Lady Labyrinth

Blake Makes a Commitment

I remember seeing Rowan's coming out post. He said that only three other people knew, but he was wrong. I also knew, but that was only because Natalie told me. I would never have known since he didn't show stereotypes, nor have I ever seen him with a guy.

A long time has passed since that happened. It's been two and a half years since Natalie and I began to date. I had a career change, and Natalie finally finished school. I remember when we first started dating. I thought she was in the semester before student teaching. Then she told me that she still had nearly two years of school left, and honestly I was pretty shocked. It'd be a long time before it was worth asking to live together or even proposing.

Natalie's mother wanted us to get married more than anything. I knew that our parents were all in agreement. Natalie has admitted that her mother is the crazy in-law. I haven't told her this, but I agree. Her mother is a little crazy. She's not a bad person or anything, but I don't necessarily look forward to visiting her. Her dad is perfectly normal. So are my parents. So much so that Rowan once said this:

"Your parents are so normal that it's almost scary."

He was kind of right. It's similar to what Natalie said after the first time she met my parents. I can imagine why.

Our lives led us to living near where Rowan worked, since Natalie got hired by him. Their program grew large enough that they hired a fourth director, which was Natalie. I ended up going to flight school. I always had a knack for aviation, and was sick and tired of the bullshit being a teacher involved.

I was finished with all the ground stuff within a few months and began working as a flight instructor. We got a little place between Natalie's school and the airport. At this point, I was training to become a commercial pilot.

Natalie took a semester off since she graduated in December. Now it was August and she was doing the summer program with Rowan and about to start full time. Once I became a commercial pilot, my plan was to spend any time on the ground working with Rowan and Natalie. I could be a teacher without the bullshit.

Natalie's mother wasn't thrilled that we were living together before marriage. She was fine with us having sex, according to Natalie, but not okay with us living together. For the past six months, her mother has kept asking her if the ring was on the finger yet.

Here's the deal, I did want to marry Natalie. But I wanted to wait until our lives were more stable before proposing. I bought the ring a few months ago. I guess it was time to take her out to do something and pop the question.

We went on date nights once in a while. I'm wondering at how many of those did she think I was going to propose. She's brought up marriage a few times, so I know she wants to get married.

The one thing I wondered is if she wanted Rowan and Jade to be there. Rowan was the reason we knew each other and the person who encouraged Natalie to pursue me. I felt that it was only right for he and Jade to be present. Besides, I needed someone to take pictures and video of the actual proposal... this led me to drafting a text to Rowan.

"I bought the ring... I want you and Jade to be there when I propose. Don't quite know when that's happening yet, but I'll let you know."

My thumb hovered over the send button. I had never been this vulnerable with any of my guy friends. Rowan was not even my best friend, but since I wanted him at the proposal, I had to be vulnerable with him. I was not an emotional person. Most of the guys in our college group chat were pretty private about things. One of them got married at a courthouse and didn't tell us for a month.

Normally when I needed to be vulnerable, Natalie was there. But this was surprise for her, so I had to find the courage myself.

An impulse shot through my veins, and I finally sent it.