LightningSmolder

Another Chapter

"Wifey, where are we going?"

Aru clutched her boyfriend's hands as he led her to a spot. And because he'd blindfolded her, she couldn't see a thing.

"You'll see," he replied coyly.

Aiden had told her this was a date, so she'd worn a knee-length, flowy, floral dress that exposed her shoulders. It had ruffles near her chest and even had pockets - which was, for Aru, the best part about it.

"We're here," Aiden whispered into her ear, his breath tickling the back of her neck. He gently tugged the blindfold off and revealed the site of their date.

Aru gasped. Her jaw dropped to the ground.

He'd taken her to the ledge of their college campus, the one from which you could see the sunsets and sunrises on the horizon to the east and west. Beyond the ledge was a breathtaking lake which reflected the color-streaked sky of dusk. A tree sat at the very edge, and was decorated with fairy lights. On the grass laid a picnic blanket and basket. Roses and their petals had been scattered all around the grass and the tree.

"You didn't have to do all this," Aru breathed, leaning back into the warmth of Aiden's chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close and resting his chin on her head. As she sighed, she heard a faint instrumental in the background, and smiled even more. She laced their fingers together as he tugged her to the picnic blanket and motioned for her to sit down. Aiden smiled and opened the picnic basket, pulling out two packets of-

"Swedish Fish!" Aru exclaimed snatching two pockets out of his hand. She tore into them, stuffing three fish in her mouth as Aiden stifled a laugh.

"I thought our date should be outside this time," Aiden said. "A change of scenery."

"It's beautiful," Aru replied. She gazed up into the sky, an endless void. The moon shone bright like a mischievous Cheshire cat smile.

"Yeah. Beautiful."

Aru turned to glance at Aiden to find him gazing at her passionately. Though her cheeks were tinted pink, she didn't break the gaze. Unconsciously, she leaned forward.

A few beats of comfortable silence passed before Aru had to look away into the deep blue-black sky. There was a spark in Aiden's eyes that she couldn't decipher; like he was feeling truly alive for the first time in decades.

Out of the blue, he grabbed her hands again and pulled her to her feet. Then, he took a deep breath.

"Shah, I met you for the first time when we were thirteen. And you were also a great friend to me - you were there when my dad came home for the first time in a while; you were there in my best times; and you were there when I was at my worst. You became someone I could always talk to. And then I started thinking about you as more than a friend.

"For the quests after that, we were pretty rocky, but finally- finally, I got to call you my girlfriend. That was probably one of the luckiest days of my life."

Aru's breath caught in her throat as she blinked back a few tears. A thousand butterflies fluttered in her stomach as a hint of confusion bubbled up in her. Where was this going?

"And then we started dating. I got to know you so much better, and I finally got to kiss you without a near-death experience right after." Aru chuckled at that. Aiden sucked in a breath before continuing with his speech.

"The point is, Shah, that all those moments we spent together make me happy. And I've decided that I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side."

Oh. My Gods.

Aru clamped her hands over her mouth.

Aiden got down on one knee, whipping out a box. Inside was a breathtaking ring. Its gem was a deep purple it was almost black, adorned with rose gold leaves and vines at the sides. "Arundhati Shah, will you take me as your husband and make me the happiest person alive?"

Now, Aru wasn't the type to cry, but she let the tears run freely down her cheeks as she sunk to the ground in front of Aiden, who gripped her right hand. She opened and closed her mouth, trying to form words but none came out. She licked her lips.

"Is...is that a yes?" He asked shyly from under his lashes. His nervousness amused her. He looked cute when he was nervous. His eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly and his lips pursed in an adorable way.

Aru tugged him to her lips and kissed him long and slow. Aiden's kisses were hesitant, yet longing and hungry at the same time. When she slowly pulled away, he gazed at her like she was the most precious thing in his entire life.

"Does that answer your question?"

A boyish grin broke across his face as he let out a breathless laugh, his own tears building up in those gorgeous eyes. Gently, he slipped the beautiful ring onto her finger, his touch as light as a feather.

In a blink, Aiden stood up and lifted Aru off the ground, whirling her in circles. Aru laughed into the warm, summer breeze.

Once he finally put her down, they stared at one another, smiling, breathless, giddy.

This was the start of a new chapter.