Page 66 - In Five Years

“You’re right,” I say. I take both of his hands in mine now. The glasses dangle
awkwardly from his pointer finger—an unfortunate third wheel. “But I’m saying
it’s time now. Let’s do it.”
David squints at me. He understands now that I’m serious. “You’ve been

acting really weird lately,” he says.
“I’m proposing here.”

“We’re already engaged.”
“David,” I say. “Come on.”
At this, he stops. “Proposing?” he says. “I took you to the Rainbow Room.
This is pretty lame.”

“You’re right.”
Still holding his hands, I slide down off the couch until I’m on one knee. His

eyes widen in amusement.
“David Rosen. From the first minute I saw you—at Ten Bells in that blue
blazer with your headphones in—I knew you were the one.”

I have a flash of him: young professional, hair cut too short, smiling
awkwardly at me.
“I wasn’t wearing headphones.”

“Yes you were. You told me it was too loud in there.”
“It is too loud in there,” David says.
“I know,” I say, shaking his hands. His glasses fall. I pick them up and put

them on the sofa next to him. “It is too loud in there. I love that we both know
that, and that we agree that movies should be twenty minutes shorter. I love that
we both hate slow-walkers and that you think watching reruns is a waste of time

value. I love that you use the term time value!”
“To be fair, that’s—”
“David,” I say. I drop his hands and place both my palms on either side of his

face. “Marry me. Let’s do it. For real this time. I love you.”
He looks at me. His naked green eyes look into mine. I feel my breath
suspend. One, two—

“Okay,” he says.
“Okay?”
“Okay.” He laughs, and reaches for me. My lips meet his, and then we’re in a

tangle of limbs making our way to the floor. David sits up and bangs into the