taste.
“Wow,” I said. “Your pasta sauce is getting almost as good as Miriam’s.”
“I’ll keep on trying,” he smiled, tossing the spoon on the counter and sweeping me into his
arms. He kissed me sweetly, but I always tasted that simmering lust that was barely held in
check. Now that we were living together, there was no reason for him to ever keep his
hands off me.
So I was surprised when he pulled away so quickly. “I’ll dish this up, if you could set out the cutlery, please?” he asked.
“Sure.”
Fetching the silverware and napkins, I turned to the table to see there were some
brochures and a pen beside my spot. Setting down the cutlery, I asked, “What’s this?”
He took my left hand, sliding something out of his pocket. It was like a key ring, with a
bunch of different loops. Methodically trying on circle after circle on my ring finger, he said,
“Is that the right size?”
“Yes,” I whispered, realizing that my hand was beginning to tremble.
“Size five and a half,” he said, pulling out his phone and making a note. “After dinner, I’m
going to need you to go through those brochures, if you don’t mind, and make some notes
on what you like. Your friend Laura set me up with a guy who will make anything you want.”
As a writer, I should have been able to form words. I just couldn’t.
“Hey now,” he smiled, rubbing my back gently. “It’s not that big of a decision, right? It’s
basically the color of the metal, the shape of the metal, and the color and shape of the
stone. He’ll take care of the rest.”
“That sounds really expensive,” I finally stammered. “I can’t let you spend your money on
me.”
“I thi
nk I will buy my beautiful lady anything I want,” he smiled, kissing my forehead.
“You work so hard,” I said, holding his face in my hands. “You already bought us this
beautiful house.”
“And you bought us the new TV,” he chuckled. I adored that he was proud of me, and
understood that I needed to pay my fair share, as much as I could.
“Honestly, I don’t need a fancy ring,” I said.