Marriage of Unconvenience

“You should,” I said, a belated reply.

“I think I’ll text him right now,” she said, getting on her phone. My nerves started to get the better of me. Was this a terrible idea? Was she going to think it was awful? Was she going to say no and change her mind? Was she going to think I was making too much of this?

I didn’t know, and I wouldn’t know until I did it. I’d started the ball rolling and I had to let it go and see what happened.

Fingers crossed.

Six

I refused to tell Cara where we were going, so I had to tell her when we had to get off the subway. I could see the wheels clicking in her mind, but she didn’t know where we were going. She couldn’t.

Once we got to the street, I pulled out my phone to make sure I knew where I was going and then said, “this way.” She gave me a skeptical look before following. I’d brought us to one of the main shopping areas in the city, but I bypassed most of the big stores, and took her down a few side streets to some smaller shops.

“This one,” I said, pointing to a small shop with an awning. Cara looked up at it and smiled.

“You would bring us to a candy place.”

“I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t,” I said, holding the door open for her. “This is just the first stop. I have some more adult stuff in mind.” That made her raise her eyebrows.

“Not adult like that, Care. Get your mind out of the gutter.” We walked together into the shop that looked like Willy Wonka’s wet dream.

“Never,” she said, nearly crashing into a display of candy bars. I grabbed her arm at the last second.

The place was cram-jammed full of every kind of sweet thing imaginable, floor to ceiling. I didn’t even know where to look. Bins of jellybeans, buckets of salt water taffy, bouquets of flower-shaped lollipops. I went right for those and grabbed a basket to put the lollipops in.

“You’re not getting those for me, are you?” she asked, lurking behind me, looking a bit more apprehensive.

“Yes, I am. You don’t have to eat them all. Go ahead and get whatever you want.” Her eyes lit up.

“Even coconut jelly beans?” she asked. I made a disgusted face.

“Yes, even those. Ew.” She had the oddest taste in candy, but I couldn’t help but laugh as she scampered through the shop, both of us filling up my basket pretty damn quickly. I made sure to get some of the stuff I liked as well, and then spent a small fortune at the checkout counter before I filled my tote bag.

Our next stop was a wine and cheese shop for something a little more grown up. I picked a bottle of sweet sparkling wine and Cara got a premade cheese plate with prosciutto, olives, and crackers.

After we had the food, I steered us in the direction of the river. I hoped we could find a semi-secluded spot so we could just sit together and I could do my thing.

It took a while, and I was about ready to dump the candy, which was beyond heavy, but at last we got a good spot where there weren’t too many people and we had a great view of the city, as well as a clear patch of grass free of goose poop. I hoped.

“I should have brought a blanket. I didn’t put that on the list,” I said, sighing.

“You made a list? I’m so proud.” Cara clapped her hands and I stuck my tongue out at her as I dumped the candy down with a thump.

“Now I wanted to take you to my parent’s house and go up in the barn and maybe hang this damn thing from the ceiling and have you pluck it down, but you know that I’m not that organized. You are. So I’m expecting something spectacular. But you know me, so you probably knew this was how it was going to be.” I couldn’t not do the traditional thing and get on one knee, so I said that and held out the ring. She already knew what it looked like, so I didn’t have to do the whole dramatic thing with the box.

Cara was still standing and I couldn’t stop looking at her face. In that moment, there was nothing more real than the expression on her face. Her hands trembled as she held them up to her mouth. As if she was shocked. As if this was the real deal.

“You are such a dork,” she said in a soft voice. “And you forgot the question.”

Oh, right. I should have written this down, but my whole thing was going to be spontaneous.