Super Avenged

“What time did you set the reservations for?” I called out to Jimmy as I put the last finishing touches on my hair and makeup.

“Seven o’clock,” Jimmy called back from the living room. Of course, he was already ready. I glanced down at my watch. It read 6:30. The restaurant was about fifteen minutes away, and we had to compensate for traffic too. So, that gave me about five to ten minutes to be ready. I quickly sped up my touching up.

A few days before, when Jimmy went to talk to my Mom over lunch, he came back home looking jubilant and pretty excited. When I asked him what he was so happy about, he just told me that he was making reservations at a fine restaurant. We’d been on dates before, but they were usually informal ones to the movies or a walk in the park. You know, those really simple dates that could become romantic with just the right touches. And Jimmy, he usually made them rather romantic.

So, the next day when Jimmy went out to save New York City from whatever villains decided to crawl out of their holes—he was back with Super Avenged full time again, since there was no longer a villain determined to kidnap me—I took the time to go shopping. I bought a beautiful outfit, and believe me: it felt so glorious to go shopping again. But the story of my kidnapping had been all over the news, so people were constantly giving me sympathetic smiles and asking how I was doing. In a way, it was a relief to get back home. I quickly hid my outfit from Jimmy, and later when he asked me to see it, I told him it was a surprise.

I finished my hair and grabbed my matching clasp from the sink counter. I stepped out into the living room and tapped Jimmy on the shoulder. He looked around at me and smiled.

“You look gorgeous,” he told me, standing up and straightening his shirt.

“And you don’t look like a superhero at all,” I replied, looking him up and down. He shrugged modestly.

Jimmy wore a pair of dark blue jeans. He had a button-up shirt on. It was black and had vertical gray stripes. It was as dressed-up as I could expect from Jimmy.

“Maybe you look nothing like an artist,” Jimmy replied, raising one dark eyebrow. “I can really see the hotel heiress in you now.”

I looked down at myself and instantly saw his point. I wore a knee-length, billowy sky blue dress made of silk. The straps were spaghetti straps and criss-crossed in the back before connecting with the corset. I was so proud of myself...I had actually somehow tightened the corset myself, which was usually a two-person job. My high-heels were white with a bow attached to the part that went over my toes. I had even clipped a white bow in my meticulously curled chestnut hair.

“Well, you know,” I answered with a shrug. “I couldn’t exactly wear my paint-splattered t-shirt, could I?”

“Sure you could,” Jimmy told me. “I would still call you gorgeous.”

“Stop being a kiss-ass,” I said jokingly, grabbing Jimmy’s arm and pulling him towards the door. “We better get going, or we’ll be late.”

((*****))

The food at the fine restaurant was absolutely delicious. A pianist and violinist were playing gentle music in the background, and there was a wooden square in the center of the restaurant where the couples could slow dance if they felt like it. Jimmy said he had two left feet when dancing, and I’d never really danced before, so we chose to just leave the dance floor for everyone else to enjoy.

“So, this is how Mom thanked you for saving me?” I asked once we were finished eating. Now we just sat there and talked, drinking champagne and listening to the music. It felt nice to just relax after having such a rough time for the past three weeks or so.

“No, this was all my doing, without any help from your mom,” Jimmy answered. He looked around at the dim lights, the pianist and violinist playing in perfect synchronization, the slowly spinning couples on the dance floor, before switching his gaze back to me. “But it’s an awful good idea, isn’t it? Especially by my standards.”

I laughed and nodded. “Yes, it’s very nice.”

“But this is only part one of the night,” Jimmy told me. He smiled, left a tip for the waitress, and grabbed my hand. We walked out of the restaurant, destination unknown.

There was a cobblestone plaza about a block from the restaurant. Storefronts framed the circular plaza, and instead of pavement, there were cobblestones beneath our feet. Each cobblestone fit exactly with the ones around it, like a puzzle put together perfectly. There were three fountains in the center of the plaza, positioned in the shape of a triangle. There was about seven feet of space between each one. Water sprouted from the top of each fountain before cascading down into the stone pool. The edges of the fountains were smooth: obviously, stone benches for people to sit on and admire the water or rest or whatever.

Jimmy led me over to the nearest fountain. We sank down on the edge of it. At the bottom of the fountain, I could see bronze pennies glittering, warped from the splashing water. I absentmindedly reached down and skimmed my fingers through the water. It was really cold, and I quickly withdrew my hand from the water. It was nearing the end of September, and already the days were getting cooler, and the nights were just plain cold. I wore a jacket over my dress, but I was still shivering slightly.

“Here,” Jimmy said, noticing me shivering. He took off his jacket and draped it across my knees. I smiled in thanks, still staring down at the shimmering water.

“It’s so beautiful,” I told him in awe. Jimmy smiled, peering down into the water with me. “This was my mother’s input, wasn’t it?”

“No,” Jimmy answered. “This is still me.”

“Oh, well, then, how did my mom thank you?” I asked curiously. Jimmy sighed and looked up from the water. Our eyes met.

“She gave me her blessing,” Jimmy answered after a few moments of silence.

“Her blessing?” I repeated, confused. “What would you need that for?”

Seconds after I asked, it hit me what he would need my mother’s blessing for. All the air whooshed out of my lungs, and I suddenly couldn’t breathe.

Oh my God. Jimmy was taking one of my hands into his and sliding off the bench to perch himself on one knee in front of me. Oh, God. He reached into one of the pockets of his jacket, which was still draped across my knee, and pulled out a black felt box. He flipped it open with his thumb, revealing a ring. A circular diamond twinkled out at me, connected to a gold band. By now I was gasping in air. It was all so overwhelming.

“Miya, will you marry me?” Jimmy asked, staring up at me out of earnest, truthful blue eyes.

“We’ve been dating for two months!” I gasped. Quickly, my eyes were filling with tears. I couldn’t tell what kind of tears they would be yet. I didn’t know what emotion was causing them.

“But you know as well as I do that it’s felt like we’ve known each other forever,” Jimmy continued calmly, not letting himself get upset over my reaction. “I love you, Miya. I never want to be with anyone other than you. I’ve realized that, and no amount of time will make that grow any stronger or become more real. I want to be with you for the rest of my life.”

“My makeup!” I cried as the tears spilled and began to slide down my cheeks. But my makeup could be redone: this moment could not. Jimmy’s jacket slipped from my legs, and I slid off the bench along with it. I seized Jimmy’s face in my hands and kissed him hard. I pulled away and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck.

“Yes,” I whispered into his ear. “I’m yours, forever and always.”