"Are you happy now?" Zoey crossed her arms around her chest when she saw that goofy smile on Nickel's face. It makes her even madder than she was before. Is this man mocking me and not taking me seriously?
Nickel took a deep breath and said, "Oh! Honey, you don't know how happy I am right now!" and with that, he hugged her really tight just like how he always imagined and dreamt off.
Nickel couldn't contain his emotion at that moment; he didn't know whether he should be mad that his supposed to be confession turns to be like a joke because Zoey stole it from his spotlight or to rejoice that the feelings between them were all have been mutual ever since.
She made her the happiest person in the world when she said that she likes him. Actually, after considering everything else, he doesn't care about the surprise that he prepared, even though he also racked all his brain cells just to put up the most romantic confession in his universe.
Zoey was struggling to breath when Nickel noticed that his bear hug was too much for her. He let her go but never broke his sight to her.
A moment of silence embraced the two after that. Which makes it awkward on Zoey's part because by this time she is now realizing what she has done. "Why did I tell him that?" Zoey wanted to smack herself for being too careless on admitting her feelings to him.
Just to avoid making it much unfavorable, Zoey tried to make things clearer. "How did I make you the happiest living man?" Zoey is still in her slightly bitchy persona.
Nickel couldn't think of a word that can describe his feeling so he just pulled her to the middle of the garden where he's supposed to be surprised lies.
Under the starry night, the heart of the garden became the dreamiest setup of any romantic movies showed in theaters. The labyrinth garden was filled with flowers of all kinds, mostly are Zoey's favorite flower, sunflowers. Starlight illuminated the place; that looked like fireflies from afar. A romantic melody was playing in a tiny speaker at the corner. There is also a table for two in the center, where wine and surprisingly Jollibee meals dined on the table.
Zoey suddenly didn't know how to use her tongue because she becomes speechless from what Nickel had shown to her.
"This is what I meant!" Nickel spread his arms to indicate that he wanted to present to her this and all of these. He is actually nervous from what will Zoey say because her face right now is not favorable to what he expected.
"What is the meaning of this?" she asked her with her jaw still dropped. She doesn't sound good that makes Nickel want to disappear from his spot. He thought that it would fail if Zoey will not appreciate nor accept it. He hands seem like a faucet from all the sweat it exerts.
"I mean, I not being judge-y here, but what is the meaning of this. Why are you showing this to me?" Sometimes being dumb needs to be placed appropriately now is not the time for that. Nickel doesn't tease or mock her because he still has a mission to fulfill and that is to please this girl in front of him.
"Before I answer you, let me first lead you to the chair to sit down," Nickel pulled the chair and waited for Zoey to be seat before he slightly pushed it to the table like what gentleman do to their muse.
After assuring that she settled in her seat, Nickel sat across her and began answering her.
"There a girl I really like, very much. She is the most beautiful girl that I saw in my entire life. Ambivert. Bubbly. Lovely. Most of the time she's weird with a rotten funny bone and slightly nerdy. Wait! Did I say that she is beautiful? If not, yes she is gorgeous in all ways possible. I meet her several times before I went back home here." "Seriously? You're telling me that girl crush of yours after I confess that I like you?" Zoey cut him off after realizing that the answer she is waiting for turns to be a tell-it-all-description segment for this night.
"Oh! I forgot to mention that she is also impatience. Waiting is not her game. Let me talk first, honey." Nickel looked at her with his wide eyes to shut her up.
"As I was saying, I only meet or bump her in the lobby of our office in Montana. Perhaps I saved the world during my previous life because when I was moved from Montana to Manila, she was also relocated the same as I am.
That was the first happiest moment of my life. Fate is really on my side when I meet her again during my best friend's wedding, I became her pseudo-boyfriend to shoo out her annoying ex-lover who unfortunately is my best friend's cousin. Now, I know why Leo is sometimes annoying and irritating.
That pseudo association that we had made me earned my confidence that maybe there will be a day that we can turn this into a real relationship.
Day by day, I think we are becoming closer to each other's because she can now ask me to feed her dog when is not around, she can let me babysit her precious, Happy. When I was sick and collapsed in the bathroom, she took care of me without asking for anything in return."
Nickel took her hand on the table and holds it with her both hands then continues, "When I realized that my simple affection developed into something deeper that makes me don't want to lose her and needs her to be by my side at all means possible. That is why I did all of these just for her.
But the thing is before I say that I love her with at the fibers of my being, she also confessed that she also like me.
Zoey, you are not my girl toy, because you are my only girl in this lifetime. I'm not playing with her feeling, it is just that you are too naïve to realize that I like you and those are not my mix signals for you. I'm actually showing you my affection as simple as I thought I should be. Of course, I don't want to scare you, darling. And I will never stop caring for you until my last breath, take that as my promise.
Zoey I will never stop letting you feel how my I love you. I love you very much!
Will you be my girl forever?"