Hey guys! This is my first Hey Arnold one-shot! I got this idea when I went with my mom and my grandma to the jewelry store to spend my grandma's mother's day gift card awhile ago. I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold. Yes, even for one-shots, I feel the need to state this.
Enjoy!
"Mmm, that was delicious! Thanks for taking me." I said as I stepped in at the passenger seat of his car.
"You are very welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it." We both shut our doors.
My boyfriend and I just had dinner at a five star resturaunt. He asked me yesterday if I wanted to go. When I calmly accepted his invitation, (if you call jumping up and down squealing 'Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!' hundreds of times before finally singing out the word 'Yes!' on tiptoes two hours later calm) he told me to wear my finest clothing. Arnold and I have been dating since high school. Though we've been together since we were ten. We've been dating for about five or six years now. Though this is the first time he ever took me to a high end resturaunt.
I shot him a playful smirk. "And how gentleman-like of you to pay for everything." Some girls feel that it's sexist or old fashioned. I just find it charming. Not to mention that I've been dreaming of this type of gesture from him for like ever.
We buckled our seatbelts. Then he pulled a scarf out of his back pocket and gestured it to me. "Here. Put this on." His face shown evidence that he was holding back some strong urge or emotion.
I gave him a puzzled look. "Why? Do you want my neck especially decorated for something?" I said with a slight giggle.
He smiled. "On your eyes, silly. I have a surprise for you." His face started to show what he was trying to hide. Maybe he was...giddy? Excited for something? What would he be excited for?
I smiled at him. Then I brought the bandanna-like scarf to my eyes and asked him to help me. He took the ends of the scarf and tied it snug at the back of my head.
"Can you see anything?" His voice said to me. I turned my head to my left, to my right, then looked straight forward. "Nothing but pitch darkness." I replied. "Then we're off!" He exclaimed triumphantly.
I heard the jingling of keys, then a key sliding into its slot, then I heard and felt the engine start. I heard the gears shift and felt myself shift in my seat that indicated the car was moving. During the drive, as the sounds of other cars whizzing past us filled my ears, I tried to imagine what surprise Arnold had in store for me. As soon as Arnold's face appeared in my mind, though, it wouldn't go away. My mind began to drift off into my own little fantasy land for the extended length of the drive. We were in a meadow of beautiful flowers and tall grass. We were laying side-by-side in the grass, staring up at the clouds, identifying different shapes we happen to see float by above our heads. As we saw a heart-shaped cloud pass, I said, "I love you, Arnold," in a sweet voice. He turned his head to me and said, "I love you too, Helga," in that sweet voice of his. We sat up and were begining to lean in for a kiss...
The sudden shift in my seat snapped me out of my trance. The car had stopped. The engine shut off. The key was pulled out of its slot. I heard a car door open to my left as I sensed that Arnold was getting out. I tried to find my belt buckle and finally clicked it loose when I heard my door open beside me and felt the wind gusting into the car against my right side.
"Grab my hand." Arnold's voice said. I felt a left hand grasp my right and lead me to step out of the car. My heels clicked softly against pavement. I reached to close my door when I heard it slam shut against the car. He led me away from the car, through the cool, crisp evening air.
"Where are we going? My birthday isn't coming for months still, you know." I felt the corners of my mouth curl up. This being blindfolded sort of reminded me of when I pretended to be blind to pull an April Fool's joke on Arnold so many years ago. Oh, what memories.
"I know. Just keep walking." His voice said. I continued to walk forward.
After a little while, he said, "And, step up." I did as I was told. It must have been the edge of a sidewalk, I figured.
He turned me around, backed me up some steps, and said, "Sit down. I'll be back in a minute."
I slowly sat down on what I found to be a bench. "Okay." I said softly, unsure of where I was. Then I heard a bell go off. I must be outside a store. As I waited, I could hear the crickets chirping its peaceful melody.
