THE PROPOSAL
As the plane began it's descent, he pulled the small box from the pocket of his jacket and smiled as he ran his hand across the soft, black velvet. For the past three weeks he had been planning and preparing for the special moment in which he would pledge his love and life to the girl he had been waiting for his entire life. It finally dawned on him that no amount of practice or preparation could make the proposal as special as she was to him. Looking back, he knew it was love at first sight. The moment he saw her, he knew that she was someone he must meet. He imagined that she might be a bit snobby or apprehensive since she was so beautiful. He thought someone with her perfect body, long, golden hair, and ocean blue eyes would simply brush him off. On the contrary, she was warm, friendly, and so easy to talk to. It wasn't long before they were both completely in love with each other. When he looked into her eyes, he saw the woman he loved, the woman he wanted to spend his life with, and the woman he felt more connected to than anyone else. He put the box back in his pocket, patted it safely against his heart, and waited for the plane to complete its landing
Eden sat in the waiting area of the airport terminal twirling her curly blonde locks around her finger as she anxiously awaited Seth's arrival. He had been gone for a month on a business trip, and she had been going crazy with out him. She had grown accustomed to hearing his voice every day, but since he was so busy with work over the past months, she felt as if he didn't have much time for her anymore. She hoped that this month apart did not change their relationship in any way. She pulled out her wallet and flipped to the picture they had taken together on a ski trip to Colorado on spring break of their senior year in college. Meeting Seth had been the best
thing that had come out of her four years at UCLA. They sat beside
each other in their freshman comp class. She remembered being instantly attracted to him. He was witty, smart, and had boyish good looks. As she looked down at the picture again, she ran her fingers gently across his face and thought about how the boy she once knew was now the man she loved. Sometimes she wondered if had truly known the extent of her feelings for him. At first, he was someone she enjoyed talking to and spending time with, but now he was not only her best friend, but also someone she could see spending the rest of her life with.
The passengers trickled out of the plane, or so it seemed to Eden, who was growing impatient to see Seth. Finally she saw the top of his familiar, sandy brown hair, and soon she saw him walking towards her with a bright smile. She fell into his embrace as he enveloped her with his arms' she lay her head blissfully against his strong chest. "I missed you," he whispered in hear ear. She looked up at him with a smile as he planted a warm kiss on her forehead. With arms linked, the pair walked out of the airport towards the car. Eden's mind was racing. Every time she looked into Seth's eyes she felt as she had found the one who her soul loved, but somehow she could never express the depth of her love to him. She sat in the passenger seat wrenching her hands as he ranted about the traffic. She could tell by the look on his face that things were weighing heavily on his mind, so she was determined that today would be the day she would tell him how she truly felt about him.
Seth stopped at the deli to pick up a few sandwiches, and suggested that they eat them at the park where they had spent many afternoons talking endlessly. Eden was delighted. The park was beautiful this time of year. The trees stood majestically with gold and auburn leaves falling gently to the ground in the autumn breeze. There, in a quiet corner of the park was their special spot. This was always the place where they had divulged their deepest secrets to each other. The fallen leaves crackled beneath their feet as they walked up the hill towards their special place, a park bench, which rested between two large maple trees. They ate their sandwiches and talked about all the things that they had both missed out on over the past month that Seth spent out of town. Finally there was a lull in the conversation, and it was quite apparent that both of them had things on their mind. Eden quickly spoke up. "I want to talk to you about something," she confessed. Seth laughed. "Me too," he admitted. They both paused.
Finally Seth spoke. "I'll go first," he said as he took Eden's hand in his and smiled warmly. He began telling her how he felt so happy for the past few months and could barely contain it. Her heart raced excitedly. He told her she was the one person who had remained in his life throughout the years that he could truly rely on and trust. She couldn't keep from smiling. "And because of this trust and because you mean so much to me, I need to ask you something," he said, as he reached into his pocket.
Eden's eyes widened in disbelief. She could feel a huge lump emerging in her throat. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. Seth pulled out the small, velvet box, opened it slowly and displayed the beautiful diamond ring that dazzled in the afternoon sun. He gazed at her with a questioning look. Tears filled her eyes. "Do you think Julia will like it?" He asked. Shock and dismay surged through Eden like an electric current, numbing her whole body. She couldn't make her lips move to form words, and when she tried to speak she choked on the lump in her throat. Seth was rambling on about how much he loved Julia and felt that it was time to act upon it, although they hadn't dated long. He explained that he was just waiting to get back to town to propose , but that he wanted to show Eden the ring first to get her opinion on whether it was good enough. Eden fought back her tears with all her might. "She'll love it," she muttered. Seth smiled proudly, inspected the ring one more time, and placed it back in his pocket. "What did you want to tell me?" He asked. "Compared to your news, it's not important," she assured him. He chuckled as he dove into his bag of chips and began chomping on them happily. |
