She was happy, so happy. Finally things seemed to have clarity and meaning, her life had all of a sudden picked up its pace and now there was meaning, more so than before her boyfriend of six years bent down on one knee and asked her to spend the rest of her life with him.
"Yes!" she gasped, her hands planted to her cheeks in shock.
The cafe cheered, the waitress' gushed over James and her as he put the ring on her finger, fumbling and grinning, shaking with pride and love. They kissed once the diamond was in place and went back to their coffees only for Everlyn to realise that she was too giddy to drink anything. She just stared at the ring, her heart and stomach flipping and fluttering with excitement and maybe even relief, relief that all the boring waiting around wasn't for nothing and now she was finally settled.
"I'm so happy," James said, smiling and swirling the dregs of his coffee.
"So am I," Everlyn replied.
"I'd better ring Mum, I didn't tell her I was doing it."
Everlyn smiled, her mum and dad would be thrilled to hear the news. They liked James, adored him, everyone did really.
James down the last of the coffee and put the cup down, he was getting ready to leave for work. There was no way Everlyn could have seen it coming, especially since he proposed at 8am on a Monday morning in their usual coffee shop before James headed off to a job site and her into the city to the office filled with banter and stories about the weekend.
He stood up and kissed her forehead. "I'm so glad."
Everlyn smiled. "I'll see you tonight, love you."
"Love you."
He walked out of the shop, Everlyn watched him walk out and into his ute with her heart soaring. She couldn't wait to tell the girls in the office, to make an announcement on Facebook and Instagram to inform the friends that she'd forgotten, to ring her parents and her brothers and sister, she was happy, and that was all hers to feel.