"For so long I've been wanting you to do this with me," Ishtar confessed her secrets, "I've always loved you so much Bob...," in a small captivated voice.
In the midst of her pulse racing, mixed-up with a longing look on her face, casting desiring eyes, warmth radiating from both their bodies, with their foreheads resting on eachother's, "I'm sorry for not noticing," Bob Lee said.
It was such a moment for her to remember.
After the heavy confessions, Ishtar pulled the door out of Bob Lee's office, leaving him tightening his trousers belt and shirt buttons, back to her office desk, next door.
While inside, sitting on an inclining chair, a healthy blush on her cheeks displayed while she applied a little lipstick. She paused and touched on the lips, blushing more and more. Recurring vivid in her mind were series of the past incident on a soft office couch with her long time crush and boss, Bob Lee.
"It happened so fast", in a small voice Ishtar said, and she laughed all alone.
Time went by. All the hours she was in the office pressing desktop buttons throughout the rest of the day, she recalled, a smile quirking corners of her mouth, as though she was delighted that she had finally done it, that Bob Lee had made love to her so suddenly and uncontrollably.
"Ring Ring!" An office land line phone rattled with heavy rings, startling her from blissful thoughts.
She panicked to pick it, "Hello!"
"Meet me in the parking lot," behind the phone, a deep male voice instructed Ishtar.
Time check was eight o'clock, the exact time many office doors get locked up. Quickly, Ishtar picked up her coat from the hanger and put it on, together with her pair of sunglasses even though it was a night evening, to hide the shyness on her face from any works she might cross paths with along the way. So fast, she hurried outside, "good night," full of high spirit expressing good wishes to the janitor.
In the parking lot, Bob Lee patiently waited for her in his two seater luxury automobile. Both of them where speechless when she sat inside. He ignited the engine and cruised out of the parking lot to the night road.
After the car had run for a little while, "There's something on your face," on a serious note, he informed her.
Too shy around him, she gave an immediate embarrassed smile and quickly looked into a rear view mirror to help herself, "where is it?" She looked at her face extremely sensitive, turning the head side ways.
"Beauty", Bob Lee answered, "there's beauty on your face, don't you see?"
"Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed in delight, shying upon the compliment which was indeed catchy, "What kind of a joke is that?!" She wondered in question with a big bloom on her cheek, causing Bob Lee to smile and ask whether his words were a lie.
"Am I lying?"
Sooner than later, opposite a wealthy jewelry store right across the road, Bob Lee parked. As he unlocked the driver's door open, he smiled, "I believe the precious moment we've shared earlier today in my office answered all questions."
Ishtar looked thoroughly perplexed, "What do you mean by that?"
Bob Lee, after dragging Ishtar's mind to curiosity, he stepped out and walked to the passenger side, and gentily took her by the hand, correctly out of the car. With a smile on, "lets bring our romance to the next level," he told her.
"Wait!" Ishtar's voice panicked. Written on her face was the desire for a hint on what he was plotting at the moment.
"Just relax and follow my lead, okay?" Calmly he asked.
On a quiet mouth, while Ishtar lagged, by the hand Bob Lee took her and they crossed the road, and gently entered inside the jewelry store.
"Welcome!" Quickly, a young lady named 'Pixie', in the same age bracket with Ishtar, when she saw potential customers she approached them with an open mind and a warm smile.
Since Bob Lee knew what he wanted, his eyes shot straight to the jewelry counters, "Wow...!" He walked closer with Ishtar to look through the glass displays. With a good feeling in his expression, Bob Lee started admiring the different types of jewelry.
In the midst of finding the best piece, from the cuddy came a grown-up man and woman who were husband and wife, with well boxed pieces for him to look at.
Faces covered behind a customer care smile, "we thought you may want to look at these pieces too," the woman spoke behind the counter.
It wasn't long before Bob Lee's attention was pulled towards a diamond ring which shined bright, matching a necklace, bracelet and earrings in a set, when they opened the black box.
"this one," nodding his head, he approved his taste and touched it.
