Penguins
A quiet giggle, soft as the light breeze brushing against him. "Where are you taking me?"
A pause as he stumbled a little, too caught up with looking at her that he forgot his footing. "Just wait a little longer, Missy. We're almost there."
She let him guide her, trusting that he wouldn't let her trip. He almost wished he could tell her to take her hands away from her eyes so she could see the sun slowly dip towards the horizon. So he could see her eyes light up in the golden glow.
It had been years since he had met her, but even tonight, when he went to pick her up at her door and saw her in her simple pink dress, he felt his heart lighten, his stomach fluttering with the wings of a million lovely butterflies hyper with anticipation. He never tired of this feeling, of her calm demeanour or her small, luminous smile. He barely noticed anyone else who glanced their way as he guided her down the street.
The wings within him changed their course, as if they no longer flew but remained earthbound with a nagging apprehension. It was difficult for him to imagine ever bringing anyone else down this street. Yet he wondered if it was just as hard for her.
What if I ruin everything?
He tried to avoid it, but his mind wound around the thought—never quite getting near—until it had tied itself in knots and he could no longer dodge the idea. He might just risk everything. It was a possibility. But he could no longer wait.
He led her through the doors and to where a worker waited. "Two, sir?" the man asked him.
"Yes," Diamond said, holding out the adequate amount of bills.
"Diamond?" Platinum asked. "What's going on?"
"Just one more minute, Missy. We really are almost there."
He'd been there earlier to figure out just where he would take her. Once there, he told her, "Alright, you can look now."
Her hands slowly lowered from her face. As she blinked and glanced around, he watched her face grow with awe. "It's beautiful."
They were entirely surrounded by enormous fish tanks, filled with turquoise water and plants and coral and creatures of all kinds. Some people still lingered, but not nearly as many families and tours were making rounds through the aquarium as they had been when he'd come earlier in the day.
In this place, he felt almost as if the sea creature were observing them, rather than the other way around. He wondered how they looked.
In truth, he was gawky, and she was graceful, and yet he could not fathom there being a greater match. They were hardly similar, hardly polar opposites, but just the perfect fit for one another.
He momentarily shed his worries, the two of them exploring the aquarium like two children let loose. In the tunnels made of glass, massive sea turtles swam over their heads, looking almost like they were waving with the way that they moved their fins.
A bright orange fish flitted fast between rocks. "It's Pearl!" Diamond declared. Platinum laughed.
Finally, they wound their way into the sector containing arctic creatures. One spacious area was home to polar bears; one hiding, one sleeping by the edge of the water. Sea lions swam beneath the surface of their chamber, looking like pudgy, adorable ballerinas. Puffins waddled in circles around their containments.
And, lastly, the penguins.
They were both elegant and clumsy, the way they slid around on the ice, swam spirals in the water, and slipped up every now and then.
"Hey, did you know that penguins mate for life?" Diamond said.
He figured she probably did know—it was a common fact, and she was quite well-read—but he watched anyways as her eyes widened faintly. She still watched the birds as they traversed their enclosure. "They do?"
He, however, could not tear his eyes away from her. "They do. They stay with their mate for their whole life." He hesitated. "Platinum?"
She looked at him, a slight tilt to her head. He rarely said her real name in place of her nickname. She could tell, too, by the way his cerulean eyes were round and nervous that this was a serious matter.
Out of the corner of his eye, Diamond saw a penguin dive into the water without much fear. So he pushed his nerves aside and kneeled onto one knee. As he pulled the small velvet box from his pocket and opened it, he asked, "Will you be my penguin?"
Her marvelous metallic eyes were as wide as he'd ever seen them. Her hands were clutched at her heart, and when her lips quirked up into a smile, he knew he no longer had anything to be afraid of.
"Yes!" she answered, her small smile turning into a grin. As soon as he stood and slid the ring onto her finger—a simple ring for a simple girl in a simple dress with the most strange and complex and wonderful heart he had ever known—she flew into his arms. The other people who had seen his proposal applauded, but the only sound that mattered to Diamond was the sound of Platinum saying, "I love you," in his ear.
Penguins couldn't fly, but boy, could the two of their hearts soar in that moment.