Sasha gripped the tiny box between her fingers, the future of her relationship with Becky sitting idly inside. How Bayley had managed to convince her that a proposal was a decent idea, Sasha would never fully comprehend. That woman had some phenomenal powers of persuasion, and they needed to be dealt with. Eventually. Right now, Sasha was too busy being persuaded into stopping by Bayley's house.
"No."
"You don't have a say. I'm the driver."
Sasha wanted to violently slam her head into the head of the car seat, no longer amused with Bayley's shenanigans. "I'm the passenger. Doesn't the passenger have any rights?"
"You have radio control."
"Your radio doesn't even work!"
Bayley responded with a wicked laugh, twirling an invisible mustache as she did so. All she needed was a set of train tracks, a rope, and possibly duct tape to make the experience even more authentic.
If the skies opened up and a flying unicorn told Sasha that Bayley's sole purpose in life was to annoy her, she would believe it. For all of her positive attitude and sunny disposition, Bayley could be very mischievous, if the opportunity presented itself. Unfortunately for Sasha, the opportunities seemed to present themselves twice as much when they were alone together.
Charlotte's influence was spreading.
"So, I bet you're wondering why we're driving to my humble abode."
"Well, considering that you made this decision without consulting me first…"
"We need privacy."
Sasha wasn't sure if her mind was playing tricks on her or not, but she was certain that she saw a glint in Bayley's eye. That, along with the bizarre smirk on her face, made for a chilling scene, from Sasha's perspective. 'Privacy' never had pleasant implications; it generally involved something secretive, and the fact that she was holding the biggest secret she'd ever kept, Sasha was worried, to say the least.
"You're not going to murder me, are you?"
"On a Friday afternoon, with the sun still up? Sasha, I would never! In the cover of night? Well, that might be a different story." She turned to Sasha, who wasn't laughing along with her. What a killjoy, Bayley thought. "It'll be fun!"
The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told Sasha otherwise.
After adjusting her vision to the unusually bright, visual vomit that was Bayley's living room, Sasha took a seat on the nearest couch. She distinctly remembered Becky helping this poor woman paint and decorate her house when Bayley had only just moved in. That was about two years ago, and Bayley never once thought about changing it. Sasha offered many times to help redecorate - every time she walked into this eyesore - but Bayley insisted that it stay the same. Something about wanting to keep the memory of her and Becky having fun together while doing it. Which was sweet, of course.
It would've been a lot sweeter if Becky and Bayley weren't both terribly style-impaired.
Sasha was beginning to grow impatient with the young woman sitting to her left. She was promised that something would happen, but all they were doing was watching some weird documentary about fish. Well, perhaps Bayley hadn't promised anything, per se, but it was heavily implied!
"Bayley."
"Yes?"
"Why did we come to your house?"
With that, Bayley hopped out of her seat, a decorative vase nearly destroyed in the process. She was excited, and whenever Bayley was excited, bad things happened for Sasha - the ring in her pocket an expensive reminder of the consequences of said excitement.
"I was waiting for you to ask!"
Bayley walked over to Sasha and, without warning, yanked her by the wrists. How many more times today was this woman going to put her hands on her, Sasha wondered. When she was sure that Sasha was standing at attention, she led her over to the center of the living room, which was open enough for…
"Roleplay!"
Sasha stuck a finger in her ear, figuring that she had gone deaf, or had some form of auditory disease thar she needed to get checked out. Clearly Bayley did not say 'roleplay.' Not even Bayley would suggest a thing that was so silly - so unbelievably ludicrous. There was no chance.
"Sasha?"
"Stop. I'm just… I'm trying to pretend you didn't say what I think you said."
"Quit being dramatic. People do this all the time."
"Where?"
"Online."
Murder didn't sound like such an awful time after listening to Bayley's nonsense.
"We have to work on your proposal techniques."
"That's so stupid."
"Your anniversary isn't too far off! I know you want this to be perfect."
Sasha hated admitting when Bayley was right, but Bayley was right in her assertations. She did want this to be perfect - she wanted anything and everything having to do with Becky to go perfectly, because Becky was perfect. She had to give Bayley some credit; she excelled at reading her friends. Sasha still wasn't one-hundred percent certain about this proposal idea, so maybe Bayley was onto something with this 'roleplay' business.
"Fine," Sasha begrudgingly stated, accepting Bayley's request. "What do I do?"
"I'll be Becky, and you be you. That way, you can practice what you're going to say when you pop the question."
"Alright. I guess."
Sasha cleared her throat, preparing to give some sort of speech. That was how they did it in movies, anyway. She needed a hobby, one that didn't involve romantic comedies. "Hey, Becky. Can we talk?"
"Oi, what's eatin' ya lass?!"
