THE UNSEEN PROPOSAL

"OMG… I don't know how I look, I am soaked and… Ewww." Rexana turned around as she mumbled trying to tidy herself a bit even after knowing that she couldn't make herself look better.

She peeked back to check Daerin and he was moving his way toward her, and he was smiling and looking so good. While she looked so filthy and her smell was so disturbingly salty.

"Hey!" Daerin called her out.

"Hey!" Rexana had finally turned back to face Daerin. She had no choice but to face him, even though she wasn't that comfortable with her appearance at that moment. "W-why are you here?"

"You sound like you don't want me here," Daerin asked kiddingly.

"No, I'm just surprised. I wasn't expecting you around. But I am very happy to see you again. I am sad that I haven't seen you for days and I missed you badly," she mumbled, meaning to hide what she said. Even though Daerin was already aware of her feelings for her, sometimes part of her was shy enough to tell everything that she felt.

"I heard that, I heard you said you miss me," Daerin smirked.

"No, I mean…" Rexana was swaying back and forth awkwardly as she bit her lips. She tended to do that when she felt bashful and Daerin's stares always made her feel that.

Daerin pulled her wrist and made her yank towards him.

"Oh come'n Rexana, say it to me."

"Say what?" Rexana flustered more but she couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach from fluttering.

"Tell me again that you like and you miss me when I'm gone. You did right?"

"Uhm… So what, if I am? What is it to you?"

Daerin smiled and pinched her chin.

"If I'll ask you to marry me. Would you like to be my wife?"

Rexana was out of words for a moment. She was trying to absorb if what she heard were actually true or just something she made up in her mind.

"W-what did you say again?" She stammered.

"I said… would you… like… to be my wife?" Daerin said it words by words. His hands were still on Rexana's face cupping it meticulously.

"You, my husband?" She asked again, still couldn't believe it.

"That's right… So?"

"Oh my god… But why?" Rexana asked, confused.

"Just stop asking why. I just need you to answer me if you wanna be my wife."

Rexana couldn't still believe what she heard, even though she was trembling upon hearing it she was still confused why Daerin would do that. She was not even his girlfriend. She didn't even know if Daerin had another girlfriend.

"Look at me, do you really wanna marry me? I am nothing but…"

Daerin covered Rexana's mouth with his hands and only took it out when his lips replaced it.

"I had sex with you and it was awesome. That was enough for me. I know, I would love to do that to you over and over again."

Rexana covered her face as her tears tried to spill out. She even forgot how insecure she was with her look a moment ago. She was soaked and smelt like a sea, yet Daerin still kissed her and even proposed to her to be his wife, without even them going to the traditional stage of being lovers.

She wondered if that was really what the kids in the city worked. As far as she knew in their rural village before going to marriage, two people must be friends, then lovers and it would even have to take for years.

However, Daerin's way was different. She couldn't blame him too, he might not be used to their tradition since he didn't grow up in this place. It was his way and even though Rexana knew that for sure her parents might get shocked by the briskness of the news, she loved Daerin so much that she couldn't say no to him.

"So, what? Will you marry me or not?" Daerin tendered his question again. This time with a more domineering voice. However, Rexana didn't see that as something scary, instead, she just felt how he wanted to be with her and she rather found it more endearing.

"Of course, I will… In fact, hearing that kind of question from you was my biggest dream." She could as she answered. Her shoulders were pressed trying to make her tremble unnoticed by Daerin. She also looked away as she anticipated her face turning crimson red.

"Sounds great, if that is so, then can you tell your father that I'm going to your house and talk to him."

"You wanna talk to him about what?" Rexana suddenly got anxious. She knew that she still had to let her parents know about what Daerin said, but she must not. She wasn't sure if Daerin was true to his words or just playing with her.

However, when he said that he wanted to talk to her father, she thought, "Could he be serious?"

"I just have to go for now, but expect me at your house, one of these days." Daerin pinched Rexana's cheeks and pulled her over for a kiss before he went back to his bike and dashed off.

Rexana was left on the bayside like a statue, rooting in her spot and still contemplating what had just happened. She touched her lips as she closed her eyes. Feeling Daerin's hands touching her face.

'Could it be possible?' She asked herself while staring over the horizon. Could this be the beginning of a better change in her life? The kind of life that she was praying for? She couldn't believe that she didn't need to change a thing just to have Daerin in her life. He even proposed to her when she was even feeling so ugly about herself.

Or was she just dreaming? Rexana slapped her face back and forth to wake herself up in case she was simply inside a beautiful dream.

"Ouch," she spouted as she felt the pain in her slightly swollen face. She was awake and this was reality, Rexana realized with eyes widened and an ear-to-ear smile. At that moment she just wanted to celebrate.

She hastily screamed wildly, letting out her overwhelming emotions as she ran back to the water and dove back to its depths.