he says he loves me and the rest of the world fades away like the darkness of a stage. i no longer notice the music, the conversations around us, the sound of laughter and excited chatter, the noise from the laser game nearby.

the red neon glow touches his face softly. he is so perfect. this moment seems to last forever: our eyes locked on each other, my breath catching in my throat, my mind spinning with thoughts of him.

i lean forward and touch his face softly and say, "will you marry me?"

the words are out of my mouth before i can even think about them, yet they seem to be the perfect thing to say right now. the world has stopped. it is just he and i.

he looks into my eyes, and i can see how much he loves me. and he says yes.

a few more moments of perfect silence, and then i am in his arms, holding him tightly.

and we are grinning like fools.

he pulls me back and looks into my eyes again. "did you mean that?" he is smiling slightly.

i smile back at him, unable to find the words. the feeling of half-seriousness and half-joking lingers in the air, and we are both confused.

i leave the question unanswered.