There are many times in a man's life where his integrity is challenged, his courage is tested, and his willpower is pushed to the limit of his capacities. This rule was no different for Alfred Francis Jones, who on this very night, would have to face a reality that was so great, so life changing and awesome, that it made his ears pound with excitement and his stomach twist into tight, relentless knots all at the same time. Tonight was a night that would rival even the time in the second grade when he had peed himself in front of his entire class, or the one time that the drug dogs at his college campus had found the marijuana that he had carelessly thrown into his backpack on a whim.
Today was the night he would be proposing to his boyfriend of seven years, Toris Laurinaitis.
In a restaurant, with people watching him.
Judging him.
And certainly, if he were to be rejected, laughing at him.
In spite of his fear of people, Alfred had only wanted the best for Toris, and that included the best proposal. His boyfriend was a humble man, and although he would never admit to it, Alfred knew just how much he loved being surprised, and even more than that, how much he loved being the center of attention. If one pays close enough attention, they may notice the look in Toris's eyes when he gets to talk about himself, or when he receives a gift, or even when Alfred presses gentle kisses to his cheek. Alfred knew that Toris loved being watched, and if that would help make his proposal the best one possible, then with God's help Alfred would overcome his fear and pop the question in front of all of those innocent bystanders, whether they liked it or not.
Of course, it is all much easier said than done.
It was a hot, humid August night when Alfred had decided to do it. Several years ago, Alfred and Toris had made a point to go out to dinner at least once every two weeks, simply to talk and have some time to themselves. This was, of course, before they began to live together, but as Alfred always put it, old habits die hard. Their tradition quickly became the highlight of both of their weeks.
The restaurant they had picked was moderately classy (Alfred had never liked fancy restaurants, as they never had hamburgers on their menu), with crisp white tablecloths and a large, ornately decorated interior. It was one of Toris's favorites, and Alfred knew that if he were to do it anywhere, this would be the place. Due to the uncomfortable weather, they were seated inside the restaurant, politely smiling at the friendly hostess who showed them to a small yet cozy booth in the corner.
"I'm so excited to eat! I've been so hungry all day. I had to skip my lunch break at work today to get some extra work done." Toris remarked as he took the seat across from Alfred. "What's on your mind, Al? You look very nervous." His voice was only slightly accented, heavily trained from years of slaving over his English textbook.
Alfred shook his head at this, sliding across the book and reaching under the table to take Toris's hands. "Aw, it's just some stupid work stuff. They're driving me crazy! It's not fair, Toris. We never get a break." He sighed, his hands beginning to shake as he remembered about the black, velvet box in his pocket. It suddenly felt much heavier than he had remembered it being. "E-Either way, I'm so glad to finally be here with you. I really look forward to these dinner dates." He admitted, blushing slightly as he watched Toris's face become several shades redder. He squeezed his hands gently before moving them up to rest on the table.
Not before long, a waiter made his way to their table, promptly taking their orders before returning to the kitchen. Alfred and Toris exchanged conversation, smiling and blushing and batting their eyelashes at one another as usual. Their legs became intertwined under the table, and after they had finished eating Alfred took Toris's hands again, this time on top of the table for the entire world to see.
"Listen, Toris…" Alfred started, the box in his pocket feeling as if it were burning into his skin. "There's something I needed to ask-"
"No, wait," Toris interrupted, taking a long, shaky breath before setting his hands down on the tabletop. "I have something I need to say."
Oh, no, Alfred, thought, his mind beginning to race with panicked thoughts. That's it. He's breaking up with me. He's breaking up with me and this is the end of our relationship and I fucked up, I fucked up so badly, and—Holy shit, he's wearing those pants… they make his ass look so good, oh damn. Wait, why'd he stand up? Is it normal to kneel in the middle of a restaurant? Oh. Oh, shit. Oh, fucking shit in hell. Oh, shit. Alfred's eyes were wide with anticipation, his breath was hitching in his throat—he felt as if he were going to collapse with excitement. He could hardly pay attention as Toris's lips moved nervously, his face flushed red and his hands shaking as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a navy blue velvet box, and opened it cautiously. There was only white noise, and Alfred glanced around the restaurant quickly, enough to notice that everyone's eyes were on him and Toris, and on the modestly decorated ring that was settled between the folds of fabric inside of the box.
"A-And, so… I really do love you." Alfred finally settled down early enough to hear those words come out of Toris's mouth. He looked down, meeting Toris's large, green eyes, neither of them saying anything for several moments before Toris broke the silence. "A-And, with that… I was wondering if… Alfred, would you… would you make me the happiest man on earth and be my husband."
Without skipping a beat, Alfred shouted a high-pitched "YES!" and reached down, scooping Toris into his arms and placing random, eager kisses all over his face. There was a loud round of applause from their small yet intrigued audience, coupled with a few disgruntled and presumably homophobic comments. Toris nearly dropped the box as he was picked up by Alfred, but laughed happily as he wrapped his arms around his neck.
He leaned forward, whispering a sweet "I love you," into Alfred's ear before he was set down.
"Toris, you wouldn't believe it! I was going to do the same thing. Like, I was going to propose." Alfred mused as he allowed Toris to slip the ring onto his finger. "Here, I have the ring in my pocket, so now we'll be matching! Oh my god, I'm so happy, oh my god!" He nearly screamed, raising his hand to look at the ring as soon as Toris had finished. "It's so… I'm gonna sound so gay, but wow, it's really gorgeous." He smiled an honest, bright smile at Toris, who grinned back complacently and took his hands, running his thumb over the ring.
"I'm so glad that you like it." Toris said, before Alfred tucked his brown hair behind his ears and kissed him tenderly.
Once he broke the kiss, Alfred reached into his own pocket and pulled out the small box, setting it down on the table carefully. They were sitting next to each other now, both of them blushing and stuttering and the happiest they had ever been.
"I picked it out with you in mind! I mean like, I didn't want to get you something too flashy, but I wanted to get you something impressive." Alfred explained as he opened the box to reveal a simple, silver ring with a few modest diamonds set inside of it. "I think it suits you!"
Toris gasped excitedly, turning to face Alfred and kissing his cheek before running a finger over his own ring. "Oh, it's beautiful! Alfred, thank you so much." He said, giving Alfred his hand so that he could put it on for him. "Honestly, I still can't believe the coincidence. I guess we really are like each other."
Alfred nodded, taking Toris's hand and kissing it gently. "I guess so."
A few minutes later, their waiter returned to their table with a congratulatory word and a dessert menu. They ordered ice cream to celebrate, and shared it eagerly and happily.
When they returned home, the joy had not yet worn off. They spent the night in each other's arms, warm and content, exchanging gently pleasant kisses. In those ecstatic moments, Alfred knew that Toris was all he needed to be happy, and Toris felt just the same.