Jay nervously tugged at his collar. Today was the day.
"Don't worry, Jay," he told himself, as he paced in front of the bathroom mirror. "Everything will be fine."
But as he paced faster, he felt his hands fly to the sides of his head in worry. "What if I forget what to say?"
His strides continuously got faster. "What if I trip and fall flat on my face?"
He gripped the countertop, staring at himself in the mirror. "What if she says no?" This question had haunted him ever since he had bought the ring.
The diamond in the center of the golden band sparkled, but had nothing on her eyes. The way they shone made him feel contented.
The gem might've been precious, but it was nothing compared to how precious she was to him.
If she held this ring up in the mirror, she would see two things of, uh, great value!
Okay, so he needed to work on that a bit. But he couldn't concentrate with all this pressure and worry!
He inhaled a long breath. "You can do this, Jay. Just ask her out to dinner tonight, then make your move." He gave himself an unconvincing smile and left the bathroom to go look for Nya.
Nya frowned at her phone. Two texts from Kai, a new high score on Jetpack Joyride, a great Facebook status and yet, she couldn't beat Zane at Words With Friends. She was just about to see if 'Kragle' was a word, when Jay popped his head into the room, looking nervous.
"H-hey Nya? Could we talk for a sec?" He noticed her phone and added quickly, "If you're busy, I could come back later-"
"No, Jay! Not at all! Come on in!" Nya motioned for him to sit down on the bed beside her. The mattress squeaked a little at his added body weight.
Jay fidgeted with his sleeves. "Um, I was wondering if I could take you out to dinner tonight? Maybe around six? Nothing fancy, just a casual sort of date . . . Only if you want! If you don't want to I totally understand-"
"I would love to, Jay." Nya beamed at her boyfriend, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He grinned back, just making Nya smile wider. She loved Jay's smile.
"Great! So, I'll meet you in the courtyard at six?" Jay asked. Nya nodded. "Awesome! Love you, Nya." He kissed her forehead, then glanced at her phone. "And you could do the word 'glare' if you wanted."
Nya nearly facepalmed right there. Why hadn't she thought of that? "Thanks, Jay!" She called after him as he left the room.
Nya checked her watch. Jay was never late! He was probably the most punctual of all the ninja! So where was he?
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Nya!" Jay came up, still looking nervous, and with his hand in his pocket. Why was he so nervous? They had been on tons of dates!
But Nya ignored these thoughts and slipped her hand into his. Her black bob of hair was pushed back with a hair clip on the left side of her head. Her amber eyes shone at the thought of spending a night with Jay.
Meanwhile, though he had combed his light brown hair neatly, Jay's lightning blue eyes were filled with fear. What if she says no? But he pushed this thought to the back of his mind and lightly squeezed Nya's hand.
Jay took Nya to a nice restaurant that was casual, but had good service and food. They talked for a bit while they waited for their food to arrive. Then Nya, who had finished her iced tea, went to the bathroom. When she came back, their food had arrived and her drink had been refilled.
Nya had just started thinking this date couldn't possibly get better when they shared a milkshake, but then Jay stood up shakily. "Nya? I-I have something to say."
He dropped to one knee and Nya stood up in surprise. This wasn't real, right? "Nya, from the moment I met you, I knew you were the only one for me," Jay began. "You were pretty, smart and nice. But then, I came to realize I was wrong."
Nya was confused at first. But Jay continued. "You aren't pretty; you're beautiful. You aren't just smart; you're intelligent and wise. You aren't just nice; you're caring and compassionate. You also proved you can take care of yourself in battle."
Tears of joy were forming in Nya's eyes at this point. "Nya, you are the only one for me," Jay whispered, pulling out a small, velvet box. Flipping it open, Nya saw a sparkling gold ring with a diamond in the center. "Nya, will you marry me?"