"OMG, he proposed?" Neesha shrieked through FaceTime and Alex laughed. Ethan was speechless. Luckily he was blinking, otherwise Alex would have thought that the video was frozen.
"He did, and I said yes."
It was lunch time on Monday and Alex finally had some spare time. So she decided to break the good news to her best friends. She was talking to them while sitting on the steps outside the B&G office building.
"Well, show us the ring!" Neesha said excitedly.
"Well, I don't have it yet," Alex told her. "Paul said he will get me one before the engagement party on Friday."
"Oh, okay," Neesha said. Then she frowned, "Ethan, why haven't you said anything?"
Ethan shook his head and out of nowhere, he started sobbing. Alex didn't know what to do. "Ethan? Hey, Ethan, what's wrong?" she asked.
"It's just, I just... when I met you... then Jesse thing, and Zack thing, then Andy did the thing," Ethan started mumbling and sobbing, "I'm so happy for you!"
Alex and Neesha laughed and shook their heads.
"Ethan, you drama queen!" Neesha called him out and he scoffed. Then Neesha asked Alex, "Tell us how he did it."
"It was the sweetest thing," Alex said. Then she started telling them how Paul proposed to her in the meadow during sunrise. She also told them how he redecorated his Master suite to prepare for her to move in.
"Wow, big. Huge. Wow!" Neesha said, looking amazed.
Ethan had finally composed himself and was wiping his nose with a tissue. "If you don't marry him, I will." Then he continued, "Don't tell Ian."
Alex and Neesha rolled their eyes and laughed.
*****
The engagement party was held at a restaurant owned by one of Paul's close friends. Alex was expecting a small, intimate celebration but the party was quite elaborate. The whole restaurant was closed for the event.
Alex wore the red couture gown that Paul had bought for her with the Louboutin heels. She had only dressed so luxuriously for photoshoots and never for personal events. She felt a little bit like a fraud, like a cheap perfume inside an expensive crystal vial.
Paul was looking sharp in a white and black suit. They stood side by side, greeting the guests who came to celebrate their engagement. As always, he was perfectly poised and composed.
An elder woman with white shoulder length hair, and dressed in blue silk with pearl necklace and earrings approached them. She looked serious, her green eyes wide with disapproval. Alex wondered who she was.
"Mother, I'm so glad you made it," Paul said to her, to Alex's surprise. It's his mother! He held her hands and kissed both her cheeks. Then he turned to Alex and introduced them. "Alex, this is my mother, Wanda."
Alex reached out her hand and Wanda took it, scrutinising her from head to toe. "It's very nice to meet you," she said, somewhat nervously.
"Hm," Wanda hummed and said, "You're very beautiful, Alex. I can see what Paul has been gushing about." She glanced at Paul and he chuckled. Alex couldn't tell if she was being nice or condescending. "Are your parents here? I would very much like to meet them."
"No, they are not," Alex replied, with a tight smile.
Paul leaned in to his mother and whispered something in her ear, probably telling her that Alex was an orphan. Wanda blinked a few times and nodded her head. "I'm sorry, dear," she apologised to Alex. "Anyway, your guests are waiting so I will talk to you later."
When she walked away, Paul leaned towards Alex and kissed her temple. "I think she likes you," he said and Alex scoffed. She couldn't say anything else as the next guests approached them and congratulated them on their engagement.
After another 15 minutes, the line started thinning as everybody made their way inside.
"Are you up for a surprise?" Paul suddenly asked her.
Alex looked up at him with a frown. "What kind of surprise?"
He grinned and turned his gaze towards the entrance.
She followed his gaze and gasped loudly. She couldn't believe her eyes! It was Ethan and Neesha in the flesh! They rushed towards her and the three of them ended up in a group hug, shrieking excitedly. Paul was chuckling behind them.
"What are you doing here?" Alex asked in disbelieve.
"Paul flew us in," Neesha said happily.
Alex turned to Paul and he was smiling widely. "It's your engagement gift, I hope you like it," he said.
"I love it," Alex said, grinning happily. "I love you." Paul smiled wider.
Alex turned to her friends and hugged them individually. It was so good to be able to talk to them in person after so long being apart.
They all sat down for the event to start. Wanda, Ethan and Neesha all sat at the main table with Alex and Paul.
The emcee started by welcoming everyone.
Alex leaned to Neesha and asked quietly, "Did you bring my godson?"
Neesha grinned. "Paul flew all three of us in. My boys are back at the hotel."
"I want to see him! I've missed him so much."
Neesha held Alex's hand and squeezed it. "We have time. We're here all weekend. Let's make some plans for tomorrow."
Ethan leaned in from Neesha's other side and asked, "What are you two whispering about? Don't leave me out!"
