Surprise Proposal

Kate's POV

Due to his long workday, Clyde appears apprehensive as he drives home. Emotional exhaustion may be to blame for my tiredness, but I'm not sure. It was exhausting to spend the entire day battling my body's reaction to Clyde. The memory of our kiss replays itself over and over in my mind. I've been replaying what happened in that bathroom all day long... After that, he thanked me for being there for dinner.

At this point, I'm still unsure of my feelings about it. At first, I thought he had said it for the benefit of his family, but he then looked at me as if he had just said it for the sake of his sanity. For his family, it didn't feel like a ruse at all. He said it with sincerity.

As Clyde approaches the entrance to my building, I unbuckle my seatbelt.

Clyde says, "I'll walk you up," as he jumps out on his side.

He helps me get out of the car, but he refuses to let go of my hand. As he leads the way to the front door, I dig around in my bag for my keys. After I unlock the door, Clyde follows me inside and onto the elevator. His hand reaches out for mine during the ride up to my floor, and I smile up at him. I can feel my pants getting wet as we stand in silence at the rides top. To make my nipples squeak, Clyde runs his finger over the back of my hand.

Clyde shifts next to me as the doors finally open, catching my breath. It's a race against time to get out of the elevator and into my apartment before accidentally slamming the door in Clyde's face. If Clyde interrupts me, I have the door's key in my pocket.

"Kate. Wait…"

Breathe in and look over my shoulder. He's still there. As I face him, I notice a strange expression on his face, as though he's unsure about something.

"How are you feeling?" Then, when I notice his eyes are tense, I ask him if he's alright.

When I look into his eyes, he nods and takes a deep breath.

His lips lick mine as he leans in and kisses me on the lips. Clyde's mouth moves over mine as he props me up against the door. I scream and grab hold of his neck, yanking him closer to me as I squeeze his neck tighter. Finally, when I nibble on his lower lip, I get the opportunity I've searched for.

"Kate, I love you," Clyde said while staring at my brown eyes.

My heart sinks as she lets out a sigh.

"It's about time," I say, beaming with happiness. "I love you, too," I whisper into his ears.

Six months later...

The past six months have seen Clyde and me getting closer as a couple. It's a fact. At first, I was worried about how people would react, especially at work, where everyone assumed we were dating. My first reaction was to laugh, and Clyde just smiled and kissed me when I told him.

It took us a while to decide to live together. I don't know why this is happening. With our nights spent together continuing almost every night for a month, the burden of hauling our clothes back and forth became too much. He asked me to move in with him on Valentine's Day, and the movers showed up the next day to start unpacking. At Easter, they inquired about our plans to get married and have more grandchildren. The news overjoyed his parents. Clyde didn't freak out when I told him that, which surprised me.

I'm sure he was worried he wouldn't be a good boyfriend, but he is. As a result, he's very attentive and sweet, and he goes out of his way to help me with my problems. I've even managed to persuade him to reduce his workday. Having him away from home and work more has allowed us to go out to dinner and the movies and see concerts and comedy shows. Knowing that I had a hand in his arrival makes me feel good.

I'm in the backseat of his car as he drives away from town because he promised to gave me a gift today. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, all he did was smile and squeeze my hand when I approached him. Since we've been on the road, I've noticed that the number of homes has decreased.

"Are you going to kill me?" I asked. When I make a joke, Clyde gives me a look of skepticism.

Laughing, I watch him drive into a gravel parking lot and slow down. But, unfortunately, there are only trees and grass to be found around me.

"Please tell me where we are."

"You'll see."

As he exits the car and approaches my side, I do as he instructs, paying close attention to what he says.

"Don't let your eyes out until you're ready." He says this as he helps me out of the car.

His grip on my hand ensures that I don't trip as he leads me for a few minutes. I sneak a peek when we finally come to a stop, but Clyde notices.

"Keep your eyes closed, Kate," he says. My pout makes him laugh even louder.

"One more second... You have my permission to open them now."

To my surprise, we're in the middle of a field, with Clyde sprawled out on a blanket and a picnic basket in front of him.

"A picnic? That's not what I expected from you," I jokingly say.

"I'd go to any length for you, Clyde."

I kiss him on the cheek and settle in on the blanket to take in the splendor of the day's unfolding scenes. There is a cool breeze, so the weather isn't oppressive. Clyde begins to remove plates and Tupperware from the basket. I help him set up the things before we start.

"You cook everything of these?"

"Yup, mom helped me out."

I'm not sure what the fuss is about today since Clyde didn't mention meeting up with his mother. Though I appreciate Clyde's efforts in our relationship, this goes above and beyond what I've seen from him before. So I'm digging through my past to see if there was an occasion for this.

"Kate, I have something to say…."

"Yeah?" Looking at him from the other side of the blanket,

"I want to marry you," Clyde said.

My mouth drops open as he shows me the most prominent diamond ring I've ever seen. It's a platinum-set princess-cut diamond, and it's breathtaking. But, though I know better, I still find myself teasing him even though I know better.

"Is that how you intend to propose?"

He pushes the ring onto my finger with a growl as he holds my hand tight. Finally, he kisses me on the back of my hand and gazes into my eyes.

"I love you, Kate. Getting married to you will make me the happiest man on the planet."

"Um…okay."

His huffing laugh is all I hear at my casual response before he takes me into his arms and presses his lips against mine.