A/N: Hi again my friends! Yes, I'm still working on Unexpected Journey, but this little plot bunny attacked me last night and wouldn't let go until I'd written it. This is just a funny simple oneshot full of fluff! Besides, I figured we needed a little more CaRWash to help get us through the long summer break! ;) I hope you enjoy it!
Right Now
"Hey Cal, do you have a minute?"
Calleigh looked up from putting her badge in her locker and smiled when she saw Ryan. "Sure," she said, closing her locker and leaning against it, "What's up?"
"I was wondering if I could talk to you about something," Ryan said, shifting his feet and looking around the deserted locker room.
Calleigh smirked at his nervous movements. "Of course."
"Well...ahh...you see...I mean I.." Ryan stuttered, "Wow, this is awkward."
"Just spit it out!" Calleigh said.
"Umm okay..." Ryan said finally rubbing his hand across the back of his head, "There's this girl.."
Whatever Calleigh had been expecting, it wasn't this. She felt her heart sink. She had always had feelings for Ryan; they were the best of friends and she could always count on him. Lately though, those feelings had become a little deeper and the thought of Ryan with another girl made her feel slightly nauseous. Pushing that all aside, she focused on what Ryan was saying.
"...I've been dating her for about a year now. She's the most amazing person I've ever met," Ryan continued, his eyes shining as he talked about his girl, "I...I want to ask her to marry me. Thing is, I don't have a clue as to how to go about it."
Calleigh was stunned. Ryan, commit? Never happen. But here he was telling her about this girl that had changed everything. Calleigh had never met this girl, but she wanted to strangle her. She shoved her real feelings down deep and put on what she hoped was a genuine smile.
"So I was wondering if you could help me..." Ryan trailed off, looking at Calleigh with a pleading smile on his face, "Please?"
"Alright," Calleigh said, with a faked smile, "What do you want me to do?"
"Well, you're a girl.."
"Way to state the obvious," Calleigh grinned.
"I have heard that I have a keen grasp of the obvious," Ryan teased, before turning back to his original thought, "So, I was thinking that maybe you could show me your perfect proposal and then I could go from there."
"Every girl is different Ryan," Calleigh pointed out, "What I like isn't going to necessarily be what she'd like."
"It'll give me some place to start anyway," Ryan said.
"Okay," Calleigh murmured, "Well, first thing's first, do you have a ring yet?"
"Yeah, right here," Ryan said patting his jacket pocket, "I spent so much on it I've been carrying it around so I don't loose it."
"Alright, next you're going to want to get her alone some place when the time is right. Sometimes spur of the moment is best in this case. That way you don't get too nervous. Then you're going to kneel down in front of her like this," Calleigh said, lowing herself onto one knee, "And you're going to take her hands in yours. This prevents her escaping and it is very romantic," she continued with a grin. "Then you are going to call her by name. It's very important that you do this several times throughout the proposal, to make sure she knows that you are committed to just her. Then you are going to reel off some sappy romantic stuff to make her melt."
"Like what kind of sappy stuff?" Ryan asked.
"You're going to make this difficult, aren't you?" Calleigh teased, "Okay, I'll show you. Just don't take any of this personally." She cleared her throat, thinking about what to say. She paused a moment or two longer and then began: "They say that once in a lifetime there is one person that makes you become everything you never imagined you could be. A person who can make you smile simply by entering a room. A person who can lift your spirits with a simple glance. Some people spend their entire lives looking for that anchor in their lives, knowing that only when they find it will they be whole. I've been lucky because I found that light they spend years looking for. I found you."
"Then right here you are going to talk about the first time you saw her, or the first time you fell in love with her," Calleigh continued, "Make sure to talk slowly. Make her believe you mean it with every fiber of your soul, which I'm sure you do."
"Okay," Ryan said, "But what about the part when I actually ask her to marry me?"
"Don't rush me," Calleigh winked, "I'm getting there. You've got to set the mood first."
"Got it," Ryan grinned.
