Inktober 2019 3 - Bait
It started with rose petals. How could she resist?
She followed the trail of scattered petals up the stairs, just as he knew she would. They would tip her off that something unusual was afoot, but she wouldn’t know what exactly he had in mind. He’d surprised her before, and she’d always enjoyed it. He sincerely hoped to keep that lucky streak going.
The petals led to the door. She unlocked and opened it to find the next set of stairs decorated with a candle on each step. Smiling, she climbed these stairs as well. They led to her apartment, so why wouldn’t she travel them? But anticipation lent spice to the effort this time.
Around the corner and there was the apartment door, slightly ajar. She stood there for a moment, listening, but he’d prepared for this, so the only thing she heard was the sound of her own breath. She took one more deep breath, pushed the door fully open, and strode into the room.
“Surprise!”
He figured she’d expect to see him, but she wouldn’t have guessed that her parents, siblings, and closest friends would be arrayed around him, all smiling and cheering. She stood frozen for a moment, unsure about this development. He took one last deep breath himself, then went down on one knee, ring box extended.
The door automatically closed behind her. She was trapped.