Page 120 of The Close-Up
He starts to ask a question, but then goes quiet. I let out the breath I’ve been holding and turn around.
My grin grows wide when I take in his expression. Utter shock as he stares at the piece of paper I tucked between the muffins, right on top of the tiny black velvet box I hid in the middle of the plate.
Holding the paper in his hand, he glances up at me, his eyes wide. “Naomi, what is this?” His mouth curves up in a surprised smile.
I scan the words I wrote earlier today.
Fuck-it list item #2: Ask Simon Rutler to marry me.
My eyes water, but a few blinks and I get myself under control. “I finally thought of another thing I wanted to cross off my fuck-it list.”
Still smiling, he tries to speak, but he stutters.
“Open it,” I say quietly.
He picks up the velvet box from the plate, opens it, and stares at what’s inside. “Naomi...”
I whip off my apron, revealing the T-shirt I bought weeks ago. Then I get down on one knee.
When he finally looks back at me, his golden brown eyes are practically bulging out of his head. They glisten and the lump in my throat grows.
When he scans the words “Marry me?” on my shirt, he beams.
“Hear me out,” I say, a tear streaming down my face. “This isn’t how I wanted it to go. I was planning something amazing. Like, a fancy dinner, that tiny black dress you love so much, a stroll through Palace of the Fine Arts, the works. But then the jeweler messaged me yesterday because he had a family emergency and had to leave town for the next two months, so he said that I needed to pick up the ring way earlier than planned, like, yesterday. And so I did, and I guess I could have just waited and hid the ring somewhere in the apartment, but all of our stuff is mixed together, so you’d probably find it, and if I had to carry it with me all the time, I’m terrified I’d lose it and...”
I finally stop babbling because I’m out of breath. I inhale, then I wince at the pain in my knee from kneeling down on the tile floor.
I sniffle as more tears stream down my face. “But then I realized, I didn’t want to wait, I just... I just love you so much. And I want you to be mine. Forever.”
Tears shine in his eyes as he smiles down at me.
“I know we’ve talked about marriage and I know we’re on the same page... I know I never asked you about how you would feel about me proposing to you, but I just—”
“Naomi,” he says through a breathy laugh. “Just ask me.”
Wiping both my cheeks with my hands, I beam up at him. “Simon, will you marry me?”
He booms out a yes before hunching down, grabbing me by the shoulders, and pulling me back up. When he kisses me, I melt. We go at it for so long, I lose count of the seconds. When we finally break, he cups my cheeks. Our foreheads pressed together. It’s a struggle to catch our breath.
“So I did okay, then?” I whisper.
He leans back, still holding me by the cheeks. “You were perfect.”
I plant another kiss on him.
“My family is gonna be psyched when I tell them we’re engaged,” he says, pulling me into a tight hug.
“Hopefully they won’t be too upset that I broke tradition and asked you.”
“They’re fully aware of how nontraditional our dating story has been,” he says. “They’ll be fine with it. As long as I get you a ring too.”
“Only if I can come with you to the jewelry store and pick it out myself.”
“Absolutely.”
I glance at the silver band gleaming at us from the open jewelry box, which sits on the edge of the counter. “Now when you look at your hand while you’re on vacation, you’ll think of me. And it will kind of be like I’m there with you.”
Simon hugs me tight. “I’m so lucky to be marrying you.”
