The ferry chugged along smoothly as the light of the late afternoon sun glimmered off the surface of the water. The water was warm, even for late summer, and seagulls cried distantly above the ferry as it moved lazily toward the shore.
Skylar Lutz smiled tiredly as she grabbed the support bar in front of her and leaned against it. She was a young woman, twenty three years old, and her deeply tanned skin seemed to glow as the sun bounced off of her wrists, "Why are we out here?" She asked, still smiling.
Standing beside her was tall young man of average build. He too, was tanned, but it was clear that his heritage had given him naturally brown skin, "Why do we need a reason? It's a gorgeous day outside and I thought it would be nice for us to do something a little different than just going to the mall or whatever."
She chuckled lowly, "If you wanted to be alone with me, we could have gone somewhere where I'd at least have a chance to escape if you got too handsy."
He laughed as he tousled the girl's shoulder length brown hair, "How's that for hadsy, Sky? I'm gonna mess up all the work you put into your hair this morning."
She giggled and pushed him away, "It's too late Jay; the ocean has already done that."
Jay Bradburry was, among other things, Skylar's boyfriend. The two had been dating seriously for nearly two years, and Jay had recently graduated college and had gained himself a bachelor's degree in business. Skylar was on her last semester of school, and between finals the two had been enjoying a little more time with each other for the past several weeks.
Jay rescinded his assault and stepped closer to her to admire the view, "It's pretty amazing out there... the sun looks like it's CGI'd into the sky."
Skylar laughed, "What do you think people said before computers existed? 'Oh, look at the wonderful view, it's like a very realistic overstated painting' " She said mockingly as she looked at it with him.
"Don't be a jerk, I was just thinking out loud," Jay laughed.
"I'm not being a jerk, I'm just freakin' grumpy because you brought me out here and you didn't even bring a drink!" She grinned as she bumped him with her hips.
"Ta-da," Jay produced a small thermos dangling from his hip and handed it to her, "Your favorite."
She took the bottle suspiciously, "My favorite, huh? We'll see." She took a careful sip before her eyes widened, "Oh my gosh, is this yuhoo?"
Jay laughed, "Yup. I had to open five of those stupid cardboard cartons just to fill the bottle; you're welcome."
She took a long drink and shuddered with delight, "Best drink ever made," she sighed contentedly as she closed the lid.
"It's like chocolate water," Jay commented with a wry grin.
Skylar gave him a flat look, "I don't expect you uncultured swine to understand yuhoo; it's a sophisticated drink."
"Oh yeah? Then I'll stick with my pauper's beverages, thank you very much."
She cackled, "If you don't like it, why do you even have them in the first place?"
"For you, dumb head," he laughed. "Did it occur to you that I might want to keep your favorite drink around for special occasions?"
"Sure, but what's more likely is that you're carrying it around to placate me if we get into a fight."
"That's not what this is for," he assured her with a smile. "I wasn't planning on getting into a fight with you."
"Okay, so what's the occasion?"
He grinned, "Finish your drink."
She frowned, "Why?"
"Just do it, I know you can polish it in one go."
She gave him a sideways smile, "Are you goading me into drinking this entire bottle of yuhoo? Because, if you are, you should know that you're playing a losing game, sir."
He shrugged, "Big talk for someone who's five six and weighs a hundred and thirty five pounds."
She slugged him playfully, "Now who's the jerk?!" She laughed and glanced around. The closest people to them were completely oblivious and it was clear that no one was overhearing them, but she blushed slightly, "Two things: One, I'm one thiry, don't make me fatter than I am, and two, who goes around blurting out their girlfriend's weight and size to the world?"
"A guy who wants to get into a fight?" He laughed as he nudged the bottle she was holding, "Yuhoo?"
She tried to give him an angry look, but failed and ended up laughing, "This is all very entertaining, but I still want to know why you brought me out here."
"Drink the yuhoo and I'll tell you."
She sighed and shook her head as she gave him a hesitant smile, "Fine. I'll drink the stinkin' yuhoo."
Skylar popped the lid on the steel bottle and leaned back as she lifted it to her lips. She drank deeply of her favorite beverage, savoring it as it slid down her throat and cooled her insides. Her eyes were turned away from her boyfriend, and when she'd finally drained the bottle of it's contents she flipped upward and sighed heavily, "There, are you..." she stopped mid sentence as she saw Jay kneeling down in front of her.
