"Is everything all right?" I asked Samus once we reached the balcony. She had asked me to follow her somewhere so we could be alone. It was such a sudden request, but it seemed important to her. I had noticed that, for some days now, she appeared rather preoccupied with something.
"Yeah, it's just… I want to do this right."
She reached into her pocket, taking out a small gift box. It was wrapped with utmost care.
"Oh? What's this?" My heart began to swell with delight, realizing it was meant for me. She only smiled, waiting for me to open it. So I did. Inside was perhaps the most beautiful brooch I had ever seen, too beautiful to exist even in dreams. But this was no dream.
"When I saw it, it made me think of you," she said. "Well, to be honest… You've been, um, well…on my mind…a lot… Ugh, is that weird to say? I'm sorry… I'm really bad at this kind of thing. What I'm trying to say is…" she briefly paused, blushing. "…I might, y-you know, maybe just a little…"
I took her hand in mine, giving it an encouraging squeeze. That always seemed to ease her, but it helped to quell my own nerves as well. We were both still shy, but at that moment, we were never more certain of our feelings for one another.
She continued, features hopeful. "So, if I give this—give us—a chance, will you?"
The answer was quite evident in my smile.
