Better Memories

There were plenty of sweet stories shared by others, whether in writing or through social media posts. Some even got proposed to at other people’s weddings. But when she thought about all of that, it just made July cranky. Not that she wasn’t grateful for all the good things that had come her way, but the fact that Chansel had proposed so casually still bothered her.

“Let’s have dinner at the boutique, okay?”

“Huh? The boutique? Why?” July was completely taken aback by Chansel’s invitation to dinner at the boutique.

When Chansel raised an eyebrow and looked at her in surprise, July cleared her throat quietly. “I mean, why do we have to eat there?”

“Why not?”

“Well, there are other places. We don’t have to go to an expensive restaurant, or we can just go to my place.”

Chansel chuckled softly. “Do you think I invite you to the boutique because I don’t want to spend money on you?”

“No, that’s not it,” July replied, her voice softer now.

“Listen, July dear. I’m taking you to the boutique because that’s where we first met. It’s where we had our first conversation about many things. I also learned a lot about you there.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Well, it’s not about the place or the food. I just want to spend our special day in a place that’s meaningful to us. But if you have any objections, we can go to a restaurant or wherever you want.”

July shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I’ll go there.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” July nodded twice to emphasize that she had no problem with Chansel wanting to eat at the boutique.

“Thank you, honey,” Chansel said, smiling and patting July’s hand.

In the end, July decided to give in. She couldn’t be selfish and refuse to go to the boutique. Besides, Chansel had a reasonable explanation for choosing this place. It was special to him, too. It was his home and the place where he spent most of his life. Shouldn’t she be grateful that Chansel wanted to spend their special day there?

“What do you want to eat?” Chansel asked, taking his cell phone out of his pocket. It looked like he was about to order food for delivery and hoped they wouldn’t have to wait too long for it to arrive.

“Whatever, sure,” July said casually. Then she looked down the street with a serious expression on her face.

“Okay. Is the pasta okay?” asked Chansel.

“Sure.”

Chansel then tapped on his phone, probably ordering food from a nearby place since they were almost at their destination. Maybe he ordered now because he was hungry, and July’s stomach had been growling for a while, demanding to be filled.

When they reached the boutique, July jumped out of the car without waiting for Chansel to open the door for her. Not because she was mad at him, she just wanted to save time so he could park the car while she went inside. Chansel followed after turning off the engine. He reached out and pushed the glass door in front of July with a sweet smile. July looked up and smiled back. Once inside, Chansel turned on the light. He seemed to know exactly where the light switches were in this two-story building.

“Shall we eat upstairs?” July asked.

“Yeah, upstairs.”

“Okay.”

“You go up first, I’ll wait here for the food.”

July tilted her head and gave him a puzzled look. Chansel shook the phone in his hand.

“It’ll be here soon.”

“Oh, okay.”

July decided to go upstairs first. She could arrange the dishes they would use for dinner while Chansel waited for the food to arrive. It would save time, too. She glanced back before taking the stairs to the second floor. Chansel was already on the terrace. He smiled when he realized that he had only come to open the door and turn on the light for her. When she realized that he had paid attention to her, her anger immediately faded. No matter how simple and unromantic Chansel’s proposal had been earlier in the day, only she knew how sweet this man could be.

When she reached the second floor, July went straight to the small kitchen in the corner of the room. She grabbed two plates, glasses and spoons that they would use later. All of these items were new because Chansel had secretly filled the boutique with them after renovating it. Well, it wasn’t all Chansel’s hard work, because Bella had worked tirelessly for this as well. July remembered Bella complaining endlessly about having to pick out plates and glasses. So it wasn’t surprising that all the dishes had a sweet and feminine touch.

After putting all the dishes on the table, July waited for Chansel. It was strange that he didn’t come up right after her. Perhaps the food he had ordered hadn’t arrived yet?

July was about to catch up to Chansel when a rumbling sound echoed from the streets, followed by a commotion. Hearing this, July rushed to the window without glass that was usually used for lounging. She peered down to see what was happening. She wanted to make sure Chansel was okay.

When she reached the window, July was surprised. All the lights were out and the streets were in darkness. She looked back at her shop, and only the lights in that building were on. Was this a power outage or something? If it was a power outage, why were the lights in her shop still on?

Also, the streets were deserted. Besides the darkness, there was nothing but silence. Her fingers clenched on the windowsill, memories of the terrible fire came back. What had really happened?

“Chansel!” she shouted, trying to locate the man while turning on the flashlight on her phone.

But the light from her phone wasn’t bright enough to see the situation. It didn’t even reach the street.

“Chansel Jadwin!!!” she called louder, but there was still no response. Her eyes began to well up, and July turned back. But before she could fully turn away, a light appeared at one point on the street. July hesitated, trying to make sense of the situation.

Out of the light on the street came two men with a violin playing sweetly. Shortly after, another light came on, and this time another man appeared with a stand microphone in front of him. He began to sing to the accompaniment of the violin. “All of Me” by John Legend was now echoing through the streets. More lights appeared, revealing a dozen men and women dancing to the song. They all looked at her as if she were the only audience they had to entertain. July fell silent; all of this left her stunned.

Oh no, what’s all this about the street performance that’s going on now? None of this seemed to have anything to do with her. They were probably participating in a competition or something. Her thoughts were still on Chansel. Where on earth was he?

She let out a slow breath and was about to leave the place. But her steps were stopped again when another light appeared. The light came from Chansel’s car, which seemed to have been parked across the street for who knew how long. The back of the car was open and filled with flowers. Chansel was now standing next to his car holding a bunch of floating balloons. He looked up at July with a smile on his face.

Not only that, but other store balconies were now lit up with fireworks. Around the musicians, dancers, and Chansel himself, colorful little lights could be seen. The man then joined in singing the rest of the song that was still playing. Shortly after, the male singer’s voice stopped, leaving only the sound of the violin.

“I’m not a romantic type, July. But I love you. I want to spend time with you until the end of time. Maybe I’m a jerk who made you cry a lot. Although you look pretty damn beautiful even when you’re crying, believe me, I’d rather see that smile on your lips. Chansel’s voice echoed through the streets, leaving July speechless.

“I want to see your smile much longer and be with you forever. Even if death separates us, I’ll beg for us to go together. Because I don’t want to leave you alone without me, and I can’t live without you. If I’ve broken your heart before, I want to make up for it by making you happy for the rest of my life. So will you marry me?”

July covered her mouth with both hands. Tears welled up in her eyes and her body tensed as she stared down at Chansel. Earlier, she had grumbled about the unromantic proposal he had made. But now, with all the surprises he had in store for her, she couldn’t find the words.

“I ask you again, will you marry me, July Caerwyn?” Chansel looked up now and took a deep breath as his eyebrows furrowed. “Please take me as your husband!”