Chapter 12

She’d managed to get a lot of people there. My brother, my cousin Terry, Cathy and Jules, Nick, Tom, Maggie, several of her other friends, Annie, Michelle, and a number of other mutual friends.

A great jumble of hugs and hellos ensued.

“Happy anniversary, big sis,” Alistair grinned, “Audrey is stuck at school, but she really wanted to be here.”

“I can’t believe Jess pulled it off. I had no idea this would happen.”

My cousin Terry gave me a big bear hug, “She got you! That is brilliant. I tell you, you looked like you shat a cow when you walked in. Priceless. She planned this out months ago, you know.”

“Yes — remember when I came to visit over Chinese New Year?” Terry’s eyes twinkled, “she pulled me aside and asked if I thought it was a good idea. I went all in. This is awesome.”

I remembered seeing Jess and Terry chatting back in February. I thought they’d been discussing photography or something.

“I can’t believe it,” I said again, punching him in the arm, “and I can’t believe you were in on it!”

Terry squeezed my shoulder, “I am so proud of you. For being so brave — I know it’s not been easy with your parents. I’m sorry they aren’t here. You deserve their support, and I know they have been reticent, so I was happy to step in and represent.”

Maggie and Tom were handing out drinks to everyone.

“Where are you staying?”

“Uh, with a friend.” Terry replied, blushing.

“Who? Does she live here?”

Terry shook his head dismissively, and nodded at Annie, who was getting up to stand on a chair.

“New girlfriend?” I asked.

“Sh!” Terry admonished, “Annie is about to say something.”

Annie clapped for everyone to be quiet.

“Ok, first, thank you to Terry for footing to bill to get some of us over here from New York. We wouldn’t have missed this party for the world.”

I stared at Terry, who winked at me.

“When Alex and Jess first got together, I was not without scepticism. Long distance relationships rarely work! But there was no stopping these guys… well, except for a couple minor hiccups here and there…”

“Oy! Easy, Annie,” I interjected. Jess slipped in front of me and wrapped my arms around her waist.

“Hey, it’s not Jess’s fault you have an ex-girlfriend who’s certifiable!” Annie teased.

“Anyway,” she continued, “I’m so happy you guys are together, and Jess, I’m so happy you’re in Alex’s life. Without you, she’d probably have moved into a cave, cut off from ever having to interact with anyone ever again.”

“Hey!” I protested, “that’s not fair!”

“Ok, ok, teasing aside,” Annie raised her glass, “let’s toast Jess and Alex; happy anniversary guys!”

Jess leaned back and kissed me. I didn’t care that everyone was watching.

Much as I hated socializing, it felt so amazing to be surrounded by everyone on such a special day.

Maggie pulled me aside towards the end of the evening.

“So are you going to pop the question tonight?” Maggie whispered into my ear.

I shook my head, “No, I promised Jess it would be on her terms. I got her a ring though.”

“Can I see it?” Maggie gripped my hand, “please?”

Checking to see that Jess was otherwise occupied, I led Maggie to our bedroom and extracted the box from deep inside my closet.

“It’s beautiful. She’ll love it,” Maggie’s eyes gleamed.

I smiled, looked at the ring again, and put it back in its hiding place.

I promised Jess I would wait until she was ready, and I wasn’t going to break my word. I liked that idea of her having an engagement ring though; I just couldn’t figure out how to give it to her.

“I’ll join you outside in a minute,” said Maggie, “just going to pop in to the loo.”

It was almost midnight when we finally said goodnight to the stragglers.

Tom and Maggie were helping us clean up.

“Maggie, where’s Jess?” I hadn’t seen her in a while.

She smiled, “She just headed into the kitchen. She said she needed your help with something, actually. Tom and I are going to head out now. Happy anniversary, Alex.”

“Thanks, Maggie, for everything.” I gave her a hug, “um, why is the kitchen door closed?”

Maggie shrugged, “I’d be lying if I tried to give you an answer.”

Puzzled, I headed to the kitchen, but just as I was about to slide open the door, Maggie stopped me.

“Wait, Alex, take this!” she said, jamming Jess’s ring into my hand and closing my fingers around it.

“Wha-?” I looked up at her.

“See you tomorrow, Alex!” Maggie opened the door and gave me a gentle push backwards into the kitchen. She grinned at me and slid the door shut.

I stared at the door for a moment. I needed my brain to do some catching up and make sense of what just happened, but I kept blanking out.

Jess was on one knee, with a single rose in her hand.

My brain remained stubbornly stalled.

“Uh, Jess, what are you doing?”

“Remember how you said that I get to pop the question?”

I nodded. I felt dizzy.

She took a deep breath, “Alex, will you marry me?”

“Bloody hell, Jess, are you kidding me?” I blurted out.

My brain made a buzzing noise in my ears. Jess was very good at making my brain buzz.

“Will you?” Jess asked again.

I knelt down in front of her, “Yes. Yes, of course I will.”

“YES!” Jess squealed and kissed me.

“You are SO schemy,” I whispered in her ear.

“Ok, I admit it. I was scheming.” Jess grinned.

Alex pulled me close, “You popped the question.”

I nodded, squeezing her tight.

“No more freak outs!”

I shook my head, “No. Nyet. Nope. Negative.”

“Well good. So you won’t object to me asking you the same question?” Alex opened her hand to reveal something shiny.

“NO! Alex Mak, you did not!” I jumped to my feet and screeched when I realised what it was.

“I’m not the type to want to wear an engagement ring, so thank you for not giving me one,” she said, “but I wondered if you’d want to mark the occasion — if and when it happened — so I decided to get you a ring, in case you wanted one.”

“Oh honey, it is beautiful.” I extended my hand to her, and she slipped the ring on.

“Perfect fit.” Alex held on to my hand.

“How did you know? I mean, how did you have the ring in your hand?”

“I actually didn’t know. Your mum, I think, played her part of go-between perfectly. We’ll have to thank her.”

“You know, for all your bluster and misanthropy, you are a romantic, Alexandra.” I pulled her up into a hug and gave her a kiss.

“Only with you, Jessica,” Alex nuzzled my neck.

“And what other things do you do only with me?” I asked suggestively.

Alex trailed kisses along my earlobe, “I don’t know, let me think…”

“… something to do with touching tender, sensitive spots… like maybe here…” She brushed her fingers against my nipples.

“Hmmm… what else?” I smiled at my fiancée.

She wrapped her arms around me and picked me up, “Here on the floor, or in the bedroom?”

I stared at her, remembering those words — that question — from a year ago. Alex wiggled her eyebrows at me.

“Oh, very smooth, Alex.” I curled my legs tight around her. “My parents are gone?”

I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I
Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then?
But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?
Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den?
‘Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be.
If ever any beauty I did see,
Which I desired, and got, ’twas but a dream of thee.

And now good-morrow to our waking souls,
Which watch not one another out of fear;
For love, all love of other sights controls,
And makes one little room an everywhere.
Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone,
Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown,
Let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one.

My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,
And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;
Where can we find two better hemispheres,
Without sharp north, without declining west?
Whatever dies, was not mixed equally;
If our two loves be one, or, thou and I
Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die.

—John Donne, The Good-Morrow