Chapter Text
Robert would have never expected to find himself leaving a jewelry store with a ring. A watch? Maybe. But a ring? definitely not. Robert and Mandy had been dating for a little over a year at this point, and after a few weeks of thinking about it he finally decided he was ready.
Pulling out his phone, Robert shot Mandy a quick text asking if she could take Beef out for a walk. Her response came back almost immediately.
Mandy❤️:
Of course
Do you need me to feed him?
Robert:
I can do that when I get home
But thank you.
Mandy❤️:
Always :)
Putting his phone back in his pocket, Robert made his way back to where he had parked his car.
Most of the time, he kept the suit at SDN, so he figured that instead of taking the bus to work, he would just buy a car, especially after moving into Mandy's house with her.
When Robert got back to the house, as soon as he opened the door, instinctively, he called out.
"Mandy?" No response.
He waited for a few more seconds before figuring that Mandy had left with Beef, which gave Robert time to hide the ring.
Knowing the chihuahua Mandy and Beef wouldn't be gone for long, so Robert was lucky to have even gotten home before the two of them.
In their closet, Robert kept a small box of memorabilia that Mandy never touched out of respect for him. Inside, he kept a picture of himself and his dad, along with a letter written to him from his mom when he was in the third grade.
So as soon as he stepped into their bedroom, Robert went to the box, unlocking it with a key he kept on the top shelf, placing the ring box inside before safely locking it up again.
When Mandy stepped inside the house, Robert was pouring food into Beef's bowl. As soon as the dog was off his leash, he waddled his way over to Robert, licking his hand before immediately going towards his food.
Robert turned to look at Mandy, his face softening a bit more than normal.
"Hi." He said almost in a whisper while his heart raced. What if she figured out he was planning on proposing? "Cold outside?"
"Hey," Mandy responded, stepping closer, wrapping her arms around his middle. "Missed you." She said, looking up at him. "And yes."
Robert smiled softly, looking at her. "It was only a few hours. And besides, you had Beef with you." Robert said, gesturing to the dog, who was now sprawled out on the floor next to his bowl. "Well, sort of."
Mandy let out a quiet laugh. "He was fine, Robert." She said, leaning up to press a chaste kiss to his lips, not even giving him time to register it before she pulled back.
Robert turned his attention back to the Chihuahua. "You were good for mom, huh?" He said, which got the dog to perk up at him, letting out a tiny yip.
Robert finally turned his attention back to Mandy, who had now let go of him and was in the kitchen. Neither of them had eaten lunch yet, considering both of them woke up rather late.
"What are you doing?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her as she moved around the kitchen.
After the couple finished their lunch, they opted to stay in for the rest of the day because of the weather. The entire time, Robert was as nervous as a puppy coming home for the first time with a new family.
Mandy could tell something was off with him, but she didn't budge. Not yet. She promised she would wait for him first and not pry unless he wanted to talk about it, so instead she opted for holding his hand, squeezing it once as she leaned further back into his chest.
Beef let out a loud yawn from the floor before he got up and started scratching at the couch, which told the couple that he wanted to be up there with him. Robert easily leaned down, picking the dog up, placing him between the two of them, for which the dog immediately plopped down over both their legs.
"There should be some new episodes of Love Island out." Mandy said as she scrolled through the TV looking for something to watch.
Robert let out an acknowledging hum before responding. "Love Island it is." He said, watching her as she turned the show on.
He wasn't paying attention to what was happening on the screen, stuck between just watching Mandy and telling her he got them dinner reservations at a steak house in a month.
But Mandy noticed. She always did; she paid attention to the small things when no one else did. "What're you thinking about, handsome?" She asked softly, squeezing his hand.
Robert didn't want to lie to her, but he didn't want to tell the truth, so instead he simply opted for the choice. "You."