Unilluminated

It All Started In A Library

It was now October 1st again, it was Y/N and Tom's anniversary. Tom was wearing a deep green suit and was pacing in front of the closed bathroom door. The door finally opened and there stood Y/N wearing the same green dress as she did on the day they met. 

Tom got another familiar twitch and lump in his throat. She was always indescribably breathtaking but in, that dress, she did something to him that no other woman ever did. He adjusted himself just like he did the first time he ever saw her causing a small smile from her.

He cleared his throat hoping the lump would go away, "Ready?" He asked, sheepishly.

She smiled with her eyes, "Yes."

They left for the restaurant, Tom had plans. BIG plans. He had spent most of the supper making sure that little box was in his jacket pocket than eating his Pastitsio. Tom had taken Y/N to Santorini, Greece for their anniversary, somewhere Y/N always wanted to go. She had been talking for a few minutes with no response from Tom. His mind was a million miles away. His palms were sweaty, he just wanted tonight to be perfect. 

He wanted it to be everything she deserved. He'd give her the universe if he could. After dinner, he took her down to Red Beach to walk. They walked, laughing, and kissing.

Y/N tossed the shoes she had been carrying a couple of feet behind her. She stood ankle-deep in warm clear water.  "Dinner was so delicious. I'm surprised you didn't eat, especially after saying how hungry you were."

"I must have lost my appetite."

She walked up to feel his forehead with the of her hand. "You feeling okay? we can pick up some medicine and head back to the hotel."

He smiled, he knew that would ruin their night but he loved how she loved. Tom knew that she would do it without hesitation or complaint just to make sure he was alright. He wasn't sick just scared the moment would pass. He knew he wanted to marry this woman since the first day in the library. 

"No," He smiles softly. "Just not as hungry as I thought." He lied. It was a white lie. Nothing in the grand aspects of things.

"Uh-huh." She knew that was a lie. He was never good at lying or she was just too good at seeing when others lied to her.  

The moon had taken its place in the sky, taken its shift for the turn of the day. The sky is dark and stars fill the space of emptiness. The moon cascaded off of the water and off the red rock landscape behind them. Tom was fidgeting with the box now in his pant pocket. When she leaned up and kissed him. 

"Thank you for this trip, it has been amazing."

Tom smiled and kissed her back, "It just began. We only got here yesterday."

"It's still been amazing." She stated matter-of-factly, turning her back to him to look out at the water.

Now was the time, Tom pulled out the box and took the ring out, and put the box back in his pocket. His hands were still sweaty from his nerves when he dropped the ring into the sand. "Dammit!" Tom yelled, startling Y/N. She turned around to see him on his knees manically searching the sand. 

"What?" She asked concerned. 

"I can't find it!" 

She could hear the panic in his voice and immediately dropped to her knees to search for something, not knowing what she was searching for. "Honey, it's okay, take a breath." She took a deep breath hoping he followed her display. He didn't. She kept looking blindly. "What are we looking for?" 

"It's not here. It has to be here. It couldn't have grown legs and walked away. It can't be gone, it was perfect." He ran his large hands across the still-warm sand. 

Y/N laid her hands over his hand, making eye contact. "Babe, we'll find it. Take a deep breath and go slow okay? Whatever you lost. We'll find." 

Tom finally took a deep breath and nodded. He was so thankful she could be his calm as well as his wild in the times he needed it. They searched, Tom, moving a few feet back and turning away from her. 

Y/N froze finally feeling something. She had a small inkling but no real clue. She couldn't bring herself to move she just looked up and stared at the man in front of her. "Tom," She almost whispered. He turned and looked at her holding her closed fist out, he knew she had found it. 

This was NOT  how he wanted this night to go but here they were. She held out her hand and let the little piece of jewelry fall into his hand. "Y/N," He stuttered, finally looking at her, him looking almost disappointed. 

She just looked up at him. "Yes." 

He raised his eyebrows in unison. "Yeah?"

"Sorry, you didn't even ask me. It could just be a random ring. Fuck! I'm dumb."

He chuckled. "No, it's no random ring." He got a little closer, positioning himself onto only one knee. "Y/N since the moment I met you I knew this moment was inevitable. Hell, I would've asked you the moment I saw you reading in this dress in that library on the first day if it wouldn't have come out as super creepy." They both laughed. "I love you deeper than I thought I could love anybody," He finally takes her hand. "You are my calm and my wild, my lazy reading days, not saying a word for hours on the couch, steamy shower sex," Y/N smiles and rolls her eyes, "My jogging mate, my biggest cheerleader, and you know just how to knock me down a peg when I get to into myself. You are more than I could've ever dreamed up. You are most definitely my better half. Whenever you take me into your arms, it drives me slowly out of my mind. Will you join me in this ride of life, for the rest of our lives?"

"Yes!!" He could barely slip the ring on when she jumped into his arms. She finally got to look at her engagement ring. It was a white gold oval cut with a green jewel in the middle that matched the shade of green of the dress she was wearing. symbolic of that first moment. It wasn't a very large extravagant ring, she wasn't into big jewelry. 

"I love you" Tom brushed the hair out of her face. 

"Well, you have the rest of our lives to prove it." They kissed before Tom helped her up.

"You bet I will. And who would've thought it all started in a library." He kissed her again, before throwing her over his shoulder and running into the ocean, and fucking her slowly out of her mind.

The End.