Love Is a Bunch of Stupid Decisions

Chapter 30

It's strange how much comfort I found in knowing that I would soon get to sleep in the same bed for more than a few nights in a row. And, better yet, it was a real apartment--not a hotel room! Who knew that not living out of a suitcase could be so joyful? 

But until then, there was a lot of packing for Ben and me to do. After the tour ended, I was offered a full-time big girl job by Amanda, which I gladly accepted. Ben and I could actually afford a nicer apartment, and the one we picked was right above the coffee shop we would always go to together (cute, I know). I saw many, many vanilla lattes and medium mochas in our future.

He and I both missed the tour. There was nothing quite like the invigorating feeling you'd get waking up in a new city, getting to explore and spend so much time with the cast. But we were both relieved to get to call NYC home again. We were on to new things: me with my new job, and him auditioning for whatever was going to come next. At this very moment, however, we found ourselves in our living room, surrounded by just about everything we own and not near enough boxes.

"Ok, this one's full," Ben says, sliding a box across the floor to me so I can go put it with the other full boxes. I stand up and grab the box off the floor, taking it over to our door and setting it on top of some other boxes.
When I turn around, I fully expect to see Ben sitting in the same spot on the floor as he was a second ago. What I don't expect is for him to be on one knee.

I gasp, feeling like someone just knocked all of the air out of my body. A smile breaks onto my face, realizing what's about to happen. The nervous expression on his face slowly turns into a smile as he pulls a small black box out of his pocket. I walk closer to him, feeling like my legs are going to give out as I slide down onto my knees in front of him.

"Charlotte Anne Spencer," He starts. Usually I'd cringe at the use of my full name, but right now, that's the last thing on my mind. "I know it's not super romantic. There's no rose petals and we're not on a beach at sunset, but I would hate myself if I wasted another moment not knowing if you'll be mine forever."

I laugh while simultaneously wiping tears off of my cheek, not being able to care any less that this wasn't the picture-perfect romantic scene that so many girls always dreamed of. This was all I could ever want. I couldn't get myself to say anything, so I wait for him to continue. As he spoke, I could feel the genuine, uninhibited joy building in my stomach. "The day I met you, Charlotte, my entire life changed. There's nobody else I'd want to have by my side through the best days of my life and through my worst. I don't know what I ever did to deserve your support, or your forgiveness, or your love, but damn am I lucky to have it." He pauses, clearing his throat as he gets choked up. "Char, will you make me the happiest man alive, and be my wife?"

Without a single ounce of hesitation or doubt, I nod. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!" I laugh, pressing my forehead to his before kissing him quickly. I hold out my left hand for him, both of us laughing at how much it's shaking. He slowly and cautiously slides the ring on my finger, which I had barely looked at earlier, being so excited that Ben Tyler Cook was proposing to me.

I admire it for a few seconds, letting myself soak in the moment (Here's what I'm envisioning the ring looks like, for my fellow ring-lovers and visualizers: https://www.pinterest.com/AeHMCY0VyR7D86XwxvV-oLL_3W1fTabKrwN8MXrtV9gHl6i8b1Plf0w/ )

"Ben, it's absolutely beautiful," I gush, already obsessed with the way that it looks on my finger.

"You really like it?" He asks, with just a touch of nervousness.

"Oh my gosh, yes. It's perfect," I say, smiling up at him. I hear a camera click from the other side of the room, and I turn to see Josh smiling as a Polaroid picture begins to print.