Beca and Chloe were chatting over breakfast one morning.
"Hey, Beca."
"Yeah, Chloe?"
"So, you know what next Sunday is, right?" asked Chloe.
Beca flipped through her phone calendar. "Oh, right! It's our dating anniversary. Well, unless you count Jordyn's wedding."
"Nah. That was fun, but I don't really consider that our first official date."
"Yeah, I'm not sure that one counts either," said Beca. "So, does this mean you have something in mind?"
"Yeah. How about we recreate our first date?"
"I like that. I won't be a nervous mess this time, though," said Beca.
"You were cute, and I was just as nervous as you were," said Chloe.
"Seriously?"
"Totes. You didn't see how many times I changed my mind about my outfit, my hairdo, everything before I left to pick you up."
"How have we not had this conversation? And did you know I was nervous?"
"I have no idea why we haven't talked about this. Yes, I noticed you were nervous. You tried to hide it, so I just played along. Did you really not know how to ice skate?"
"I didn't. I went roller skating a lot as a kid, but I never went ice skating. I agreed to ice skating when you asked because I was so excited to go on a date with you, I just agreed to the first thing you said."
"You grew up in Maine, and you never ice skated?"
"Chloe, you grew up in Florida and you were a competitive figure skater."
"Good point," said Chloe. "I have to head to work. I'll make sure the rink has an open skate next Sunday, okay?"
"Great. See you when I get back from work tonight," said Beca.
Chloe planted a chaste kiss on Beca's lips before heading out the door. "Love you, bye!"
"Love you too, bye!"
Beca walked into the apartment that evening. "Chloe, I'm home!"
Chloe greeted her girlfriend with a tight squeeze. "Glad to see you. How was work?"
"More of the same. You?"
"Good. I got to meet a cute dachshund named Jingles. I think he might be my new favorite patient. He was such a good boy, I gave him extra treats."
"Chloe, you have a new favorite patient every day."
"What can I say? I'm lucky I get to work at a job I love with some super awesome animals. Seriously, though, Jingles was the cutest."
Chloe ladled chili from the crock pot into a bowl for each of them. She handed one to Beca. "Here, have some dinner."
"You haven't eaten dinner yet?"
"Nope. I was waiting for you."
"Thanks."
The two ate their dinner quietly before Chloe broke the silence. "So, while I was waiting for you to come home, I checked the open skate times at the rink. They don't have any evening times on Sundays, so we'd have to go during the day."
"That's fine," said Beca. "I know we both have to work Monday morning, so we can get home earlier that night." She added, "At least I won't come home to a sock on the door and Bumper and Amy making the headboard bang."
"Oh, gross," said Chloe. "That happened after our first date?"
"It happened most nights Bumper was over."
"Ewww," said Chloe, scrunching up her nose. "I bet they're driving Jesse crazy."
"Not anymore," said Beca. "Amy texted me a few weeks ago and said Jesse moved out without telling them."
"Did you point out that she did the same thing to you?"
"I did, but she didn't comment on that. I guess she'll never learn."
It was Sunday, and it was their dating anniversary. Beca sometimes felt like she should pinch herself. Even after a year of dating, she didn't know how she'd gotten so lucky to have Chloe as her girlfriend. She felt that more than usual because of the significance of the day.
The rink had an open skate at two. Chloe had had the idea that they should wear what they wore on their first date. Beca pretended not to remember, not wanting to confess to Chloe that she'd committed nearly every single detail of their date to memory. She smiled as Chloe went through her drawers and closet, tsk-tsking her for not remembering.
The two women headed to the ice rink. They laced up their skates and got out on the ice. Beca took a few laps to get her feet under herself, but she quickly remembered how to stay on her feet. She still held Chloe's hand for most of the session, occasionally slowing down to exchange a few chaste kisses. There were a few kids out on the rink who giggled at the two of them every time they kissed.
They headed to Denny's afterward, and this time Beca wasn't too nervous to eat.
