10 Years Later...

"Jiro, I'd like to hand my business down to you."

Jiro blinked in surprise as he stood before his Uncle Jack. "What? Are you serious?" he exclaimed, taken by surprise.

Uncle Jack owned one of the most famous ice cream parlours in the country and for it to be just handed down to Jiro was really something, especially after Uncle Jack and Jiro weren't really related by blood.

A smile formed on Uncle Jack's lips and he nodded, "I'm serious. I think it's time I retire, I am getting quite old," he replied.
Jiro glanced over at Uncle Jack's son, Jeff, who was sitting at a table and eating away at a large ice cream sundae. "Surely Jeff has more of a right to inherit the business, no?" Jiro asked but the older man just chuckled.
"Please, Jiro. You know that if I hand down this business to my son there won't be a business," Jack told him, looking over at his son, "He'll just eat everything. You're much more responsible and I couldn't bear to let an outsider that I don't know take charge."
Jiro couldn't help but release a small laugh, "You have a point," he remarked.
"So will you accept it, little friend Jiro?" Uncle Jack asked, hopefully, "I know how much you want to support Cyndi and stop depending on her."

Jiro grinned, "Of course I'll accept," he responded, "Besides, this place is a part of my childhood - I can't let some random person come in and change it."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Jack burst into smiles, "Right then, let's officially settle it."

Jiro nodded.

...

"You're going to propose to Cyndi?!" Calvin, Jiro's best friend, exclaimed, spitting out his cola back into the can after choking on shock. Jiro leaned back into the sofa and nodded, "We've been dating since we were 16 and now we're 28. It's about time we took the next step," he replied.

Calvin looked over to Danson who sat up, exchanging concerned glances with him. "Bro, are you sure about this?" Danson asked him, "The whole 'getting married' thing will cost quite alot. There's the rings, the venue, the clothes, the cake..." he trailed off after being sure that his point was made to his friend.
Calvin nodded in agreement, "Are you sure you can afford it? Cyndi doesn't mind that you're not the richest but can you secure her a future?" he asked him.
"Cyndi's not materialistic, she won't mind a budget wedding," Dason pointed out and then he and Calvin continued to discuss their concerns and worries.

Jiro however, just remained silent smirking to himself, knowing something his friends did not. On the inside, he chuckled to himself while watching his brothers talk to each other.

Finally, Danson sighed and turned to Jiro, expecting that he had been listening to their discussion. But obviously, Jiro hadn't.
"Look bro, we know that you can give Cyndi happiness and that the two of you are perfect for each other but... " he sighed and then looked at Calvin, wanting him to say the rest.
"... will you be financially stable enough to support her?" Calvin finished, "You can't have had saved up much by working in retail, no offence. We don't mind helping you out-"

"I won't be needing your help," Jiro finally cut in. He then brought out a document and placed it on the coffee table that sat between them, "Take a look," he told them and Calvin picked up the paper, scanning it over with his eyes. Danson leaned over to have a look too.

"No way, Jiro!" Calvin exclaimed in surprised, "Is this real?!"
"That's right, you're looking at the new owner of KO Ice Cream Parlour," Jiro announced proudly.
Danson grinned and scoffed, "I'm not surprised," he spoke, "You wouldn't have brought up marriage if you couldn't afford it," he added.

"Then I'm expecting free ice cream, Jiro," Calvin commented, "Your best buddy ought to be exempted from paying."
Rolling his eyes, Jiro took back the document, "I'm trying to make money here, okay? Uncle Jack's already fed you with free ice cream anyway," he replied.
"Shouldn't you treat us on this special occasion, though?" Danson added, jokingly.
Jiro stood up, getting ready to leave, "I'll treat you after you guys help me with my proposal, I want this all to be a surprise for Cyndi," he told them.
"You haven't told her?" Calvin inquired and Jiro shook his head, "Sure, of course we'll help."
"Exactly," Danson replied, "We'll make sure it's an unforgettable memory for you and Cyndi."

Jiro grinned, "Thanks, man," he replied.


...

"Gui Gui, where are we going?" Cyndi asked her friend, also Danson's girlfriend, a couple days later with a blindfold around her eyes. Gui Gui smiled as she led the shorter girl into KO Ice Cream Parlour that was decorated beautifully in flowers, balloons and fairy lights. The whole parlour was booked out for this special occasion and friends of Jiro and Cyndi quietly stood around to witness the event.

"Gui, why do I have to wear a blindfold? Gui Gui, why aren't you answering me? You're being suspicious!" Cyndi exclaimed and Gui Gui just laughed.
"Just be patient, you're almost there," Gui Gui responded.
"You're not going to dump a bucket of water or something over me, are you?" Cyndi asked again, nervously.
Gui Gui rolled her eyes, "If I wanted to I would've done it while you were asleep," she answered before stopping, "Okay you can take your blindfold off now, Cyndi!"

Slowly, Cyndi slipped off the blindfold only to see the beautifully decorated room she was in. A gasp escaped her lips and her hands flew to . She didn't recognise the room to be from the parlour, but a room that looked magical as though it had come out from a fairy tale. She slowly looked around to see that no one was there (everyone was hiding which she did not know) except her and Gui Gui. Apart from the glittering fairy lights that dangled along the walls, there was photographs of her and Jiro scattered all across the wall and each one had the head of a rose attached to it.

