Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Dean surveyed his living room with a smile of satisfaction. On the coffee table, there was an array of snacks, all labeled with little signs he’d made out of cardboard. On the couch, he’d set up extra comfy pillows and three soft blankets.
He slipped his hand inside the pocket of his jeans and felt for the ring box. He took a deep breath, telling himself firmly that tonight was the night. He was going to propose to Noelle, and everything would be amazing.
He’d invited her over for a movie night, to watch their favorite movies, The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
He wanted to watch all three with her in one night, so he’d chosen the original cuts of the films, rather than the extended versions, even though they usually preferred those because there was more content.
Since their movie night was going to be several hours long even so, he’d made sure to prepare plenty of snacks so that they wouldn’t get too hungry during it.
He’d made a snack mix which he’d titled “Hobbit Munch,” snickerdoodles which he’d called “Elvindoodles,” mini quiches that he’d dubbed, “Bilbo’s Breakfast” and two bowls of steak and potato soup that he’d labeled “Eowyn’s Stew.
” He’d based the snacks on foods that he knew that Noelle really liked.
In the snack mix there were M&Ms and caramel corn and yogurt-covered blueberries and cheese-filled pretzels.
She loved snickerdoodles, and she was also a huge fan of quiche and any kind of cozy soup.
He felt very proud of the array of treats that he’d set up on the coffee table.
At some point during these movies, I’m going to get the courage to ask her, he told himself, smiling down at the feast he’d prepared. We have hours. It’ll just come naturally—whenever I suddenly feel the moment is right, I’ll pull out the ring box and ask the question.
He imagined the two of them cuddled up under blankets and eating snacks, laughing or gasping over their favorite parts in the storyline.
He imagined himself turning to her and pulling the box out of his pocket.
Maybe he would pause the movie, or maybe he’d just let it keep playing.
After all, they’d both seen it many times already.
He was suddenly struck with an idea, and he hurried into the kitchen to grab the candles that he’d used for the romantic dinner. He set them on the coffee table and lit them, wanting to add ambient lighting to the movie night.
The moment he set down the lighter, his front doorbell rang.
Dean grinned, excited about seeing Noelle.
He didn’t feel nervous, since he was planning on waiting until there was a point in the evening when his proposal spilled out of him organically.
He wasn’t going to pressure himself into it this time—he would simply wait until the moment felt right and then turn to her and say the words that were in his heart.
He opened his front door and smiled when he saw his girlfriend.
Although she wasn’t wearing an evening dress this time, she still looked gorgeous in her sweatpants and sweatshirt.
She was wearing gold earrings and a gold necklace, and even though she wasn’t wearing makeup and had her hair pulled back into a messy bun, he thought she looked as elegant as a princess.
“Hi.” She wiggled into his arms the moment she saw him. She squeezed him tightly in a warm hug that melted his heart. “Thanks for inviting me over. I can’t wait to watch The Lord of the Rings with you.”
“Thanks for coming over.” Dean grinned at her and kissed the top of her head. He was immensely relieved that he still didn’t feel nervous.
This plan is going to work, he thought eagerly. This is the night. I’ll just wait until I feel ready, and then it’ll be done before I know it.
“What’s this?” she asked eagerly as she stepped into the living room. She gasped when she saw all the labels he’d made for the snacks. “Dean! This is incredible.” She covered her mouth with her hand, laughing. “Hobbit Munch? I can’t wait to eat all this with you.”
“You’re welcome.” He was delighted that she seemed so pleased. “You want anything to drink? I’ve got some beer and some water and some tea—those were the only beverages that seemed to fit with the theme.”
She chuckled. “I’ll take some tea to start, thank you. You want me to come with you to the kitchen?”
“No, you just sit down on the couch and get cozy. I’ll be back in a little bit.”
Dean hurried into the kitchen and lit the stove under the tea kettle, which he’d already filled with water.
He began to hum quietly to himself, and he glanced through the open doorway at Noelle a couple of times as she began to help herself to the Hobbit Munch.
He grinned when he saw the way she made an adorable face of excitement as she realized that there were yogurt-covered blueberries in the snack mix.
He chuckled, glad she was happy. Things felt informal and comfortable, as they usually did between the two of them. He couldn’t wait to sit down next to her and enjoy the movies while cuddling and eating snacks.
