"Oh my god!" He exclaimed, looking up at the sky. "I didn't know the stars here were so beautiful."
"Yes, city boy. Enjoy the view." I smiled, leaning against the car's bonnet. I had taken him to the highest cliff in that area. It was an area one mile inside a forest. It's the only cliff which can be reached by car. And I knew he would love to gaze at stars.
He came to lean on the bonnet beside me, still gazing at the stars. The stars shone brighter in the dark which can't be really seen in city life. The moon brightened up the forest with its silver light, romanticizing everything by its touch.
"Okay, I can do it." He said after a moment of star gazing.
"What?" I asked.
"I had been preparing this for days now. But time was never right. I know now that this is the right time to do it." He said, confusing me further.
I frowned as he reached out in his pocket inside his coat and pulled out a little box. My mind went astray. I couldn't believe it. My heart beat fastened at a rate it never did before. I never expected it.
He turned his body towards me, holding out the little box. I couldn't help but look into his eyes as he fiddled with the box, exposing a silver ring out under the moonlight.
He took a deep nervous breath. "Kwan." He called, looking me in the eye. "Will you..." He took his time.
My mind couldn't process it. Will you, what? In that moment of ecstasy and bliss, I couldn't control my emotions. "I do." I blurted out.
He scowled with a mix of emotions.
I threw myself at him, hugging him tightly. "There is nothing in the world that I want more than to be with you, Kao. I will marry you." My throat felt tight.
"What!" He exclaimed.
I leaned back and looked at him. "What?"
"Marry?"
"Weren't you proposing for marriage?" I asked.
He shook his head. "No, I...I was asking you out, like to be my boyfriend."
It took me a moment to realize what had just happened and as soon as it sank down, I burst out laughing. He looked at me as if I had grown two heads. Between the hysterical laugh, I wrapped my arms around his wait and pushed him to the bonnet, hovering over him.
"We have come a long way and you are asking me out now?" I asked with a smile.
He smiled back shyly. "We-we never said it out loud so I...I just thought to make it clear...for both of us. But I didn't think you would want to marry me."
"You have a ring out. Who wouldn't think like that?" I asked, my heart bursting with love.
He bit his bottom lip, looking away. "Yeah, right."
I chuckled, reaching out to tug on his chin to free his bottom lip. I leaned forward and kissed him. "Now that you have asked me out, be prepared to handle a boyfriend like me."
He grinned.
I took the ring from the box and looked at it with adoration. He took it from my hand and rolled it on my ring finger. He kissed the ring on my hand and smiled up at me.
"Now you are officially mine." He smiled shyly.
"I have always been yours."
He smacked my arm playfully. "Cheesy."
We laughed, the atmosphere warming up with the happiness that we were radiating.
We sat on the bonnet and gazed at the stars. I couldn't stop feeling the ring on my finger, letting it sink that it really happened, that he put a ring on me.
"Kwan?" He called.
"Hmm?"
"When we used to talk over the phone, most of the time I would go up to the terrace and talk while looking up at the sky. I always dreamed that one day, you would be beside me and we would appreciate the moon together. You were my moon but after you were gone, the moon became you and kept me company during lonely nights. I just hoped that when you looked at the moon, you would be reminded of me." He turned to look at me fondly.
"Kao?"
"Yeah?"
"I never said this. I know you always wanted to hear this and I was a fool to not say it earlier."
"What?"
I took his hand in mine and looked him in the eye. "I love you. I have always loved you and always will."
His eyes filled with emotions I couldn't pin point. His chin trembled and he broke down into tears. "I love you too, Kwan. Always have and always will." He pulled me into an embrace, crying silently.
I held him dearly, swallowing the lump in my throat myself.
"Took you long enough to say it, huh?" He laughed between his cries.
I chuckled. "Sorry I couldn't gather courage before."
He leaned back and poked my head. "Silly." He clutched a handful of my hair and crushed his lips against mine. He tasted sweet as always. I pressed both my hands against the bonnet, balancing myself. I was extremely turned on when he started to bite my lips and he bit it too hard. I could tell he was losing all control, unleashing all his desires that he had been holding on because he started to climb over me and the bonnet wasn't a place to do it. If I lost balance, we both would fall.
"Kao. Kao." I breathed. "This isn't the right place."
He turned me a deaf ear and continued to kiss me aggressively, his hand reaching out to unbutton my shirt. He trailed kisses down my jaw and nibbled on my neck. The cold breeze touched my skin, raising goosebumps all over my body. His warm mouth explored my neck, his hand moving down to touch me.
"Kao, there are wolves here." I said and he froze. He leaned back and climbed off me.
"Wolves?" He asked, looking around in fear.
I laughed. "There are. You still want to continue?"