"Jiro..." she mumbled quietly, filled with surprise. She then suddenly felt a small push on her shoulder, and then Gui Gui spoke up with a warm smile.
"Go on, he's waiting for you," she told her and Cyndi nodded.

Cyndi slowly walked around, gazing at all the memories she had made with Jiro that were present on the walls while she looked for the man she loved. Her heart was fluttering in confusion and excitement - what was her boyfriend doing?

"Jiro?" she softly called out, dancing her eyes around the room, "Are you here, Jiro?" she asked again. Suddenly she heard soft footsteps behind her.

Quickly, she turned around, "Jiro!" she exclaimed only for her face to fall as the one that stood there was Jeff who was holding a lovely bouquet of roses. Feeling her heart sink, she sighed, thinking Jeff was the one behind this. A small chuckle left Jeff's lips and he handed the flowers to her, "These have your name on them," he said and Cyndi accepted them quietly.

"Jeff... you know I-" she was then cut off by the man in front of her.
"The roses aren't from me," Jeff interrupted with a smile, knowing she had misunderstood.
"Then who?" Cyndi asked with widened eyes.
Jeff laughed, "He's behind you," was his response.

Instantly, Cyndi her heels to see Jiro standing there dressed so handsomely that she thought she was falling for him all over again. His hair was styled and his clothes were smart and elegant.

She couldn't help but blink in surprise, "Jiro, what's all this?" she asked, slightly stammering out of nervousness, "It's not Valentine's Day... and all this looks really expensive-" Unexpectedly, her words became stuck in when the male before her got down on one knee, instantly answering her initial question.

She watched, frozen and speechless, as Jiro revealed a shiny diamond ring that sat in a small black box. The ring reflected the light cast by the thousands of fairy lights around the room, creating a magical effect around the diamond. Tears had already started to pool in the young woman's eyes and she covered her quivering lips with her hand.

"Cyndi, will you marry me?" were the words she thought she'd never hear in her lifetime but here she was now, hearing those words leave through the mouth of the one she loved and she felt fireworks shoot off in her heart.

"Yes... yes of course!" she exclaimed happily, "Jiro, I'd love too!"

Out nowhere, Danson popped out and pulled a party popper which Jeff, Calvin and Gui Gui did too, showering the couple in colourful confetti and streamers as they cheered.

A great big grin slapped itself onto Jiro's face as he gently slipped the ring onto her ring finger. Then, he pulled her into a tight hug, buzzing with excitement, "Thank you," he mumbled into her hair, "Thank you for making me the happiest man alive," he continued, wrapping his arms around her as if he hadn't seen her in forever.

After a long hug, the two slowly separated. Jiro chuckled after seeing her face streaming with tears and he gently wiped them away.

"Jiro... where did you get all this money? Did you win the lottery or something?" she asked him, genuinely curious and surprised. If they did get married, she didn't expect such a large diamond ring from him - and she didn't desire one either, a simple ring would have pleased her as much as the most expensive diamond in the world.

Smiling Jiro took her hands into his own and gazed into her eyes, "Uncle Jack handed down the ice cream parlour to me," he explained, "So now that I have a lot of money coming in, I can support you and a potential family in the future: you can depend on me for the rest of our lives."
Cyndi's eyes fluttered in disbelief, "That's wonderful news!" she exclaimed before she entwined her fingers around his, "And I have some wonderful news for you too," she told him, sparking the interest of their friends around them.

"What? You planned a secret proposal too?" Calvin joked.
"Nah, maybe she inherited a business too," Danson guessed, playing along.

Cyndi rolled her eyes at them before returning her gaze back to her loved one, "I hope you find it better than me owning my own business," she told him before tip toeing and leaning into his ear, "Because... I'm pregnant," she whispered, unable to hold back her smile.

Jiro's eyes widened as Cyndi stepped back, waiting for his reaction. "A-Am I going to be... a father?" he asked her in a quiet mutter and she nodded. When she nodded, Jiro turned around to look at everyone, smiling ear to ear. "I'm going to be a father!" he cheered, bubbling over with elation. "There's going to be a mini Jiro or a mini Cyndi running around soon!" he exclaimed.

"Wow, congratulations!" Gui Gui squealed, hugging Cyndi, "I can't believe this!"
Calvin slapped Jiro's shoulder lightly, "Never thought I'd see this day, congrats bro," he said and Danson nodded.
"I'm really happy for you, Jiro, you deserve all this happiness," he said and Jiro could only smile in thanks.

Unbeknownst to them, a chain of faulty fairy lights crackled in a dark corner, causing sparks. Due to the loud chatter and cheers from the group of friends in the next room, the sound of glass bursting went unheard and so did the bright golden glow of a small flame that was eating away at everything around it. With no smoke detectors in the room, there was no indication of a fire till a thick cloud of black smoke seeped into the room in which Jiro was in.

Due to all the photographs attached to the walls, the fire had spread quickly, burning everything it touched before growing so large that it finally caught the attention of the adults. But by then it was too late - half of the building was already wrecked, painted in black ashes.

"Fire! There's a fire!" Jeff yelled to all the people, "Evacuate!"

Horror stricken, Jiro grabbed Cyndi's hand and pulled her close to him before finding away out with everyone else. He cast one last look at a burning photgraph of him and Cyndi before evacuating.