These Babes: An Ongoing Richpez Project

"I'd let you if you asked," (14/16)

           

"I'd let you if you asked,"

"You'd let me?"

"That's not quite what I meant," Joey frowned, running a hand through his long dark hair.

"So what did you mean by 'I'd let you if you asked'?" Lauren glared at him as she angrily mixed a bowl of cake batter under her arm.

Joey wasn't entirely sure how they'd gotten here. One minute they were joking about how, because all their friends were getting married they both now had more clothes in their wardrobe than the normal two outfits they rotated between and then suddenly they were arguing over a hypothetical proposal? He sighed deeply and willed her to slow down before she sprayed cake batter up the walls.

"What I meant to say," he said slowly, "was that if you wanted to propose to me there's nothing stopping you,"

"There's nothing stopping you either!" She exclaimed, her glare softening but Joey could tell this was a sensitive topic for her. Not one to back down, he stood up a little straighter. "It is tradition for the man to propose." She said pointedly.

"Like you believe in that bull," Joey huffed then added angrily, "you could always take me to Ireland and propose on a leap year if you're so into tradition,"

"I don't need a tradition to propose to you," Lauren said, slamming the mixing bowl on the counter and wiping her hands on her apron haughtily.

"Well neither do I!"

"Why don't you do it already then?" She shouted.

"Okay then I will!"

"You will?" Lauren asked, momentarily caught off guard.

"I will! In fact," Joey said, taking a step toward her as she recovered, "I'll propose to you right now,"

"Oh no you don't," Lauren replied, pulling her apron over her head and throwing it on the counter, "I'm proposing to you,"

"No way, I said I was gonna do it first!" Joey cried, dropping to one knee as Lauren mirrored him.

"Only because I forced you into it!"

"No you didn't, I've been preparing for this since the day I met you,"

Silence fell over the two as they stared at each other breathlessly. Lauren's expression softened and Joey could tell that the heat of the argument was long gone and now they were left, both on one knee in their kitchen of all places, threatening to propose to each other.

"Let me prove it to you," he said softly, standing up and reaching for her hands to pull her to her feet. She blindly followed him into their bedroom where he told her to take a seat on their bed and that he would be right back. Joey fumbled his way through the back of their wardrobe and quickly solved with a practiced ease the Chinese puzzle box Corey had given him one year for Christmas.

"Couldn't risk you finding it," he shrugged with a half-smile as he returned to their bedroom, spinning a small purple box between his fingers. Slowly he sunk to one knee in front of her. "Lo," he started.

"Wait," Lauren held a hand up and brushed back the tears that had started to form in her eyes, "you don't have to do this, I wasn't serious, we'll do it when we're good and ready,"

"I kinda am good and ready," he paused to take her hand with his free one, "are you?"

It took her a second to respond but finally she nodded with a watery smile.

"I am,"

Joey grinned and pressed up to kiss her, his hand cupping her face and gently stroking her cheekbone with his thumbs.

"I love you," he said against her lips.

"I love you too," Lauren replied, her eyes soft. "But could you please get back to your proposal? I've been waiting a long time for this,"

"Me too," Joey grinned.

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As promised, for the person I hate most in the world... Tittymitty 😘