Daalton had been standing in the main deck with a drink in hand last she had seen him, before she excused herself to find the bathroom. A dark silhouette against the rays of sunset as she turned back to make sure he didn’t really pay attention to where she was going. Elise wasn’t really heading for the loo. No, she headed straight back to find her suitcase and the item she had hidden there.
A small, simply wrapped box that held a mechanical watch. It wasn’t the most extravagant looking – sleek and elegant instead. Not unlike the man she was giving it to. The black and silver gears that constantly turned were partially visible under the hands. The band itself was made of fine leather, dark and soft. She had thought that it was one of the most exquisite things she had ever seen, but a small seed of doubt was starting to bother her.
Deciding on a birthday present for Daalton had always been tricky. He was not the sentimental sort and she always had a difficult time figuring out what sort of things he would like. It took her nearly a week of window-shopping before finally deciding to enter a clockmaker’s workshop. It took her another hour or two to see each and every one of his creations before deciding that none quite fit what she wanted. At least until the clockmaker offered to create a personalized watch for her. She was supposed to pick it up on Daalton’s birthday, but after the proposal they barely left each other’s side for that day. When she returned to pick it up, the clockmaker had offered to engrave words on the back side. If he had asked it days before, she probably wouldn’t put anything there. But right then… She knew exactly what it would be:
To us. Love, E.R.
As she held the small box in her hand, Elise found herself to be nervous. There was no way of knowing if he would like it. It was certainly not the most brilliant of birthday presents. Perhaps the engraving was a bit too much? What if he thought that it was cheesy? By Alioe, they were about to get married, she probably shouldn’t be overthinking something as simple as a birthday present.
Shaking away all of them, Elise headed back to the main deck. Fortunately, the man hadn’t moved far and his back was still turned to her. She approached him slowly, trying to be as silent as she could be. Even though the clock was nowhere near midnight, the young woman wrapped an arm around her lover from behind and stood on the tip of her toes to place a brief kiss on his cheek. “Happy Clock’s Eve,” she whispered softly as she handed him the presents. “I was supposed to give them on your birthday, but… you distracted me with your proposal. Sorry.”
With a smile, she moved to stand in front of him, her dress fluttering across the floor. Daalton looked striking tonight – as he always did she supposed. “I hope you’ve figured out what to say to my parents, because you will be doing all of the explaining.”