“I booked us a dinner cruise,” he told her once they were settled in and it was getting close to time to eat.
“Really? That sounds like a lot of fun.”
“Yes. The boat has a portion that is glass bottomed and they use lights to shine down into the ocean. If we are lucky, we might see some cool sea creatures.”
“Ooh. That sounds lovely. Hopefully, it won’t be a megalodon coming to sink the ship.”
“No more late-night horror movies for you,” he laughed.
“Come on, you know you enjoyed that last little bad shark movie binge I took you on,” she retorted.
“Right. Of course. How could I not love it?”
“I knew it!” she teased.
“How about you get dressed for dinner,” he replied.
Kay laughed and went to pick out something to wear. She pulled free a simple blue tank dress and a pair of sandals, putting her hair up into a loose ponytail and refreshing her makeup before stepping back out of the bedroom to find Bradley wearing a pair of twill shorts and a pale green linen shirt with dockers. She had never seen him look so casual before and had to stop to admire him for a moment.
“What? Do I not look okay?” he asked, looking down at himself.
“You look gorgeous. How did I get so lucky?”
“I don’t know, but don’t forget that you are,” he teased.
“I won’t. I promise.”
“All right. I’m gonna hold you to that,” he said, pulling her to him and kissing her before asking if she was ready to go.
“I’m ready.”
“Then, let’s go get some food and look for sharks,” he replied.
They walked slowly down the beach on which their bungalow sat until they reached the more populated areas and grew closer to the marina where the dinner cruise would set sail. The night around them was gorgeous as they embarked and looked out across the water which was lit by lights from all the hotels and bars along the coastline.
They sat enjoying drinks at a small secluded table as they waited for the other dinners to arrive and the boat to leave port. Finally, they were underway, slipping out into the water quietly as porters began to serve pre-ordered meals of fish and shrimp, along with spring vegetables, rice and copious amounts of bread with butter. It was all delicious. After the main course had ended, they enjoyed strawberry mousse and champagne, the perfect end to a fantastic meal.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if we could ask you all to vacate the dining area, you can step out along the viewing deck while we clear the room for dancing.”
“Dancing? You didn’t say anything about dancing?” Kay whispered to Bradley.
“Didn’t I? How silly of me,” he told her.
Kay smiled and took his hand, standing as he helped her up onto her feet. They made their way out onto the deck and began watching to see what sort of sea animals they might encounter. Bradley took her hand in his, holding in what she found to be an awkward position, with her fingers extended, flattened between both of his.
It took a moment for her to realize that he was slipping the rings from her fingers, not all of them, but the engagement and wedding ring he had given her as a part of their fake marriage came free, allowing him to palm them in one hand.
“What are you doing? Are we getting a fake divorce?” she said, unsure of what was happening.
“Yes. That is exactly what we are doing,” he said.
Before Kay could say anything further, he took the set of rings and flung them out into the water. Her eyes widened, bewildered by why he would bring her on such a romantic getaway just to tell her they were finished. It made no sense and she found her heart slipping further down into her feet. In fact, she was damned near tears.
“I don’t want to be fake married to you anymore. Those rings were just as fake as our vows,” he told her.
“I don’t understand. What happened? What did I do? Why did you bring me here just to do this to me?” she said, her voice barely audible.
“Because you deserve more than some sham marriage. You’re better than all this,” he said, reaching into his pocket and fishing something out.
Kay watched as he pulled free a small box and opened it to reveal a gorgeous diamond solitaire. He took it from the box and slipped it on her finger, saying nothing for a moment as she stared down at it in disbelief.
“Kay, will you marry me?”
Kay looked at the ring and then at him, speechless for a moment. It took a minute for all of this to sink in, for what he was saying to really hit home. The she smiled happily, “Yes! Of course I will!”
Bradley pulled her into a passionate kiss, drawing applause from those close enough to them to have heard the proposal. One elderly woman leaned toward her husband and said, “She had on rings when she got here. I thought they were already married.”