"Ready to go, love?" England said as he tapped my shoulder. We had been shopping all day at a string of souvenir shops, and the sun was about to set in the sky. I looked up at him and smiled as he kissed my golden hair. "Whenever you're ready." I said sweetly, pecking his cheek and taking hold of his hand. As we walked out of the front door, he stopped and looked down at the ground. "Oh dear," he sighed, "My shoelace has become untied again."
He bent down on one knee in front of me and tied the stubborn lace. He looked up at me and smiled. "Hey, that reminds me, I forgot to give you your present." he said. I raised and eyebrow at him. "A present?" I asked. He reached into his coat pocket and rummaged through the deep space.
He pulled out a small felt box and placed it in the palm of my hand.
I gasped, yet he continued regardless. "Virginia. I will always love you more than anything on this earth." he said sheepishly, "I want you to take this as a token of my love… And answer me honestly. Go on, then and open it." I obeyed, opening the small box to reveal a stunning diamond ring. He took it out of the box and took my left hand. "May I?" he said in the gentle, polite way that he always did. I nodded, blushing and smiling as he slipped it onto my index finger. "Will you consider making me the happiest man in the world, and be my wife?" he said, his eyes glistening. I was breathless.
"Yes," I replied, "I'm yours forever!"
We heard a crowd of passers by shuffle towards us, but I had totally forgotten their existence. As he stood up, I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him into a soft, yet passionate kiss. He wrapped his arms around my waist in reaction to me, in an embrace that anchored me to the ground. I felt safe and secure, and I wished this moment would last forever.
However, in the end we had to let go. He took my hand and lead me down the street, in the direction of the apartment that we shared. "Let's go home, love." he said sweetly, "I'll make dinner tonight." "And then… We'll have dessert in the bedroom?" I whispered in his ear as I clung to his arm. He chuckled. "Well, I am very fond of dessert…" I sighed. This was so perfect…
About three blocks down, we stopped at the corner light and waited for the light to turn red. When it did, he lead me in front of the cars that were halted and allowing us to pass. And yet, I could still feel the ground moving, as if traffic hadn't stopped. I turned my head and came face to face with a speeding truck about 10 feet away, coming straight for us. I screamed, causing England to look up. Instinctively, his first reflex was pushing me out of the way. The next thing I knew, I had hit the pavement in front of us, landing on my side. Tilting my head and opening my eyes, I frantically looked back, at where my fiancée stood.
My stomach fell as I saw his body collide with the vehicle, then fall helplessly to the ground.
Feelings mixed with shock and utter grief hit me like a ton of bricks. Dazed, I clumsily crawled into the center of the street, where he was lying limply on the pavement. "Arthur... No...!" I took hold of his body and rocked it in my arms. Tears fell from my eyes as I wept over his aching, broken body, quivering in my arms. He gurgled an incoherent moan, expressing his agony in a way that ripped my heart out of my chest. "Vi… Virginia…" he chortled, gasping a little for breath, "You look so… Beautiful from down here… Like an angel-" I gingerly placed a finger over his lips, shaking my head. "Don't do that to me now." I cooed, tears falling like rain, "You know better than to scare me like that. You're going to be fine. S
I pressed my lips against his, hoping, praying, that by some miracle he would come back to me, as if out of a fairytale. Only true love's kiss between the maiden and the gentleman, could release him of his mortal fate... The idea seemed so idiotically romantic, I believed foolishly that it would come true. And yet... Not all tales end happily. In an instant, I felt him slip away forever…
"England?" I shook him. He didn't move.
"Darling? PLEASE! WAKE UP! WAKE UP-"
My eyes shot open. I was in the living room, laying on top of my boyfriend's chest on the couch, where I had dozed off in the warmth of the fireplace before us. He had shaken me awake, trying to coax me from dreaming. "Darling, will you wake up for me, please?" the familiar accent whispered softly into my ear. I stirred slightly before sitting up and turning to look at him.
He was alive. Oh my god…
I hurled myself at him. There would be no way that I would ever stop kissing him the way I did now… He was alive. He was alive… When we stopped to catch our breath, I relished in the bewildered look on his face. "That was quite a wake up call, indeed…" He said, his bushy eyebrows arching upward to reveal eyes as wide as saucers. I kissed his cheek, whispering shyly, "I just… I just love you, Arthur. I really do."
He smiled, wrapping his arms around me. "I love you too." he said sweetly, kissing the top of my head. "Now," he chucked, "How about I make us some dinner? I have a present I need to give to you tonight." "And then," I cooed, "We'll have dessert in the bedroom?"
He looked into my eyes and smirked, "Well, I am very fond of dessert…"
