"Hey, can I see your hand for a moment?"
Rose looked up from her needlework and frowned. "What are you up to, Alfred?"
Her boyfriend gave her a careless grin. "You'll see. Trust me, it'll be good."
"I'm not sure I trust that," she murmured, setting her hoop and thread down on the table. "Last time you said that we ended up destroying someone's chimney with a hot air balloon."
"That would have worked if we hadn't lost altitude so fast at the end." He pouted. "C'mon, Rosie, let me see your hand. Please! Left one."
With a sigh, she reluctantly raised her hand up for him. Grinning gleefully, he snatched it and dragged it towards him. She looked away, trying to look nonchalant as he fiddled with her hand, taking the moment to peer at her needlework. She tried to make sure all her stitches were neat and tight, but when she felt him put something on her finger she had to look up.
He had put a ring on her ring finger; it was shaped like a trio of golden stars, made of the delicate glass beads she had to help him buy for the costumes he had to help design. He'd been laboring over a play for a month, but she'd had no idea that this was what he was making. It took her breath away.
"Oh, Al," she sighed, turning her hand about to admire the way the light caught it. "It's beautiful."
"Really? Wonderful!" He grinned, and without another word, yanked the ring off her finger. She stared at it dumbfounded as he put it in his toolbox for safekeeping. "I'm glad you like it—it should be perfect in the play then."
She glared at her now bare finger before she glanced at his wicked grin. Two can play that game, sir. Picking up her sewing hoop, she hurled it at him. It smacked him dead on in the forehead, but with the flat cloth side instead of the hard plastic of the ring like she hoped. He cried out like it had though.
"Oh, cruel, vicious woman, what have I done to you?"
"You're an idiot," she snapped, reaching out to get her hoop back. "And a cad! Ugh, any fool should know that you can't put a ring on that finger and then just pull back off like it meant nothing!"
"Can't say I ever heard that one before," he admitted. She scowled at him and grabbed at her hoop; he caught her hand again. "Well, in that case, try this one instead."
From his pants' pocket, he pulled out a small black box. She went silent as he plucked out a sapphire and silver ring, sliding it onto her finger. Pulling her hand away gently, she settled back into her chair in stunned silence. The ring was exquisite and far more practical than the gold star ring to boot.
When she looked up at him, he was still grinning. Scowling, she started to wrench the ring off her finger again. "I'm not putting up with your teasing again today."
"Ah! No, you can't do that," he whined, grabbing her wrist and hand. "You'll break the bond of our love."
"And where did you hear that one? You've been spending too much time with Francis."
He shrugged. "Maybe." Reaching into the black box again, he pulled out a simpler silver band with a small sapphire embedded into it. "But here, you see, we match. You can't take yours off or I'll look stupid."
"You are stupid," she mumbled, tears stinging her eyes. "And a jerk. If you're teasing me again, I'll chuck this ring at your head."
"Well, that's better than your hoop, I guess." He grinned at her. "With these rings I'm your idiot," he pulled a funny face, pointing at his ring for emphasis. "And you're stuck with me for the rest of your life!"
She snorted and swiped at the tears streaming from her eyes. "Sorry. You're not an idiot."
"Ah, babe," he murmured, getting up from his chair to hug her. "Don't cry. I was just being silly."
"I know," she half giggled and cried. "I'm crying because I don't know what I just got myself into."
He laughed loudly and dove for a kiss; she caught him full on her grinning mouth.