The night was cool under the light of the moon and stars. A strong breeze blew about, sending chills into the bodies of everyone.
The docks were packed with people. Workers on their way to and from work. There were also couples and families taking walks and enjoying each other's company.
For Joyce, the night would have been perfect. But Ben, the love of her life, was acting weird tonight. He was not concentrating on the conversation they were having, which was so not like him. And for some reason, he couldn't stop stealing glances at his wristwatch.
It had been like that for the last fifteen minutes of their walk, and it was only true love that had her still there and not on her way home.
They had met over two years ago and had fallen in love on sight. Ben had been everything she had dreamt of in a man. And she couldn't fault a single thing he did.
Until tonight, when everything about him seemed off.
Eventually, she had to ask, "Ben, are you okay?"
He was walking beside her, hands clasped behind him as they walked past a group of teenagers.
"What? I'm fine." He replied, looking at his watch once more. "I'm fine--"
"Do you have an appointment?" She cried angrily, "because if you do, why the hell am I here?"
"An appointment?" He muttered incredulously, he pulled at the collar of his polo. "What appointment are you talking about? I called you here, didn't I?"
"Why do you keep checking your time?" She asked as they stopped at the edge of the docks, over the sea.
"It's just..." He replied, checking it once more. "It's just that..."
There was a loud explosion overhead, and the docks were bathed in bright light. Joyce, like everyone else, turned and looked up at the night sky.
Fireworks, in their numbers, were being launched into the sky. Exploding into an array of colors. There was a collective gasp of awe as a particular firework exploded and formed the clear outline of a tree. The beauty of them all reflecting in the calm surface of the sea.
"Wow," Joyce muttered, it was so beautiful a sight. "Ben, this is--"
She stopped talking as she saw him. He was down on one knee and gazing so lovingly at her.
"Oh my God!" She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as her heartbeat raced.
"My lovely Joyce, I don't have much to say. You're the fire in my soul, the light in my tunnel, the moon that guides me through the desert. You are my heart and soul, and I bless the day you walked into my life. I do not know what I can do without you, hell, I do not even know if I can survive without you. That's why I'm right here, on my knee, asking you from the bottom of my heart," he pulled out a purple box from his pocket and flipped it open, exposing a diamond-studded ring. "Will you marry me?"
Joyce stood stock still, her hands over her mouth as she looked down at him. His words played over and over in her head, drawing a single teardrop from her eye.
"Joyce..." He called hesitantly.
People were now staring at them. Apparently, they were more interesting than the fireworks that were still going off above everyone.
"Say something, baby," Ben muttered, feeling his fears mount.
"Yes." She said, shaking her head vigorously she held out her left hand to him.
"Yes?" He cried as if he couldn't believe his ears.
"Yes! Yes!!"
He slipped the ring onto her finger and got up to pull her into a hug and a deep kiss. As the onlookers around them clapped, Ben and Joyce gloried in each other's joy.
"You planned the fireworks?" She asked when they eventually pulled apart. "That's why you kept checking the time."
"Yes," Ben smiled. "I needed it to distract you. And I needed to be ready when they went off."
She laughed, the beautiful sound of it washing over him like spring water over parched throat. He loved her so much.
"Just how much did you use?" She asked when the fireworks kept going off.
"A lot. Anything and everything for you, baby."
She smiled once more, resting her head on his shoulder as they watched the fireworks exploding persistently. Beautifying the night sky.
At that moment, nothing at all could go wrong.
The End.
Hello friends, it's been a while since i posted here. And I'm so glad to be back.
This story is based on this week's fiction prompt Fireworks. Try it out, it's fun.
Thank you for reading.
Feel free to contact me via my Discord handle below:
bruno-kema#1355