Chapter 52: James, Shut Up

As Emma and Lily chatted, Emma didn't seem to notice as Lily steered her to an empty but opulent hallway, as they turned a corner, Emma looked at her surroundings, stopping to realize she was at a part of ZALE she had never really seen before. It was beautifully decorated, and she took in her surroundings for quite a while.

"Lily, where are we? I think we went the wrong way," she noticed.

But when she turned around, Lily was gone.

"Lily?" She asked as she looked behind her if Lily was there.

Her heart started beating faster as she realized Lily had disappeared, when truth was, she was hiding behind the corner, awaiting what was about to happen while also dreading how Emma would react when she found out she was involved in this all.

She almost screamed when a pair of hands held hers.

As she turned around to face who those muscular hands belonged to, she found that it was James himself.

She was about to reprimand him and berate him but the words were stuck in her throat as she realized he looked much better than any other days and seemed to be specially dressed.

She stuttered on her words.

"James! W-w-what are you d-doing?" She asked.

James sadly smiled.

"Emma, listen, I'm so sorry I've been avoiding you all day," he apologized.

All her intentions of wanting to berate him disappeared as she knew he was sincerely sorry.

"But why?" She asked, still hurt on why he had been avoiding her.

This was when he cleared his throat.

"Emma, I never meant to do this to you, but you never did anything wrong, it was just that I was…" he trailed off.

Emma furrowed her brows, confused.

"Nervous? For what? I don't think there's any test or quiz coming up?" She asked.

James let go of Emma's hands.

"No, not about that," he said as a soft smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, his ears already beginning to turn a soft shade of pink.

Emma tilted her head.

"Well, then why are we here?" Emma asked next.

"That's because there's actually something I've been meaning to ask you privately," he started off.

Emma was even more confused, wondering what it was that he wanted to ask.

Her rage at him had disappeared as she smiled warmly at him. "Well, I'm here now, so shoot," she replied.

He seemed more nervous than ever.

"Well, the matter that I wanted to ask you about is...one of our personal lives. Regarding the two of us, Emma. You and I," he said nervously, as if that was not obvious already.

When Emma didn't react, he continued speaking.

"What I basically mean is, it's regarding the two of us in terms of each other, you know, as a pair, or rather…"

Emma finally understood what he was meaning to say.

"Ah," she managed to say as the hallway seemed to have a sudden increase in temperature.

He bit his lip.

"I just wanted to discuss the possibility of us being a...couple. Ever since I met you, I've been different, and I can't imagine my life without you," he said, his cheeks now a bright red.

Emma was still shocked.

"James…"

Before she was able to say anything else, he pressed a tentative kiss to Emma's lips as he pulled away after what seemed like forever and stood there, his forehead against hers as his eyes were screwed shut.

He had already taken the box out of his pocket, holding it with his left hand.

"Emma, I want to make you mine. Just mine."

Everything would've been all the more romantic, if he hadn't said what he said next.

"And if you're having doubts, I actually prepared a list of why us becoming a couple would be beneficial," he stated.

"Emma intervened, stopping him before the poor guy had to recite the whole list he prepared out of pure nervousness.

"James. Stop. You don't have to go through a whole list," she said, a wide grin on her angelic features, washing all of James' nervousness away.

"Okay, so here's the main question I wanted to ask you. Emma Amelia Kennedy Grey, will you be my girlfriend?" He asked.

A voice in Emma's head had noticed and fawned, 'You even remembered the Kennedy part.'

Once Emma realized James was awaiting her much anticipated answer, she answered immediately, "Of course I'll be your girlfriend, James."

James' eyes widened in shock.

"You're serious? You're not joking? You actually want to be my girlfriend?" He asked worriedly.

Emma smiled as she leaned him as she buried her face in his neck.

"Of course I want to be your girlfriend. Truth be told, I was getting worried that you'd never ask," she admitted.

James grinned, his grin wider than any grin ever before.

"Well, must be a good thing I worked up a nerve to then, huh," he realized.

Emma nodded, a huge smile on her own face as she tried to control the racing pace of her beating heart.

"Well, if that's the case," he said as he opened the velvet box, revealing a shimmering necklace, it's chain made of thin sterling silver and it's middle a pendant with the word love engraved on it, encrusted with diamonds with the cutest key dangling beside it. It had been one of the Queen of Amaris' precious heirlooms. Now, it was hers.

Emma gasped.

"Is that...for me?" She asked in disbelief, thinking that she didn't deserve such things.

"It was one of my mother's family heirlooms. She gave it to me to give the one person that would forever own my heart. And it looks like I finally found her. Emma, I'm-

"James, shut up," Emma said before she leaned in, placing a tentative kiss on his lips, and melting into his forever as he dropped the closed velvet box to the ground. James dipped his head, deepening the kiss as it quickly heated, while Emma wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.

And with those three words that his now significant other said, he did as she said. He shut up.