Bayley's impression of Becky was quite literally the worst thing that Sasha Banks ever had the displeasure of hearing. It wasn't bad enough to be insulting, but definitely wasn't good enough to sound Irish. If Sasha had to describe it in words, she would say that it sounded like a dying, tone-deaf Scottish boy.
"So. Stupid."
"What's that, darlin'?!"
"Well, Becky. We've been dating for a long time now-"
"Yes, yes! Three years! Ain't that somethin'?!"
Sasha powered through the urge to strangle Bayley in the middle of her own home. The only thing keeping her friend alive was the thought of proposing from the inside of a prison cell. That would be an anniversary to remember for sure.
"You're the most important person in the world to me, and I love you so-"
"You're quite touchy-feely today, aren't ya lass?!"
Unable to take any more of Bayley's ridiculous impersonation, Sasha forcefully dropped to one knee, pulling out the ring case from within her pocket. "That's it. I'm just going to cut to the freakin' chase. Will you marry me?"
Before Bayley could reply, her front door slowly creaked open, the intruder glancing between the two women in bewilderment. "Am I interrupting something here?"
Sasha whipped her head back to Bayley, obvious disapproval written all over her face. "What the hell is Charlotte doing here? And why does she have a key to your house?"
"Well, uh… Charlotte lives the closest to me, and-"
"And sometimes Bayley locks herself out of her own house."
Sasha certainly wasn't expecting Charlotte to randomly show her face here. The fact that the blonde even had the means to walk in and out of Bayley's home was a testament to how deep the four women's trust in each other ran. This was definitely still very embarrassing, however, Sasha couldn't lie. Walking in on one of your closest friends mock-proposing to your other closest friend - Charlotte must've been thrown for a loop.
"Okay. Why are you here though?"
"Why, Sasha! That's no way to treat an invited guest!"
Sasha slowly turned her head to Bayley again, the slow, mechanical movement causing Bayley to cower in fear. Barely an hour ago, it was Sasha fearing Bayley's presumed, latent evilness; now it was the other way around. The headband wearing woman rushed behind Charlotte, using her tall frame as a shield to hide behind.
"You invited her? Why?!"
"I thought you could use the extra help!"
"She's just going to make fun of it anyway!"
Charlotte, who was less than pleased at being referred to as though she were absent from the room, took a large step to the left, leaving Bayley in the line of Sasha's fire. However, she raised her hand in an attempt to let the two younger women know that she had something to say. "This was my idea."
"You're joking."
"Would I lie to you, Sasha?"
"I'm going to go with an emphatic 'yes' here."
To say that Charlotte enjoyed messing with her friends would be the understatement of the century. She was not only adept at playing mindgames, but she seemed to win any and every argument. This alone made her an intimidating force to go up against, but her imposing physical stature undeniably upped her intimidation factor.
"Bayley said you wanted to propose?"
"Tch, well yeah, but I didn't think she'd tell anyone about it." Another angry glare from Sasha forced Bayley to avert her gaze. A smart move, Sasha thought.
"Would you calm down? It's only me."
"Yeah," Bayley chimed in, still finding it difficult to look at the aforementioned woman. "It's not like either of us actually told Becky."
"Was… was I not supposed to do that?"
Sasha felt her heart sink into her pelvis. "Charlotte!"
"I'm kidding, geez. Now come on."
Sasha desperately wanted to scream her lungs out at both of her friends for driving her closer to the brink of insanity, day by day. Miraculously, she found the inner strength to let Charlotte continue with what she had planned. Charlotte took Bayley's previous spot, in the center of the room.
"I'll be you, and you be Becky."
"Shouldn't I be me?"
"Hah, good one. Learn from the master first, young one."
Her attitude was always grating. It was during times such as these where Sasha wondered how she and Charlotte were able to coexist as friends in the first place. She knew the other woman's intentions were noble; through all of her poking and proding, Charlotte always looked out for her friends. Sasha only wished that she could be a lot less annoying as she did so.
"Can I be Charlotte?!" Bayley shouted.
"Why?"
"She provides funny commentary."
"Ladies, ladies. May I?" Charlotte asked, cutting their conversation short.
Sasha waved her hand about, giving Charlotte the 'okay.'
"Becky," Charlotte began, winking at Sasha, who only groaned in response. Her voice wasn't over dramatic, as Sasha expected - it was low, her tone soft and passionate, proving that she was taking this seriously. "We've been together for so long, and no one has made me even half as happy as you have." She took Sasha's left hand in her own, caressing the skin with her thumb. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you - every day, every night. I love you, Becky. Will you marry me?"