He made both of them mugs of tea, and he also brought out a couple of bottles of beer right away. He’d found a beer brand that featured a picture of a fire-breathing dragon, which he thought fit well with the Lord of the Rings theme.
“Here you are, a mug of tea for my lady,” he said cheerfully as he handed her a steaming cup of tea. “I’ve got a vanilla chai tea bag in there, since I know it’s your favorite.”
“Aw! Dean.” She gazed up at him happily. “You’re being so sweet to me. Two extremely thoughtful dates in a row. What did I do to deserve this?”
“Be the sweetest girlfriend in the world,” he said, meaning it sincerely.
They shared a kiss, and then he snuggled down next to her and pressed play with the remote. Noelle cooed and giggled with excitement as the movie began, and he grinned and laid his head down on top of hers.
Three hours later, they had finished the first movie and most of the food.
Dean was feeling a little sleepy, but also happy and eager to watch the next movie with her.
He realized with a pang as they started to sit up that he had gotten so invested in the storyline that he hadn’t been thinking about proposing at all.
But that’s okay, he thought. I’ll think of it when the time is right, won’t I? Besides, there’s plenty more movie to go.
“What would you say to some coffee?” Noelle said as she stretched and yawned. “I’m determined to watch all of these with you tonight, but I’m definitely going to need some caffeine.”
“Sure thing.” He smiled at her. “Sounds good to me too. And I’ll whip up another batch of Hobbit Munch—I’ve still got more of all of the ingredients.”
“Perfect.” She put her arm around him as they walked to the kitchen. “I’ll make the coffee and you can make the snacks.”
They set to work, and in a few minutes, they were ready to go back into the living room.
Dean was just about to pick up the bowl of Hobbit Munch when he paused.
His heart beat faster as he realized that this was a good time to propose.
He wouldn’t have to interrupt the movie, and she was standing there staring at him adoringly.
His lips parted, but then his resolve flew away.
I can’t propose now, he thought, almost scolding himself. This isn’t romantic enough. She’s standing there holding mugs of coffee. I need to wait for a better time.
They went back into the living room together and settled down for the second movie. This time, however, Dean didn’t get caught up fully in the storyline. He kept thinking about when he should propose to Noelle.
He felt a ripple of frustration as he realized that there weren’t any great parts in the movie to stop and propose during.
It wasn’t exactly a romantic film. He could hardly sit there with Noelle while orcs chopped trees down on the screen and then turn to her and say, “By the way, will you marry me?”
Maybe I should have set a better stage for our engagement, he thought regretfully. This just doesn’t seem right anymore. It seems like it would almost look like an afterthought if I just turned to her and proposed in the middle of the movie.
He felt distracted and torn all throughout The Two Towers. When it was finished, he cleared his throat. Noelle, sitting beside him and starting to look sleepy, turned to him with a smile.
“Yes, Dean?”
“Noelle, I—” He cleared his throat again. “I just wanted to tell you how much I love you. You mean the world to me, and I think you’re amazing.” He felt tongue-tied. He felt so deeply for Noelle, but he seemed unable to put those thoughts into words, at least in that moment.
“You mean the world to me too, Dean,” she said. Although she was smiling at him, he could tell that she was beginning to wonder why he was making another speech about how much he loved her. “I love you so much. I’m so happy we’re watching these movies together.”
She held her face up for a kiss, and her expression was so sweet and innocent that a rush of affection swept over him. He inhaled, about to let out the words, “Will you marry me?” and then the next thing he knew he was kissing her and snuggling back down to watch the third movie.
He couldn’t explain exactly why his resolve had failed that time, but as the third movie began, he sighed internally. Clearly, the right time to propose wasn’t that night either.
I can only hope I’ll get it right the next time, he thought, lacing his fingers through Noelle’s as she wiggled in excitement over the movie.
I’ll have to think of the perfect set-up so that it actually happens.
I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, but I don’t want things to feel this informal either.
He began to feel a wave of sleepiness overtake him about half an hour later. He told himself that he should get up and make himself more coffee and maybe eat a cookie or two. He glanced down at Noelle and saw that her eyes were closed.
A smile spread across his face. He shut his eyes as well and let himself fall asleep.
They’d already seen the movie, and they could finish it another time.
Clearly, any opportunity for proposing that evening had passed him by.
He took a few deep, comfortable breaths, and before he knew it, he was sound asleep.