“You know what? I didn't ask for anything on my birthday from him except.. for him to smile on our wedding day.”

Novi told me so. It's not that Darwin is such a grumpy man who can care less about anything, but he is not the kind of bubbly, lovey dovey, sweet, smiley man either. Also, photoshoot is not his thing. They don’t really take sweet selfies or even walk together while holding hands in the public or anything that displays public affection (except when I put them on the edge of the cliff, they had no other options but to hold on to each other ^^;) lol. 

Let’s rewind to the day when Novi was proposed. It was an ordinary weekday during office hours. At lunch time, Novi went to the mall in South Jakarta to get Darwin a birthday gift. All of a sudden, Darwin called her and asked where she was. Novi panicked because she didn’t want him to know that she was looking for his birthday gift. So Novi told him she was at the office. Novi asked Darwin back where he was. He also said that he was working, but surprisingly she saw him in front of her walking to a jewelry tenant at that mall but he didn't notice her. Darwin asked Novi to have lunch together at that mall. Novi walked to her car to put her gift for him, while playing scenes in her mind, guessing what would happen. 

So they had lunch together. And yes, Darwin put a box on the table for her, but it was a bigger box. "It's for you,” he said. For a while she realized that that was not "it.” 

She was relieved because like most women, we dreamed for our romantic moment to happen at a romantic place, and not at a Chinese family restaurant! She found out that it was a bracelet that she loved to collect. She was ecstatic. Then they had their meals. 

At the time when she thought that it was time to return to work after having lunch, Darwin pulled out another box from his pocket. And there it was, a beautiful engagement ring. She knew that it was coming anyway because she knows him so well.

"Any statements?” She asked. But of course, knowing Darwin, he would not recite any Shakespearean poetries nor would he recite sweet paragraphs to Novi. He simply said, “Marry me.”

Of course she said "yes.” :)

During the photoshoot, I could see how he was doing his best for her. Sometimes what is ordinary to some couples might be something special to other couples or vice versa. Love is about giving your best, and not about asking what you will get. But most of all, he smiled without her having to ask for it. He smiled for her.