Page 48 of Hear Me Roar

Riding the high of impending success, that's what. I couldn’t help it. The future just looked so fucking bright and part of that future was my girl. I wasn't lying when I said I'd seen her as my wife. In fact, that's all Icouldsee. Her and I, married, kids at some point, too. The whole package. Looking at few rings was how one worked toward that package, right? And it couldn’t hurt to just look. No one had to know I was here and at the very least, I could start narrowing down what I’d think she’d like and what I’d know she’dhate.

Before I had the opportunity to convince myself this was a bad idea and change my mind, I killed the engine and made a beeline for the front door. A burst of cool air slapped me in the face as I stepped further into the sleek shop. All I could see were dollarsigns.

“Welcome to Tiffany’s,” a young woman said in a clippedtone.

My eyes darted to where she stood in her prim and proper attire. You could see the judgement swirling in her baby blue eyes as they raked over me, taking note of all the ink on my skin. Chicks like her usually assumed I was on parole or some shit like that. Nevertheless, I flashed her a curt smile and made my way toward the circular display case in the center of the room. For some reason, it caught my eye most. Bright lights illuminated what laid inside the glass, allowing each diamond to shine all the more. Everything looked expensive as hell, and the more I looked, the more I wondered if Hazel would even like anything like this? She wasn't the flashy type in the slightest. Something big and ostentatious would probably piss her off. Didn’t women go batshit crazy for that little teal box though? Was the appeal behind the brand itself? The quality? The style? I had no fucking clue what I was doing. Should I leave and come back with Luis another day; you know, for backup?

“Can I help you with anything, sir?” the same saleswoman asked, her tone more intrigued than coarse this timearound.

“Yes, actually. I’m a bit intimidated by the selection. I don’t even know where to start, much less what topick.”

“Worry not,Mr.…”

“Carr. Knox Carr,” I said, extending myhand.

“Worry not, Mr. Carr, I can help you find the perfect one. I’m Claire, by theway.”

“I appreciate it, thank you,Claire.”

“What's her style?” she questioned, gazing upon row after row of sparklingrings.

“Laidback, mostly casual, given her profession. She cleans up beautifully,though.”

“Hmmm, I assume she doesn't wear a lot of jewelrythen?”

I shook my head. “Not atall.”

“In that case, the bigger, more intricate pieces will probably overwhelm her, and you don’t want that. How about something more simple? Something...timeless?”

Timeless.

I liked the sound of that. A lot. Giving her a quick nod, Claire smiled and motioned me to follow her with a tip of her blonde head, to the other side of the circular case. She brought a pink polished finger down onto the glass, pointing to the group of ringsbeneath.

“These right here are very simple, as you can see, but they still make a statement. The bands are a solid metal, bringing the main focus to the diamond, and you can choose from platinum, yellow gold, or rose gold. Do you think she'd have a shape preference for thestone?”

“I don't think so, but something tells me the classic round shape on a platinum band would be awinner.”

Claire fished out a ring of keys from the outer pocket of her light gray blazer and unlocked the case, pulling out the very ring I’d been eyeing. You would’ve thought the thing was made of glass as she handed it to me, carefully placing it in my palm to allow me a closer look. With six prongs holding the diamond up high, it almost resembled an octagon when the light reflected off of it. Very Hazel, if you asked me. It was also very simple, but my girl was simple in the best way possible, and if I had to imagine a certain type of ring on her finger, this is probably what I’denvision.

“Any idea on carat size?” Claire went on as I inspected itclosely.

“Nothing too big, but not too smalleither.”

“I'd recommend a 1.5 or a 2. Anything over two carats starts bleeding into gaudy territory, especially if she has smallhands.”

“She's tiny all around,” I explained, placing the ring back in herhand.

“Then a 1.5 will probably be best. It'll look large on her hand, but not exaggeratedly so. This one here is 2.5, so imagine a diamond about half thissize.”

Not tooshabby...

“Alright, so 1.5 it is then. What's the price tag?” I went on to ask, nervously I mightadd.

“With a modest wedding band, which I'll show you here in a moment, you're looking at aboutfifteen.”

15k...Ouch.

With all the money I’d been saving over the years, I knew I could afford it, but fuck, that’s a lot of money. Claire didn’t say a word as I contemplated what to do. I could very well leave and spare my savings from taking a hit, but something about this ring made it impossible to sayno...

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