall contrasted against the hint of his cologne and laundry detergent.

 It was beautiful and I never wanted to let it go.

 When at last the song came to an end, he twirled me around. I gasped in surprised, and he laughed.

 I didn’t let go and neither did he. His heartbeat was a comfort that I didn’t know I needed.

 He gently retracted himself from my embrace, “Close your eyes.”

 I obediently did as I was told. I clasped my hands in front of me, wondering what he was up to.

 I could hear his footsteps shuffling around me. There was the sound of match.

 Was he lighting a fire? But here?  

“You better not peek.” His teasing voice came from behind me, and I felt myself flinch in surprise.

“I’m not.” I protested quietly.

 After a couple of moments, I felt his large hands engulf my small ones.

“Open your eyes.”

 I lifted my eyes to his, there was a tender smile on his face. His beautiful endearing face. The adorable flop of hair that was slightly too long over his forehead. His strong jaw and perfect shaped lips. The crooked smile and dark eyes that expressed more than his words. He was so…beautiful. It wasn’t just his features. There was a light within him that made him ten times more handsome than just a nice face. It was what had attracted to me in the first place.

 I tore my gaze away from him and looked at my surroundings.

 He had lit a small row of candles, making a small pathway to the truck. It made the forest look dark and ethereal, giving it a magical glow. It was beautiful, but other than that I couldn’t sense anything out of the ordinary.

“What is it?”

“Look up.”

 I tilted my head back and gasped in astonishment. There were thousands and thousands of beautiful crystalline stars twinkling from above. The moon was not visible through the trees, but its soft light touched them. I realized that he had turned off the artificial lights by the truck. Everything was so much clearer.

“It’s soooo beautiful.” I murmured in wonder. If there was anything I enjoyed the most was stargazing.

“Are we stargazing?” I felt my excitement rise as I asked him this question.

“Maybe.”

 I pulled on his hand, “Please?”

 He laughed, “Patience.”

 I looked up at him curiously, “What else do you have in mind?”

 He took my hands and tucked them into the pocket of his own coat, obliging me to come closer to him.

“Aren’t you cold?” He dropped a kiss to my head.

 I smiled, “Nope, not when I’m with you.”

“Earlier I asked you if you were happy.” I could hear his tone of voice becoming serious. The dim light from the candles flickered across his face. The light made shadows on the contours of his face, highlighting his masculine features that so many of my friends had been obsessed with before we started dating. I had fallen in love with who he was, but his handsome features were a much-appreciated perk.

 I giggled to myself.

 His gaze sharpened on me, “What are you thinking about?”

 I grinned, “Nothing.”

 He lifted a brow, “That smile is saying ‘everything’.”

 I leaned back slightly to see him more fully, “Just how lucky I am. All my friends were falling all over you, and you just happened to fall in love with me.”

“That’s not true.”

 It was my turn to lift a brow, “Oh really? You don’t remember their antics? All the make-up and loud laughter at your jokes?”

 He frowned, amusement lifting his lips in a smile, “Uh, no.”

“You really are clueless.”

“Hey! Not so clueless that I didn’t know you were interested.”

“Oh, I was interested?”

 His sheepish grin had my stomach turning all warm and fuzzy, “Umm, yes?”

 I threw my head back in laughter.

“Okay, okay, maybe I was the one more interested.”

 I beamed at him, “That’s what I thought.” I lifted onto my toes, “But for the record, I was very interested,” and pressed a kiss to his jaw.

 His gaze became intense as he bent his head down towards me, but I set my index finger on his lips, “Wait. You were telling me something.” I pressed a kiss to his cheek before he leaned back.

“I forgot.” His left hand squeezed mine in his pocket, “I guess you’re too distracting.”

 I rolled my eyes, “Sure.”

“You are.”

“You were talking about our earlier conversation.”

 His eyes lit at the memory, “Yes. I was asking you about my earlier question.”

“What of it?” I laid my head on his chest, “Of course I’m happy. You make me happier than any other person in the world.”

“If we were the only two in the world, would you still be happy with me?”

 I pulled away sharply, “What kind of question is that?”

“Just answer the question. It’s rhetorical.” He dropped a kiss to my nose. My eyes closed at the impact and then eyed him suspiciously.

“You know the answer.”

 He continued to wait.

“Of course, I would. You’re my best friend, we stick together through thick and thin. The fact that we love each other this way only makes everything ten times better.” My voice became clouded with emotion, “I love you so much, it sometimes hurts.”

“I love you, too.” He pulled me back into his embrace, letting go of my hands to wrap around my back.  

 Resting his chin against the crown of my head, he asked, “Would it make you happier if we spent the rest of our life together?”

 My body tensed in shock.

“What?” I whispered.

“Would it make you happier if we spent the rest of our life together.” He repeated letting go of me.

 A knot stuck in the back of my throat, and I couldn’t talk even if I had wanted to. Before I knew what was happening, he was lowering himself on one knee and gazing up at me with all the love he harbored.

 It was then that I noticed him reach into the inner pocket of his coat and pull out a small black velvet box.

