Author's Note: Sorry for not updating sooner but I had major writer's block. This chapter was the hardest I had to do. You have to read it to find out why.

Chapter 25: The Proposal

Gray paced around the room at the Inn the next day. The sun was almost setting. It was almost time for the fireworks festival to start. He remembered his conversation with Amy the day before.

"I would love to watch the fireworks tomorrow, Honey."

"You will, Sweetheart. We will watch it together."

Gray felt nervous. He did not know why but he felt his body tense as he went through his plans again. He had changed into a jade green shirt and blue jeans. The heart-shaped velvet box was in his pocket. He was holding it like a good luck charm.

Suddenly, he heard someone knock on the door. "Gray, Darling?" Gray opened the door to find Amy wearing a light blue dress that emphasized her blue eyes.

"Good evening, Darling." She greeted him with a warm smile.

"Good evening, Sweetheart. You look beautiful."

Amy blushed, which made her even more beautiful in Gray's opinion.

"Shall we go?" He asked. She nodded.

They walked out of the Inn. Gray was holding Amy's hand. Amy was surprised when instead of going to the beach, where everyone else was, they were going up to Mother's Hill. "Honey, why are we going to Mother's Hill?" "The fireworks are best viewed there, Sweetheart." The reply interested Amy. She loved fireworks and if they were best viewed up in Mother's Hill, she would enjoy them immensely.

When they arrived at the peak, a figure was standing there. From the purple bandanna, they knew who it was, Kai. Gray did not know what to do. He could not propose to Amy if Kai was there to see him do it. He wanted it to be special…and private.

"Kai?" It was Amy who spoke. Kai turned around.

"Oh, Hi Amy. What are you doing here with Gray?"

"We are going to watch the fireworks here. What are you doing here?" Amy smiled.

"Well, since Rick is down at the beach, I could not go there with Popuri so I went up here."

Gray wished Kai had not gone there. The other man's presence was making him feel more uneasy.

At that moment, something shot up in the sky. It exploded into an array of pink. Amy gasped as several others followed suit, illuminating the ebony sky in an assortment of different colors:red, blue, green, yellow and even purple. She was amazed. It had been a long time since she had last seen a fireworks display. The last time she could remember was four years ago on New Year's Eve: she was thirteen at the time but the memory remained with her.

Gray watched the fireworks for a moment before his gaze turned to look at Amy. The look on her beautiful face told him how much she loved the sight of the bright display of lights in the sky. She was radiant as her face glowed with each explosion of color. His mind wandered to the plan he had made. How was he going to propose to Amy when Kai was standing just a few feet from them?

"Gray?" Amy's voice broke through his thoughts. He turned to look at her. In the glow of the fireworks, he could see that Amy was blushing profusely. "M…May I talk to you for a moment?" "Of course, Amy." The two walked towards the side of the peak near the forest, where Kai could not see them even if he tried. Gray saw his girlfriend tremble as they made their way to the spot.

"Darling, I…I have something for you." He looked at Amy inquiringly as she held out a long, thin gift-wrapped box. She handed it to him. He took off the wrapper slowly. When he opened the box, Gray was surprised by what he saw.

Amy trembled at the sight of his surprise. 'It's a no.' She thought to herself as her mouth curved into a sad frown. Her mind wandered to the things that could happen to her when Gray spoke up. "Sweetheart?"

"Yes Honey?" She was surprised when he kissed her tenderly on the cheek. He took out a small red, heart-shaped velvet box from his pocket and handed it to her. She opened it immediately. The sight of the object inside made her gasp.

"Will you marry me, Sweetheart?" His planned speech had flown away because of the surprise she had given him.

Amy felt tears of joy forming. She was so happy! She hugged him lovingly, burying her face on his shoulder. "Yes. Oh Darling, yes. I will marry you." Gray smiled as he held her in his arms. He brought her chin up so that they looked into each other's eyes. His lips touched hers as the last of the fireworks exploded in the ebony sky.