"Halleluiah!" Emmett exclaims as he steps inside the once bachelor pad. Now, it's a homey apartment with floral designs and décor. He starts to unhook the noose around his neck, and pops the first few button of his office shirt open. He rids himself of the stinky dress shoes which Rose bought for him last Christmas.
Walking inside the kitchen, he opens the fridge, looking for something delicious to snack upon.
"Rose! Babe, I want food!" he yells into the bedroom. All he hears in return is bed creaking, which can only mean that Rose leaves the bed, her only sanctuary.
"So? Get it yourself!" she yells, walking into the bathroom.
"Babe!" Emmett starts to whine, but filches the piece of strawberry shortcake. He starts to walk to the bedroom, to rid him of these horrible work clothes completely. A button down shirt, slacks and pointy dress shoes are definitely not in his ideal work outfit. He much prefers the casual jeans and tshirt.
The toilet flushes, announcing Rose's departure from the bathroom. "Hey, we're going out to eat, all right?" he tells her, rather than asking her.
"I wasn't gonna cook anything either," Rose shrugs, unwrapping her rope to plop down on the couch. She turns on the TV, flipping through the deemed movie channels. Emmett gazes at Rose as he cocks his eyebrow. I'm willing to bet something's definitely up, he thinks as he goes into the bedroom. He quickly changes into his clothes and walks back to Rose.
"Let's watch a movie," he declares, crouching down to the DVD and inserts the DVD. He plops down on the couch, beside Rose.
"Hey, Rose?" he asks, with a sweet smile on his face.
"What?" she asks with a playful tone.
"Let's count shoulders." He takes his left arm and deems it one; his other should two, Rose's left shoulder three, and then wraps his arm around her fourth shoulder. He smiles. And when he smiles, it warms Rose's heart, because she loves his dimples. She snuggles up against Em's side, not wanting to leave her safely secured position.
"What movie are we watching?" she asks, nodding toward the television.
"The Proposal," he answers. They both reside in mutual silence.
"You do know Ryan Reynolds is on my top to do list," she says, looking up at Emmett.
"I bet I'm number one though," he answers cheekily.
"I'd bet on you," she whispers. He kisses her forehead simply, and they both watch.
Even though Rose is nearly overwhelmed with the disappointment of Emmett forgetting their two year anniversary, she's still content. Not elated, but content.
Emmett stands up, only to make some popcorn. She hears the cacophony emanating from the kitchen, and turns her head.
"Don't worry about it!" Emmett yells from his position behind the island so Rose can't see his bottom half, which is, quite frankly, her favorite half.
Rose shrugs yet again and turns her attention back to Ryan. She adores his bottom half as well. Emmett comes back and sets the popcorn bowl down on Rose's lap. She looks down to find popcorn covered in chocolate syrup.
"It took me awhile to find the syrup," he smiles sheepishly.
"You big oaf!" Rose smiles as she pulls his shirt down, consequently causing him to topple down on the couch as well. They both resume their previous position while Rose gawks at the nude Ryan.
"I'm definitely better looking," Emmett states confidently. Rose looks as him doubted.
"I beg to differ. Have you seen his calves? Hot Damn," she exclaims.
"So, I'm not a runner. Sue me," he says nonchalantly.
"I can," she states. She can; she is a lawyer after all.
"I didn't deny it," he says, holding his arm up as a peace offering. Rose holds chocolate covered popcorn and aims to throw at Emmett's mouth. He opens his mouth wide, waiting for the chocolate to arrive. Rose takes a kettle and successfully throws it. The movie ends, leaving Rose upset.
"Let's go," he stands up, holding his hand open for her to take.
"What should I wear?" she asks, ignoring his offer. She walks back to the bedroom, her hips swaying tantalizingly.
"It doesn't really matter," he says, "I'm going just like this."
"Okay. Where are we going?" she asks.
"It's a surprise," he smiles, sporting his dimples yet again, "you know what? I'll pick something out for you. But first…" He travels back to his dresser and plucks out a black satin ribbon.
"Close your eyes," he says.
"Emmett? What the fuck? No way!" she exclaims, clearly shocked.
"Rose, do you trust me?" he asks seriously.
"Yes! But I'm not going blind!" she responds hysterically.
