Chapter 13.01

On Saturday morning, I borrowed a surprise from the dorm for the game I had planned for the day. Before that, I went swimming while Jenny cleaned, cooked, and prepared for the afternoon. She didn’t like being disturbed while cooking.

“Are you serious, Messyhair?” Jenny asked when I showed up with a foosball table. She was finishing up in the kitchen.

“Yes, Babe,” I laughed. “This is today’s plan.”

“Alright, Messyhair,” she chuckled. “While we wait for the others, I’ll think about the bet.”

“Me too, Babe,” I said, wrapping an arm around her. “I love winning against you.”

“So you don’t want to play in pairs, pretty boy?” She ruffled my hair.

“No,” I smiled. “I love you more every day.”

“Really?” she teased. “I haven’t decided yet.” She played along.

“Decided on what?” I teased right back. “Whether you love me more or whether you’ll marry me?” I kept my tone neutral but watched her reaction closely.

She wasn’t prepared for the question—it caught her off guard. She was silent for a few seconds, searching for words. So I pulled her closer and kissed her..

“You still have time to think about both,” I said with a smile, then left her in the kitchen and headed to the bathroom to wash my hands.

A few minutes later, when I returned, she’d already set the table for lunch.

“I hope you like the food,” she said neutrally. “It’s a new recipe.”

“I’m sure I will,” I smiled. I loved watching her walls crumble.

She placed the dish in front of me, and we started eating.

“The meat is delicious, Babe,” I said. “Thank you for making it.”

“I love you more and more too,” she said suddenly.

“That’s good,” I smiled at her.

She changed the subject to translation work, avoiding my question entirely. I didn’t push it.

After lunch, I lured her into our bedroom—but just as my lips began to wander over her half-clothed body, the doorbell rang.

“Messyhair,” Jenny tried to focus on the outside world. “Someone’s at the door.”

“They’ll leave,” I muttered, but the ringing continued.

I walked out in just jeans, shirtless, and opened the door. Brian and Mayoko were already waiting.

“Jay, you invited us,” Brian laughed at my surprised expression.

“A little later,” I said, shaking his hand. “Come in.” I opened the door wider.

“Not Johnny,” Mayoko said with a smile. “You said five minutes from now.” She pointed at the clock on the wall. I burst into laughter and casually grabbed a shirt from the couch, pulling it on.

“You should’ve said three weeks,” Brian teased. “Nice place.” He looked around.

Jenny stepped out of the bedroom, fully dressed, perfectly composed.

“Hey, guys,” she greeted them, then turned to Brian. “Congratulations.” She smiled and hugged her friends, while I hugged Mayoko. Brian and I didn’t bother with such formalities.

“Thank you,” Mayoko said. “It happened yesterday.”

They sat down on the couch.

“I noticed too,” I said to my love.

“Of course,” she said, ruffling my hair before turning to our friends.

“Did he kneel?” Jenny asked, nodding toward Brian.

“He tried,” Mayoko laughed. “But I told him if he didn’t sit back down, I’d say no.”

“Brian,” Jenny said seriously, “I told you not to kneel.”

“But it worked for Daryl,” Brian said, confused.

“Where did it happen?” I asked, curious.

“He took me to dinner at a restaurant I’d never been to, and when dessert arrived, they brought out a bouquet of flowers. He was about to kneel with the ring box in his hand,” Mayoko recounted, laughing.

“It’s too early for an anniversary,” I noted.

“So you weren’t expecting it?” Jenny asked, though I could tell she had a hand in it.

“No,” her friend admitted. “I thought he was planning it for our vacation—we’re going back to the same place we went the first time.” She smiled. “Jane, thank you for helping him. This is exactly what I dreamed of.” She held up the ring.

“No problem, I’m glad I got it right,” Jenny laughed.