Suddenly, right there near to the jewelry counters, Bob Lee dropped down on a single knee, "Will you marry me?" And proposed.
Ishtar stared Gape-jawed at him. She tried to look around but the store was moving into a spin. Even though her major wish from way back in years was to have him as a husband, the speed at which such a steep mountain was climbed scared her.
In otherwise, the sudden proposal sharpened Ishtar's anxiety.
"No, this is abnormal _ within just half a day!" At the back of her mind she negated the naked truth; "from no where he asked me to marry him, then minutes later he toured every part of my body; okay that's fine I desperately needed it _ but now here we're, holding a Dimond ring in his hand, down on his knee proposing to me! Impossible...."
Inside the jewelry store everyone stood in wait, impatiently with inquisitive faces, as they looked at a very splendid young man kneeling infront of a beautiful young lady dressed in an office suit, to here an energetic 'yes', and watch to climax as a diamond ring fits into her finger.
"My love," Politely in a deep calm voice, Bob Lee requested, "please give me your finger, allow me to put a ring on it."
"My what?" More shocking and surprising to Ishtar to be baptized with a romantic name, she developed goose bumps.
She delved into her handbag, picked out her shades so fast and covered her eyes. She tried to leave but she stayed. This caused Bob Lee to jump off his knee and grabbed her hands, "What is the meaning of this?"
Abruptly, Ishtar pinched her cheek hard in a row.
The adorable grown-up couple, well known to be the jewelry store owners, together with their daughter Pixie, who were smiling, suddenly touched their mouths breathless with eyes widely open, horror-struck by the drama.
"Oh my gosh!" Blurted Pixie, "had she run mad?"
"Why are you hurting yourself?" Bob Lee confoundedly asked and suddenly Ishtar stop pinching herself.
"I just wanted to wake myself up from this dream, but I think it's impossible," Ishtar said in a downcast voice.
"What?!" Bob Lee stared at her in utter disbelief.
Everyone in the store couldn't help it, that the grown-up woman, Pixie's mother whipped a tear which was about to drop, off her eye. It was a very nervous moment.
"Young lady," deeply concerned, Pixie's mother walked to Ishtar with humble words, "by not walking away, you've shown nothing but courage. Don't be afraid to embrace one of the most meaningful chances in life; you won't regret."
Talking with bravery, "Yes, I guarantee," her husband supplemented so lively, "both of you just reminded me back in time when my wife here refused to marry me, scared of my personality," he said recalling. "Of course I was a jerk young man, annoyingly stupid in so many different ways. Long story short, when she finally accepted, non of us is regretting. Infact, the courage I took to kneel down infront of her and propose with a ring in my hand that day, she had never stopped thanking me until now."
"...."
"Tell me... If this was a dream, would you really want to wake-up from it?" Emotionally Bob Lee asked.
"If there's one thing you know like a palm of your hand, is the undeniable fact that I love you crazily, I know you know it," very low in her vibration, she answered, "but am scared you may not protect my feelings...."
"Just tell me how and I will, I promise."
"Are you sure?"
"Hm hmmm," he noded his head, ready to learn how to protect Ishtar's feelings.
"Then put that ring on it," Ishtar stretched out her finger for Bob Lee to dress it with a ring, binning all the worries that haunted her mind.
Gentily, he proudly put an engagement ring on her finger.
Immediately, a cheerful round of applause arose from the watchers. Everyone around wished the young couple to walk out of the store door joyful.
"Last but not least," Bob Lee turned to the jewelry boxes and picked out the diamond necklace, "can you turn around, please?" Softly he put it around her neck, carried the diamond bracelet too, gently tied it on her wrist in joy.
"From now onwards I call you my diamond love," he caressed her with a warm hug as soon as he finished putting earrings softly on her ears, which hanged, shining so attractive.
"Are you nervous like me?" Ishtar asked, smiling.
"Of course not!" Bob Lee uttered, holding her hand while he smiled around the place.
However, Bob Lee made all these efforts on a crushed heart, full of invisible painful wounds. To his ignorance, Ishtar was just a pain killer, not the main healer.
Will their romance really be worthwhile?