Chapter 38: Proposal
Drew sighed at the small box in his hands. "I guess I can forget about proposing…" He muttered to himself as he stared at the beautiful silver ring with a heart-shaped jewel.
"Drew."
Drew heard the voice from behind him and he immediately closed the box and put it in his pocket. He turned around to face May.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be going home?" Drew asked.
May shook her head and walked closer to Drew. She took his hand and looked into his eyes. "Home is where the heart is."
"But...you're mad at me because-"
"I thought that those clues were from you." May cut Drew off. "But they're not."
Drew just stared at her and she continued. "I'm sorry that I blamed you for writing those clues. I was just being...stupid. I know that you've always loved me, but I believed the clues instead of my heart. When Dahlia said that you left her a note for me to do your scavenger hunt, I felt so happy that you prepared a special way for me to reach my gift. And when I started finding the clues, I should've known that you wouldn't say anything like that to me."
"May…"
"Drew, I really want to know what my surprise was if that's okay by you." May said.
Drew frowned. May let go of his hand. "...I'm sorry May, but maybe it's not the right time."
"The right time for what?"
"...Nothing. Just go on home and I'll clean up here." Drew said. He turned away from May and walked towards the end of the dock, bending down to start picking up the roses.
"Drew." May said.
Drew stopped what he was doing and looked up at May.
"Please." May said. "Were these flowers and candles for...something romantic?"
"Yes they were." Drew answered sadly.
"Then what is it?" May asked. "You...still love me, right?"
Drew looked away from May and stared at a canoe that's docked at the end of the dock. "Of course I still love you."
May followed his gaze to the canoe. She silently gasped. "Is that for…" her voice trailed off.
Drew sighed and looked back at May. "Was." He corrected. He stood up and walked to May. "It was going to be for us, but not anymore. Not the right time, remember?"
"For a canoe ride?" May asked.
"No. For…" Drew's voice trailed off.
May cocked her head in confusion. "Drew, if my Valentine's Day present was going to be revealed on that ride, then...you don't have to give it to me. But can we at least go for a ride? You promised me, remember?" She asked shyly.
"One day I wish to go on a real canoe ride. You know...with water." She added, giggling.
Drew stared at May for a moment before he smiled and spoke. "Then I'll take you."
"What?" May asked incredulously.
Drew took May's hand. "I'll take you one day. I promise."
"Of course I remember the promise I made to you." Drew said. "That's why I got us a canoe in the first place."
"Drew...I don't need a Valentine's Day gift from you." May said. She smiled. "Knowing that we're still together is a good enough present for me."
Drew stared at her. ("Those eyes...that smile…") He thought. ("They're why I fell in love with her in the first place.")
May's smile faded when Drew didn't respond. "We are still together, right?"
("All I know when I look into those sapphire eyes is...I never want to be apart from her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I still want to propose to her. Even if she says no...at least I said it to her tonight of all nights. The most romantic day of the year.")
"Drew?"
Drew snapped out of his thoughts. He smiled. "Of course we're still together."
May smiled brightly.
"So, how about that canoe ride?" Drew asked.
May gasped. "Really?" She asked excitedly.
Drew took her hand. "Really." He confirmed. "I don't break promises." May smiled. He led her to the end of the dock and he helped her enter the canoe. "Careful."
May stepped down into the canoe and sat on one of the benches. Drew entered the canoe after her, sitting on the opposite bench, facing her. He picked up two oars that were laying down in the canoe and he positioned them to start rowing. There are roses along the sides of the canoe.
Drew rowed the canoe away from land and they continued moving in the ocean. May looks around them with a smile on her face.
("Just wait until she sees the next part…") Drew thought.
They are now pretty far from land and Drew stops rowing them. He puts the oars down inside the canoe.
"Hey Drew, what's that over there?" May asked, pointing to a light in the distance. Drew looked in the direction of May's pointing and they both watched as the light got closer to them.
"Illumise!" The light seemed to say.
May saw the light get closer and closer to them and she soon found out that it's the light from an Illumise. The Illumise circled around May happily saying its name.
"Aww...it's so cute!" May said as she watched Illumise fly around happily.
"It sure is." Drew said. Illumise looked at Drew and Drew nodded.
"Illumise!" The Firefly Pokémon said happily. They could hear more sounds from many Pokémon.
May looked past Illumise and saw tons of lights coming closer to them. "Wow...looks like Illumise's friends are here!"
