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"What the heck is that?" she asked, gesturing towards a white canvas that had three green stripes intersecting in one corner. "I painted more interesting pictures when I was four."
"Your parents should have pushed you harder," I joked. "Maybe then you'd be showcasing your own work next to—" I leaned in to get a better look at the title. "Deforestation."
"If only."
"At least that title sort of makes sense," I said. "If you think of the lines as trees or forests, and you only have three on this one but—" I spun towards the opposite end of the gallery, realizing the whole wall contained almost identical paintings, each with a different number of green stripes. "More on those." I kept spinning until I met her decidedly unimpressed posture.
"Save your breath," she said, looking around like she’d seen enough.
"Maybe we'll be more dazzled by what's in the next room." I nodded towards the opening in the wall behind her.
"Seems unlikely," she said, her dress swinging with her hips as she waltzed through the gap in the wall.
I followed, smiling when I saw that my plans had been executed to my exact specifications…right down to the shocked expression on Maddy's face as she eyed the next painting.
"What the—?" Her words faded away as she pointed at the canvas before us.
I reached over, tipped her chin to close her mouth, and glanced at the painted words she kept reading again and again. My words. Will you be my woman, Maddy?
"Quinn—"
When she turned to face me, I dropped to one knee and watched her face pale as I pulled a velvet box from my pocket and popped it open. She looked relieved when she realized it was bracelet, like maybe she wouldn’t faint after all. "What'll it be, Maddy? Can I call you my girlfriend?"
She blinked at me.
"I'm going to need some sort of verbal response."
"Yes," she said. "Of course. Sorry. I'm just— How did you—?" She glanced from me to the bracelet to the canvas and back to me. "Get up," she said, pulling me to my feet.
I smiled. "Good surprise?"
"You're a lunatic," she said, raising an arm towards the canvas. "You didn't have to do this. You already knew the answer to that question."
"I wanted to double check," I said. "Now that you've had a week to think about it."
"I didn't need a week."
My chest swelled. "Want to see your present again?"
Her eyes lit up, overwhelming her embarrassment, and her reaction was so cute it made me want to surprise her all over again. Tomorrow. The next day. Heck, I’d gladly spend the rest of my life brainstorming ways to make her blush. I handed her the box and watched her drag her finger along the delicate silver chain to where the tiny anchor charm sparkled.
"These are ungettable," she said, her eyes fixed on the bracelet.
"I know." I lifted my chin to get a good look at it. "You mentioned that on your blog."
Her eyes flicked up at me.
"And while I thought the Claire's swap you suggested for women on a budget was helpful, an esteemed fashion blogger like yourself should have the real thing, don't you think?" I could tell she was impressed, and it made me feel seven feet tall.
"How did you get this?" she asked. "They aren't even available to the public till the fall."
"The public, no. That's what I was told, too."
"Quinn, I can't accept this."
"You have to," I said. "My feelings will be hurt if you don't put it on this instant, and like you said, there's nowhere to return it to."
Her eyes feigned disproval but when a smile sweetened her lips, I bent down to kiss her, weaving my hand through her silky hair so I could tilt her mouth towards mine. Her body leaned against me, and I used my free hand to pull her close, my heart pounding at how much I missed being pressed up against her.
