Passion for Perfection | Open Novella Contest 2019

9. The Final Fall

One date led to another. And another. And another. Soon enough we were officially dating, and I was finally able to move on from Chris. He was only a memory. A painful memory, but one from another lifetime. I was a completely different person back then.

"Jane?"

My heart skipped a beat every time he said my name. I fell in love with how he said it. I fell in love with him.

I turned my head to look at Ethan beside me on the blanket. We were in the park, enjoying the summer heat and the chirping of birds in the trees surrounding the clearing. We weren't the only ones there but whenever I was with him, it felt like the whole world slowed and it was just us in the middle.

"Sorry," I smiled at Ethan. "I spaced out."

"I can see that." He grinned and planted a gentle kiss on my lips. "You look cute when you're deep in thought." I blushed and looked away with a small smile. I still wasn't used to the shower of compliments I received when I was around him.

"It's just that every time we're here, the atmosphere is just so... calming," I said as I gazed around at the tall elegant trees surrounding us. The emerald green leaves sparkled in the sunlight, reminding us that summertime had only just started and the heat wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon. "I could spend all day here."

"With me?" Ethan asked hopefully.

"Obviously!" I nudged him to push him onto his back, but my plan backfired when he grabbed my arm and pulled me down with him. I landed on top of his chest, laughing as our noses nearly touched. I took his face into my hands and kissed him passionately, trying to let him know how much he means to me. I pressed myself harder against him, wanting to just melt into his embrace.

"Someone's eager!" He muttered when the kiss finally broke.

"Hey!" I slapped his arm and laughed, rolling off of him and back onto the blanket. I sighed as the sunlight warmed my face once again.

"Do you remember when I said I took a risk asking you out?" He asked after a moment of pleasant silence.

"How could I forget?" I closed my eyes against the sun with a smile.

"Well, I'm about to take another one." He said, his voice sounding slightly worried. With my eyes still closed I frowned. This couldn't be happening. Not again. Not now.

He propped himself up on one arm facing me and blocking the sun, forcing me to open my eyes and look at him. His eyes weren't playful like they were a few minutes ago.

No! Don't let him leave! Mel despaired in my head and I shushed her mentally.

"I'd like to know..." he started slowly, looking down at his hand. Only then did I realise he was holding something. I couldn't make out what it was though.

"Know what?" I asked cautiously and started to chew on the inside of my lip. He fiddled with the object in his hand for a moment and then finally presented it to me.

"Will you marry me?" The object in his hand was a small blue box with a sparkling ring inside it, nestled among the dark velvet.

I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I just gazed at the ring in front of me in awe, my eyes flickering between it and Ethan's face. He was smiling confidently but I could tell he was nervous by the way his own eyes shifted every couple of seconds.

"I..." I couldn't form words or thoughts over the sound of Mel's screaming in my head. My heart felt like it was about to burst with joy but I seemed incapable of expressing my emotions. A million thoughts whirled through my mind and I didn't know how to react because he was staring at me and I had to make a decision but—