Convincing her

Jen took out a bottle of wine and took two wine glasses with her and went to sit in the living room. She fidgeted a bit as she was thinking of the best way to present her surprise to Lucas, but nothing came to mind.

With a sigh, she decisively opened the wine bottle and filled a wine glass before downing it like she was drinking water. She refilled it and drank half of it in one go, then relaxed against the sofa and looked at the dark television before her.

She wanted to plan this meticulously, but she was feeling very unsure of herself. She was nervous about how Lucas was going to respond to her and how she was going to respond if things went awry.

Lucas showered, knowing that he was going to be getting some later. As he put on his bathrobe, he wondered whether he should wear his pyjama pants or just go as he was. When he walked out of the bathroom, Jen was nowhere to be found.

Figuring that she was still in the walk-in closet, he went in there, but that too was empty. He looked around with furrowed eyebrows and went to put on his pyjama pants. He draped a towel on his shoulders and left the bedroom and went to the living room.

He found Jen sitting on the couch with a wine glass in her hand. She looked to be lost in her thoughts as she was staring at the dark screen of the television. She hadn't even bothered to turn it on.

"Jen?" Lucas called, and she turned around to look at him.

"Babe, can you come with another bottle?" she asked him and he couldn't find it in himself to refuse her, even though it looked like she had already finished one all by herself.

Lucas went to the kitchen and took a wine bottle to the living room. He sat down next to her and placed the bottled on the coffee table before looking at her.

"Are you alright?" Lucas asked as he looked at her face. Unlike the normal red wine she normally enjoyed, she had drunk red wine, which had stained her lips a bit, making them look a darker colour than usual.

"I'm fine," Jen said and smiled reassuringly at him. 

"Do you want to watch something?" Lucas asked and picked up the remote to turn on the television, but Jen stopped him almost immediately. 

"What is it?" Lucas asked her as he looked at her slightly flushed cheeks. He figured that she should at least be a bit tipsy after finishing a whole wine bottle.

"Can you… just focus on me?" Jen asked him, and Lucas felt his mouth go dry.

"Hm?" he responded in question.

"Drink this first," Jen said, and presented a full glass of wine.

"I don't think a wine glass is meant to be filled up like this," Lucas said with a chuckle but still took the glass from her. Even if he were given poison, he would have probably drunk it happily.

"I should go get another bottle," Jen said and got off the sofa before Lucas could stop her. She went to the kitchen and brought back a bottle of red wine and sat back down next to him.

"Are you alright?" Lucas asked her when he saw her flustered appearance. He started wondering what was it that was making her so nervous and got curious about what she was wearing under the robe she had on. Was it too kinky that she felt embarrassed about it and felt that it was easier to get drunk before showing it to him?

"I'm fine," Jen said and took a sip of her wine before looking at Lucas, who was staring at her intently. She knew that she was being a bit off today, but she was having a hard time curbing her nervousness in the first place.

"You look very nervous Jen, what did you prepare for me that would reduce you to this state?" Lucas asked out loud as he fiddled with the lapels of the bathrobe she was wearing, and Jen's cheeks became flushed even more.

"Can I see?" Lucas asked her, and Jen nodded before shaking her head. But it was already too late. Lucas opened her bathrobe and saw the white lace lingerie. He swallowed audibly before looking at her face.

"Lucas, I…" Jen started but became unsure of herself last minute.

"Come here," Lucas said and pulled her onto his lap so she was straddling him. Jen looked at his handsome face and held his head in her hands and leaned down to kiss him. She was being very tender with him, to the point that Lucas felt a bit flustered by her.

"Jen…" he said and stopped talking when he felt something placed on his bare chest.

Lucas looked down and saw a small box being held in between Jen's delicate fingers. He looked up at her in question and saw her cheeks were flushed. It was unknown whether it was from nervousness or embarrassment.

"For me?" he asked as he placed his hand on top of hers. Jen bit her lower lip and nodded at him. Lucas looked at her curiously before looking at her hand that was slightly trembling.

"Should I open it now?" Lucas asked as his fingers deftly took the small silk velvet box from her while carefully looking at her expression. The last time he received something from her was on his birthday last year. But her reaction then was not the same as it was now. Jen nodded hesitantly and looked at his face as he examined the box before opening it. 

She bit her lips when she saw his body freeze once he saw the contents of the box. Lucas's eyes became a bit dazed as he looked up at her.

"Will you marry me, Lucas?" she asked him. Her cheeks and ears turning a vivid red colour.