Page 33 of Teased By My Roommate

"I know that even getting someone's name is bad luck," she said. "So I hope you never do that."

"Are you saying that you want us to be together forever?"

"Yes."

"Good."

I pulled off my shirt, loving the way her tongue darted across her lips. But then her eyes locked on the bandage on my chest just left of center. Peeling it up from the bottom, I showed her the fresh tattoo of a round deep blue sapphire.

"It took Lars and I quite a while to figure out how to layer the colors so that it looked 3-D," I said. "Basically, I wanted a tattoo that represents you, while being abstract enough to not be bad luck. You know what I mean?"

Lila stared, unblinking. Then as soon as her eyelids flickered, a single tear slipped down her cheek. "It's beautiful," she breathed. "You really got that for me? A mark over your heart?"

"Yes." Sliding off the couch so that I was on my knees, I held her hands.

"I know that you get overwhelmed easily, baby, so I'm sort of doing this backwards. Tomorrow we're going shopping to get you an incredible engagement ring. I didn't want to risk getting one that wasn’t something you loved."

Lila was already nodding as I said, "You know I adore you with all my heart, baby. Friday night at dinner, when I offer you the ring and ask you to marry me, are you going to say yes?"

Her chin tipped up and down even faster.

"I'm following all of your mother's rules on Friday. A formal venue, and a photographer at a discreet distance to capture the moment. But tonight is just for us. I need you to know how much you mean to me, Lila. You're my darling girl, and I can't imagine living without you, whether it’s in a weird warehouse loft apartment, or a house, or anywhere else on this planet."

Kissing her hands gently, I was touched at how bravely she fought to hold back her tears.

"I love you, baby. Will you marry me?"

"Yes," she sniffled, blinking away tears. "Even without the ring, or the dinner, or Mom's approval."

"I appreciate that. But we're going to do it right."

"I love you so much," she breathed, wrapping her arms around the back of my neck. "I love how you make things acceptable to our families and still make everything feel like us."

"All we have to do is play their game now and then." I held her close, stroking her back gently. "It'll be a lot easier in the long run. Plus, our mothers will basically take care of the entire wedding, right?"

More tears slipped down Lila's face as she began to laugh. "Excellent point." She steadied herself with a deep breath before whispering, "I love you so much, Hawk."

"I love you, Lila."

I wanted to tell her that I knew we belonged together forever. But it felt more important to simply hold her in my arms while her tears of joy dripped onto my chest, just missing the fresh tattoo over my heart that was the precise color of her eyes when she was happy.

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