A Birthday Proposal

***

'I will be right back,' murmured Jenny. Daniel watched her lazily from the bed as she walked towards her bag and returned a moment later with a rectangular box in her hand.

Daniel sat up and reached for her. He pulled her close to him and stroked her cheek.

'What is it?' asked Daniel as he looked down at the box in her hand.

Mustering all the courage she could, Jenny looked at Daniel and offered a small prayer. Daniel looked at Jenny curiously as he couldn't understand what was going.

'Daniel ...,' said Jenny softly as she moved a little further away.

'Yes, baby,' he said unable to comprehend the situation before him.

'I know that this might be awkward for you,' said Jenny as she looked at Daniel. He urged her to go on. 'It's only been 2 years but it seems like I have known you forever. I love you with all my heart and I love you more than anything else in this world. Life has been a wonderful journey so far with you. You mean the world to me and I would like to spend the rest of my life with you.'

Jenny got down on her knees, opened the box and placed it on the bed near him. He peeked into it and stared at the card which had the following message scribbled on it,

'I cannot think of anything more perfect and wonderful than being your wife. Will you marry me?'

Jenny looked at Daniel who smiled back at her. He pulled her up, cuddled her and whispered against her ear, 'I love you too, Jenny. Nothing seems complete without you and yes, I will marry you.' Hearing his reply, Jenny launched herself at him, planting wild and frisky kisses all over him.

Finally, Daniel pulled her apart. Tears welled up in her eyes as Daniel pulled a tiny box from the nightstand drawer and flipped open the box. The diamond glittered as he took the ring and placed it on Jenny's finger.

'I bought the ring few months back. I wanted you to complete your college before popping the question. But seems like ...'

'I love you,' murmured Jenny against his lips silencing him. 'You didn't see your gift,' said Jenny as she retrieved the scrap book under the card and handed it to Daniel.

'A Small gift for someone really special ...' said the black cover of the scrapbook. Jenny snuggled closer to Daniel as he opened the scrapbook. He looked at all the souvenirs that Jenny had collected -- the entry ticket to the musical night where they had met, the café bill of their first date, their first movie ticket, the tissue on which he had scribbled his number in a hurry, cute little messages indicating how much he meant to her, pictures of them together at parties and the last page in the scrapbook ended with the line 'Daniel -- the guy who makes each day of my life a beautiful one'. At the back cover of the scrapbook, she had their initials calligraphed.

Daniel looked at Jenny who was running her fingers over the letters. He knew that she might have spent weeks over it. None of his friends or ex-girlfriends had done something so amazing and beautiful for him. He was overwhelmed as he looked at the wonderful girl he had in his life.

'Like it?' asked Jenny as she looked at Daniel expectantly.

'Nothing will ever match up with what you have done for me today. This will always be the best birthday. Thank you for everything and most importantly, thank you for choosing me. I love you and I always will,' said Daniel as he kissed her forehead.

'You are welcome and I love you too, Dan,' whispered Jenny as she allowed him to cuddle her.