"I'm sorry, but I don't have any ring to make this proposal more formal," I said, reaching out and grasping Mia's hands. I then brought them to my lips and placed a gentle kiss on her fingers. "Still. This is the one desire that I always held dear to my heart. One wish I always hoped I could fulfill," I continued to ramble for a little bit longer.
There was no real need to explain the situation to Mia. Her wide-open eyes, tensed-up face, and twitching corners of her mouth were more than enough to prove she fully understood what was going on.
I kept on rambling… because I couldn't help but feel anxious, now that I uttered those magical words.
"Arty…" Mia muttered. Her expression mellowed down. She then leaned her head to the side while reaching out with her hand only to caress my cheek. "Do you really need to ask?"
Mia then pushed herself a little bit forward, leaning in for a gentle kiss.