After awhile, I heard the bell go off again. "Okay Helga," He said, "stand up and follow my voice."
I slowly stood up and followed the direction of his voice. "Okay. Here I come." I said as I began to walk forward.
I followed his voice as he said, "Just follow my voice. That's it. Keep walking. Keep walking." until I felt his hands grasp mine. After being guided forward a few more steps, he let go of my hands.
"Okay, stop. Now turn to your right." I turned to my right, fighting the constant urge to feel around.
"Hold your left hand to your left and spread your fingers out."
"These are very specific instructions, Arnold."
"Just go with it. You'll understand in the end."
"Okay. I'm trusting you on this."
I held my left hand out to my left side, making sure to keep my fingers spread. "Now what?" I said evenly.
Something suddenly started poking my hand gently. I jumped and my left hand hit something like a chin. I hit someone by accident.
"Oops, sorry." I said.
"It's okay." Arnold said.
I started feeling the poking sensation on my hand again, but this time I expected it, and thought better than to jump again. "What's poking my hand?" I said instead.
"Just relax, Helga. It's fine. It's not gonna hurt you. Just ignore it. Focus on what I'm saying to you. Okay?"
I nodded. "Okay." I said.
"Helga, I am going to ask you two questions; one now, and one later. All I want you to do is listen and answer them both. Okay?"
By this time I wasn't thinking to much on the possible reasoning behind his words and was doing exactly as he asked me. I nodded. "Okay." I said.
"What is your favorite color?"
"Pink, of course, but you, of all people, should know that by now, Arnold."
"Yeah, I guess I should. I just thought I'd be sure. By the way, you can put your hand down now."
I then dropped my left arm to my left side. "Okay." I said.
I heard Arnold take a deep breath in, then out. "Helga, we've known each other for as long as I can remember, and we've shared a lot of memorable moments since then, both good and bad." Hearing that he remembered all of the teasing and ridicule I put him through in our younger years saddened me a little. "Not a day goes by where I forget to stop and be thankful that I've gotten to share so much of my life with you already." And the saddness vanishes. "Over the years, I've come to realize that, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Helga,"
Just then, someone was loosening the scarf's knot at the back of my head. The knot was undone, and the scarf was lifted from my eyes. It seemed bright at first, so I had to squint and rub my eyes. Once they adjusted to the bright, flourescent lights, I saw glass counters everywhere. a bunch of people were staring wide eyed at me. Some of them were covering their mouths with their hands, others were tearing up, still others were smiling with their heads tilted ever so slightly. I soon saw why.
There, right in front of me, Arnold had lowered himself on one knee and opened a small box, revealing a silver ring with a pink diamond bow on its center. He looked up at me and finished his last sentence. "will you marry me?"
Is this true? Is this real? After all these years of waiting, is he actually proposing to me? I look into his eyes for an answer, but my vision has become blurry from tears. I look back down at the ring, and suddenly I'm not in a store anymore. I am outside, walking in the rain. I have my lunch box in hand. I stop at a crosswalk. A car drives by, and splashes mud all over my jumper. I am walking again. A dog comes from an alley and takes my lunch box. I continue walking. I stop in front of the preschool towering over me. I look up and see an umbrella above me. I look over and see a boy holding the umbrella. "Hi. Nice bow." he said to me. "Huh?" I felt myself saying. "I like your bow, because it's pink like your pants."
The last word echoed in my head. Suddenly, I was back in the store again. Woah. That vision of a memory from my past made me realize what the bow on the ring signifies.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I didn't seem to know how to speak at the time, so I looked into his eyes as best as I could and nodded as I smiled.
He then took the ring out of the box, took my left hand, and gently slid the ring on my third finger. Then he closed the box and stood up to hug me.
"I love you, Helga," He said sweetly. My tears released, and I finally remembered how to speak.
"I love you too, Arnold."
What do you think? Please be honest! I don't have much to say, so...
REVIEW!
