“Well, I think it’s honorable,” Orson says. “You’re a very good friend.” His eyes meet mine, alight with mischief.
I remember his statement that ‘having a female as a best friend is like having a chicken as a pet. You’ll definitely eat her one day.’ Is he about to mention that? “Don’t you dare,” I warn him.
He tries not to laugh, and fails.
“Ignore them,” Scarlett says to Chessie. “I agree, it’s a shame they said Kingi wasn’t a good role model. He’s going to be great with the kids. So I think what you’re doing is really nice.”
“At least I got a ring out of it,” Chessie jokes, holding out her hand.
Scarlett bends to look at it. “Aw, it’s beautiful. It looks antique—is it a family heirloom?”
“Mykuia’s,” I say.
“How sweet. Kingi, you old romantic.”
“It’s obviously the night for rings,” Orson says mysteriously, and smiles.
I stare at him, and then my gaze slides to Scarlett’s hand. She waggles her fingers, and my jaw drops at the sight of the large diamond sparkling on her fourth finger. I look up at him, overjoyed. “You proposed?”
He grins. “Yeah. And she said yes!” He blows out a relieved breath.
“Dude…” I laugh and throw my arms around him for a bearhug, while opposite us Chessie squeals, and the two girls also hug.
When I finally release him, I get up and go around the table to hug Scarlett. “Congratulations,” I murmur, giving her a squeeze.
She gasps. “Are you able to hug and not break someone’s spine at the same time?”
“Sorry.” I let her go with a laugh. “Congratulations, though.” I return to my seat, saying to Orson, “How did you do it in the end?” He’d told me he was going to ask her to marry him,and we’d talked about the fact that on Instagram it’s common to see extravagant proposals. He was considering taking her somewhere special to do it.
“We were watching a program on TV last night,” he says, “and this guy proposed to his girlfriend by the Eiffel Tower in front of a crowd. And Scarlett said, ‘Eek, how awful, I’d hate that.’ So I got the ring and just did it there and then.”
“I’d have died in front of all those people,” she says.
“Plus I was worried she’d turn me down,” he adds. She just laughs and holds out her hand, and he takes it and kisses her fingers.
“I think you were very wise,” I say. “I don’t get all the pomp and ceremony surrounding the proposal, anyway. And as for the huge weddings, why not just say your vows in a civic ceremony in your jeans and have done with it?”
“That’s very cynical,” Scarlett chides. “They’re important rites of passage that should be marked. What do you think?” She directs the question at Chessie.
“Hmm.” Chessie thinks about it. “People place such emphasis on the big day that it’s no surprise it often fails to live up to expectations. But it’s important to see through all that. It’s about promising to love someone for the rest of your life in front of your family and friends, and God, if you’re religious.”
“I understand why other people are interested in the concept of marriage,” I reply. “I’m not knocking it, even though I don’t think it’s for me. I’m more talking about the over-commercialization of these events. The wedding, Valentine’s Day. And some of the proposals you see on social media are incredibly extravagant.”
“That’s true,” Scarlett says. “And personally it’s not for me. What is important is the sentiment behind it.”
“Otherwise you just end with this,” Orson says, gesturing at Chessie’s hand.
“Orson,” Scarlett admonishes him, glancing at Chessie. “Don’t be rude.”
I glance at Chessie and see her studying the ring. There’s a strange expression on her face, but she smothers it before I can work out what it is.
Orson looks startled. “What? Sorry. I just meant a fake marriage.”
Chessie smiles. “You’re absolutely right.” She gives me a mischievous look. “We should come up with a proposal story though, don’t you think? People are going to ask.”
“Yeah,” Orson adds, “you should work out your timings, too, so you don’t contradict each other.”
“Fuck,” I say. “I hadn’t thought about all that. Okay… ah… so how long do you think it makes sense for us to have been dating before you get engaged?”