We were madly and unconditionally in love with each other.
And why wouldn’t I be?
I saw her walking through the front door and towards her desk and felt a kind of awe. My God, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. In a pretty blue blouse, black trousers and a cream-colored blazer, she looked like she popped straight out of a career woman magazine. No other 20-year-old I knew dressed as maturely and professionally as she did, and she pulled it off like nobody’s business. Her face was radiant, and even with very little makeup she outshone everybody else in the room. She outshone most people in most rooms. Usually, looks like hers were enough to get by in life. I had met many, many, women over the years who used their looks to get by. Not Aria, though.
More so than anything else about her, it was her brilliance and ambition that drew me towards her. A part of me realized that when we eventually got married, she would gladly handle half my business operations for me. Maybe I would make her the head of Credit Lending Analysts and eventually, if she was interested, the CFO. Knowing her though, if I tried to make her the CFO right away, she would protest, claiming she hadn’t earned the title yet. I grinned again picturing that argument and then made a split-second decision to go buy her the best ring I could find.
On my way out, I stopped by Aria’s desk as she was busy typing something on her computer and said, “Too busy to notice your boss now? Boyfriend. I meant boyfriend.” I smiled and noticed Mrs. Brian beside her try unsuccessfully to hide her gasp.
“Hi.” Aria looked up and smiled. I wanted to kiss her, but I would have to resist. I couldn’t quite do some things in the workplace just yet. “Sorry, my tyrannical boss gave me a lot of work, so I am a little busy.”
“What a douche,” I said with a straight face. “Warn him that if he overworks you, your boyfriend will make him pay for it.”
She giggled and said, “What do you need, Zayden?”
“I need you, Aria, to say yes to my proposition.” I smirked, and before she could open her mouth again, I added, “I know, I know. You made your points and they are completely valid, which is why I am off on a little mission right now that will hopefully satisfy you. But I just have one question. What do you prefer? Squares or circles?”
She looked at me like I had just asked her something insane, like whether two plus two equals seven.
“What now?” she asked.
“You heard me. Squares or circles?”
“Uhmm…” She raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. “Squares, I suppose. I have never really thought about it, to be honest. I mean, who even thinks about it? And how is this at all relevant to anything?”
“You’ll see.” I winked. “For now, I have got to go.”
After turning around to head to the door and taking a few steps, I stopped and turned to look at her again. “I love you.” Ignoring the gasps from all over the place, I walked out casually as though I didn’t notice.
---
Just as I walked out of the building, a FedEx guy stopped me with some mail. It looked like it was paperwork. Ignoring the excitement bubbling up inside of me, I ripped the envelope open. The divorce was finalized! I couldn’t have chosen a better moment to go out to get the ring. I told Ned to take me to Dazzling Jewelers and Co., an exclusive jewelry store that only a few people within a 30-mile radius could afford.
Ned tried hard to contain his excitement, as I could tell from the etches around his cheeks while he attempted to keep a straight face. “And why are we going to a jewelry store? I don’t remember you ever having the desire to purchase any bling before.”
“Shut up, Ned. You know why I want to go there,” I said, trying to sound stern, but it came out almost comical since I had been completely incapable of wiping the grin from my face.
“No, sir. I have a guess, but you know what they say, when you assume, you make an ass out of—”
“Fine, I want to buy an engagement ring for Aria,” I said. “Now can we hurry?”
“Of course!” Ned exclaimed with joy. “I am so happy for you, Zayden. She is exactly what you need in your life.”
“I’m glad to have your approval, Ned.” I smiled. “No, seriously, I meant that. It probably sounded like I was being sarcastic, but it was genuine. Your approval actually means a lot to me and if you don’t know that by now—”
“I know,” Ned said cheerfully. “Of course I know. Now, before we drive off to get that engagement ring, might I suggest a pit stop?”
“Where?” I raised my eyebrows.
“To Aria’s apartment.”
“Huh? What will that accomplish? Aria is at the office.”
“Exactly.” Ned looked back at me and winked.
Within the next hour, we had managed to pick up Aria’s best friend Stacey from her apartment and made it to the jewelry store, while she squealed and made amusing sounds throughout the way there.
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!” Sh