"Please," he pleads, with his blue eyes shining.
"Just promise me we're not going to Li's," she conditions. The last time they went to Li's, the waitress hit on Rose and left a little something with the receipt. Needless to say, both Rose and Emmett left the restaurant immediately.
"No, we're not going to Li's. But you know, it was your fault," he argues.
"How was it my fault?" she asks incredulously.
"You really shouldn't look so sexy all the time," he smirks.
"All right. Do what you gotta do," she acquiesces. She closes her eyes, the smile still playing on her lips. He kneels in front of her, and ties the ribbon around her eyes.
"Can you see anything?" he asks, holding her face in his palms.
"No," she answers. Sweet Emmett thinks. He places a gentle kiss on her lips – the type of kiss where the lips essentially meet & greet each other.
"Emmett! I'm still in my pajamas!" Rose realizes. He strips of her robe. He travels to the closet and picks out his soccer sweatshirt, the one that has McCarthy written in bold, caps letters. He places the sweatshirt upon her and deems her prepared.
"What exactly am I wearing, mister?" she asks, touching the articles.
"Eh, nothing of importance," he says. It was practically true, because she wasn't wearing a bra.
"Let's leave, darling!" he says, leading her around the house. She sits on the chair so he can put the shoes on her. He first places the socks on her feet, then the shoes. He ties the shoelaces slowly.
"Em…" she pleas.
"We're leaving," he chuckles, leading her to the car. As they both step inside, Rose tries to fasten her seatbelt, but fails miserably.
"Let me," Emmett laughs as he reaches around her waist. There's a moment of tension as his hand collides with the bare skin that the sweatshirt fails to cover. They both sit; Emmett holding the seatbelt, Rose blindfolded. The moment ends, and Emmett finishes the task. They both remain silent as Emmett drives to the unknown destination.
"Emmett, where in god's name are you taking me?" she asked, grinding her teeth.
"Relax, you'll find out in 5…4…3…2…1! We're here!" he exclaims. He steps out of the car and opens Rose's door. He seems genuinely surprised when he finds Rose's seatbelt removed. He sees Rose trying to remove the blindfold.
"No! You can't do that. Not yet!" he jumps.
"Why the hell not? We're here, aren't we?" she asks, clearly annoyed.
"Patience is virtue," he quotes cockily. He leads her inside the restaurant and seats her at the cleanest table he can find.
"Mexican?" she asks, "Em, you know what Tex Mex does to you!" Apparently, she has a very good sense of smell.
"Chill!" he says. He goes up and orders the food. He stands by the place where the hot sauces are placed. He searches for the one special packet of hot sauce, and when he finds it, he is beyond elated. The food is ready, according to the cashier. Emmett takes the plate and walks back to Rose.
Then, very carefully, he removes the blindfold.
"Emmett! You stinking bastard! You brought me to Taco Bell?!" she asks, evidently infuriated.
"Shush! Don't wanna be rude now, do we?" he smiles, "Just eat the food, will you?"
"And besides, does it actually matter where we're eating? As long as we're together, it really shouldn't," he states.
Rose looks down at the table with a scowl glued to her face. She starts eating the quesadilla. She reaches for the hot sauce, pouring it all over the nourishment. She places the empty packet on the side. She's about to eat the quesadilla, then she finally realizes what the packet reads. She holds it on her hand, with a gaping face.
"Rosalie Hale, will you pretty please with a cherry on top marry me?" Emmett asks, kneeling down on one knee.
"As if I could deny it!"
She nods her head, yes. Then, she pulls the big oaf to her, hugging him with all her might.
"I can't believe you proposed to me! You had all this planned out, didn't you?" she asks him.
"That's the point of the blindfold, silly!" he kisses her cheek.
"No, not the blindfold. The date?" she asks.
"The date?" he asks, clearly confused.
"It's our two year anniversary?" she asks, extremely surprised.
"Oh – yeah! I totally knew that!" he says, itching the back of his neck. It was one foible of his that Rose knew very well. He only did this action when he was caught lying.
"I'm sure you did," she said, hugging him once again.
"It doesn't matter. As long as we're together," she whispered in his ear, replaying his earlier words.
Author's Note: Happy Birthday, Monica!