Noah & Navid

Chapter 68 - The Proposal

Noah's dad showed up when the sun was beginning to set. Aziz let him in.

He'd brought a few bags of chips even though I'd told him not to worry about it. There was already more food than a crowd twice as large could have finished.

"My dad is here! Dad!" Noah jumped up excitedly when he saw his father and ran to hug him. They hadn't spent as much time together lately. I was selfish with his calendar.

"Mr. Kinney! I'm glad you could make it." I nodded respectfully and went to shake his hand.

He pulled me in for a hug and whispered in my ear, "Did he figure it out yet?"

I shook my head and thought of the ring safely tucked away in the bag I'd brought in. Noah stayed under his father's arm and they went to catch up as Mr. Kinney got a plate of food.

We finished up dinner and the guys wanted to go out to look at the fireworks. I told Noah I would throw away our plate so I could head into the dining area and get the ring out of the bag.

I slid it into my pocket and we headed out to the back patio that looked out over the city.

There was a stairway on the side that lead down the hill to a lower backyard with a small pool and a long patio table with outdoor chairs. We made our way down as the last bit of sunlight disappeared.

The city spread out below us like a dark circuitboard with tiny little explosions along the streets.

Fireworks are illegal in the city of Los Angeles, but the use of them is too widespread to be enforced.

Aziz turned on some music in the outdoor speakers and we all lined up the chairs to watch the city come to life.

We ran out of chairs so instead Noah walked a few steps to the steel grate fence and leaned against it to take in the lights. I got up and went to stand behind him and slide my arms around his waist.

A cool breeze blew in from the city and his body shivered when I pressed my chest against his back. I kept my pocket to the side so he wouldn't feel the ring. 

It was a slim box so it didn't stick out much. I rubbed my hands up over his chest and held him while he watched the explosions of color and light excitedly.

"Do they do this in Iran?" he asked.

He always asked me how Iran compares as if I'd come from a distant planet. 

It felt strange because he wanted to know about it, but would likely never go there. It wouldn't be a place that welcomed a love like ours.

"I don't think anywhere in the world does it quite like Los Angeles," I laughed.

We stared over the sea of endless explosions, the little neighborhood war zones celebrating their independence.

And then the official fireworks started.

 Noah wanted to know where each show was coming from. I pointed them out for him. Ahead of us was Long Beach, to the left was Orange County, and to the right was Los Angeles. It was beautiful and the moment was just right.

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I'm always surprised how little Noah knows of his own state outside of his valley. His world is very small though and he doesn't deal with real estate as I do. He isn't excited to learn about other areas. He likes his little box.  It is safety to him.

I like his little box too. 

Noah's world is very small, happy. He is very smart and capable, but his father kept him sheltered so he faces the world with an undamaged optimism that I hope to protect.