"After you finish that, look into her eyes and, once again calling her by name, say: Ever since that moment, I knew I never wanted to be without you. You are my hope, my joy, and my whole world. You are the reason for every good thing in my life, and I never want to loose that. I love you with my whole soul; I always have and I always will."
"Now, at this point, if you've done your job, the tears will be flowing. This is the moment every girl dreams about her whole life, so you'd better not screw it up," she teased, shaking a finger at him.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Ryan smiled.
"Then you are going to call her by her full name, and say: I never want to live another moment without you by my side, so I have a very important question to ask. Will you marry me? Make sure you pull out the ring right about here and present it to her."
"That's it?" Ryan questioned.
"That's it," Calleigh confirmed, standing and brushing off her knees, "The rest is up to her. If all goes well, the tears in her eyes will magnify the diamond in the ring, making it appear that much larger, ensuring a "yes" response."
"You are 100 percent crazy," Ryan chuckled.
"I try," Calleigh winked.
"So when should I propose?" Ryan asked.
"As soon as possible," Calleigh said after a moment, "You are prepared now and waiting will just make the nerves worse."
"But what about the romantic situation? You know, candles, music?" Ryan questioned.
Calleigh gave him a half smile, "Those things are great, but sometimes all a girl wants is to know that she's loved. To know that you're hers forever is enough." She stopped when she realized that she had a hand on his arm. Quickly pulling back her hand she said, "Now go and tell that girl of yours that you want to marry her."
"Now? Are you sure?" Ryan asked.
"Just go," Calleigh said pushing him towards the door, "There's no time for second thoughts now."
"But why should I go when the girl is right here?" he asked, turning back to face her with a smile. Taking her hands gently in his own, he sank slowly to one knee. Calleigh froze, her mind taking forever to catch up.
"Calleigh," he said softly, " They say that once in a lifetime there is one person that makes you become everything you never imagined you could be." Before he even finished the sentence, her eyes began to well up with tears. "A person who can make you smile simply by entering a room. A person who can lift your spirits with a simple glance. Some people spend their entire lives looking for that anchor in their lives, knowing that only when they find it will they be whole. I've been lucky because I found that light they spend years looking for. I found you."
Calleigh's heart was beating furiously in her chest. Could this really be happening?
"I knew from the moment that I first saw you that you were going to change my life forever. It took me a while, but I realized that I never wanted anyone but you. The moment that changed everything was the day I got that nail in my eye. When I was lying on that hospital bed and the doctors said I might loose my sight, I wasn't thinking about how it would affect my job. My only thought was I'd never be able to see you smiling face again. That thought hurt more than any I'd ever had before. And it made me realized that I love you."
She was lost in his eyes as he spoke. Breathing had suddenly become difficult, but it didn't matter. Ryan Wolfe had just said that he loved her.
"Calleigh, ever since that moment, I knew I never wanted to be without you. You are my hope, my joy, and my whole world. You are the reason for every good thing in my life, and I never want to loose that. I love you with my whole soul; I always have and I always will." Ryan looked up at her with all the love and care he possessed. He was pleased to see the tears in her eyes; he must be doing well.
"I never want to live another moment without you by my side, so I have a very important question to ask. Calleigh Ann Duquesne, will you marry me?" He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the ring box. Opening it to present her with a white gold diamond band, he looked up into her eyes with a hopeful smile.
Calleigh gazed at the ring through the tears. How was this possible? Even if she had picked out the ring herself, she couldn't have done a better job. It was her to a "t". She was frozen, staring at it, unable to process what Ryan had just asked her.
"This is the part where you say yes," Ryan whispered.
"Oh," Calleigh said, snapping out it, "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!"
He grinned and slipped the ring on her finger, before standing and pulling her into an embrace. They both lost themselves in the kiss, never wanting anything more than each other.
When they parted, Calleigh gave a tearful giggle as she looked down at her ring. "I can't believe this is real," she said with a contented sigh, leaning back into his arms.
"So how did I do?" Ryan whispered in her ear.
She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck before answering. "I couldn't have done it better myself."
A/N: There are big hugs and cookies for all who review!