"Marry me, Sky," he said as he held up some sort of box.
The world blurred around Skylar for a moment as she processed what was happening. Jay was down on one knee, and he was holding a box with something inside of it. It was ring, of course, she knew it was, but it was nearly five full seconds before she was actually able to look at it, "W,what?" She asked under her breath as the realization of what was happening was beginning to sink in.
"I'm asking you to marry me," he smiled and laughed nervously, "Or I can marry you, if you prefer. I'll even take your last name if that's what you want; I just want to be with you for the rest of my life, I don't care about any of those details."
Her eyes went to the ring and her mouth widened. The band of the ring was white gold, and at the top of it, set around an assortment of small, perfectly cut diamonds, was the most beautiful amethyst she'd ever seen. Purple was her favorite color, which Jay knew of course, and she'd mentioned in the past that she preferred colored gemstones to diamonds. "I... um... is this... a joke?"She asked, her voice quivering.
"God, I hope not, or else we're about to experience the most terrible punch line I've ever made," Jay smiled, but the worry in his voice was evident. "C'mon, Sky, you're killing me here."
Skylar began to tremble as her face broke out into a smile, "Yes... I will marry you," she said as tears began to flow freely down her face. "Yes, yes!" She began to laugh as her crying turned to a joyful weeping.
Jay stood suddenly and hugged her tightly, "Oh my gosh, I thought you were going to say no!" He held her against himself as he fought back tears of his own.
"Why did you think it was a good idea to propose to me on a boat?!" She yelled at him through her tears as she continued to laugh.
"I don't know, it seemed romantic at the time."
She pressed her face into his chest, staining his shirt with her happy tears, "You're an idiot."
He kissed the top of her head and nodded, "Yeah, I know."
He let go of her suddenly and took her hand, "You want to wear this now?"
She nodded eagerly, Is the sky blue?!"
He laughed as he fumbled to slip it onto her finger. To his relief, it fit her perfectly, and he dropped the ring box as if it weighed a hundred pounds.
She held her hand up in front of her and continued to cry, "I can't even see it because I'm crying too much," she sniffled with a smile. She slammed her body into him suddenly and hugged him tightly, "I love you, Jay."
"Oof!" he laughed as he embraced her in return, "I love you, too, Sky."
"My dad is going to be pissed," she said into his chest. "My mom is going to freak out about planning, and my sister..."
"Sky?" He interrupted her suddenly as he squeezed her.
"Yeah?"
"You're supposed to shut up and enjoy the moment."
She laughed and nodded, "Yeah, sorry."
Three months passed in the blink of an eye. Skylar finished out the semester and, as she'd predicted, her family was still in an uproar about the engagement. Skylar's family, particular her father, were devout Catholics that religiously went to mass every week. Jay was decidedly indifferent about religion and had openly admitted that he was still figuring things out for himself, and his stance had been less than appreciated by Skylar's dad. Still, Jay had nothing but respect for Skylar's family and had been a perfect gentleman for the entirety of their relationship. Skylar herself had been afraid that he'd be disinterested in dating her once they became serious, because she'd inflicted one giant rule on herself: She was saving herself for marriage. Skylar was a virgin, on purpose, and had deliberately abstained from sex because she felt that it was the right thing to do for herself.
To her surprise, Jay had agreed with almost no hesitation. He had fallen for her almost immediately, and he wasn't the sort of man who wanted to be in a casual relationship. When he'd met Skylar, he had been looking for a mate, and she'd not only fit the bill, she'd shattered it entirely. "I'll make up for it later," he'd told her jokingly, which had caused her to blush furiously.
Despite the physical limits she'd put on their relationship, the positive had overwritten the negative. They rarely fought, and if they did, it was over petty things. She couldn't imagine herself with anyone else, and he was just as emotionally supportive as he was hardworking and ethical. Interestingly enough, because their relationship had developed without the hard and fast heat of passion, they had grown to be not just lovers, but also best friends.
As far as Skylar could tell, he was the perfect match for her, and so she'd happily agreed to be his wife. Everything was perfect, or so she thought, until...
