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“She was the first time i felt romantic love and knew what people were talking about in all the movies about princesses finding their prince and hardworking women being rescued by the mechanic from back home. That’s why she’s seared into my brain. But it’s not much more than nostalgia. She’s a fond memory that’s gotten a little fuzzy over the years, no offense”.
She says it without so much as glancing away from the love sitting in front of her.
“But you, my dearest, you’re my present. You’re the vision I have of my future.” She chokes up on the last word, her emotions getting the best of her as she finally, finally tells Ryan everything she’s been struggling to say. “I can see you raising our kids. You carrying my child, me carrying your child. Building a life and a home. I have such vivid dreams of us” - she closes her eyes as if she’s being transported in the instance and Ryan instinctively grabs her shirt grounding her, or perhaps herself- “traveling the world and growing together, Ryan. Shaping our children into world citizens, humanitarians who do no harm but take no shit. I can so clearly picture us learning more about each other every year, growing seasoned together.”
She gently cradles Ryan’s hands within her own. “You once asked me how I always know when you’re in the same room before you’ve announced it? One, you’re not as stealthy as you think; I can hear you. But… i know it’s you because of my nerves. The way i quiet your mind is the way you calm my tension. I can’t explain it much better than that. You walk in and…it’s like my spirit knows you’re safe and where you belong, with me, and I calm even if just briefly. I’m bathed in the warmth of knowing you’re near. There’s nothing nebulous about it; I know who my forever is, Ryan.”
Overwhelmed, all she can manage to croak out is “Soph?” Because it sounds like…
She wipes her tears. “And it’s not something I need to test. So you don’t need to worry… about Kate or anyone else.”
Ryan’s aware of 2 things. She is a cauldron of breathtaking feelings - and everything is spilling out of her in a mess of tears. And “Sophie Moore, you do realize what this sounds like? Right?”
She looks around the table of their friends in various stages of shock and awe in this very lesbian setting at what was supposed to be a brunch hang and almost recoils at having lost control. Shit, she hadn’t intended to go so far with an audience.
She whispers, apologetically, head dropping a little, “I know how you feel about public proposals. I would never just go against your wishes on something like this. I just…”
Before she can finish spiraling, Ryan kisses her, not to shut her up but to quell her worrisome mind. “It’s okay, Babe. Is that what you really want?”
Sophie deadpans. “Are you kidding me?” She pulls out a velvet box and flips the top to a raucous of squeals and screams from the peanut gallery. “This ring has been burning a hole in my pocket for 3 months.”