Chapter 3 #2
“I’ll start looking into the logistics.” I take a bite of food, thinking about something else that’s been on my mind since I found out about Ryan’s plans yesterday.
“You know, I always thought you’d want a more traditional proposal.
” When she frowns, I continue: “Obviously I know about your mother’s story, but you also used to spend hours describing in detail how your future husband better go out of his way to surprise you with an amazing proposal. Is that not what you want anymore?”
“It shouldn’t always be up to the man to propose,” she says with a shrug. “Why should I wait around, hoping he’ll pop the question, when I already know that I want to marry him?”
“True.” I look at my plate, stirring my rice with my fork while I try to think of how to phrase this without giving anything away. “Is that the only reason you’re doing it yourself? Because you don’t want to wait around for him to do it?”
She sits up straight while she thinks about her answer.
“Not exactly,” she says. “I’ve just never felt about anyone the way I feel for Ryan.
When I realized that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, it was never a question of whether he would pop the question.
I guess I kind of always imagined that I would be the one proposing, but maybe it was just a subconscious thought. I don’t know. Does that make sense?”
I nod. “It does.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” she says. “I would love it if he proposed, but now that I have this idea in my head, I kind of hope he doesn’t.” She laughs. “He’s always the one making big gestures in our relationship. I want to be able to do this for him.”
I smile. “I love that.”
Even more, I know that I need to make sure Tina proposes first. I need to figure out what Ryan’s plan is, and I need to do it soon. I hate that this means I need to talk to Oliver again.
“Have you thought of a business name yet?” Tina asks.
“A business name?”
She rolls her eyes. “For your new business. You know, the event planning business that I just hired to plan my proposal?”
Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. “I found out I was starting this business less than twenty-four hours ago. The only thing I’ve had time to think of is your proposal.
” I consider that for a minute. I think about the unanswered text from my dad, still sitting in my phone.
“There’s a lot that I still have to do. I need to register my business, probably get a tax ID number.
Oh God. I’m going to have to pay taxes.”
Tina frowns. “You’ve never paid taxes before?”
“Of course I’ve paid taxes, but they’ve always been taken out of my paycheck. I won’t have an employer doing all of that for me anymore.” I cringe, feeling like I’m getting in over my head. “This might be too much. Maybe I should just?—”
“Don’t even think about looking for a job. You can do this. I’ll set you up with my tax guy.”
I raise an eyebrow. “By set me up, do you mean…?”
“Business only, Priss. You know I’m still rooting for you and Oliver. Besides, Clayton isn’t your type.”
“How do you know what my type is?”
“You told me you were obsessed with Oliver. That’s all I need to know.”
I cringe, hating the reminder. “I was drunk when I said that. It doesn’t count.”
“Doesn’t matter. Clayton isn’t anyone’s type. He’s a little bit quirky. And Oliver… well, he’s everyone’s type. If I hadn’t met Ryan first?—”
“Jesus, Tina. You can’t talk like that when you’re planning to propose to the guy.”
She laughs. “I’m kidding. Calm down.” She stuffs a forkful of food in her mouth, and as she chews, she says, “No need to get jealous.”
I pick up a piece of rice from my plate and throw it at her.
* * *
I sit inside my car, trying to gain the courage to go up to Oliver’s front door. I’m only slightly reassured by the idea that this will be easier than facing my parents. I hope.
I’ve only been here once before, and it was several months ago when Tina talked me into driving Oliver home after he drank too much.
He’s one of the rare people who gets less annoying when he’s drunk—mostly because he just sat there in silence the whole ride.
Somehow I still remember where he lives, and I manage to get here without needing directions.
I know that he’s home because his truck is parked in the driveway.
His front door swings open while I watch.
He steps out with a garbage bag in one hand.
I think about getting out, but I hesitate.
He might think it’s weird that I remember where he lives.
I watch as he walks around the corner of his house to toss the bag into the outside bin.
