[A/N]

hey yall

!!!!!!!THIS CHAPTER HAS AN M RATING BTW (its a big section u wont miss it)

i wanted to put the rating on the chapter itself but like dont u have to be over 18 or smtg to read it then? so if there are some of yall who didnt lie abt their ages or arent over 18 yet who want to read then ur welcome

i had SO much trouble writing this chapter oh my gOd

but all im gunna say is:

if i had to describe this chapter it would be "the calm before the storm" hehe

(yes im spoiling my own story)

*insert cute nayeon teasing mina gif*

---

Seasons are changing and waves are crashing and

Stars are falling all for us

-

Tonight was the special night. They were at the fancy restaurant Nayeon had finally booked. Mina had convinced her girlfriend that she would only come if she paid the bill, as it was Nayeon's birthday after all. So here they were, looking through the menu as they have never been to the restaurant before. Except Nayeon wasn't paying attention to the menu. She kept glancing at Mina out of both nervousness and, as usual, awe.

Mina always radiated elegance. It was as if she was born with the combined aura of the Royal family. It came naturally to her even when she accomplished simple tasks such as studying... or breathing. The way Mina moved with such grace and delicacy made it seem as if everything she touched was made out of the most fragile material that would break with the slightest bit of pressure.

Nayeon had seen Mina dressed up in somewhat formal attire before when they had attended certain cocktail parties or certain events. So when Nayeon had told her to dress up a bit for tonight, she had expected Mina to wear something similar to her other outfis, which can be described with darker colours and minimalistic design. What she was looking at instead was Mina's poised figure wearing a formal off-the shoulder lace dress that put her perfect collarbones and shoulders in exposure. The dress was black, and her long sleeves and torso were covered with intricate designs made out of lace, that merged into the long, elegant bottom. Her hair looked so soft in a low-bun updo, and Nayeon could see that Mina had slightly curled it before putting it up.

Nayeon was reminded of the nickname Mina once said people gave her when she was younger: the Black Swan. Nayeon agreed with them. Whoever they were, they were right. Mina, her hair, her collarbones, her figure, her dress, her everything, emanated grace and sophistication under the grand chandelier above them. She was wearing all black, but her aura gave off a simple innocence. Nayeon thought Mina looked like art in a museum that no one should be allowed to touch.

"Are you going to pick something to eat or you're just going to keep staring at me like that?"

Nayeon blinked out of her gaze. She realized that Mina had lowered her menu to look at her directly.

"I'm already looking at what I'd like to eat," Nayeon teased.

There was a difference in how Mina dressed up at other parties and how she looked like now. The difference was that she didn't dress to cover up. She didn't dress like she could wear the same cocktail dress for every other event without people noticing. She dressed for Nayeon.

Nayeon suddenly felt a surge of confidence and pressure. She was confident, because Mina just reminded her how special Nayeon was to her. It made Nayeon overjoyed. She was excited to make Mina feel equally as special after tonight. She was also stressed, because a perfect person like Mina deserved a perfect proposal and nothing less. There was no room for mistakes. Mina was not a mistake. And if, for some cruel reason, God accidentally did give Mina to Nayeon by mistake, then Nayeon would think that it was the best mistake that she has ever made and it was one she would like to live with forever.

Nayeon looked into her bag and made sure the ring was still in there. She was ready.

-

Their dinner was too good to be true. The food was incredible, the atmosphere was amazing, with Nayeon not passing up any opportunity to make Mina laugh, even to the lengths of making a fool out of herself. They were looking at the desert menu, and Nayeon was mentally and physically preparing herself to finally ask the big question. She was going to give Mina the scrapbook she made after they had ordered the desert. The timing was perfect, she had time to think it over and after the special moment had passed, they were going to eat their first desert as an engaged couple. Apparently the happiness was so evident on Nayeon's face that Mina had asked why Nayeon was furiously smiling at the desert menu.

They had finally ordered and Nayeon was about to reach out to her bag when the unimaginable happened.

Nayeon had looked up to see a random man in a white tuxedo slowly lift Mina's head from her chin to face him.

"What is a beautiful lady doing at a fancy restaurant without a date? Or..." the unwelcomed man said. Mina gently pulled back from his touch. "Or is he somewhere I cannot see?"

Nayeon gripped her chair so hard that it was a miracle if her clear-coated nails weren't coated with her own blood. It took Nayeon all the self-restraint she had to not "kindly" punch the man in the face and yell at him to f*** off. She held back because she thought that there might be a simple explanation for this, such as the man not knowing Mina was on a date with her. But she still wasn't going to forgive him for unecessarily touching, no, soiling, her precious Mina in such a disgusting way. Nayeon saw her girlfriend's beautiful eyes flicker with discomfort. Mina looked as if she was about to politely reply to him, but Nayeon decided to take the matter into her impulsive hands.

"She is currently on a date with me, her girlfriend. So if you would please-" Nayeon started, in the most stable voice she could muster at the moment. She needed to get rid of him quickly so the mood of tonight wouldn't be completely destroyed. So her months of planning and hype wouldn't be completely destroyed.

