1.17 Maybe Not…

Charles was dumbfounded, as he stared at the ring that Laura was holding up in the air. All the customers in the store stopped what they were doing  and stared at the couple.

He didn’t know how to react, he was taken by surprise; never in a million years had he expected Laura to propose!

was all he managed to blurt out after a long pause.

“You know my knees are really hurting” she hissed “hurry up Charles.”

He finally took the ring from her and stared at the diamond wide-eyed.

He wore it in his finger and they kissed while their audience cheered.

That day they finally went out on a real date and it was magical.

They had ice cream at the Freezer Bunny ice cream center, went swimming in the Bluffs and later stargazed.

They ended their date by cozying up next to the bonfire.

Charles felt wonderful in Laura’s arms; he felt like he belonged there, like that was where he was supposed to be in life. He was glad everything had worked out well- he had missed her so much and he was excited to start things from scratch. He felt all the more excited when he remembered that he was no longer her boyfriend, but her fiance! I can’t believe I’m engaged! he thought, it feels like yesterday when I was struggling to confess my feelings to Laura and in a few months from now, we’ll be married! Wow this is crazy! I don’t want to rush the wedding though… I mean I don’t even have a house; I can’t possibly raise a family in my tiny studio apartment! But I’ll take at least 6 more months to collect enough money for a new house. I don’t want to wait that long though… but if I-

“Why are so quiet?” Laura asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“Oh I was just thinking… you know, planning what we need to do next. I’m guessing we could get married in February, that’ll be six months from now, which is enough time for us to buy a new house. I think Valentine’s day is perfect for wedding, isn’t it? What do you think?” he asked her excitedly.

“Well I think… we should get married right here” she said with a sparkle in her eyes.

“Here?” he asked, confused, “Why would you want to get married here, in the dark?”

“Why not?” she asked playfully. When he didn’t answer, she continued, “Well, if you don’t want to marry in the dark, there’s something else we could do” she teased.

Charles had no idea what she was talking about. He looked at her, shrugging and nodding his head in confusion.

she whispered in his ears, pointing to a bush hidden among other trees, “let’s go woohoo.” she said, trying to sound sexy and seductive. She bent forward and nibbled at his neck. But Charles pulled back,

 She replied as she began unbuttoning his shirt,

“I am going to be your wife Charles” she chuckled, sliding her hands down as she unbuttoned her jeans.

He grabbed at her hands, in an attempt to stop her from unzipping her jeans,

He stopped midway, realizing he’d embarrassed both of them. Suddenly their perfect, magical date had become unbearable, awkward and embarrassing.

Laura moved away from him, sitting as far away as she could.

.

After what seemed an eternity, Charles spoke up, “I’m sorry for making this so awkward, but that’s just something I promised myself back when I was 16.”

“Ah… it’s okay, I can understand,” she said awkwardly, still looking in the other direction.

But frankly she couldn’t understand; she never had. She didn’t know what she was doing wrong; I mean every guy wants to woohoo on the first date, she thought. She had done it herself, several years ago when she had first started dating Lucas Ashford back in high school. She was only fourteen and he, a senior. Then it was Stefan, and then Antonio, Paulo, Marco, and the list went on and on. Every guy had whispered the same thing after their date- “Let’s woohoo,” they’d told her, holding her hands, then pulling her close and kissing her passionately. Every morning after the date had been the same, too- Laura waking up with no one at her side. The dates ended just as quickly as they started, and the boys left her life just the same way. Laura had grown used to this routine, she’d grown used to thinking that woohoo was the only way to end a date, more like a ritual that was to be done undoubtedly.

Then she met Charles who told her he was saving himself until marriage. Still a virgin at twenty-two? She thought; amazed at how different he was from all those losers she’d been dating all this while.

And then she realised that he was the first guy who wanted to have a relationship not with her body but with her mind and her soul. Now she regretted having lost her virginity to that loser Lucas who never bothered calling her up after their first date. She wished she had waited for the right guy, she wished she’d waited for Charles. She wished she’d met him back when she was in high school, so she wouldn’t have had her heart broken so many times.

But instead of brooding over the past, she decided to be grateful for what she had in the present. She shook her thoughts away and looked over at him, as he sat beside her uneasily. “You know what?” she began, standing up, “this was the best date I’ve ever had. Thank you for everything!” She placed a kiss on his cheek and asked him to walk her home.

This is how a classic date should end, she thought, smiling blissfully as she and Charles walked down the street, hand in hand.