My Annoying Yet Possessive Bad Boy

Chapter 26

💭Crystal's POV💭

The summer breeze in the evening is a gentle caress, the air infused with the sweet perfume of flowers and the earthy aroma of damp grass, creating a symphony of scents that dance on the breeze. All I can do is enjoy it as I lay down on my blanket, watching the stars.

"Babe," Ben calls.

"Yea-? Hey! Put me down!" I yelp, trying to struggle out of his grip as he ignores me and princess-carries me out to the lake's dock. I'm wearing a black mid-thigh skirt and a blue off-shoulder t-shirt, while he still has on his business suit.

"What are you doing?" I ask as he gets on the yacht, and I hear his small chuckle. My heart skips at the sound, and my resolve to get out of his embrace dies faster than a cheetah. He carries me inside to the dining room, where a romantic setting has been set up. Candles and roses-every woman's dream. Well... most women.

Once he sets me down, he takes me by the hand and leads me to the table where most of my favorite dishes are set-spaghetti linguine seafood, lobster tail, steak, and for dessert, chocolate mousse. I'm in the definition of literal heaven, and it seems Ben notices the glee on my face because he stifles a laugh and looks away. A second later, he's clearing his throat, seemingly trying to banish blushing.

I smirk at the fact that I made him blush and nudge him with my shoulder. "You know when my mom was always on about the way to enter a man's heart is through food?" I say, and he turns to me.

"Yeah? What about it?" he says, giving me a quizzical/amused look.

"Well, she definitely misunderstood. She didn't mean a man's heart. It's totally a woman's. You've made me fall in love with you with this," I say, and he smirks.

Ben leans so that we are a few inches from brushing our lips, and I can feel his warm breath fanning my cheek. Our eyes meet, and his icy blues freeze me in place. I gulp, my heart going on overdrive as he stares at my lips and then meets my eyes with a mischievous glint in his. He gives a low chuckle and says in a low voice, "You do realize, right, that I expertly made you fall in love with me ages ago?" Then he proceeds to take my hand and kiss it. "See?"

I feel my cheeks go up in flames; I'm sure I'm redder than the linguine sauce on the spaghetti. On seeing my reaction, Ben's grin broadens, and in the most gentlemanly fashion, he pulls out my chair. Once I've settled in, he slides me back in. He walks over to his own side, and we enjoy our meals, conversations, jokes, and maybe some harmless flirting.

We don't notice time speeding by until some fireworks go off, making me startle, but Ben doesn't flinch; instead, he looks amused but with nervousness on the side. He gets up from his seat and comes over to my side, stretching his hand for me to take, and I gladly oblige. He leads us out of the dining room and onto the deck where the sun has left, and the full moon has taken its place.

A kaleidoscope of colors as the fireworks dance gracefully, painting the night overhead. Glittering explosions of red, gold, and emerald green burst forth, each spark a fleeting moment of magic. The ethereal display traces fleeting arcs and spirals, leaving trails of shimmering stardust that linger for a while before fading into the obsidian expanse. The air crackles with the music of popping fireworks. I can't help but stare in awe and don't notice what is going on next to me by the time Ben calls me.

"Hmm?" I turn to him only to gasp when I see him kneeling on one knee.

"W-what are you doing?" My heart is beating so fast that a heart attack is on the way as I see his free hand reach into his pocket and pull out a royal blue ring box. My voice is lodged in my throat, my tongue feels drier than the Sahara desert, and my body goes as stiff as wood.