"Girlfriend?" the man dramatically gasped at Mina, "Oh no, honey, a woman only needs a man in her life."

Nayeon's anger slowly shifted into lethargy. She knew what she was about to hear. She was tired of hearing the same things again, but she has heard it all already that she had grown indifferent to all the insults, slurs, supposedly rightful Bible quotes, and whatnot. She was going to let the man continue with his homophobic rant, but instead she grew furious once again.

"And a lovely queen such as yourself deserves a handsome king like me," the man proceeded and slowly approached Mina even more.

Nayeon noticed that he was about to lay a hand on Mina's bare shoulder, and she quickly stood up from her seat in attempt to stop him. The room's noise level quieted down for a moment as the sudden scraping of her chair garnered some small attention from the tables around them. Nayeon was relieved when the man had retracted his hand in caution, but she didn't like the stares she was feeling. She really didn't want to cause a scene, for her sake as well as Mina's. She glanced at which table the man returned to and that's when she saw it. Her heart sank even more. Jinyoung was amongst the men who was sitting at it. He was staring straight at her.

She was in complete and utter disbelief. Out of all days, out of all the freaking days, out of every single of the 365 days in the whole year, out of all the times, out of all the restaurants. She was seething. It was almost as if Jinyoung knew today was a special day for her and he had to be here to ruin it. He came to tear up all of her plans, step on it and burn it to ashes.

And it worked. The night was officially ruined for her. She was not in the mood to propose to Mina anymore. She did not want to propose after Mina was touched in that manner, after she had made a scene, after she saw that Jinyoung probably planned everything to try and take Mina way from her. He did not deserve to be in a place that was supposed to be filled with happiness and love. Nayeon was whole-heartedly defeated.

She saw their deserts coming their way, and she sat back down, dejected. Mina gave her a confused look, because she couldn't understand what just happened, but her attention shifted to the desert that was now in front of her. Nayeon softly agreed with Mina when she mentioned how delicious the desert looked. She couldn't let Mina know the seriousness of the situation. She couldn't let Mina know that they were supposed to eat the desert in bliss, while their intertwined hands were supposed to be accessorized with their wedding rings. She couldn't let Mina know that tonight was supposed to be a special night for both of them. A memorable night they will never forget. She couldn't let Mina know anything that would hurt her.

"Hm?" Nayeon said when she realized Mina had asked her something, but she didn't hear it because she wasn't listening. She inwardly scolded herself once again for another mistake tonight.

"I asked if you were alright... you seemed very distracted," Mina said with concern.

"Ah, no, it's nothing," Nayeon brushed it off, "Let's just eat."

-

The drive home was mostly silent. For Mina, it was probably a comfortable silence. For Nayeon, it was the loudest silence she has ever experienced. Her thoughts were running wild.

I should've proposed before our dinner arrived, she thought.

She turned left.

No, I should've pretended as if nothing happened and should've still proposed to her as the desert came.

She stopped at a red light.

I should choose another night to propose... But what if something similar happens...

She took off again when it turned green.

I should choose a better location next time... But what if...

They entered their apartment building's parking lot. She hated this. Was she really about to end her birthday like this when nothing happened?

This was such a perfect night...

Nayeon parked the car. The night was perfect, she finally decided. And sometimes, some imperfections are what sometimes makes some things perfect. She decided. She wasn't going to let this night end just yet. She was still going to propose, and nothing can stop her now. Not Jinyoung, not her accidentally tripping, not any rain or earthquake or even an alien invasion were going to stop her. She forced herself to shake off the unfortunate mood she was in and filled herself with newfound determination. Tonight was still the night.

"Hey, babe," Nayeon spoke up once they got out of the car, "Do you mind if we go to the roof for a bit?"

Nayeon instantly realized how suspicious that sounded. It made her sound like she had something planned, which was going to eventually ruin her surprise factor.

"I-I wouldn't be able to sleep properly if I didn't take a picture of you tonight in front of the stars and the beautiful view," Nayeon attempted to save herself.

"You flatter me way too much." Mina smiled and took Nayeon's hand as they made their way up. "I don't think you know how beautiful you are as well."

-

They reached the roof and Mina instantly ran to the edges.

"I've never been up here at night before," Mina said as she admired the view of the city under the starry sky.

Nayeon wasn't lying when she said she wanted to picture this moment. Mina didn't know that Nayeon meant to picture this moment in her mind. There was no one here other than both of them. Just herself and her future wife under the moonlight. Nayeon had a reason in choosing this exact moment to propose, despite her first attempt ending in disappointment.

"Mina..." Nayeon slowly called out to get her attention.

"Yes, babe?" Mina responded.

When Mina didn't hear a response, she turned around to face Nayeon, who was holding out the scrapbook in her direction.

"This is for you."

"Uh babe, I know you might be confused at times, but you should be receiving gifts on your birthday, not giving them," Mina joked.

"Just t