The key turned in the lock of the house that had not seen its occupant in a few days; long enough that the nosiest of neighbours had realised it, but not long enough for much dust to settle. The door quietly opened, no creaks, those had been fixed some time ago and a cheerful voice called out into the hallway from the opening, not realising that there was no one to answer. Elani placed her hand on the curve of her hip and pouted. He could have told me that he wasn't going to be in today! She thought, neglecting to recall that she hadn't sent him a message that she was planning to visit; she'd wanted to surprise him! After returning back to the country, she had sent Zandre a text to let him know (it had been late at night and she hadn't wanted to disturb him with a phone call), but she hadn't received a response. And then the following morning, yesterday morning, her managing agent had had her come into the office. Actually, that had been an excellent thing! She'd received the copies of a few of the photographs from her last shoot, just as she'd requested, intending to add them to her personal scrapbook or resume. She'd been modelling lingerie for a small but up and coming brand, pretty bra's, matching panties and accessories made of lace and ribbons. The theme had been angelic with a sexy twist. After selecting one photograph, she'd had it blown up into the size of a poster, her stunning figure and tone of skin a sharp contrast to the sweet pale pink briefs and balcony bra that gave her full, pert breasts a more natural roundness and lift. In the image, the set had been matched with white stockings with tiny pink bows upon them. She had felt very satisfied with the whole ensemble and had decided to have the poster framed and gifted to her man. Only, she hadn't counted on him not being here today. With a careless shrug of her shoulders, she took the sizeable brown-paper package into the hall way, originally planning to leave it there for when Zandre returned, when she had a sudden flash of inspiration! Why leave it here, when she can place it somewhere he could truly enjoy it! Tossing off her heels with a flick of her ankles, she closed the door shut behind her and proceeded with her plan. She bent her knees a little to brace herself, before picking up the large frame and carefully proceeding up the stairs. She paused at the top of the stairs a moment to catch her breath before lifting the frame once more and taking it into the master bedroom. The large bed had fresh sheets, she noticed, all neatly tucked and made and a smile came to her lips as she thought about curling up with her big muscly teddy bear in it again soon. For a large man with obvious physical strength, he'd always been so thoughtful and gentle as if worrying hurting her or upsetting and that was part of the reason her heart beat for him. He listened to her whenever she had something to say and more often than not, he would go along with her ideas or her plans. He never complained when she came back with a new pair of shoes, never said a word when she first placed her toothbrush next to his in the bathroom. Everything was taken at a relaxed stride. If she had one complaint, she thought to herself as she replaced the simple artwork opposite the bed upon the wall with her framed poster, sans paper of course, it was that he was never impulsive at all. Never spontaneous in his own right and it was usually her pushing for things like dates, meeting his parents and the such like. And for all the romantic gestures he had made so far, sending her a dozen red roses on valentines's day last year and the time he took her to the five star restaurant that she had been raving about a few weeks beforehand for her birthday, there was definitely one little gesture missing. After all, they had been together for a few years... On that thought, she flopped back on his bed, after satisfying herself with how wonderful her poster looked upon the wall and fantasying over his reactions when he saw it there for the first time. She giggled her head turning to one side. Her eyes widened and she slowly rose from her position and blinked to ensure that it was no illusion. Her hand trembled as she moved to reach for it. The small box sitting upon his bedside cabinet was velvet coated and not any bigger than the size of her palm. After staring at it with her large, brown eyes, she took a deep breath and flipped open the lid. Water blurred her vision, dulling the sparkle of the stone, but it looked no less beautiful in her mind. A sob of happiness escaped her and she tugged the platinum ring free of its confines in order to test the fit upon her finger. It fitted! It fitted perfectly! Giddily she rushed downstairs for the phone which was still in her clutch purse upon the hall table. She laughed as she rummaged through it, suddenly unable to find the thin mobile, but finally her fingers felt the uneven surface of the crystals encrusted upon the case. Withdrawing it and unlocking it, she swiped down to Zandre's contact details, biting her lip to contain the bubbles of joy that were continuously rising in her belly. So that was what Zandre's last message to her had been all about! This serious discussion he'd wanted to have with her must have been to ask her hand in marriage! She hadn't answered to that message; she'd not received it until she was already on the plane and the flight attendant had told her to switch off her phone. Then she'd been caught up with the movie on the flight; it was a classic and personal favourite. It starred her first crush and this had been the reason she'd pursued a career in acting. How was she to know, at the tender age of ten, that the man was over sixty at the point she had witnessed his dashing performance and sophisticated younger appearance! Zandre didn't look like him, but they both had that air of confidence about them, the joy they projected to have the privilege to work within their chosen careers. When she had finally recalled the message after the plane had landed, she had been whisked off to see her ill great grandmother and naturally, her concern for her beloved elder had pushed it out of her mind. Fortunately, great-grandma recovered, but it was a close thing at one point and after so long away, her agent had begun to urge her home. With the elder doing well, she had no reason to refuse. Plus both great-grandma and her grandmother had been encouraging local young men to visit in the last week of her stay, eager to see her settle down and produce the next generation for them to dote on! She sighed, no matter how much she had told them she had a man, that he loved her and she him, they refused to listen. "If there is no sign of commitment," grandmother had stated, her arms across her ample bosom, "how can we tell that this young man is serious about you?" Her great-grandmother had nodded in agreement. "And besides, don't you think Mr Bruyn's grandson is very handsome! And he has a P.H.D!" She let the natural light beam onto the diamond, enhancing its sparkles as the phone tried to connect to its giver in her other hand. Her elders would have nothing to say against Zandre now! After rugby season had ended, she would have to take him to see both grandma and great-grandma, so they can see just who is handsome then! The call reached his answer machine, but in her joyful state, she didn't question that for a moment. He'd bought the ring, he'd planned to propose and there was only one answer to that in her heart. "Yes! It's most definitely a yes!" ***** "Yes! It's most definitely a yes!" Zandre frowned. After not hearing from 'Lani for an age, she suddenly left him such a weird message... he didn't get it. Oh well, he was due to return home in a couple of days; the car company he'd taken a few modelling shots with to endorse their new vehicle wanted to discuss a longer term opportunity with him and his managing agent and as the team hadn't a game until late next week (and he was, as expected, due to sit on the bench), the team manager and head coach had allowed it. He'd deal with 'Lani's cryptic message then. Also, he missed Ichiro so badly, his captivating smile, the glint of his jet black eyes and the tremor of his voice. His finger had hovered over the call button so many times, but like a coward, he had made excuses not to disturb him. The little spy he'd recruited reassured him that Ichiro didn't seem to be angry with him, though he'd apparently sulked when he'd heard he'd left the country, but... He text his agent requesting his itinerary, he really had to speak with Ichiro, but he really wanted to do it in person.