It was Sunday morning, and Thanya woke up to someone knocking on her door. She rubbed her eyes and headed to the front door. The last person who came unexpectedly, was Kita. She was sure Kita was still asleep. Thanya looked at the clock she passed on the wall. It was 7 a.m. Kita usually never woke up until 11 a.m. So it was going to be a while.
"Who is it?" said Thanya.
"The most handsome and dashing man you have ever seen," chimed Hansen.
She rolled her eyes and opened the door.
Thanya scoffed. "Saying your name would have sufficed," said Thanya, flashing a grin.
"Ahh, but an introduction to me is even better!" joked Hansen.
He then pulled her to him and said, "Today is going to be a very active day. Dress casual."
Thanya tilted her head in question, curious as to what they would be doing for their date. Nonetheless, Hansen had proven himself to be great at surprises, especially the ones where he would prank her. Annoying as they were, she couldn't help but laugh whenever she thought about it.
Thanya looked at Hansen, and he already seemed to be dressed casual, wearing a navy blue T-shirt and light blue, worn-out jeans. It looked great on him. The shirt hugged his biceps and the jeans made it even better. She smiled and nodded.
Thanya then quickly went back to her room to change into some jean shorts and an old, white tank top she'd had for years. She then walked to Kita's room to let her know that she was leaving. She had already told Kita last night about her plans with Hansen, so she never had to give a full story on where she was going and with whom.
"Have fun!" Kita mumbled tiredly, with her eyes half open and her hair sticking all over the place.
When Hansen and Thanya left, the first place he took her to was Ko'Olina. He parked in the parking lot by Island Vintage Coffee and quickly got out of the car to open the door for her. Thanya smiled and kissed him on the cheek in appreciation. She loved how sweet he was to her. Throughout the whole time they'd been dating, he'd always treated her like a queen.
Something no other man had done.
"We'll eat here," said Hansen, as he gestured to the small coffee shop, "Then take a walk by the lagoon. After that, there's somewhere I want to take you."
"Okay," said Thanya, excited to see where he would take her.
She loved surprises and there were times when she was close to spoiling them. She would ask too many questions, and Hansen would always come close to giving up the secret. She was glad that he never did. He was always great at surprises, so she knew she was going to like this one.
She couldn't believe how much time had passed since they'd been dating. She felt like she'd known him forever. The only thing she hadn't done was meet his parents. Hearing so many good things from Hansen assured her that they must be great people. She just hoped that they would like her.
Thanya and Hansen enjoyed their quick breakfast at the coffee shop. She especially liked their macadamia nut mocha drink. Getting back in the car, Hansen drove to the small parking lot near the lagoon, then got out of the car again to open the door for Thanya. He wanted to make today special. He had been nervous all night, thinking about what he was planning to do, but he was absolutely sure that it was the right decision.
"Thank you," Thanya said again, as she got out of the car.
"My pleasure," he said with a grin and winked at her.
Thanya chuckled. Hansen grabbed her hand and pulled her to the walkway of the lagoons. They passed each one and Thanya loved what the morning was already beginning to be. The weather was beautiful and they were surrounded by laughter from the children with their families, as they enjoyed a day at the beach. She looked to Hansen and pictured a life with him - a child with the same eyes and charm that he had. She was sure that he would be a great father.
There was a church near one of the lagoons. It was small but the structure of the small chapel was beautiful.
"That would be a cute place to get married," Thanya spoke out loud.
"Oh yeah?" Hansen said with a smile.
"Just a thought," Thanya said with a smile. "It wouldn't be my first choice though."
"Oh yeah?" Hansen asked.
Thanya nodded. "Ever since I started to dream about how I'd want my wedding, I wrote it down in a journal that I've tucked away in my room. It has everything from the destination down to the wedding dress."
"Can I see this journal?" asked Hansen.
Thanya laughed. "Maybe someday," said Thanya.
"I like that," said Hansen.
"Like what?" asked Thanya.
"You said someday," he said, with a wink. Thanya laughed again.
Once they reached the end of the path, passing all the lagoons, they headed back to the car. Hansen opened the door for her to get in and quickly got into the car. He then drove to the destination he'd been waiting all day for them to get to. When they arrived at the place, Thanya looked at him with a confused look.
"We're at a shooting range?" Thanya laughed and asked in a confused tone.
"Yes," was all Hansen said before he got out of the car, and opened her car door.
He then headed to the trunk of the car and pulled out a bag filled with everything that they needed—sunglasses, ear muffs, two guns, bullets, etc. This was Thanya's first time at a shooting range. Since it was something she had never done before, she was excited to give it a try.
This would be a great time to see how great Hansen was at shooting. She'd never seen him shoot a gun, but from hearing what he'd told her about his past, she was absolutely sure that he must be a pro at it. She saw him pull out boards that must be targets. There were four of them.
