You Are Cordially Invited
"Albert, look at this." William said walking across the library and over to where Albert was sitting.
Albert looked up from his paperwork and saw William Birkin approaching him with a tiny black velvet box in his hand. Once Birkin made it to the desk where Albert was sitting, he placed the box onto the hard mahogany surface and slid the box over to him. Albert grabbed the box and gently pulled opened the top to see what was inside. It was a ring, in fact it was a beautiful solitaire diamond ring bound in a glittering gold band, probably worth a couple thousand dollars. Albert stared at the ring with its enormous sparking gem and pristine gold band, but he was unmoved by its beauty or sentiment.
"I am going to ask Annette to marry me." William announced with pride in his voice.
"Why?" Albert questioned closing the box and giving it back to William.
"You sound like my father when I told him this afternoon." William said with a trace of disappointment in his voice.
Albert didn't say anything to that comment. He just looked down and continued to work on his documentation.
"I am marrying Annette because obviously I am a man in love." William implored.
"I believe you." Albert said not removing his blue and green eyes from the daunting paperwork.
"That's all you're going to say?" William said practically whining.
Albert looked up at him with a blank expression in his distant eyes then dryly said, "Congratulations."
"I wouldn't expect you to understand Albert." William said tucking the black velvet box back into his lab coat pocket.
"On the contrary," Albert said pretending to warm up to this inane conversation. "I understand your need for companionship perfectly."
"It's more than just companionship Albert." William exclaimed. "I am in love with Annette."
"Yes." Albert said unemotionally. "I heard you the first time."
"Well are you at least happy for me?" William asked.
Albert contemplated that question carefully for a moment. Rarely did he ever feel anything for other people nor could he express happiness. He always felt so removed from emotions of any sort nor did sentimental things mean anything to him, but having an absence of emotion never fazed him. In fact, it was having no emotions that served so well in accomplishing his objectives thus far. Having emotions or placing importance on useless sentimental objects was always so counterproductive for achieving goals, it was best if these things were cast aside to achieve one's personal ambitions. But he couldn't tell this to Birkin, he was too much of a romantic and idealist to comprehend his principles. After all, Birkin spent half his young life chasing after various people to coddle him and in Annette he found the perfect doting mother figure he was looking for. It was repulsive how needy they were both were, but their desperation made them perfect for each other.
"I am happy for you." Albert feigned with a smile.
"Thank you friend." William said with a glint of happiness in his blue eyes. "Will you be my best man for our wedding?"
Albert looked at him with a blank stare; now a wedding was involved, yet another useless antiquated event he would be required to attend and a further waste of his precious time.
"It would mean a lot to me and I'm sure Annette would be pleased." William continued.
"Of course I will." Albert conceded.
"Thank you Albert." William said happily. "I'm going to the lab to ask Annette right now."
William ran out of the library and dashed off to find Annette to propose. William practically ran through the corridors of the Arklay Mansion, his heart was pounding a mile a minute in his chest. He was hoping she would still be in the basement lab working and not in one of her secret hiding places and he would have to wait to propose. He didn't want to wait, he felt as though he was waiting his whole life to find someone as loving and compassionate as Annette and he would never let her go.
William increased his running speed until he finally made it to the basement lab where Annette was working. Peeking through the glass he saw her sitting there peering through a microscope, he was relieved that she was there, so now he could ask her. But he couldn't ask her while panting like a dog, he needed to catch his breath and calm down from his lengthy sprint down to the laboratory. Once he was able to catch his breath, he reached into his lab coat pocket to get the master key and stuck it in the lock to open the door. Once he was inside Annette turned away from her microscope and turned to face him.
"Oh William." She said sweetly. "What a pleasant surprise. Please sit down."
"Annette." William said reaching into his other lab coat pocket and pulling out the ring box. "Will you marry me?"
Annette was astonished; she couldn't believe that William proposed to her. He was so direct that almost didn't seem possible that he was asking her such a serious question.
"Please marry me Annette." William practically begged. "I… I love you so much."
This definitely wasn't the proposal all her other friends had, a romantic dinner, then a sweet proposal with their beaus on bended knee or a quite walk through Raccoon Park and a proposal by the water fountain or on the bridge. No, that was not William's style, nor was it hers. For them, this was a perfect proposal, over a microscope in a dank laboratory in the place where they first met nearly eight months ago. Annette could not be happier.
"Ye… Ye…" Annette could scarcely get the words to pass through her lips. "Yes I will marry you William."
Annette sprang up off her stool and ran into William's happy waiting arms. He held her tightly as tears of joy streamed from both their blue eyes. Pulling back a moment, William kissed Annette gently on her lips then tenderly wiped away her tears. A moment later, he gently grasped her left hand he slipped the beautiful engagement ring onto her slender finger. Annette stared at the beautiful diamond ring for a moment before turning her gaze to William and the pair kissed once again.