Words.
There are words, and then there are words. Some words are confusing. Some words are nice, hurtful or caring. But what if you don't use the right words? What happens then?
Percy nervously rang the doorbell of his girlfriend Annabeth's apartment, his hands shaking. They had been dating for over two years, and he was going to propose that night at dinner. He was so anxious that he couldn't speak, and if he did, random words would come out.
Annabeth answered the door. She was wearing a beautiful red dress with sparkly silver shoes and a gray belt. "Hi, Percy," she greeted him, making all his worries fade away. Or so he thought.
"You…you look beauty tonight." He cursed himself in his head. Of course he would mess up! "I mean, you look amazement."
Annabeth looked confused, but she smiled anyway. She knew Percy was a Seaweed Brain, but he had never been this bad. She took his hand, laughing in her head at his antics.
"You know I love you, right?" Annabeth asked Percy, hugging him as they walked. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak, which was probably a good idea. His words were still jumbled up in his brain. He knew it was normal to be scared, but not this terrified.
They made it to the restaurant without any more confusion, thankfully for Percy. He was getting even more nervous with each step. When they got inside, he excused himself to use the bathroom, where he checked that he still had the ring in his pocket. Thankfully, he did.
The couple ordered their meal and ate in silence, except for Annabeth making remarks about every dish they sampled. After they had eaten, Percy stood up. He had been gathering up his courage since the beginning of dinner.
"Annabelle," he started, mentally punching himself for failing. "I'm sorry, I'm just so nervous. I've never done this before, and it's really hard. I mean, what if you say no?" He was aware that he had started rambling to himself, but he couldn't stop.
"I love you, and I think you love me too. I wish we could be forever, but we can't. We have to live in the now." His voice softened. "So, Annabeth, will you marry me?"
The rest of his sentence was drowned out by her shouting "Yes!" and wrapping her arms around Percy's neck. And as they kissed, Percy realized something: maybe the words that came out of his mouth were the right ones after all.