"Not too nervous to eat this time, huh?" Chloe teased.
"Definitely not," said Beca, laughing as she looked at her empty plate.
"Do you mind if we get dinner too this time? Buffalo chicken strips aren't quite enough," said Chloe.
"Fine with me," said Beca. The two ordered dinner.
"Pancakes for dinner, Chlo?" asked Beca, smirking.
"I can't believe I'm dating someone who doesn't appreciate breakfast for dinner," said Chloe.
"I can't believe I'm dating someone who thinks pineapples belong on pizza," said Beca.
"Beca, even your own brother agrees with me," said Chloe.
"Since when was my eleven-year-old brother an authority on food?"
"Since he agreed with me about pineapples on pizza."
Beca shook her head. "So many crazy people in my life."
"You love me."
Beca turned serious. "I sure do," she said, looking deeply into Chloe's eyes.
The waitress came by with their dinners, breaking the spell.
As the two began their dinners in silence, Beca got into her head. She knew what she wanted to do and was almost sure it would go well, but what if it didn't? She felt a knot begin to form in her stomach, and she put her burger down. She'd only taken a few bites.
"Becs, what's wrong?" asked Chloe.
"Nothing," she answered quickly.
"Doesn't look like nothing," said Chloe.
"I'm just in my head," said Beca. "I'm okay."
Chloe reached across the table and squeezed Beca's hand. "You know you can talk to me, right?"
"I know," said Beca. She took a deep breath. "Okay, let's finish our food. I'm good."
Chloe shook her head. Beca could still feel Chloe's eyes on her, but she just focused on trying to finish her burger and fries.
They finished their dinner and got in the car. A thought went into Beca's head, and she decided to go with it.
"Hey, Chloe. Do you mind if we make another stop before we head home?"
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Just something I wanted to do."
"Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise. I'll direct you." Beca directed Chloe to a jewelry store.
"What's going on, Beca?" asked Chloe as they walked into the store.
"Pick out a ring for yourself."
"What?"
Beca took a deep breath. "I can't plan a proposal, Chloe. So, just pick a ring. By the way, if you do, you have to marry me."
Instead of picking a ring, Chloe burst into tears. Beca wrapped her arms around Chloe.
"Hey, hey. I wasn't trying to make you cry. I can try a real proposal if you want." Beca was worried she'd messed things up by not giving Chloe a real proposal.
Chloe took a few breaths to try and calm herself. "Oh, Beca, that's not it. I'm just so excited. My answer is yes!"
"Yes?"
"Yes!" exclaimed Chloe.
"So, go pick out a ring."
"How much are we working with? Oh, and did you tell my parents? Did you get their blessing?" Chloe was so excited she was rambling super fast.
"Slow down there, Chlo," said Beca. "Don't worry about the money. I just got my first royalty check from Flashlight. Get what you want."
"What about my parents?"
"I didn't think of that before. Shit." Beca had an idea. "You go look at rings. I'll talk to them on FaceTime right now."
Chloe went off with a salesperson to look at different rings.
Beca pulled up FaceTime on her phone. Just when she thought they weren't going to answer, Chloe's parents picked up the phone.
"Hi, Beca. Are we doing this right? Can you see us?"
"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Beale. I can see you and hear you."
"Where's Chloe?"
"She's with me. Well, we're in the same store."
"Can we see her?"
"Yeah, in a minute. I'm calling you on FaceTime to tell you we're at the jewelry store. Your daughter is picking out an engagement ring. Is that okay? If not, I can stop her."
Chloe's mom squealed with excitement. I guess I know where Chloe gets that trait, thought Beca. Her father cleared his throat in what Beca was pretty sure was an effort to hide the fact that he'd been getting choked up.
"Wow, Beca! Really? How did you ask?" asked Chloe's mother.
"I told her to pick a ring."
"What?" asked Chloe's mother.
"I'm so bad at this stuff. I knew I couldn't plan a proposal, so I told her to pick out a ring, but that she had to marry me if she did."