Neesha and Alex chuckled. Alex couldn't believe how much she had missed this. She turned to her other side and looked at Paul. He was focusing on the emcee. She reached for his hand on his lap and squeezed it. Paul turned his eyes on her and smiled. He lifted her hand and kissed it. The awkwardness that she felt earlier disappeared. He made her feel like a princess.
The emcee called them both up to the mini stage. Paul pushed back his chair and stood up. Then he took Alex's hand and led her up to the stage. He took the microphone from the emcee with his free hand.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for being here on this special night."
The rest of Paul's words disappeared into the background. Alex looked around the room and a sense of panic suddenly overcame her. She didn't understand it. She was used to attention, doing what she does. But this felt different. She could feel all eyes on her and she was having difficulty breathing.
"I didn't have a ring when I proposed, as it was completely unplanned," Paul's voice suddenly brought her back to the present. She blinked a few times and tried to focus only on him. "So, let's make it official."
Paul handed the microphone back to the emcee. Then he got down on one knee and took out a blue velvet ring box from his breast pocket. He opened the box and smiled up at her.
Alex was temporarily blinded by the light reflecting from the elaborate diamond ring. The princess cut diamond was big, at least 3K, lined with smaller diamonds set in a platinum ring. Paul took it out of the box and slipped the heavy ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit but it didn't feel right to her.
Paul raised from the ground and they hugged, to a round of applause from the guests. Alex kept reminding herself to breathe.
The rest of the night went by in a blur. A lot of people came over to see the ring, gushing over how beautiful it was and how they wished they had the ring. Alex couldn't wait for the night to be over.
Sometime before midnight, Wanda informed them she was taking her leave.
"Will you be coming back to Paul's apartment?" Alex asked her.
"No, dear," Wanda said to her, "I've taken room at the Marriott. They know how I like my eggs in the morning." She put on her jacket and asked, "Will you come and have breakfast with me on Sunday? I wish to speak to you in private."
Alex smiled and said, "Of course, I'll be there."
Wanda turned to Paul and hugged him goodbye. Paul kissed her on the cheek.
Within the hour, one after another started to leave. Ethan and Neesha left together, promising to meet up with Alex the next day. When everyone has left, Paul thanked the workers and they went home.
Alex remained quiet throughout the ride home, keeping her eyes out the window. When they arrived at the penthouse, they went straight to the bedroom. Alex headed for the wardrobe and standing in front of her vanity, she kicked off her shoes and started taking out her jewelleries. She looked down at the giant ring on her finger, wondering if she should take it off too.
Paul appeared behind her, holding her waist and kissing her on the shoulder. She was deep in her thoughts that she jumped a little when he touched her. She chuckled and he wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling her against his body. He was topless and barefooted. He must have taken off his shirt and shoes in the bedroom.
He touched the zipper on her dress and asked, "May I?"
Alex smiled at him through the mirror and nodded. Paul gently pulled down the zipper and pushed the dress off of her. Alex stood there in a black lace strapless corset and garter set. She watched as Paul's eyes travelled all over her body, lingering on her ass. When he finally met her gaze again, there was a burning in his beautiful green eyes.
"If I knew this was what you were wearing, I wouldn't have let you leave the room," Paul said huskily, tracing his finger on her back, sending delicious tingle down her spine.
"That's why I didn't tell you," she replied, grinning.
Paul wrapped his arms around her again and kissed her neck. She held his arms and the glint of the diamond caught their eyes. "Do you like the ring?" Paul asked her.
Alex sighed and managed a smile. She just nodded her head.
Paul kissed her neck again. He slipped his hand inside his pocket and placed an old wooden box on the vanity table. Alex looked at him questioningly. "Open it," he said, smiling.
Alex picked up the box and opened the lid. She gasped when she saw what was inside. It was an old Victorian style engagement ring, with a diamond coupled with rubies, set in an intricately carved gold ring. It was beautiful. Her face broke into a wide smile.
"It's an antique ring," Paul said quietly, watching her reaction in the mirror. "It was harder to find than the other one." He took the diamond ring off her finger and set it down on the vanity. He picked up the ring from the wooden box and slipped the gold ring on her finger. It was perfect. It felt right. "Do you like it?" Paul asked.
Alex turned to face him, beaming happily. "It's perfect, thank you," she said. Then she asked, "Why did you get me two rings?"
Paul smiled as he traced his fingers along her hairline and pushed the stray hairs away from her face. "Because I want you to be happy," he said to her. "I will give you anything you want, and more. That's my promise to you."
Alex hugged him and kissed his shoulder. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"
"I've been asking myself the same question," he replied. He buried his face in her neck and kissed her there. Then he kissed her shoulder and her jaw, before finding her lips. She kissed him back hungrily.
Paul lifted her legs off the floor and she wrapped them around his waist. Holding her tightly against his body, Paul carried her into the bedroom.