Page 26 of The Passionate Orc
We dug in, talking about her latest art project and my clan's upcoming hunting trip. I'd told my clan leader I couldn't make it, had something more important to do. He'd given me that knowing look. News travels fast, even among orcs.
"This is perfect," Emryn said between bites. "The food, the setting, the company..." Her foot nudged mine under the table.
"Almost perfect," I corrected, reaching for the bottle of wine I'd been chilling in a small cooler. "Just missing one thing."
I'd practiced opening the wine at home, determined not to make a fool of myself. The cork came out with a satisfying pop. But instead of reaching for the wine glasses I'd packed, I pulled out two sturdy tumblers.
Emryn raised an eyebrow.
"Can't drink out of those delicate things," I explained, pouring a generous amount into each tumbler. "My fingers are too big, and I'd just break them. Kind of like my heart would break if..." I stopped myself. Not yet.
She took her tumbler, her fingers brushing mine. "If what?"
"If we didn't toast properly." Nice save, Nar. "To us."
Emryn's eyes softened as she clinked her tumbler against mine. "To us. And to fairy lights and fried chicken and perfect evenings."
We drank, and I watched her over the rim of my glass, memorizing every detail of this moment. The way the lights danced in her eyes. The small smudge of sauce at the corner of her mouth that I wanted to kiss away. The soft curve of her neck as she tipped her head back.
"So, any special reason for all this?" She gestured around at my elaborate setup.
"Can't a guy just be romantic?" I tried to sound casual, but my voice came out an octave higher than usual.
Emryn laughed. "A guy, yes. An orc warrior who usually thinks romance is bringing me take-out after my art classes? This is definitely unfamiliar territory."
I reached across the table and took her hand, my thumb tracing circles on her palm. "Maybe I'm evolving."
"Into what, exactly?" Her voice was teasing, but I could see the curiosity in her eyes.
"Into someone worthy of you," I said softly.
Her expression changed, all playfulness gone. "Nar, you've always been worthy. From the first day when you knocked over my entire paint display trying to help me carry it."
I groaned at the memory. "I was just trying to impress you."
"Well, it worked." She squeezed my hand. "Though maybe not in the way you intended."
We finished our meal as the sky darkened completely, leaving us in our bubble of candlelight and fairy lights. The moment was approaching, and my heart was doing its best to hammer its way out of my chest.
I poured the last of the wine into her tumbler. This was it. I'd dropped the ring in my tumbler earlier, kept it hidden beneathmy napkin, and now I carefully tipped it into her refilled glass when she was looking at the river. The ring sank to the bottom, gleaming faintly through the dark red wine.
"Last call," I said, raising my empty tumbler.
Emryn smiled and raised hers. "What should we toast to this time?"
"To the future. Whatever it brings."
She nodded thoughtfully. "To the future." She took a big sip, then another, draining most of the glass.
I watched, breath held, as she tilted the tumbler for the last drop. The ring slid forward with the wine. Her eyes widened, and she choked slightly, quickly pulling the tumbler away from her lips.
Something clinked against her teeth. She made a surprised sound and spit into her hand.
There it was, the sapphire ring, now slightly wet with wine, sitting in her palm.
"Nar?" Her voice was barely a whisper, her eyes huge as they moved from the ring to my face.
My chair scraped back as I stood, nearly toppling over in my haste. I moved around the table and dropped to one knee in front of her. The ground was hard beneath me, but I barely noticed. Everything in the world had narrowed to Emryn's face, to the tears gathering in her eyes.
