The Happy Couple.

They had been dating for a year now. She wasn’t serious about it. She just felt bad for him. I suppose you couldn’t really call it ‘dating’. One kiss and consistent hand-holding didn’t seem too “committed” to either of them. She knew he had a rough past and a less-than-fortunate future. She thought she could help him fix that, just a little bit. If he changed a little more; if he lived rather than to simply be alive.

The year hadn’t been hard on Ruby, just a lot of work. It was concerning when he went off alone with his friends. It was concerning when he didn’t reply to messages. It was concerning when she didn’t see him for weeks at a time. She couldn’t restrict him from that, considering how serious the relationship was. She couldn’t throw out his friends and force him to make better ones. It Just wouldn’t be healthy; would it?

It was a long walk in the park. Cameron surprised her with a picnic. A red checkered blanket, some sandwiches, and apples, and grapes, and homemade cookies. A proper picnic, just for the two of them.

He never really did anything like this. He wasn’t quite the one to take things into his own hands; he wasn’t necessarily the ideal romantic type. The closest thing he’d done like this was setting up a coffee date. The coffee date took place in his house. She never expected much more. But that day, he did something truly spectacular.

He set out the blanket and set the plates out carefully on the top of a steep hill, overlooking a lake. When it was all set up, they sat down together, attentively watching the waves gently cleansed the shoreline.

It was a beautiful day. A beautiful sun, a beautiful lake, and a beautiful breeze brushing up against the grass, the waves, and the leaves. It seemed like everything danced around them. He planned it perfectly, and he knew it. Seeing the smile on her face and her loose hair tangle in the wind. It would be a perfect time he thought.

He thought.

After lunch they packed up and took a walk along the shoreline. It felt nice to Ruby. She didn’t expect this at all. She never found a drop of romance in his eyes until that day. That day she couldn’t seem to stop staring at them. Cameron’s eyes were an emerald green. Usually too dilated for her to see their true colour. There on the beach, she could see every colour. An emerald shade of green isn’t a plain one. It seemed to her that she could see all that he was through his eyes. Every little morsel of soul that possessed him shone through his eyes, like when the sun lines the tips of the hills just before dawn. He still had hope. In her eyes, he found it.

When they reached the end of the shoreline, Ruby already missed the walk. She wished it had went on for eternity. Especially after what he did next.

His heart almost jumped out of his chest as he reached into his pocket. Yeah, it was still there. He let go of her hand as she turned to him, unsure of what to do next. He took it out of his pocket and concealed it in the palm of his hand, and looked up at her.

“What?” She asked, unknowing of what to expect of the look in his eyes.

“Well,” He took an overwhelmed sigh, “I was just wondering…”

A smile peeked out from the right corner of his eye.

“What?” Ruby slouched, “What’s going on?”

He slowly knelt.

“What?!” Ruby asked, now in disbelief.

“This.” He revealed the box, “This is what. Would you like to look inside?”

Now they both stood there, shaking like a pair of hairless dogs. Her heart was racing.

“Go on,” He offered the box.

Slowly, and very unsteadily, she reached for the box and opened it. A small gleam came from the box. Quickly she shut it, not willing to see anything more than that gleam, foreshadowing what she would have never guessed.

“What is this?”

“What, did you even look at it?”

“I saw a something,” Ruby’s eyes widened, “What is this about?”

“Would you rather I did it traditionally?”

So shocked, she couldn’t figure out how to answer him.

“Ok, ok. Lemme do it then.” Cameron snatched the box from her hand, knelt back down, cleared his throat, then, he popped the question.

“Will you marry me?” He slowly opened the box, revealing the ring which was delicately placed in it’s slot.

She looked away for a second, then turned back, then looked away again.

“Huh?!”

“I know, I know, it seems… Not… me.” Cameron rose, “But it’s not a joke. It’s not a bet I’ve taken upon myself. This is real.”

The word “real” echoed in her mind for a long while. Realizing she wasn’t dreaming, without thinking twice, she accepted.

“Uh,” Cameron scratched the back of his head, “Cool, then!”

He slipped the ring on her finger and looked directly into her eyes.

“I love you.”

Hesitantly, she replied the same way. ‘Big step for a strictly hand-holding couple…’ she thought.

After that, regret flowed through her mind.

‘Is this what my future holds?’

‘Will I be happy?’

‘Will it last?’

She spent the walk to the car looking at the engagement ring on her finger. The whole way her expression changed between smiling and sulking at the idea of marriage.

Is this guy the one for me? If I were to leave, where would his future lie? Is it better to keep a good friend, or let go a bad husband? Would he really be a bad husband? Will he change? Is he capable of being a good husband?

Her mind raced between her future and his future in the months of their engagement. She wasn’t sure what to think. Was it possible for her to back out now? He looked so happy when they discussed the details of the big day. She didn’t want to take him away from the joy he so rarely had, but she didn’t want to be taken away herself. She didn’t want to be taken away from a future with a good husband, leader, and provider. She didn’t want someone to babysit for the rest of her life, but could she really leave him all on his own?

“‘Course not…”

Faking a smile Ruby turned away from thoughts of marriage. She ignored the fact that she was engaged to someone she did not love. She pushed the thoughts and stress below the surface for the next few weeks. Just until the first planning meeting rolled around.

She drove up to the quaint little coffee shop on the corner of main street. She saw her parents, Cameron's mother, and Cameron already settled into a booth. Slowly, she eased her clammy hand off of the gearshift and set it on her lap. Slouching, she ran her hand through her hair and adjusted her rear view mirror.

“Okay, I’m gonna do this.” She chimed aloud, unbuckling her seatbelt and gradually getting out of her car.

The aroma of coffee was noticeable from a block away. Ruby felt her heart already almost beating out of her chest from simply smelling caffeine; It was almost as if she’d already had six cups that morning. She entered the coffee shop, now with shaky hands and unsteady breath, and hollered across the shop.

“Sorry I’m late!”

The four familiar faces at a distant booth just smiled and waved at her, Cameron was making room for her to sit next to him. She plopped her purse next to him and squished in the opposite side next to her dad. Cameron already looked like he had been betrayed.

Taking a deep breath, Ruby prepared herself to speak…