Sasha was stunned into silence. Charlotte's acting was top notch; she was getting emotional just looking at the older woman down on one knee - her eyes staring up at Sasha expectantly. "Charlotte, that was-"
"And that's how it's done!" Charlotte sprung to her feet, alarming the woman before her. "Told you I was good."
"Yeah yeah, you're good. Whatever."
"So, what did you learn?"
Charlotte was met with a blank stare - possibly the most blank she had ever seen a human face before. She lowered her head in defeat, wondering why she bothered in the first place. She wanted to believe that her - sometimes selfish, sometimes self-centered - friend wasn't this thick-skulled; she'd like to believe that Sasha wasn't a lost cause.
"Really, Sasha? Nothing?"
"What, am I supposed to have a notepad on me twenty-four seven? What do you want from me?"
"You need to be heartfelt, is the gist of what I was getting at."
"Ugh, Becky's not even into all of this cliche stuff!" Not as much as Sasha was, but she decided to keep that little factoid to herself. "Can't I just get her a card that says, 'Hey, be my wife'?
Sasha was definitely a lost cause.
"No, stupid. But," Charlotte, having grown tired of standing, circled around the living room, planting herself firmly onto Bayley's couch. "You might have a point. Becky's more out there. She likes surprises and things done big."
"Which is so weird."
Charlotte and Sasha both turned to Bayley, who was fiddling with her fingers after her out-of-place remark. "You said I could be Charlotte."
"Anyway!" Sasha strode over towards Charlotte, who was currently flipping through TV channels. Sasha wished she could slap that remote from the blonde's fingers, but she still needed her help. "You and Becky have talked about this stuff, right?"
"Here and there."
"Well, what kind of proposal is she looking for? I mean, how big are we talking? Like, on-top-of-a-ferris-wheel big?"
"Actually," Charlotte placed the remote to her side, Sasha's idea pulling her away from the screen. "That's not a bad idea. Becky would definitely like that."
"I was only kidding, unless you want to help me fly in a ferris wheel from Disneyworld. I'm sure they take requests."
"Hey!" Bayley returned to the conversation, having let her friends converse on their own without interjecting for long enough. "There's a carnival coming around next weekend." To prove her point, Bayley pulled out a purple leaflet from her jacket pocket. It showcased various attractions on the front, one of which was, of course, a large ferris wheel. "See? Ferris wheel and everything."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"Charlotte would keep that info to herself, because she likes watching her friends be clueless sometimes. And, well… the roleplay and all."
Sasha had a feeling that she could ask Bayley a thousand questions - no distractions, a one-on-one talk - and be no closer to solving the mystery that is her childlike friend.
Charlotte raised her eyebrow at Bayley, internally questioning exactly how her friends pictured her. "I'm right here."
"Focus! So, will you help me out?" Sasha sat next to Charlotte, her pleading eyes boring holes into the side of Charlotte's face.
"Normally I'd make you beg, but the fact that you're even asking me for help is a sign that you have no idea what you're doing. Besides, as much as I enjoy torturing you, I'm always going to be here for you when you need me."
Sasha gave Charlotte a warm smile, the latter returning the gesture. The two shared a genuine moment of caring, before they were interrupted by Bayley jumping onto the couch in the empty space between them. She wrapped either arm around the girls, enveloping them in a group hug. "Sorry, but you guys were being too cute."
"I take it you're done roleplaying as me?"
"Yeah, being you isn't that fun."
Charlotte opened her mouth, feeling insulted yet again, but Sasha stood up, removing herself from the couch - and detaching Bayley's vicegrip on her shoulder, although that was nothing new. "So, Plan Proposal is officially in effect."
"The carnival's a bit earlier than your anniversary. By about a week, it looks like," Charlotte stated after inspecting the leaflet. "We'll have to work fast if we want to get this right. So, I have one question for you before we do this."
"Shoot."
"Is this what you really want? This isn't a game, or something you can take back. You have to make sure you're absolutely prepared for this. Whatever you decide, I'll support you. We both will." Bayley smiled, her way of showing that she agreed.
Sasha took Charlotte's words to heart - she wanted to make sure that she knew what she was getting into. This proposal ordeal was all the work of Bayley, in hindsight. Earlier, she wasn't entirely sure she would find a suitable gift for Becky at all; now here she was, preparing the perfect proposal for her? It was all happening so fast, but if she were to admit to one thing, it was that Becky was her whole world. The Irish woman was everything to Sasha, and she couldn't imagine spending the rest of her life with anyone else. They've been together for three years, and their relationship steadily grew stronger - more passionate, more intimate, more everything. Was Bayley right? Was three years "prime marrying time" for her and Becky?
As she nodded her head in affirmation to Charlotte's question, she realized that she hadn't answered her own: Was she ready for this?
For the sake of their relationship, she hoped she was.