He gulped down. "I would love to but I don't want to die. We just became official."
I leaned my head back and laughed. "Let's continue later, okay? I hate to stop it right when it became heated but we need to head back."
"Yeah, you are right." He climbed off the bonnet, looking around. "Come on, let's go."
We drove out of the forest in silence. The mention of wolves had distracted him completely. He was keeping a keen eye around our surroundings to catch any suspicious movement of any animal.
"Now that you have mentioned it, I think I heard howls before." He said.
I smiled and shook my head. It really got him.
"But we can just shoo away one wolf. We are two."
"Wolves hunts in packs. If you see one wolf, run for your life because the other wolves would be nearby."
"Really?" He was genuinely surprised. "A pack?"
I nodded.
"Like a male and his females?"
I shook my head. "Wolves have one mate for their entire lifetime. Once their mate dies, they never take up a new mate. They will remain lonely forever until they die."
"Wow. The purity of love is boundless."
I nodded. "It is."
"No wonder you are a husky."
I looked at him.
"They are descendants from wolves, right?"
I chuckled. "Then what are you? A caterpillar?"
His eyes widened. "You still remember? Oh god. But I always wondered why you always called me a caterpillar. I mean there is nothing sexy to it so why?"
"Nevermind. You are not a caterpillar anymore. The caterpillar has turned into a beautiful butterfly now."
He gasped. "Oh my god. You put such deeper meanings to things."
I smiled.
I hadn't realized that my phone was on silent until I reached home and mom was furious. She had been calling me. There were several missed calls from Jeremy too and it was strange because he never called more than twice at a time. The surprise waiting for me at home was my dad and grandad. They had returned to celebrate my birthday. The biggest surprise was the death of me- Diana. Grandpa had brought her with him. I kept a straight face as Diana greeted me. Kao had no idea about anything and I needed to explain before the other started talking. But it was too late as during dinner, grandpa spilled everything.
"Are you guys not dating yet?" Grandpa asked and I almost choked on my dinner.
I looked at him with a little smile, shaking my head. I didn't even have the courage to look at Kao. His head was hung low, eating quietly.
Diana blushed and took a sip of her water."Kwan is such a gentleman Pa."
Grandpa laughed out loud. "Of course he is. Whose grandson is he after all? We should start dating already. I hope the date went well last time. You should go for another one here. This town is beautiful."
"Ay Dad, I think they should take time to decide. We shouldn't be forcing them." Mom spoke up.
I was unable to swallow the food. I glanced at Kao and he was just staring at his plate and chewing slowly. I could almost feel how hard it was to swallow for him too.
"Why! Diana is pretty and well-mannered. She will make a great daughter-in-law." Grandpa insisted.
"I think it's too early to talk about marriage, Dad." My dad muttered quietly.
Grandpa shook his head, pressing his lips together.
I stared down at my plate, swallowing hard. I wouldn't be able to finish everything that my mom had cooked with love. Just as everything went up to its peak, suddenly all of it came running downhill. We had one moment of bliss just a while ago.
"Are you married, Kao?" Mom diverted the question, observing how quiet Kao had become.
He looked up and looked around in a daze. "Huh? Me? No, not yet."
"Engaged then?" Mom smiled, gesturing at the ring on his finger.
He glanced at me nervously. "Y-yeah."
My heart skipped a beat.
"Wow, what does she do?" Mom pushed the conversation further.
Now everybody on the table seemed interested. And all the attention had thrown him off-guard.
"She is a teacher." I answered. "At our school." I said and everybody nodded.
He stared at me for a brief moment and I couldn't make out what his eyes said.
"So you are a doctor?" Grandpa asked.
Kao nodded. "Y-yes."
Grandpa nodded and the look on his face said he was pleased. "That's a profession I really respect. Good for you, son."
Kao smiled. "Thank you."
Before it got more uncomfortable, I brought up the topic of business and it was the only topic that could keep Grandpa distracted and sure enough it did. The conversation didn't end until dinner time and Kao quietly left for his room. Grandpa held onto me with the conversation and I couldn't follow after Kao.
I guess the odds were against me because when I was freed, Diana caught me and asked to have a little talk outside. Time was already running away and I had a lot to explain.
"It's going to rain, isn't it?" Diana asked, watching the lightening at the distance.
I held on patiently and nodded. "Probably."
She let out an exhale. "I have never been here during winters. I only know summer here. But I guess winter is more beautiful here."
I nodded, my thoughts running to the one-I know-who was probably crying silently alone on his room. "Um Diana, if you don't mind, can you tell me what you wanted to talk about? I am actually tired."
Her face fell. "Oh. It's nothing. I just wanted to have a little chat, nothing more."
I nodded. "In that case, I should get going. Enjoy the weather." I said, walking away in a hurry.