She couldn't see what they looked like, because he kept them wrapped up. She wasn't sure why he did that, but she assumed it was something shooters were supposed to do. Hansen handed Thanya her gear and told her what to do, along with putting his on as well. He took her to a place on the shooting range that was farther away from the others. She wondered why he would do that, but she never questioned him out loud.
She watched as he set up the two targets, each a bit away from the other. She was starting to get nervous about shooting a gun, but a part of her was excited to try. Thanya was conflicted - it was amusing to see.
"You go first," said Thanya, wanting to see Hansen in action.
Hansen chuckled and nodded, "Okay."
Thanya was amazed and very impressed. He shot each target right in the center. She couldn't help but be proud of her boyfriend. He was very skilled. Hansen told her about other things that he was very experienced in, and even though Thanya had never seen him in action, she was sure he was telling the truth.
"Your turn," said Hansen.
He set her up in the stance she needed to be in. Hansen was very patient and encouraged her when she missed. She kept shooting until all the bullets ran out. Every time she missed, she felt herself getting more frustrated. She made sure to never show it.
"You were close," said Hansen, when he came back from getting the target and showed it to Thanya.
"If I was getting robbed and had a gun, the robber would still make it away with my money . . . and my gun," Thanya huffed while rolling her eyes, not being able to hold in her disappointed reaction.
Hansen laughed and looked at her with an expression Thanya couldn't decipher.
"I brought some ice cold water along with homemade lunch for us. I forgot to take it out of the car," said Hansen.
"I can go get it," said Thanya.
"Thank you," said Hansen. "I'll set up another target."
Thanya nodded and grabbed the keys from Hansen. She headed to the car and grabbed the water she found in the back, then headed back to Hansen. When she got back, this time there was one target.
He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Thank you," Hansen said to Thanya.
Thanya smiled. "You're welcome," then pointed to the one target. "Your turn?" "No," said Hansen. Then handed her, the gun she used, refilled with bullets.
"Okay," said Thanya.
Guns are never going to be my thing, Thanya thought to herself.
"Let's eat first," Thanya said innocently, wanting to avoid having to shoot a gun again. She doubted she would make a shot.
When they finished eating their lunch, they went back to practice their lesson. It felt like a lesson. Thanya felt like that one student in class that tried, but never could. When she started shooting, this time felt even worse. She kept missing every shot. Then, by some miracle, she finally got one! She was so happy she turned to Hansen to hug him. He laughed and kissed her, then turned her back around to look back at the target.
When Thanya saw the target, she saw another one behind it, this one more shocking than her finally getting a shot. It wasn't what the target was, it was what was written on it. It said what Thanya would have never expected.
"Will you marry me?"
She gasped and immediately turned back to Hansen and saw him on one knee.
"Thanya, I love you. I wan—," said Hansen.
Thanya didn't let him finish his speech, because she was too happy and could not stop herself from screaming with joy, and immediately jumped on him.
"YES! YES! YES!" Thanya shouted with joy.
Hansen was so happy. He was both nervous and eager to pop the question. A couple weeks back, he passed a wedding ring shop, and saw a diamond ring in the front window on display. He couldn't help but think of how it would look on Thanya's finger. Then he started to think about life with her, how happy he was, and how he would never want to lose her.
He was madly in love.
So was she.
When they finally left the shooting range, they went out to celebrate. He took her to dinner, then to a festival that was nearby. He felt like he was on cloud nine, and so did she. He was her fiancé and she was his. They both wanted to go home together, but Thanya couldn't do that to Kita, leaving her with her aunt.
Hansen fully understood. He was just happy she said yes. He wouldn't admit it to her, but he wasn't totally sure she would say yes. He had a good amount of confidence, but too much confidence wasn't always a good thing. When they got home, he walked her to her door and kissed her good night.
"You're going to be future "Mrs. Hayworth," he said with a grin.
"A name I'm excited to wear," said Thanya.
Hansen passionately kissed her goodnight and promised to see her tomorrow, when he took the girls to school.
"Good night," he said as he hugged her goodbye and kissed her on her forehead.
"Good night," Thanya said.
She was so happy, she could cry. She was finally getting the man that she deserved. She was so glad that she gave him a chance. Yeah, he was annoyingly persistent, but she was glad he was.
Hansen let go and quickly pecked her on the lips before he walked away and headed to his car. As he started the car and drove back onto the road, he heard his phone start to ring. He saw his mother's name. Wondering what she might be calling for, he picked up the phone.
"Hi, Mom!" said Hansen.
"Hansen. Your father just had a heart attack, and he hasn't woken up yet. He's currently asleep, lying in a hospital bed," said Belle, in a broken voice, cutting off whatever Hansen was going to say.
Hansen started to be afraid, thinking that this would be the last time he might be able to see his father. As soon as he got home, he immediately packed his things, and caught the first flight back home.