This year's fall had been colder than usual.
And now that it was midnight, the chilling air was nearly unbearable.
The mysterious man who stepped out of his apartment building and onto the dirty brick steps wouldn't have said he enjoyed piling on extra layers. He preferred when his movements were uninhibited.
The black sky casted dark, velvety shadows over the quiet street.
There was no moonlight tonight.
Bitter wind whipped mercilessly at the man's flushed cheeks and wild hair, but it barely phased him. He pulled his navy trench coat tighter around himself and practically skipped down the brick steps and landed on the pavement, a puddle sloshing into his shoes and throughly soaking his wool socks. On a normal day, he would've gotten upset. But with what he was going to do tonight, there was nothing that could dampen his mood.
Lowering his head into the wind, he began to walk with a quickened tread, his heart rate already picking up in premature anticipation. Pressing his hands deeper into his pockets, he felt the cold, merciless lump of metal he had stowed mere minutes before.
Its rounded, powerful edges were already giving him a high as his finger tips danced across its grooves.
He wondered how many other people felt the intoxicating mix of fragile yet unstoppable when they came in contact with the name-ending object currently resting inconspicuously in his coat pocket.
He arrived at the park quicker than he had expected.
He glanced around to make sure he hadn't been seen before ducking behind a tree.
Now, he would wait.
For her.
The girl he was most anxious to see.
He had almost run into her several times this week, but that would have been too soon.
It had to be tonight that they came face to face.
All he could think about was finally getting to feel her glowy, soft skin, run his fingers through her satiny hair, feel her plump lips beneath his, be inside of her...
Seconds passed like minutes as he waited, silently fantasizing in the shadows of the park's jagged trees.
He wasn't very good at waiting for what he wanted.
And he wanted her.
Suddenly, a far-off laugh echoed through the night and his head whipped around expectantly.
He watched from behind the tree as a loud group of six clearly intoxicated girls tottered up the sidewalk, all of them in tight dresses and strappy heels.
He couldn't help the smile that danced at the corners of his lips.
Each girl looked good, but his eyes went straight to her. He was a bit taken aback at their wardrobe choice, considering the freezing wind, but he definitely didn't mind the chance to see more of her body.
He wondered if he had ever seen a more perfect woman, especially for what he was going to do to her.
He knew their pattern from witnessing it so many times: three of the girls would call a cab, two would be picked up by their boyfriends, and the last one - his one - would then walk across the park, alone, into her apartment building.
His heart pounded against his rib cage like it was going to escape. He couldn't wait on her much longer. He was ready, and he was ready now.
Feeling around to make sure the object was still there, he breathed a sigh of relief when his fingers confirmed its location, still secure in his pocket.
He wondered if he'd be able to follow through with his plan. He had been so meticulous.
But now wasn't the time for nerves.
Now was the time for action, to do what he'd been wanting to do for so long.
She could scream, he didn't care. He just had to do it.
The sharp staccato of a car door slamming shut pulled him back to reality.
She was finally alone.
Watching her with intense eyes, he waited until she made it to the center of the park.
With lightning fast movement, he reached for a nearby power breaker and flipped several switches.
Instantly, thousands of lights flicked on. Every tree was strung with thousands of small, shining bulbs that bathed the night in a stunning golden glow.
He wondered how she managed to look so flawless and incredible. Illuminated in the soft light, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in wonder.
He pulled his phone out and hit play on her favorite love song, stepping out from behind the tree and walking toward her with slow, purposed steps.
As he got closer and closer to her, he was sure that the oxygen was being sucked from his very lungs.
Taking in her form, the curve of her tiny waist, the soft curl of her hair, the questioning glitter in her eyes... it was almost to much for him. He was afraid he might pass out. She devastated him, fully.
Her eyes met his and a breathtaking smile spread across her face.
He thought that if he died right now, he'd die as the happiest man in the world.
"Did you do this?" She gestured toward the shining trees.
"Just for you," he replied with a sheepish smile, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks.
"It's so beautiful, babe! Just like a fairytale," she clapped her hands together and wiggled her hips in a drunken happy dance, which he thought was far too adorable to process.
He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't wait another second. He had to do it, and he had to do it now, before his knees gave out or something even more embarrassing.
With his heart racing like it never had before, he tenderly took her hand in his. With a gentle tug, he pulled her close to his broad chest and wrapped his arms around her familiar frame as her hands locked themselves around the back of his neck.
She gazed up at him with slightly droopy eyes and an enchanted smile.
"So," he began before he could convince himself out of doing the very thing he'd been wanting to do since they'd met. "I'm probably going to really mess this up, but I have to get something out."
"What's up?"
"I love you. I love you so much. I don't know where I would be without you. You make me a better person, just by being you. When we first met, I knew you were the most beautiful, incredible, brilliant woman I'd ever met, and every day you somehow find a way to re-prove that to me. I can't imagine where I would be if it wasn't for you, and I never want to be without you."
His hands were shaking as he released his grip on her waist and fumbled in his pocket, finally gripping the small object.
Getting down on one knee, he held up an intricate, glittering ring and looked lovingly into her teary eyes, her mouth agape in surprise and awe.
Here it was. He was about to do it.
With an erratic heart, sweaty palms and one heck of a lot of courage, he asked her the scariest question of all time.
"Will you marry me, Felicity?"
🧡🍂🎃🌼🌆🍁🍄🌽📙🌕🐞🍺🌻🍊🏮🌅
word count: 1199
I hope this qualifies as "spooky/scary"! My original thought was that one of the most terrifying things for a man is has got to be taking the leap of faith to ask his love to spend forever with him. But, I wanted to make sure the story was spooky enough, so I thought it'd be interesting to frame it as if the man going to do something evil to a girl he'd been stalking, but then switch it to the truth of them being a couple and him asking her the ultimate scary question.
Did I execute that well or did I totally fail? 😝
Anyway, thanks so much for reading! 🤗 This is only my second publication of any type on Wattpad so I'm super nervous to know that someone is actually going to read my writing lol!
Kay byeeee🌙🧡🌟