Prologue

I’ve been waiting in this line for ages now, I really need to hurry. What are they even doing up there? I just want to pick up my ring and they’re chatting like there’s no tomorrow. What could you even possibly talk about this long at a jeweler’s? And I made sure to leave before rush hour started today; I have to be earlier than her for this to work properly. Well, on the other hand, I’ve never beat her once when it comes to punctuality, so why even bother?

I promised to take her out on our anniversary for once, it’s a bad look if she’s the first one there, when she’s taking me out all the time anyway. What’s taking so long? Finally, they’re gone, sure took their sweet time with it though. It’s been at least ten minutes by now; there’s no way I’ll make it to the station in time to get a seat. Walking it is, then.

“Excuse me, Miss. How can I help you today?”, the attendant at the display case asked.

“Yes, you can. I had a ring fitted over the weekend, and would like to pick it up now. I’ve gotten an email notifying me that it’s finished. I’m in kind of a rush today, so could you please hurry?”

“Of course, Ma’am. I’ll get to it right away. If you would please provide me with the number of your order, I’ll get it out of storage.”

I scanned the code I was sent earlier this weekend on their checkout and the lady behind the counter got to it.

A couple more costly minutes later, and she had reemerged from the backrooms of the store, a small ring box in hand.

“Here you go, Miss.”

She handed me the box containing the priciest purchase I had ever made. Hopefully it’s worth it.

“Thank you very much, and please excuse my rude misconduct earlier, I didn’t mean to offend you in any way.” I slightly raised my voice while running out of the store. If I hurry, I can still make it to the restaurant ten minutes early, beating her by at least three minutes according to the rigorous calculations I conducted over the past four years.

Anniversaries don’t happen all year, that’s what makes them anniversaries, after all. And for our four year anniversary, I’ll finally do it. I’ll propose to her. This time for real, without drinking exorbitant amounts of booze prior to even thinking about it. I’ve been preparing for this for a few months now, and she still doesn’t suspect a thing, that Yuri. Probably, at least. She seems very observant only in situations like this, so I hope the surprise wasn’t already ruined when I told her about our dinner reservations.

I walked at a pace closest to running without breaking out in a sweat toward the nearest subway. My dress got a bit tighter, but that was nothing I couldn’t handle. After barely making it through the subway doors, I opened the ring box to admire the masterpiece I have commissioned. The small diamond set in the ring sparkled from the artificial lights of the subway car, almost blinding me for a second. As soon as I started observing the masterful carvings of the ring, reality quickly set in. My heart began racing uncontrollably. This was it, finally. The moment of truth. Well, when I eventually made it to the restaurant, that is. But this was already as real as it could get. The actual ring I was going to propose with, in my hands, at this very moment.

Calm yourself, now. There’s no need for such excitement, I haven’t even reached the destination yet.

After taking the subway for a few stops, there was only a fifteen-minute walk left, probably due to my bad geography skills. Maps just make me feel so lost, always have. But this was the most efficient route I could think of. Even with months of planning ahead, the mental drain from sitting in the office all day toiling away at some pointless task took me out of it. And the drinking. That, too, often took me out.

After glancing at my phone for a miniscule moment, I ran the rest of the way. There must have been a miscalculation somewhere along the way on my part, because there was no way I could have missed a shortcut saving me five whole minutes of walking. Now, I’d definitely make it before Yuri. Checkmate.

Completely out of breath, I arrived at the restaurant ten minutes later, with Yuri already waiting for me in the doorway.

“There you are, honey. I almost grew worried you couldn’t make it. What happened? Why are you so out of breath? I called, but you didn’t pick up at home.”

She hurried toward me and gave me a sly kiss on the cheek. This had all been part of her plan, I assumed.

“How did you do it? Seriously, how? I actually hurried for once and you still beat me.”

Before she could answer, it clicked:

Her apartment was right around the corner, something I had completely disregarded up until now, since I always seemed to come straight from work for our dinner dates. And changed at her place… because it was more central than mine.

“Actually, never mind. I completely forgot that your apartment is really close by. Something I should have probably thought of when trying to finally arrive earlier at a restaurant than you. Sorry. That being said, our reservation only starts at eight, so there’s still time. Can I please use your bathroom to refresh, honey? Pretty please? It’s not even half past seven yet.”

“Sure you can. I actually have something I need to take care of before we eat, too, so go on ahead without me, you got the keys. Right?”

“Yes, of course I have the keys. Thank you so much.”

With that part of my grand plan having miraculously failed, the rest of the evening had to go on perfectly. For that, I’d quickly have to prepare something I had ordered just in case at her place. Since neither of us will be able to make it home alone after this, anyway.

I walked as fast as I could up the seemingly endless flights of stairs of Yuri’s apartment building, a gigantic bouquet of roses clamped under my right arm. It may be pretty cliché, but I was sure she’d absolutely love it after my proposal. I’ve even ordered some lotions for her bath later, so I was actually a little glad she didn’t have time to check the packages she got today.

After I carefully turned the key, I entered her apartment. Sterile as ever, it was almost as if nobody actually lived here in the first place, aside from the few pieces of furniture scattered throughout, maximized for most efficient use of space. That was just another quality I appreciated about her. Her attention to detail, and obsession with neatness. I was sure she had taken hours in the bathroom just applying the perfect styling for today. She even discarded her endless collection of trenchcoats and perfectly neat pants. The dress she wore was stunning, beyond all words any human language could ever possibly grasp, for sure. But now was not the time to gush over her indescribable beauty, no. I quickly applied some corrections to my make-up in the bathroom, after laying out a path of rose petals from the entrance all the way to her bedroom, and setting out a large heart of petals before the bedframe. It had served us well over all these years. One more quick check in the mirror, reaffirming my mediocrity, and I was gone with the wind. I locked the door before I could worry Yuri any more than she probably already was when she first saw me running towards her, completely out of breath. There she stood in the doorway of the restaurant, hands behind her back.

“And, everything alright?”, she asked.

“Yes, definitely. No need for any concern,” I reassured her.

“T--that’s great,” she stuttered, slowly approaching me.

“Could you close your eyes for a second please, Laura?”

I did as she asked of me.

“You can open them now.”

I slowly opened my eyes to a beautiful lily, in a purplish, black color. Something almost as unnatural as her own eyes.

I stared at the flower for a moment, before shifting my eyes toward her own. The endless, dark ocean of her completely black irises, with few purple spots scattered in-between her pupils and sclerae, drawing me in like an inverted galaxy filled only with dying stars, yet still welcoming with the endless warmth of the sun, interrupted only by a sudden sensation pulling me out of it.

She had swung her arms around me for a sweet, warm hug, whispering something in my ear:

“Happy four-year anniversary, Laura. I’m excited what the next four will bring. I love you.”

Her face was now directly in front of mine, and she leaned in for a kiss.

My lips practically melted from her taste. Just as she wanted to pull away to finally enter the restaurant, I briefly pulled her back, returning the favor.

After that brief encounter probably traumatized a few older passersby, and a final “I love you, too” leaving my lips, we finally entered the restaurant before a charge for public indecency would flutter our way instead of warm receptions for our soon-to-be-sent wedding invitations. On the way in, she handed me the lily. Oddly enough, the smell was the exact same as what her lips had tasted like mere moments ago.