“You are the greatest and most beautiful blessing in my life.” A smile pulled at his lips before he said, “You are my best friend for better or worse. We grew up as childhood best friends, doing all the crazy things that kids do,” he paused, “even if you blamed me for all of your mischiefs,” I laughed as my vision blurred and I blinked furiously to fully behold the image before me, “By some miracle, you agreed to date me and be my girlfriend. Now I’m asking and begging you to do life with me. As your best friend, I want to stay with you until the very end and never let go. I want to marry you and have a family with you. To go on all the crazy adventures you always talk about. I love you so incredibly much and I’m asking you [FULL NAME] will you marry me? Will you give me the chance to prove to you as your husband that I will put you and our family first as long as we both shall live?”

 I nodded. All I could do was nod. I couldn’t speak.

 I held out my hand expectantly as tears continued to stream down my cheeks.

 He laughed, the relief in his voice palpable, “Always so impatient.”

 Once he slid it on, I didn’t even look at it. I launched myself into his arms, knowing that he would catch me.

 He laughed as I practically tackled him onto the ground. His strong arms wrapped around me and held me as I continued to cry.

“Love? What’s wrong?”

 Emotions threatened to overflow me. He had never called me that before. He was claiming me as his love.

 It only made me cry harder.

 He rubbed his hand in a comforting gesture against my back.

 Once I calmed down, I told him, “I’m just so happy.”

“So am I.” He pulled himself up and then lifted me up with him.

“Shall we seal the deal?” Mischief glistened in his eyes.

“Yes!”

 We were thinking the exact same thing as I lifted myself on my toes and he bent his head towards me. Our lips met in a kiss that expressed all the years of friendship, love, and life that we had lived.

 He pulled back, his eyes hooded and staring at me like I was his whole world. I cupped his cheeks with my hands and pressed my lips to his once more. His arms wrapped around me in a hug, and he met my kiss with his own.

Mine. The thought crossed my mind as he pulled back. His eyes echoed my thoughts; my legs became noodles at the revelation.

 He closed his eyes for a moment before he pressed a firm kiss against my head, “Time to stargaze.”

 He took my hand and pulled me towards the bed of the truck. Placing his hands on my waist, he lifted into the bed of the truck and then followed suit. He had already laid blankets on it, so that he only had to pull me into his arms and tuck me in with an extra blanket.

 I stared up at the stars as I cuddled closer to him. His arm gently rested on my waist as I laid my head against his shoulder.

“Thank you.” He whispered as we stared at the open sky.

 I shifted my head, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

 I felt him shift and then the artificial lights lit up. I could finally see his face more clearly as he turned back to me.

 I’m going to marry him. The thought made me giggle.

“What’s that about?” he asked curiously.

“I’m marrying you.” I replied simply.

 He grinned, “And I’m marrying you.”

“When are we getting married?”

“We’ll have to figure that out once we talk to our families.”

“Soon?”

“Patience, we have the rest of our lives to live together.”

 I snuggled against him, “Yes we do.”

 Looking up at the stars, it reminded me of the beauty of life. This moment. This space in time.

 I lifted my hands as if to touch it, but then my attention caught on the diamond ring. The light glistened against it making it sparkle.

“It’s so beautiful.” I pulled it closer to my face, examining it closer.

“A beautiful ring for my beautiful fiancée.”

 I smiled, liking the way he said ‘fiancée’.

“How did you know I would like it?”

“I did my research.” He answered smugly.

 I let my hand drop back into the warmth of the blanket. It was getting cooler by the minute.

“Are you cold?” He asked.

“A little.”

“Want to head back?”

“Not yet.” I stared up at the sky and then back at him, “I just want to bask it in for a moment.”

“Me too.” He pressed a kiss to my head.

 Excitement filled my chest as I contemplated the idea of being married to him. I felt giddy, a stupid grin slapped across my mouth.

 I stared at him, as he looked up at the stars.

 How had I become so blessed?

 A grin tugged at his lips, “What are you staring at?” He kept his eyes on the sky above.

“You. My future husband.” I replied with a contented sigh.

“When you put it like that…”

 He turned his body onto his side to face me. Now it was his turn to stare.

 I felt my whole body warm.

“What are you staring at?”

 His hand lightly traced a path from my forehead down to my chin, “You. My future wife.”

 I bit my lip, trying to hide the pleasure that phrase brought me.

 His gaze was drawn to my lips. Closing his eyes for a long moment, he groaned, “It’s time to head back.”

 I pressed my lips together; he was right.

 Any more of this flirtation and we would end up giving in to our desires.

 He sat up, “I’ll bring you back to stargaze another day. Alright?” His gaze locked on mine and then he swiftly jumped out of the bed of the truck.

 I sat up, scooting towards the edge of the bed of the truck. It was getting cold, and I didn’t want to let go of my blanket just yet. I was wrapped up like a burrito.

“Wh-what are you doing?” His arms were around me and he was lifting me up into his arms, “I can walk!”

 He laughed, “I know you can, but I don’t want you getting cold.”

 He gently set me in the passenger’s seat, “I’ll be right back.”

 A few moments later, I heard the bed of the truck close and his footsteps approach.

“Ready?” I asked.

“One more thing...”

 He leaned over the seat and grabbed the buckle of my seat. Once I was strapped in, he dropped a kiss to my lips, “I love you.”

 I grinned at him, “I love, you, too.”

 Driving away, I stared up at the moon hanging above us. It was beautiful and it would forever remind me of this night.

 I leaned back in my seat, gazing at my fiancé as he drove.

 I couldn’t wait to start the rest of my life with him.