I met her on Tinder not too long ago. Beautiful? Absolutely. At least to me. So beautiful, in fact, that I couldn't quite understand how someone like her was still unattached. It felt like fate, like I had stumbled upon something rare and fleeting, something too perfect to last.
We had only been together for a little over three month, not long enough to truly know someone, or so people say. But with her, time felt irrelevant. There was something about her, something quiet yet consuming, that made me certain. She was the one. The one I wanted in my days, in my nights, in every version of my future.
I fumbled with the tiny velvet box in my hands, flipping it open, then snapping it shut again. The ring inside caught the dim light of my bedroom, glinting like the certainty I felt in my chest.
"Today's the day."
"Dude, you've been staring at that thing like it's about to run away," came a voice from the doorway. It was my flat mate, Liam, leaning against the frame with his usual smirk. "You sure about this? It's been, what, two or three months?"
I sighed, shaking my head with a smile. "I know how it sounds. But it's her, man. I've never been this sure about anything."
And I meant it. I met her on Tinder, not exactly the fairy tale beginning, but somehow, she turned out to be the kind of girl you don't just date. You choose her. Every single day.
Mira.
She wasn't just beautiful; she was alive in a way that made the world feel a little less dull. Her laughter, bright and unfiltered - had a way of making me forget everything else. She had this wild, playful energy that kept me on my toes. Always up to something.
Like last week, when she convinced me she had a twin sister. We were at this café, and she disappeared for a few minutes, only to come back acting completely different - cold, indifferent, sipping her coffee like a stranger. She kept it up for a solid ten minutes before bursting into laughter, leaving me dumbfounded and a little in love.
That was Mira. Unpredictable, maddening, and the best thing that had ever happened to me.
And today, I was going to ask her to be mine forever.
I grabbed my jacket, my heart hammering as I stepped out the door.
"But dude, seriously, you don't know a damn thing about her." Liam leaned back against the doorframe, arms crossed. "I mean, months isn't exactly a deep dive into someone's soul. But hey, she took you to meet her family this week, right? Maybe that's a sign."
I shrugged, slipping my watch onto my wrist. "Yeah, her family's sweet. Way better than mine, at least." I hesitated for a second, my fingers lingering over the ring box in my pocket. "And... shoot, I'm getting late."
I couldn't keep her waiting today. Not today.
I grabbed my keys and rushed to the door. I was supposed to pick her up from her place - we had planned to spend the whole day together. Yesterday, she had been busy with some appointment, and I hadn't pushed for details.
I should have.
I leaned against my car, phone pressed to my ear, listening to the endless ringing. No answer.
She had texted earlier: "Don't ring the doorbell. Just call when you're outside."
So I waited, my fingers drumming against the roof of the car. A light breeze carried the scent of flowers from her garden - roses, lilies, something faintly sweet I couldn't name. It suited her. Everything about this place felt like her.
Then the door opened.
Mira stepped out, dressed in a flowing purple dress that caught the light just right, making her look almost ethereal. She had always been beautiful, but today - today, she was breathtaking. More than any flower in that garden, more than anything I had ever laid eyes on.
But something was off.
She smiled as she walked toward me, yet it didn't reach her eyes. It felt… cracked, like glass barely holding together. A shadow flickered across her face - just for a second, so quick I might've imagined it.
I straightened up. "You, okay?"
Her smile widened, too forced now. "Of course, silly. Why wouldn't I be?"
I wanted to press, to ask again. But then she slipped her hand into mine, and just like that, the moment passed.
I let it go.
I shouldn't have.
"Let me drive."
Mira's request came out of nowhere, her lips curling into that signature mischievous smile - the one that meant trouble.
I raised an eyebrow. "Why? You know how to drive, right?"
"Don't ask questions. Just hand over the keys." She held out her palm expectantly, eyes gleaming with excitement.
How could I ever refuse her? I never had, not once. With a sigh, I fished the keys from my pocket and dropped them into her waiting hand.
"Fine. Just - please - don't make me regret this. I'd rather not spend the rest of the day in a hospital."
She grinned, already sliding into the driver's seat. "Oh, come on. Where's the trust?"
Somewhere between her hands gripping the wheel and my silent prayers for survival, I had to wonder, what was she really up to this time?
This restaurant had a reputation for its incredible dishes - I had read about it in a magazine. But judging by the packed tables and the long line at the entrance, I clearly wasn't the only one who had.
As we settled into our seats, I leaned back, exhaling. "You drive surprisingly well. When did you get your license?"
And that wasn't just a half-baked compliment - I meant it. She handled the car way better than I had expected, especially considering my past near-death experiences with my mother behind the wheel.
Mira barely glanced up from the menu, casually flipping a page. "I don't."
I blinked. "You don't what?"
She turned a page like she hadn't just dropped a bomb. "I don't have a license."
My heart skipped. "Wait… what?"
She finally looked at me, her lips curling into that teasing, almost innocent smile. "That was the first time I actually drove a car."
I stared at her, half expecting her to burst into laughter and admit it was another one of her pranks. But she didn't.
Mira just went back to scanning the menu, completely unbothered.
I, on the other hand, suddenly lost my appetite.
"Drop that, what should we try? you were on about how good this place is." Drop that? I am right now confused on if I should thank God or curse him.