Mikhail

32

He walked down the long road silently, caught in a daze of expectation. He'd trekked a one kilometer distance after having left his car by the road, a silly choice, but he wanted to try to be able to walk down the streets without assessing certain nuances about people with a lens of scrutiny.

He walked by a couple, the woman laughing as the man tickled her ribs, face buried in her neck. Would he and Montse be just like that? He hoped so, because God help him when it came to romance. He still had so much to learn.

The thought made him smile, the first genuine soul-felt smile he'd had in sixteen years that wasn't provoked by something Montse had said or done.

The excitement seemed to be thrumming inside his veins in waves. He was going to start a new life, a new life with Montse, the woman he'd fallen in love with.

He passed by a brutal fight between two men. Spectators stood around watching, but no one made an effort to separate the men, both of whom were bleeding in the nose and other parts of their faces.

He watched with a sense of detachment till they disappeared from his sight as he finally took the route that led back to his car. He started the journey home.

When he got into the woods, his heart was feeling like it would just burst out of his chest. He'd been away for more than a month. How was Montse doing?

Was she missing him, praying he would be home soon? He sure hoped so. He'd missed her like crazy.

He parked the car as close to her cabin as the woods would allow. Her lights were on, and he could see a faint glow of flames probably coming from the fireplace.

Taking a deep breath, he got out of his car and headed towards the porch. Grabbing the doorknob, he rotated it, a liitle annoyed to find the door unlocked.

What if it'd been someone else wanting to harm her?

She was standing by the window, and he wondered why. She probably didn't hear him come in because she didn't turn, which he didn't mind. That would give him the chance to execute his plans.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the box inside which the ring he hoped she would accept rested. He opened it and got down on one knee. He opened his mouth to speak and it felt like he'd lost all memory of the alphabets.

Damn, he should've probably rehearsed the words to speak before heading home. Taking a deep breath, he finally let words out of Hus mouth unfiltered.

"For sixteen years, my life was devoid of any kind of fun. I loved solitude, being alone, and all that time I thought it was okay. Then you came along and made me realize just how not okay it was. That I need someone in my life. That I needed you in my life."

He paused, wondering why she hadn't even turned to face him. He continued anyways.

"Suddenly all I knew was that I couldn't stand the thought of being away from you. That I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. That I've fallen so head over heels in love with you that my neck might as well break from the impact. And that's why I want to ask you now. My princess, will you be mine? Will you make me the happiest man on earth by agreeing to be my wife?"

He waited, then waited. Then waited. She still wasn't saying anything. He knew he was screwed. She was going to reject him.

When she finally spoke, he expected her to say no. He expected her to explain why she couldn't marry him. However, her words caught him completely off guard.

"Did it make you feel good?"

He grimaced, wondering why she'd spoken so indifferently without even turning from the window. And what was she talking about?