Velvet Box

The first day of spring. I knew it would come. I counted down the months, weeks and days in anticipation. But now that it's here, I can't help but be consumed with fear and doubt. Will this be a total failure? Will I end up embarrassing myself and ruining my chances for the future? Is this really the right time? But I made a promise to myself, I planned and thought this over hundreds of times but, most importantly, I wanted to do it. Even if my knees were shaking from the anxiety and fear. Even if my hands were dripping in sweat from the anticipation. I will do this today.

With all these thoughts running through my head, I got up and showered. The warm water running down my face managed to calm my nerves, even if only for a while. Still, any soothing feeling was welcome, however temporary it might be. After my shower, I took my time with my hair. I used the blowdryer, being patient and trying to get everything as dry as possible. It wasn't a common practice for me, so it took me longer than it probably should have, which Jasmine would laugh at, I'm sure. I shook my head, a grin plastered on my face. That girl could make me crazy, but she was the best I could ask for. Thinking of her made all my worries vanish into thin air. Every fear seemed silly while the image of her face played through my mind.

As I pulled the curtains open, sunlight illuminated every inch of my bedroom. I could see a bird's nest on a branch of a nearby tree with some tiny baby birds inside, their chirping a sweet sound to my ears. But I needed more. I opened the windows, the light breeze bringing the delicious smell of a hearty breakfast from a neighbors home. My stomach growled in response and, with a smile on my face, I decided to make pancakes. "Pancakes are for special occasions", my mother would always say, and today was a special occasion indeed. Butterflies littered my stomach as I cooked. "Add some choco chips!", I could practically hear my niece yelling in my ear, making me laugh as i did. I whistled and danced, the image of Jasmine still on my mind.

With nothing else to actively occupy my mind after eating, the butterflies returned. Or hornets I suppose could be a reasonable comparison too. I still had a few hours before I needed to start preparing everything, but my stomach was in knots and I needed an immediate distraction. Was the whole house clean? Absolutely, I spent the whole day yesterday making sure of it. Was I still going to clean everything again? Also yes. Anything to keep my mind and hands occupied. Wipe the tables down once, twice. Rearrange the paintings and decorations. Sweep and mop the floors. This house needed to look perfect and I was going to make sure it did.

After feeling satisfied enough with the cleanliness and appearance of the whole house, I looked at the clock and my stomach dropped. It was 2:35 pm, which meant I still had 3 hours to kill before I had to go pick up Jasmine. My breath hitched and I could feel the knot in my throat. What am I supposed to do for the next 3 hours without going insane? I sat on the sofa and flicked through the channels on the tv. Everything seemed boring but I settled on a random movie, hoping it would eventually capture my attention. Spoiler alert: it didn't. Still 2 hours and 45 minutes left. Maybe I could take a short nap, that would certainly pass the time and relax me. So I got more comfortable and closed my eyes. I expected sleep to evade me for a while but, surprisingly, it came hard and fast.

I woke up with a start, knocks sounding on the door followed by the ringing of my phone. Still drowsy, I looked at the clock. It read 6:46 pm. I jumped up from the sofa and ran to the door, opening in a haste. There Jasmine stood, looking absolutely breathtakingly beautiful in a fitted lilac dress and impeccable makeup. She frowned as she took my appearance in.

"I was worried when you didn't come pick me up at 6 so I decided to come over and see if you were okay," she spoke softly, disappointment clear on her features.

"I am so sorry, I fell asleep and didn't even realize how late it was," I stammered, running my hands through my probably already messed up hair. I opened the door and she came in. She closed the door behind her as I hurried to straighten up the couch.

"It's okay," she said, "You should start getting ready, though". I nodded and quickly went upstairs. I took the fastest shower possible and threw my clothes on, thankful that I had already set them aside. With one look in the mirror, I fixed my hair and sprayed Jasmine's favorite cologne. There was only one thing missing and it was in the first drawer of my dresser. Slowly, I opened and looked at the small velvet box. I pocketed it and went downstairs, where Jasmine was sitting on the sofa, waiting patiently. When she saw me, she stood up and smoothed down her dress. "You look absolutely beautiful," I whispered when I was in front of her, taken aback once again by her mesmerizing beauty. She flushed as she took my hand in hers, her hands soft and small in mine. "You look very handsome yourself," she smiled. We walked together to the table, where my keys were laying, and went through the garage door and into the car.

