Sandcastles

The dock stretched from the sands of the beach several yards into the ocean. Since we had been there, I had seen a dozen different boats tied up to it. It had sort of been my own personal escape since we had settled ourselves down in the Bahamas. The nights that I felt like I just needed to escape from the chaos of everything that had been happening over the past week or so, or I just needed time to think, I would come down to the dock and just sit for a while. There was something about the ocean and the boast that calmed me down, no matter what was going on in my life. I had brought Jonny down there with me once or twice, but he never quite got the feeling that it gave me. I didn't expect him to really, but it was nice having him there. He knew my love for it, which was why we were there now; or rather, on our way there.

"Will you at least try to walk a straight line?" Jonny laughed, watching me stumble slightly in the sand.

"I've never been able to walk a straight line. And you have my blindfolded. Jonny, this isn't going to...Woah!" Jonny picked me up in the middle of my sentence. I could envision him shaking his head in my mind, since I couldn't actually see his face. Jonny had decided that the blindfold was necessary so the surprise wouldn't be ruined. Laughing, I ran my fingers up his chest and placed them around his neck. "Why didn't you just do this before?" I joked.

"Because it was sort of funny to watch you struggle," I could feel the smirk on his face, and sighed as we continued walking along.

It didn't take us long to reach the dock, and once we did, Tazer placed me back down on my feet. I reached for the blindfold, but he stopped my hand. "Wait." He said. "And stay."

Sighing, I let my hand fall. He left my side, though I wasn't sure where he ran off to. I could hear muffled voices far off, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I knew that Jonny hadn't been gone for too long, but it seemed like it had taken him forever to return to my side. Once he did, I felt the blindfold loosen around my eyes before being pulled away completely.

The sight in front of me was enough to take my breath away.

The dock, and the boats that floated around the dock, had all been covered in Christmas lights. The simple white kind that could make any occasion just a little bit more special. The wooden railing had them wrapped around ever so carefully, and the ran up the masts of the sail boats, as well as around their decks. Slowly, I began to walk down the dock, my hands covering my mouth and the look of awe that was showing through on my face. As I walked farther down the dock, another part of my surprise came into view. A small, square table with two chairs on either side, lit candles and a pure white rose sitting in the middle. There was no food yet, but I was sure that it was to come. It was set for two, and it wasn't until I noticed the place settings that I remembered I wasn't alone.

Turning to my left, I tried to hide the tears that were welling up in my eyes. Jonny was looking back at me, the largest smile in the world on his face. I knew I couldn't speak without my voice cracking, and he didn't seem to feel the need to speak either. Without a word, I threw my arms around him. Nobody had ever done anything like this for me, not even David and we dated for what seemed like ever. I couldn't think of a single time that someone had put so much effort into giving me a surprise that I would truly love. This was all the proof I needed from Jonathan that we weren't just some sort of fling.

His strong arms wrapped around me instinctively. We stood there in silence for quite some time before he finally broke it. "I hope this means you like it." He teased, putting a finger under my chin so he could lift my face and give me a kiss.

"Are you kidding? It's perfect," I whispered, kissing him again before looking at the beautiful setting around us.

He led me to the table where we both sat. The sun was in the middle of setting, and everything around us was cast into a gorgeous orange color. It didn't take us long to get so engulfed in conversation and food. Our dinner was an amazing surf and turf combo fit for the gods, paired with various vegetables and starches. As the sun got lower, our night just seemed to get more and more perfect. Before long, we sat in almost complete darkness, still rambling on about what would come of us once we got back to Chicago and the life we knew we would have. By the end of the night, I was completely stuffed, slightly shivering, and borderline in love with the man who sat across from me.

"Are you ready to go in?" Jonny asked, standing up from his seat and walking over to me.

"Not really," I answered, honestly. He reached out his hand and helped me out of my seat. I really didn't want to go back into the hotel, even though I was dying to share my night with the girls who I considered to be family. But, before we left the dock, I was in Jonny's arms again, kissing in the glow of the moon.

When I finally pulled again, I rested my head on his shoulder, not wanting to leave this moment for the world. It was perfect, or...it seemed perfect. There was something special about Tazer. He knew how to take the most amazing moments and make them even more so. Before I knew it, we were swaying back and forth to a tune that neither of us could hear, but the dance was one that I felt like I had always known.

Softly, he began to hum. I couldn't help but think that his tune might be slightly off key, and we weren't dancing in perfect rhythm to it, but it was slowly becoming my favorite song.

"Where'd you learn to dance?" I asked, glancing up into his dark eyes.

Laughing, he shook his head. "It's a good thing to know if you want to impress girls."

I knew he was joking, and let out a laugh much like his own. This boy was something special, and I would be an idiot to let him go. "And how many girls have you impressed with your dancing skills?"

Shrugging, I notice him look off into the distance, where the ocean would meet the sky. "Just one," He said simply, looking back to me once he had finished speaking. "And that is, if I'm impressing you."

"Oh, you are Mr. Toews." I responded, lifting myself up to give him another kiss. We kept dancing until the cold air was chilling me to the bone. That was when he decided it might be a good time to pack up and go inside, or rather, tell the kind people who had set up our dinner that it was time to clean up. The lights would stay until morning, but the table needed moved.

I followed Tazer as he walked to the end of the dock, where you could let your feet dangle off the edge into the cool water below. Many people used the dock as a diving board when the boats were slow to come in, and there was a latter leading into the cool water below. I didn't know exactly what he was doing, but I felt as though I just needed to follow him.

"I have something for you," He said when we reached the end of the wooden walkway. Out of his pocket he pulled a velvet box and held it out for me. I knew it was much too big to be for a ring, which made my heart beat a little bit slower, but it was jewelry. Anyone could figure that out. Taking the box, I opened it slowly to see a beautiful necklace inside. The change was silver, or maybe white gold. I couldn't tell in the darkness, but what hung from it caught my eye. A heart that looked like it was dotted with tiny red and black diamonds.

"I love it," I said, running my fingers over the necklace with a smile. Looking up at him, I could see how proud he was of himself, and I couldn't blame him for it. He had done a good job.

"I'm glad," As he leaned in for another kiss, I got a terrible idea. A devilish smirk came across my lips. With a gentle shove, I watched as Jonny tumbled into the water. He hit with a splash, and I lifted my arms to keep from getting drenched by the splash. In a way, I was scared that he would be mad, but once he resurfaced, his laughter hit my ears. "You're dead," He managed to say through his laughter, and before I knew it we were both running up the dock, back to the hotel for the rest of our night.