His Naughty Lessons-Chapter 298: Perfect Symbols

** Harper **

It was a gorgeous ring. The jewelry box had come with a built-in light, and the bright glow reflected brilliantly off of the beauty on Harper’s finger, dazzling her eyes.

The heart-shaped diamond was beautiful and enormous, though what caught her attention even more was the design around it, unique and unlike anything she had seen before. Surrounding the central stone were two bands of pavé emeralds, shaped into mirroring patterns that resembled two clasped hands holding the centerpiece in place. At the top of the large diamond was an impossibly fine filigree styled into a crown, encrusted with more tiny diamonds, and the whole ensemble sparkled in mesmerizing colors against the intricate threads of white gold, even more gloriously than the stars above them.

"This is ... a Claddagh ring?" Harper asked, immediately reminded of the classic Irish symbol. Then she reconsidered. It wasn’t exactly like it though ... The resemblance was obvious, but this design was much more abstract and stylistic, like a piece of impressionist art invoking the same feeling but far more subtly and artistically.

"It’s a tribute to its meanings, yes. And a small nod to your family heritage." Eli smiled, looking a little ... sheepish? "I wanted a design that symbolizes love, friendship, and loyalty, so I thought this was a fitting idea to start with. Apparently the jeweler thought that my original sketch was way too ugly though, and he changed a lot of the details ..."

"Wait, you sketched this?" Harper’s eyes widened once more. "You designed the ring for me?"

"Um ... s-sort of, in a way ... Do you like it?"

"Like it?? I love it! It’s absolutely perfect!!" Harper gasped, and the already gorgeous ring suddenly looked even more stunning on her finger now that she knew its precious origin. "Argh, you’re going to make me cry again. This is unbelievable ... How are you even real, Eli?"

She heard him sigh in relief again as she hugged him once more, and at that moment, her heart felt so full of pure and tender happiness that she wondered if it might burst. Burying her face into the crook of his neck, she smiled so wide that her cheeks were starting to hurt.

She didn’t let go for a long, long time ... until the ring box apparently hit a timer, and the light glowing around them turned off.

"..." For the Nth time tonight, Eli looked immensely embarrassed. "I should’ve asked for a user manual," he murmured when the darkened box snapped them out of their blissful trance, ending their embrace.

"Well, I think it’s my fault for not remembering to say yes sooner ... Pretty sure something tragic is supposed to happen if the box stays lit for longer than this." Harper chuckled, reaching for his hand with hers and lacing their fingers together, making sure that he could feel her ring right against his touch. Then she kissed him, and the lingering kiss went on and on for another long while ... until both of them were out of breath.

"Should we finish watching the meteor shower?" Eli asked in the end, when she leaned lazily against his chest and simply stayed there, listening to his heartbeat that was still as fast as her own. "I think it’s getting to the peak now and should last for another hour or so."

Ah, right. The meteor shower. The magic of the night had gone so far and beyond the shooting stars that Harper had almost forgotten about them. "You said you reserved a different campsite for tonight," she pondered. "How far is it from here? It’d be cool to keep stargazing from our tent, don’t you think?"

Eli’s lips curved into a mysterious smile, a telltale sign that yet another surprise was coming for her.

"Sure, it’s not far at all." Still holding her hand in his, he picked up their backpack, leading her down a side branch of the hiking trail down the summit.

The trail was dark on the moonless night, but easy enough with a flashlight, and it didn’t take long before faint glows of light started peeking from the other side of the trees. Harper was wondering just what type of surprises he could prepare again at a simple campsite when they emerged out of the shrubs, coming to a clearing that opened up to—

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

It wasn’t a campsite at all! The tent — which really wasn’t a tent, measuring at least half the size of her whole apartment — was already set up, secured with sturdy canvas walls on all sides and strung with warm lights along the roof. The door flap was rolled open, and she could see through the gap a cozy, homey interior, lit up and decorated with carpets and flowers, along with a real foldable bed.

"No wonder I didn’t see you packing camping supplies." Harper understood belatedly. "I didn’t know we weren’t going camping! We’re going glamping!"

"We are. I hope it’s understandable that I don’t want to make you squeeze into a tiny sleeping bag on damp ground on a special night like this." With the hand that was laced around hers, Eli brushed his thumb over her knuckles, casually caressing her ring as if its existence made him feel secure. "I hope they remembered to include all the accessories I requested ... Let’s take a look."

Lifting the door flap, he nudged her in before draping the cover back down, securing it against the night wind.

Oh, the accessories were definitely all in place. Harper smiled at the sight of her favorite type of fluffy throws, soft fur pillows, and crisp cotton sheets. The furniture was complete with a small dresser, a lovely little ottoman, and even a flower shelf full of night-blooming plants, filling the air inside with a subtle fragrance that blended in perfectly with the earthy scent of mountain woods.

"Perfect place to end a perfect night," she declared. "I definitely can’t let any of this extraordinary effort go to waste then, can I?"

She kicked off her shoes and plopped into the bed with her arms spread open, welcoming him to join her.