The Older Man Part II

Chapter 7

Surprise

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VINCENT'S POINT OF VIEW

I unlocked the door to the condo and pushed the door open with my shoulder as I struggled to carry all of the bags in my hands. There was a lot that I was carrying, but there was a good reason for it.

Today was going to be one of the most amazing nights of my life, if all goes well and according to plan.

I had been thinking about this day for the longest time. Truthfully speaking, I was scared out of my mind. The last time I went through this, it didn't go well. Well, it did, but it ended badly. I feared the same thing could happen tonight, but I was hopeful that it wouldn't.

Cheyenne and I had been together for over four years now. Technically, five years if you count the year we were together when I was still married to Rachel. I felt like it was time for us to move forward with our relationship. 

We had been living together for about three years now and we've seen each other through the good, the bad, and the ugly. We've gone through our fair share of struggles and somehow, we moved past them. We've grown as people and as a couple, and I wanted to cement our feelings tonight.

I was planning to ask Cheyenne to marry me.

My heart was beating out of my chest as the mere idea of it. I didn't know how this night would go. There was a chance she would say yes, but there was also the possibility that she would turn me down and say something like "it's too soon," "I'm not ready," or whatever the case may be.

There was still a lingering chance that she would say no when I asked her to spend the rest of her life with me.

My stomach was in a nervous knot as I unpacked everything from the bags I juggled in my arms. My subconscious kept supplying encouraging words, along with pestering fears, as I contemplated how tonight would go.

I went over my plan multiple times in my head, not wanting to make a single mistake tonight.

I was going to prepare a simple salad and make breadsticks to have with the homemade penne ala vodka Cheyenne had been dying for me to cook for her. I wanted to make a nice dessert. I couldn't decide which one would be the best one. I looked through cookbook after cookbook and searched all over the internet for the best possible option before I remembered how happy Cheyenne was when I made that strawberry cheesecake for her birthday. 

I bought everything I would need to make it. I also took the liberty of purchasing the perfect wine to pair with tonight's meal - a red Italian wine that I'd been eyeing every time I went grocery shopping.

Red wine isn't something you can buy and pair with chicken tenders or take-out Chinese. You have to be sensitive about what you accompany it with. Red wine was perfect with penne ala vodka, so it was the obvious choice for tonight's dinner plan. 

I bought vanilla tealight candles that I planned to light all over the condo to create a warm, romantic environment. I purchased a collection of slow piano songs that would be playing in the background while we dined. I hoped it would help the romantic mood I was trying to produce.