The Boy with the Whiplash Tattoo

Forty

"Aaron."

He looked up from his phone, and his dark eyes almost made me melt. 

"What is it baby?"

Why doid he have to make this so hard?
"I can't do this anymore."
"What?" he frowned. 

"Us. Its obvious that we're not working. We aren't meant to be together."

His face crumpled.

"Why? What do you mean?"

"We can't even make a baby!"

He got up, came towards me, grabbed my hands gently in his.

"I know that you're hurting Camilla. But that wasn't our fault. It's just something that happens. I love you, baby. And I know you love me too. My life has never been better than when I'm with you."

He was crouching now, dropping to his knees, and I was confused, I didn't understand what was happening. All I knew was I wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him I love him too. 

"Camilla Jackson, will you marry me?"

I stared blankly at him, then burst out laughing.

"What do you mean? We're already married. And I'm telling you I don't think we should be."

"And I'm telling you let's do it again. Let's start over. Without our family and all that other mess. We'll do it right this time."

I bit my lip, unsure whether to laugh again or burst into tears, confused and afraid and hurting.

He pulled something from his pocket. 

"L-look," he stuttered, suddenly nervous. "I got you a ring," my vision blurs and spins as I struggled to focus.  "I've been saving." 

It was silver and sparkly and the stone in the middle was tiny. But it was beautiful and it was just enough to make me waver.

"OK?"

"What?" he shook his head disbelievingly. "You-you mean it?"

"Yes," spoken softly, with the tiniest smile.

"Yes?" his fingers wrapped around mine, tightly, as if he'd never let them go.

I nodded, almost laughing now.

"Yes!!" he jumped up, punched the air, shouting with all his heart. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

He pulled me into his arms and lifted me off my feet and for the briefest moment all the pain spun away.