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Today is Nami's birthday, so Sanji invited her over to his apartment.
When Nami arrives, Sanji has put together a playlist of all her favorite songs, hung string lights on the walls, placed candles on the table, and arranged sunflowers (Nami’s favorite flower) all over the place. Nami is amazed when suddenly a terrible thought crosses her mind. He’s not actually planning to propose to her, is he?
* * *
No… They’ve only been dating for barely a year—it’s true they each have their own drawer at the other’s place but what’s a drawer, anyway?—Sanji knows her; he knows she’s afraid of commitment. But Nami knows he dreams of getting married. Yet he knows she wouldn’t want him to propose, especially on her birthday… But when it comes to Nami, he tends to get carried away… Nami scans all the possible escape routes: there’s the front door, of course, but that would be too obvious; there’s also the bedroom balcony, but how could she get there without looking suspicious? That leaves only the bathroom window…
* * *
Sanji hands her a glass of champagne. Nami wants to drink it all in one gulp to put an end to her paranoia but if the ring is at the bottom of the glass, she might choke on it… So she looks into the bottom of the glass before drinking.
“Is something wrong?” Sanji asks her.
“None at all!” says Nami, delighted to see that there’s no ring in her glass. “It’s perfect! Sanji… What you’ve done is truly incredible!”
“And you haven’t seen anything yet…”
That sentence fills Nami with intense anxiety—so he really does intend to propose…
* * *
Nami eats her salmon very slowly, just in case the ring is hidden inside. She’s never heard of a ring being hidden in salmon before but you can never be too careful…
“Don’t you like it?” Sanji asks, worried.
“Yes! I love it! I’m eating slowly so I don’t choke…”
“Are there any bones left?! ” Sanji exclaims, horrified by his carelessness.
“No! Don’t worry, it’s perfect!”
* * *
For dessert, Sanji made Nami a mandarin orange and white chocolate tart, and once again, Nami eats very slowly. At least that way, she can savor what Sanji made for her…
* * *
“Have you had enough to eat?” Sanji asks her.
“Yes!” Nami nods.
“Would you like another cup of coffee?”
“No, thanks.”
“Well then… I think it’s time to give you your present…”
“Wait!” Nami exclaims. “Before that… I’m going to the bathroom…”
“Okay, but the window’s too small. If you want to run away, it’ll be easier through the front door.”
“What?!”
“That’s what you’re planning to do, isn’t it?”
“…Listen, Sanji… things are going well between us… why ruin it all?”
Sanji smiled.
“What’s so funny?!”
“Open it,” he said, handing her the box.
“But I…” Nami started to protest, but she gave in and opened the package. That’s when she discovered a beautiful gold bracelet.
“I kept the receipt, so if you don’t like it, no problem!”
“It’s gorgeous! But… weren’t you going to propose to me?”
“No, you don’t want to get married.”
“But you…”
“I want you to feel comfortable.”
“Sanji… I’m sorry…”
“It’s okay—I’m the one who should apologize for scaring you…”
“No, really… Everything was perfect!”
“Is that true?”
“Of course! This evening is perfect!”
“Do you really mean that?”
“I really do!” said Nami before kissing Sanji, languorously.
Just then, the Moulin Rouge version of “Your Song” began to play...