The wind was picking up and it blew directly at me, holding me back as I tried to walk home to my small apartment. The only thing that kept me going was the small, black box weighing down my jacket pocket. I had been carrying the ring around for months, ever since Clary and Jace's wedding. I suppose I had always known that I wanted to marry Isabelle, but it wasn't until I saw my best friend, dressed in brilliant gold, dancing with her new husband that I decided to ask her. Ever since that day I have been waiting for the perfect moment, but every time I think I'm close, I get scared and chicken out.
It's been almost two years since the Moral War and Valentine and Sebastian, but I still barely remember any of it, since Magnus' father wiped my memory. That doesn't bother me, though. Those memories, the ones where I am a vampire, are not exactly good ones that I would want to keep. I have my memories of Isabelle and Clary, and that is all that matters.
Things have been pretty low key since then. Every now and then there is a report of a demon, and our little family of Shadowhunters will go and check it out: Jace, Clary, Isabelle, Alec (usually dragging Magnus along with him), and me. But after everything we have faced together, a few demons seem like nothing. So now, the most exciting things in our lives are weddings and babies and divorces, things that Jace would normally call "mundane."
Since Luke and Jocelyn got married there have been two other weddings. First, Tessa and Jem got married- I'm not quite sure I know who they are, but all Shadowhunters are basically related so we were all invited- and at their wedding, Jocelyn announced that she was pregnant. They had a girl and named her Charlotte. Then Jace and Clary surprised us all to be the first ones of our generation to get married. Their wedding was beautiful until Maryse got into a drunken fight with her ex-husband. And that brings us back to Isabelle and me. Hopefully, we will be next.
I walked up the flight of stairs to our apartment and noticed the door was open. A strange smell wafted into the hallway. Oh god, she's cooking, I thought. I considered stopping in my tracks and going back out for some pizza, but I decided to suffer through her horrible cooking because I love her.
"Hey Belle," I said, walking into the kitchen and giving her a peck on the cheek. I came up with her new nickname after she told me that I used to be a vampire. That immediately made me think of Beauty and the Beast, and since Belle means "beautiful", I thought it would be perfect.
"Simon," she said, her face beaming with excitement. "I'm so glad you're home! I made dinner. Chicken noodle soup."
"Oh." I tried not to look unhappy, putting a forced smile on my face.
"Relax," Izzy laughed. "It's from a can."
I put my hand to my chest and swooned dramatically. "Thank god!"
That made Isabelle laugh. She looked so beautiful when she laughed. Her big brown eyes seemed to brighten and even sparkle.
"Well I couldn't have you getting sick. The ceremony is tomorrow."
My stomach lurched at the reminder. I had only been a Shadowhunter for about a year, and I still didn't know much about their ceremonies, but I wouldn't be alone.
"Are you nervous?" Isabelle asked.
"A little," I said before changing the subject. "Let's eat, shall we?"
The ceremony was shorter than I expected. Clary and I stood in two circles and recited the parabatai pledge. Then she crossed into my circle, we drew the rune on each other, mine on my chest and hers on her collarbone. Afterwards there was a small reception at the Institute. I thought of maybe proposing then. The more I thought about it, the more perfect I thought I would be.
We were in a room I had never seen before- which wasn't surprising since I could never come into the institute when I was a vampire- but I guessed its sole purpose was parties like this. I sat on a couch off to the side, watching the excitement. Alec and Magnus were sitting very close together on another couch, and every so often Alec would say something to make Magnus laugh. Jace was on the other side of the room talking with Maryse. Luke and Jocelyn were walking around, talking to different people, many of whom I had never met. Clary was sitting on the couch next to me, playing with little Charlie.
I spotted Isabelle walking toward us, carrying a tray filled with glasses of champagne. She set hers on a table and handed another to me, which I took gratefully to quell the butterflies pounding against the walls of my stomach as I rehearsed in my mind what to say to Isabelle. She held the last one out to Clary, who didn't seem to notice.
"Champagne, Clary?" She asked.
Clary looked up, confused at first, and then replied, "Oh, no thank you."
"Don't be silly, Clary! This is your party!"
"Fine." Clary took the glass out of obligation, and she set it on the side table without taking a sip.
Isabelle walked away to distribute more alcohol, and in a moment Jace was by Clary's side. Without words, he took her glass of champagne and replaced it with a glass of water.
"Thanks," she said, taking the water and drinking half of it in one gulp.
"What was that about?" I asked, trying to take my mind off proposing as Jace sat down in the space between us and took little Charlie into his lap. "Why aren't you drinking?"
Clary blushed and looked at her husband with a smile, asking him to answer the question for her. He stood up and placed Charlie gently on the floor before speaking.
"Can I have everyone's attention?" He spoke not only to me, but to the whole room.
When everyone settled down, Jace continued with a grin, "Clary and I are having a baby."
There was an excited squeal from Isabelle and a chorus of "congratulations." Of course, I was more than happy for my best friend, but I couldn't help thinking that she stole my perfect moment.
This was it; now or never. I would propose tonight, no matter what. It didn't have to be on front of our whole family. We would be alone tonight, just me and Isabelle and no interruptions.
I ran through the plan in my head one more time as I climbed the stairs. I would walk in the door and tell her to change into something fancy. Then I would surprise her by taking her to her favorite, and very expensive, restaurant. Then, before dessert, I would order two glasses of champagne, and the waiter would put the ring in the bottom of her glass. And when she sees the ring, I would ask her to marry me.
Nothing could spoil my mood. I took the rest of the steps at a run and burst through the door to meet a squealing Isabelle.
"What's wrong?" I asked, immediately concerned.
"Alec and Magnus are engaged!" She exclaimed in a high-pitched squeal.
Shit.
So far all my plans to propose had been foiled. As I lay in bed, holding Belle as she slept, I thought about other ways I could ask her. Nothing felt right. I just had to ask, plain and simple. In that moment, I made myself a promise to propose as soon as she woke up.
Soon enough, Isabelle was fidgeting in my arms, and I released her so she could stretch. After yawning, she turned her body so she was facing me.
"Hi," she whispered with a tired smile, her eyes barely open.
"Isabelle, will you marry me?" I whispered back against her cheek as I kissed it.
"Of course," she said calmly. "I thought you would never ask."
I was so happy I forgot about the ring and kissed her. We decided to stay in bed all day and tell people tomorrow, so I fell back asleep, holding my beautiful fiancée in my arms.