When he turns around, he looks in my direction.
I duck down, then curse myself for acting so stupid.
I stay down because at this point, I’m committed to hiding.
I hold my breath, listening for the sound of his front door closing.
Maybe it’s not too late to sit back up and pretend I was just looking for something on the floor.
Surely he saw me. I stay down anyway, my heart drumming like I’m a thief who’s about to get caught with my hand in someone’s jewelry box.
A few seconds go by. There’s a tap on my window. I straighten up, forcing myself to face him. I roll down the window, trying my best to play it cool even though my heart is pounding and I’m starting to sweat. “What’s up?”
He fights a smile. “Are you stalking me? Or did you just get lost on your way home again?”
I roll my eyes. “I think even the most unhinged woman is too smart to stalk someone like you.”
He takes a step back as I open my door. “I’m glad to see you’re acknowledging how unhinged you are.”
“What?” I stammer. “I don’t… that’s not what I meant.”
“Okay,” he says, dragging out the word. “What are you doing here then?”
“We need to talk about Ryan.”
“Right. And you’re not unhinged,” he says under his breath. Then, more clearly: “Look, I get that you’re excited for Tina, but I already said too much. Can’t you just pretend like you don’t know?”
“It’s not that simple.”
He sighs. “Why not? You’ve never been the type of person to meddle in other people’s business. Why start now?”
“I’m an event planner,” I say with a forced smile. “My entire business revolves around meddling.”
“Right,” he says with a smirk. “Tell me what event you’re planning for Tina, and I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
I tighten my lips, thinking about it. I can’t break Tina’s trust, but I also need her proposal to go smoothly. Oliver crosses his arms over his chest, watching me. When I take more than a few seconds, he raises an eyebrow.
“It’s a little cold out here,” he says. “Want to think about it inside?”
My gaze darts to his front door. My eyes go wide without meaning to. “Inside your house?” I ask dumbly.
He frowns. “It’s not haunted.”
I don’t know why the idea of going inside his house seems so daunting.
It just feels so… intimate. I don’t know why.
It’s just a house. Maybe it’s because I’ve never been in there before.
I imagine that as soon as we go inside, the walls will start closing in around us until it’s just the two of us together, chest to chest, and there’s nowhere to run or hide.
I part my lips to speak, but my words seem to get trapped at the back of my throat.
I guess I take too long to answer, because he shakes his head and says, “Or not. We can stay out here. Sorry for?—”
“No,” I interrupt, finally finding my voice. “We can go inside. That’s fine.”
I gather up courage as we head to his front door so that by the time we get inside, I cut right to the chase.
“You need to stop Ryan from proposing.”
His brows knit together. He smirks. “Why? Is she going to turn him down or something?”
I hesitate to answer. I don’t want to cause a rift in Tina and Ryan’s relationship, but I also can’t think of a better reason to stop Ryan from proposing.
When I take too long to answer, Oliver’s brows shoot up. “Wait. Are you serious?”
“Well…” I stammer.
“Tina wants to break up with Ryan?” He says it with an air of disbelief, then shakes his head. “No way. I don’t believe it. Did she say that to you?”
I can’t keep up the act. “No,” I say with a sigh. “She’s not breaking up with him.”
“Then what’s the problem? Why doesn’t she want to marry him?”
“It… it’s complicated.”
His eyes bore into mine. I feel like he can see right through me. “What’s so complicated about it? She’s not cheating on him, is she?”
“No. God, no.”
His shoulders drop. “Can you just tell me the reason instead of making me guess? I feel like I’m playing twenty questions.”
“That’s the thing. I can’t tell you the reason. You just need to trust me.”
“Trust you?” he says with a laugh. “As if.” He rolls his eyes. “How do you expect this to work, anyway? If I go to Ryan and tell him he can’t propose to Tina, he’s going to wonder why. What do I tell him, that Priscilla said to trust her?”
