Shourtney AU - Loving So Hard (Mature)

#49 - The Ring

*Shayne*

Man, ring shopping was difficult. Damien, Noah, Keith and myself aimlessly wandered around countless jewellery stores all over L.A for hours on end, but I was yet to find the perfect ring. It had to be 'the one,' the ring that I would look at and be able to see Courtney saying yes in the very diamond itself.

The time was edging ever closer to nightfall, meaning we would need to be quick to find a ring that day. Luckily for us, we stumbled across a hidden jewellery store moments later, secluded within the corner of an alley.

"We may as well check it out," Noah said.

"I don't see why not," Keith shrugged.

I sighed, before building enthusiasm and walking into the strange store. Once inside, I realised some of the items may have been a little too extravagant for my budget. Diamonds the size of boulders decorated most of the platinum rings, and there were even outlandish products such as crowns and tiaras, actual crowns and tiaras. After observing the sign on the door, I noticed the name of the shop was ironically 'Seclusion,' no wonder we hadn't heard of it.

"This is some Harry Potter shit," Damien joked, examining the many items.

The extensive range of security suddenly became very evident, as two gigantic security guards stood at the entrance, armed with holstered sidearms. At least three cameras were scattered around the shop, pointed at them and the jewellery. Each case was also locked and equipped with what looked like motion sensors. It was a sophisticated place to say the least.

A high-pitched yet refined voice could suddenly be heard, "Gentleman, may we be of assistance?"

The four of us turned to see a tiny elderly lady with curly white hair, accompanied by a middle-aged man, complete with a full beard and neatly trimmed black hair. The two of them had matching hazel eyes, and so I suspected they were mother and son.

"Ah yes actually, I'm looking for a ring to propose to my girlfriend with," I began.

"A proposal? Congratulations," the man spoke up.

I smiled, "Thank you very much."

"What's the lovely girl's name?" the elderly lady asked.

With another grin, I said, "Courtney Miller."

The two of them smiled, as did my three friends, and the employees proceeded to ask about every little detail. My budget for the ring, where I was going to propose, what mine and Courtney's relationship was like...

From the select few stories I relayed to them, they concluded that my relationship with Courtney was 'absolute' in the sense that it was obvious to see that neither one of us could live without the other. Therefore, they guided me to a glass cabinet towards the back of the store. The man unlocked said cabinet and pulled on a pair of white gloves, before extracting a ring. As he held it up for me to examine, I felt like I had been winded. It was mind-blowing how blatantly perfect this ring was...

An elegant platinum band shaped up the foundations of the ring, studded with small symmetrical diamonds along the way, and on the top was the crown jewel. Simply beautiful were the only words that immediately came to mind. The diamond's integrity was impossible to critique, and it's baby blue colouration flickered with a spark of emerald every now and again, emotive of Courtney's eyes.

"That's the one," I whispered, unable to tear my vision away from the ring.

The two employees smiled and went behind the counter to arrange my payment and whatnot. My three friends patted my shoulders and back.

"It's beautiful, Shayne," Noah reassured me.

"Courtney's gonna love it," Keith continued.

"She's very lucky to have you, man, that ring is perfect," Damien finished.

I smiled at all of them, holding back tears, "Thanks you guys."

They grinned again, and then I finalised the payment for the ring and thanked the elderly lady and her son. They placed it in a small black velvet box, and I made a vow to myself to never let it out of my sight. All that was left was the proposal...