The whole ride to the restaurant I was quiet, too nervous to keep up small chitchat. Still, my hand rested on her thigh, stroking small circles as she happily talked about her day. I smiled and nodded in the appropriate times, mentally going through all the possible scenarios. Once at the restaurant, we walked to the front desk.

"Welcome to La Merveilleuse Cuisine, name under the reservation?" The hostess politely asked.

"Emmett Harlowe," I responded swiftly, hoping the fact that we were over an hour late would be overlooked. Luck, however, was not by my side.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Harlowe but your reservation was set for 6:00 pm and we don't have any tables available at the moment," she seemed apologetic enough but quickly moved on to the couple behind us, clearly done with the conversation. My heart sped up in my chest, pounding away. This ruined everything. How was I supposed to do this when everything was falling apart? Jasmine immediately took my hand and pulled us outside.

"It's okay, honey. We can go to your house and cook something instead," she smiled lovingly. Any other day, I would've suggested that from the get-go. Why pay for food at an insanely overpriced restaurant when you could just cook whatever you wanted and stay within the comfort of your own home. But this was Jasmine's favorite restaurant and I wanted everything to be special. She saw me about to open my mouth to object and quickly interjected, "I love when you cook for me so hush now and let's go back".

Once back home, I immediately went to work in the kitchen. But my shaking and sweaty hands made me clumsy. I kept dropping everything; pans, pots, forks, spoons, plates, knifes all ended up falling on the table or floor. And the more I dropped, the more nervous I got. Jasmine sat on a stool on the other side of the kitchen counter, hand resting on her chin, watching me fumble my way through the kitchen. Seeing her there distracted me from the onion I was cutting in front of me and accidentally made a small cut on my finger. "Fuck!" I yelped, taking my finger into my mouth and sucking some of the blood. The taste of raw onion mixed with the blood was atrocious, but the somewhat soothing feeling was better than nothing. Jasmine had quickly gotten up from her chair and was wetting a small paper towel. She came over and softly cleaned the wound. "Put some pressure on it while I look for a bandaid," she said, walking towards the bathroom. I did as I was told, mentally smacking myseld by my idiocy. She was quick to come back with a bandaid, which she put on with a smile before saying, "All done!"

Just as she said that, the pot containing the sauce started to overflow. I ran to move it from stove, trying to avoid a mess. But it was useless. Sauce spilled on the stove and the pot smelled burnt. I threw it to the sink, frustrated at how much of a disaster everything was. Jasmine walked over slowly and put her hand on my back. She didn't say anything, just stroked soft circles on my back. After a few minutes of this, she picked up her phone from the kitchen counter and made a call.

"Hi, yes, I would like to order a large pepperoni pizza. Yes, with breadsticks and cinnamon sticks. And a bottle of Pepsi too," she gave the pizza place my direction and hung up. I walked to the kitchen counter and sat on one of the stools, followed by Jasmine a few seconds later. We just sat there, her head resting on my shoulder and my hand drawing circles on her back, until the doorbell rang. Before I could react, Jasmine stood up and answered the door. She took the money out of her purse, making a mental note to pay her back later, and took the pizza.

We ate in silence, but I could feel her gaze on me. "What's going on, Em? You've been weird all night and I can't figure out why," she whispered, concern laced in her tone. I swallowed loudly. This was it. This was the moment. I got up from my chair and reached into my pocket, pulling out that small velvet box. I heard her soft gasp, but I paid it no mind for the time being and got down on one knee.

"Jasmine, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met. You have been there for me through thick and thin, always offering your support without a second thought. You are thoughtful, honest, kind and funny. I love you to the moon and back," my voice shook with unshed tears and I cleared my throat, "There's nothing I want more in this world than to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. Jasmine Herrera, will you marry me?" I held my breath waiting for her aswer and, as she opened up her mouth, everything froze in place.