“All I Think About”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: “I dream of painting and then I paint my dream.” — Vincent Van Gogh

“What are you doing?” she asks, stifling a yawn as she walks down the stairs.

“Painting,” I say, returning my attention to my canvas.

“But it’s the middle of the night.”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

She stops beside me and stares at my canvas. “What are you painting?”

“My dream.”

As she watches me move across her canvas, her eyes soften. “Is that… us?” she whispers.

“Yeah,” I murmur. My heart begins pounding; she hasn’t understood yet. She hasn’t really seen my painting.

And when she does see it, what will she think? When she realizes what I’m about to ask her, will she still want to be with me? Will it scare her away?

She stays silent as I put on the finishing touches. A final speck of white on her finger. Then I put down my brush.

Suddenly, her hand flies to her mouth. “Henry?” she gasps. “Is that what I think it is?”

I swallow the lump in my throat as I reach a trembling hand into my pocket. I hadn’t meant to do this now; I was going to wait to present her the finished painting in the morning. But I guess there’s no time like the present.

The ring box almost tumbles out of my hand because of how much I’m shaking. But finally, I manage to pop it open as I kneel in front of her.

“Annie,” I murmur, looking up into her sparkling eyes. “I love you so much. You’re all I think about, day and night. So, will you make my dreams come true? Will you be my wife?”

Final Comments: It originally wasn’t supposed to be a proposal story, but one thing led to the next and now they may (or may not) be getting married!

Overall Rating: 😍