“You don’t have to tell him anything. You have the ring. Just keep it away from him. He can’t propose without it.”
He breathes out a laugh. “Oh, right. Just steal my best friend’s engagement ring and ruin his proposal. What could go wrong?”
“It’s not forever. You can give it back to him. Eventually.”
His eyes narrow. “When? Why?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I’ll tell you when.”
He watches me for a while longer. His eyes dip down like he’s scrutinizing me. I cross my arms over my chest. His gaze snaps back up to mine.
“She wants to do it, doesn’t she?” he asks.
His words are so on point that I tell myself I must have misunderstood him. I keep my lips sealed. I’m afraid that if I answer, I’ll give away Tina’s surprise. It doesn’t matter though, because Oliver has already figured it out.
“She wants to propose to him,” he says.
My face must give me away, because he nods in understanding. “The weird behavior, the check. She’s paying you to plan this, isn’t she?”
I’m so frustrated with myself for letting Tina’s secret slip. I tighten my fists. Maybe I can use this to my advantage. “You have to stop Ryan. Or at least convince him to do it later than Tina.”
“Or maybe you should stop Tina,” he counters. “Why is it my responsibility to make sure things go according to her plan?”
I scoff. “This is her dream. She’s following in her mother’s footsteps. Haven’t you heard her parents’ proposal story? She tells everyone.”
“Guess I wasn’t paying attention,” he says dismissively. “Why do you care so much, anyway?”
“Because she’s my best friend,” I remind him. I realize that I’m not going to be able to appeal to his emotions, since he clearly has none. But maybe I can get through to the practical side of him. “She’s paying me to plan this for her. This is my job, Oliver.”
“Yeah, exactly. Your job. Not mine.” He pokes his finger into his chest to drive home his point.
“Okay, but it’s not your job to make sure Ryan’s proposal goes according to plan. What do you have to lose?”
He reaches one hand up to scratch his chin.
“Hmm. Let me see. I drove around to ten different jewelers with him until he found just the right ring. I convinced a girl I was dating for only two weeks to compare ring sizes with Tina so that Ryan could get it fitted, which backfired on me, because then she thought I was going to propose.” He stops for a second, then adds with emphasis, “After only two weeks.”
I flinch.
“Not that any of that matters, though, because Ryan is my best friend and I’m not going to sabotage his proposal no matter what.”
I tighten my lips, thinking. Tina has given me a ridiculous amount of money. I’m sure I can work this into the budget somehow. “I’ll pay you.”
He frowns, then starts to laugh. “Seriously? What part of ‘no matter what’ do you not understand?”
My face feels hot. I don’t know what else to do other than rush Tina’s proposal, but that wouldn’t give me enough time to plan it. My eyes drop to the floor while I think about my next move. I should just leave. Coming here was a mistake, and telling him Tina’s plan was an even bigger mistake.
Just as I’m about to turn toward the door, Oliver drops his shoulders and lets out a heavy sigh. I look up at him, curious about his change in demeanor.
“Okay, fine,” he says.
My eyes go wide. I wonder if he’s really going to help me.
“Maybe I can tell you what Ryan is planning,” he relents. “But you have to promise that Tina doesn’t hear a word of it.”
“Of course.” I’m so relieved I could cry.
I step forward and wrap my arms around him.
His body stiffens. His arms go out to the side, making me aware of how weird and unwanted this hug is.
I don’t know what’s gotten into me. Of all the people in the world, I’m hugging him.
Oliver. The asshole who’s made every social interaction miserable for me for the last year.
I let go and take a few steps back, but even as I step away, I can still smell his cologne and feel the warmth from his body as if my arms were still wrapped around him. “Sorry. I got carried away.”
He frowns, his eyes moving over me like he can’t believe I dared to put my body so close to his. Then he smirks, and I hate it because I know that he’s going to use this against me at some point.
“I’ll let you know what I find out,” he says.