"Doing what?"
"Pretending to propose. It's not a funny joke, Lisa. You have to stop saying that when you don't really mean it."
"Of course I mean it!"
"No." She shook her head. "You don't."
"Well not... I mean, today at the studio I was just messing around, but the first time..."
"You didn't mean it then either."
Lisa opened her mouth to reply, but Jennie continued talking over her. "You were just all caught up in the moment. I know..."
"Caught up in the... you think I just going around proposing to people because I'm caught up in the moment? Seriously?"
"Come on, Lisa. You're telling me that wasn't a spur of the moment thing? You didn't even have a ring!"
Lisa brought her hand to her face, clapping it over her mouth in disbelief before she spoke again. So there it was. That's what Jennie thought of her. Immature. Impulsive. It hurt all the more because she knew, deep down, that Jennie wasn't entirely wrong. But she'd be damned before she'd admit that to Jennie now.
"That's why you said no?" Lisa asked. "That's why? Because I didn't have a ring?"
"No, of course that's not..."
Lisa wasn't listening to her answer. Jennie broke off in mid-sentence and watched as Lisa spun around toward the front door of the suite. For a moment, Jennie thought she was leaving, but Lisa stepped past the door to the coat closet just beside it. She stood motionless as Lisa flung the closet door open and started fumbling around with the coats hanging inside.
She turned back toward Jennie a moment later. Lisa's eyes flashed with anger, and a small black object hurtled toward Jennie through the air. She reached up and caught it against her chest.
"What is this?" Jennie asked, but she didn't need Lisa to answer. She knew what it was the moment her fingers closed around it. A small, hinged box, covered in black velvet.
"There's your ring."
Jennie looked down at the box, suddenly unable to think what to say or do next.
"Go ahead," Lisa said, spitting the words at her. "Open it."
Jennie knew she shouldn't. Lisa was angry. Lisa had just thrown it at her. She should throw it right back in Lisa's face. But she couldn't quite seem to make her hands listen. A ring. Lisa had a ring. She watched helplessly as her fingers moved with a mind of their own, flipping the box open.
Inside, she saw the simplest engagement ring imaginable. A plain, thin band of gold with a circle-cut diamond solitaire. Not particularly big. Maybe just short of a carat. She looked up and met Lisa's eyes in surprise.
"You know when I bought that?" Lisa asked.
Jennie didn't answer, unable to do anything but stare back at Lisa as she spoke. She wasn't yelling now. Her voice had dropped so low it was barely audible, and Jennie could see Lisa's whole body quivering with pent up violence.
"Guess." Lisa said.
Jennie shook her head.
"You know how many times I got asked that? In interviews over the years? They love to ask that one. 'What's the first thing you ever bought with the money, Lisa? What's the first thing you bought when you finally hit it big?'"
Jennie looked back down at the ring box, unable to bear the look of bitterness on Lisa's face.
"Well, there it is!" Lisa continued, her voice rising in volume once again. "That's how I spent it. Even though you were gone. Even though you wouldn't so much as pick up my phone calls. That's I how I spent it, Jennie. The first big check I ever got. That's where it went. On a ring. For you."
"Please stop." Jennie took a step towards Lisa, but she held up a hand to ward Jennie off. She watched from across the room as Lisa went down on one knee for the second time that day.
"Lisa don't..."
"So let's try this again!" Lisa shouted. "What do you have to say this time?"
Lisa flung her arms out wide on either side of herself - uncovered, exposed, inviting Jennie to stab her straight through the chest - and she bellowed the words that came next with every last morsel of strength she could muster.
"JENNIE, YOU'RE THE ONE! I LOVE YOU! WILL YOU FUCKING MARRY ME?"