There were tons of Illumise and Volbeat circling the canoe now. Their lights lit up the entire area around them. May stared in awe at the sight of the beautiful lights. Cue the music.
(This song is "I See The Light" from Tangled.)
("All those days watching from the windows.") May sang in her head. ("All those years outside looking in.") She scooted closer to the edge of the canoe and continued staring at the lights that surrounded them. ("All that time never even knowing just how blind I've been. Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight. Now I'm here, suddenly I see. Standing here, it's oh, so clear. I'm where I'm meant to be.")
("And at last I see the light. And it's like the fog has lifted.") May sang in her head. The Firefly Pokémon kept circling their canoe. ("And at last I see the light. And it's like the sky is new.") The Illumise and Volbeat started flying upwards, still circling May and Drew. ("And it's warm and real and bright. And the world has somehow shifted…") May stared at the lights, exhaling dreamily. ("All at once everything looks different. Now that I see you…") She turned her head to face Drew. Drew was just smiling at her.
May smiled back at him and looked at the lights again. ("All those days chasing down a daydream.") Drew sang in his head. ("All those years living in a blur. All that time never truly seeing things the way they were.") He watched as a couple of Volbeat and Illumise circled May and she laughed. They flew away from May and she stood up to lean over the edge of the canoe, staring in awe at all the firefly lights.
("Now she's here, shining in the starlight.") Drew sang in his head. ("Now she's here, suddenly I know. If she's here, it's crystal clear.") May sat back down. ("I'm where I'm meant to go.") He sang as he reached out and took May's hand. She looked at him and turned her body to face him. He took her other hand.
"And at last I see the light." They sang together, looking into each other's eyes.
"And it's like the fog has lifted." Drew sang.
"And at last I see the light." They sang together.
"And it's like the sky is new." May sang.
"And it's warm and real and bright." They sang together, beautiful lights around them and their eyes sparkling. "And the world has somehow shifted…" They started singing softer. "All at once everything is different now that I see you…" They held out that note while Drew slowly leaned in closer. "Now that I see you…" They sang, finishing the song as Drew lifted his right hand to brush May's forehead down to her cheek, tucking hair behind her ear.
Drew kept his hand holding May's head and neck. They both continue staring into each other's eyes with the many lights around them.
Drew removed his hand from holding her neck and his other hand from holding her hand. "May...there's something I want to tell you." Drew said.
"Okay. What is it?" She asked.
Drew took a deep breath. "Since the moment I first saw you, I fell in love with you. Even though you were wearing a hood and I couldn't see that you were the Princess of Hoenn...I still fell for you by just staring into your beautiful eyes."
May smiled and blushed.
"And when I met you again as Daisy, seeing as how we became friends and you weren't a crazy fan girl of mine...I knew that I've fallen in love with you again." Drew said. "All throughout Junior year...it was those eyes that caught my attention. Those eyes attracted me to you. It wasn't the blonde hair and blue eyes combo, but the eyes alone. In a way...it was like I already knew that you were the girl I met in the city before you went to school and before you pulled off your wig during the talent show."
While Drew kept talking, May's blush was getting deeper.
"What I'm trying to say is…I love you, Princess May, with all of my heart. And I never want us to be separated from each other. I know that there's no one else...I'd rather spend the rest of my life with." Drew added as he reached in his pocket and took out the ring box.
May gasped silently when she saw the small box. Drew held it in front of him, facing May. Her eyes widened and she brought her hands up to her mouth, staring at the box in shock.
"May, will you make me the happiest man in the world and…" Drew opened the box with his other hand, revealing the silver ring with a pink heart jewel. "Marry me?"
May gasped again. "Drew, I…" May said, mouth slightly open and cupped in her hands. The firefly lights reflected on the ring and made it sparkle. May brought her hands down to her heart and her eyes got watery with happiness.
"Yes." May answered. "Yes. A million times yes!" She said happily.
Drew took out the ring and put it on the ring finger of her right hand. Drew opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by May leaning forward and kissing him on the lips.
He soon closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss as well. He did it. He proposed. And even after the fake scavenger hunt clues, she still said yes to him. It could've been because of the romantic canoe ride. Or maybe it was because of their romantic song. Or maybe it was the words he said to her before he proposed. Whatever it was, Drew and May are both happy with the outcome of the day. Valentine's Day. The most romantic day of the year. And the day they've both been waiting for. The day when Drew would propose to Princess May.
