Love In Colour

CHAPTER TWENTY: SHINY RINGS & FAKE PROPOSALS

Rhys picks me up from my house at one in the afternoon. The weather is cloudy and windy. I'd rather be in bed, eating junk food while watching a nice movie; but, I made a promise and I tend to keep promises that I make.

The comfy, heated seats of Rhys' car make up for the comfort that I miss in the form of my bed.

"We have one place to before we head to the restaurant," he says with a glance at me before focusing back on the road.

"Okay," I say while I admire the tall familiar buildings. People walk around, and others in formal work clothes like suits go in and out of the shiny buildings. The corporate world would never work for me. I like what I do, saving lives is challenging but exciting at the same time. There are so many different things we encounter daily. Sitting behind a desk, in a suit and high heels every day would kill me.

The monotonous routine would bore me. I'd feel trapped. I respect the men and women who get to do that every single day.

The car parks in front of a very beautiful, sparkling building. I look up at the sign and see that it's a jewelry store.

I turn my head to look at Rhys. "Why are we here?" I ask.

He wipes his hands on his jeans. A clear sign of his nervousness. "Rhys?"

"We're here to get a ring."

My heart starts to pound hard inside my chest, "A ring?"

He nods, a small smile visible on his lips, we hold each other's gaze, "I'm going to ask Bentley to marry me."

It takes five seconds for his words to sink in. Five full seconds, for my brain to digest and understand what he just said.

I squeal with excitement and lean over to hug him. The seatbelt drags me back to my seat. I unbuckle it and then resume to hug my friend.

"Holy shit Rhys! This is amazing!"

He laughs, while still embracing each other. "I'm shitting myself with nerves."

We break apart. My eyes teary. "I can imagine. Congratulations sweetheart."

"I haven't proposed yet. I don't even know if he'll say yes."

I wave off his words, "Pfft. Bentley loves you and he will say yes. If he doesn't, I'll punch him in the face until he does."

This makes him laugh, slightly less nervous than he was before. We get out of the car and I am practically bouncing with excitement the moment we step inside the store.

A gorgeous woman who seems to be about in her fourtees greets us. She welcomes us warmly, introduces herself as Lydia, and offers us some tea while we wait.

Rhys' leg bounces while we sit and wait. I place my teacup on the saucer and hold Rhys' hand. This seems to calm him down. Lydia walks back to us with a black velvet box.

She hands it over to Rhys and my heart almost stops when he opens it, revealing one of the most beautiful rings I have ever seen in my life.

It's a pear-shaped Alexandrite-style engagement ring. The pear-shaped stone is black onyx and it is adorned by small shiny pieces of tourmaline. A beautiful gold-ish silver band completes the stunning jewelery. Just by looking at this ring, you can tell how expensive it is.

"How is it?" he asks me.

"It's perfect Rhys. You've chosen the perfect ring."

We smile at the same time. I know Bentley is going to lose his mind when he sees this ring. Rhys paid attention to what Ben likes.

For as long as I have known Ben, he has always said that if he ever got engaged or married, he would like a very feminine ring. "Just because I'm a man, that doesn't mean I shouldn't get a big, shiny rock on my finger." were his exact words.

This ring, really is what he wanted. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees it.

Rhys finalizes all the paperwork and payments with Lydia and we leave the jewelry store ten minutes later.

We arrive at the restaurant and are seated at a table. The waiter hands us our menus and I order a large mug of white hot chocolate while Rhys gets a cup of Irish coffee. He needs the whiskey in that beverage to calm him down.

"I can't believe that I finally have the ring with me. This is going to happen."

I reach out my hand to touch his, "Everything is going to be okay. I'm always here if you need me."

He smiles, "I'll always need you. We will always need you."

I place a hand on my chest. Deeply touched by his words.

Our drinks arrive and our food arrives a few minutes later. While we eat, Rhys tells me of how he ordered the ring three months ago and how anxious he has been for its arrival.

"I'm more anxious now about how I'll ask him." he looks up from his food, "Can I practice with you?'

I swallow the food in my mouth, "Excuse me?"

"Please, Thandi. I just need an idea of how I might go about this."

I sigh. "Fine."

He nods. I watch him stand from his chair and clear his throat. He goes down on one knee and holds one of my hands closely to his chest. The chatter in the restaurant slowly dies down as I feel the various pairs of eyes on us.

"Thandi," he says using my name instead of Ben's. "I have loved you the moment I laid eyes on you. This past year and a half with you has been so precious. I love you in every sense of the word and I know that I will love you until the day I day."

I hear someone say, "Aww" in the background.

"Doing life with you, experiencing life with you is the most beautiful thing. Grow old with me." he kisses the back of my hand, "Marry me."

Damn Rhys. you're good at this. "Yes," I reply and the room erupts with joyful cheers. He gets up and we share a hug; a round of applause comes from the patrons and the staff.

"Did I do well?" he whispers in my ear.

I hold him tighter within our embrace, "Dude, that felt so real. Ben is going to die when you propose."

We pull apart and settle back to our seats. Our waiter comes with a gorgeous dessert for us to share. "From the chef, completely on the house. Congratulations."

I almost feel guilty and tell him that this isn't real but then the free dessert looks yummy so I keep my mouth shut and smile at the man.

"Too bad they don't know it's all an act," Rhys says with a grin.

I grab a spoon and dig in, my tastebuds excited to know what this masterpiece is like.

"At this moment, until we leave this place, we're a happily engaged couple."

I nearly moan at how good the dessert is. Rhys raises his water glass and I do the same. "To being fake engaged." he says.

I laugh and lightly tap my glass onto his, "To your beautiful future with Bentley."