"Well, I'm happy if she's happy," said Chloe's dad.
"So do I have your blessing?"
"Oh, yes, of course," said Chloe's mom. Her dad nodded in agreement. "Can we see her now?"
"Sure," said Beca. She walked over to Chloe. She handed her the phone.
"Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!" exclaimed Chloe.
"Hi, sweetheart! Congratulations! Have you picked out a ring yet?"
"Thanks. I'm still looking, though."
"That's great, honey. We won't keep you. Go pick out a ring and celebrate with your fiancee."
"Wow," said Chloe. "My fiancee. I can get used to that. Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad! Love you!"
Chloe ended the call and turned her attention back to the salesperson.
"Find anything, babe?" asked Beca.
"I'm learning about the four C's of diamonds."
"Oh," said Beca. "I don't know anything about that. Get what you want, though."
"Are you sure?"
"It's your ring. Whatever you want is fine with me."
Chloe looked at many different styles of rings before finally deciding on a white gold ring with a single twist band and an oval cut diamond.
The salesperson took the ring and put it in a box. She handed it to Beca. She said, "You know, you could get down on one knee here."
Beca looked at the woman, wide-eyed. "What?"
"Come on, it'll be a great story to tell your grandchildren!"
Beca blinked a few times before saying, "No thanks. I'll pass."
"Suit yourself," said the salesperson.
Beca paid for the ring and the two women left the store. They headed back to the apartment. Chloe went to put on the ring when Beca stopped her. "Let me," she said.
Chloe smiled and held out her left hand. Beca slipped it onto her finger and both of their faces broke into wide grins.
"It's beautiful," said Chloe.
"Well, you picked it out," said Beca. "You don't mind that I didn't want to get down on one knee in front of everybody in the store, do you?"
"Of course not," said Chloe. "That's not you. That salesperson was nuts."
"Good," said Beca. She pulled Chloe in for a kiss. Chloe broke the kiss a bit more quickly than Beca expected.
"Hey, Beca, before we get too far into celebrating, do you mind if I call Aubrey? She's going to flip out."
"Go ahead. I'll head into our room and call my family."
Chloe pulled out her phone to call Aubrey on FaceTime. Beca began to shut the bedroom door and smiled to herself as she heard both Chloe and Aubrey shrieking in excitement. She was all set to call her mom when she heard Chloe comforting Aubrey. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. She left the door open a crack so she could listen. She could hear Chloe saying, "Aubrey, relax. It will be your turn soon. Stacie loves you. You know that, right?"
Beca heard Aubrey sniffle. "Yes," Aubrey said quietly.
"You know, Aubrey, you could ask Stacie yourself," said Chloe.
"But, what if she says no?" asked Aubrey.
"I seriously doubt that would happen."
Beca shut the bedroom door quietly, feeling guilty for having heard what she'd already heard. She decided she would have a talk with Stacie when Aubrey and Chloe wouldn't be around. In the meantime, she knew she'd better call her family as she'd promised.
She called her mother first, recounting the story of the jewelry store and the crazy salesperson. "Well, it would be just like you to tell Chloe to go pick out a ring," said her mom.
Beca laughed. "It worked, didn't it?"
"Obviously. Text me some pictures of her ring, okay?"
"Will do. I have to go, Mom. I need to call Dad and Sheila and Sam. If I call after Sam's bedtime, he'll be mad that he's missing the announcement."
"Okay, congratulations, honey. We'll celebrate the next time you're in Portland, okay?"
"Okay, Mom. Thanks. Good night!"
Beca called her dad and Sheila and Sam. They were very excited, but, as usual, Sam was the most excited. "So, Beca, what does this make Chloe to me?"
"She'll be your sister-in-law once we're married."
"So, that's like another sister?"
"Kind of, I guess."
"Cool."
Beca could hear Chloe call out to her. "Okay, guys, I should go. My fiancee would like my attention."
"Okay," said Beca's dad. "Good night and congratulations!"
"Thanks, Dad. Good night, guys."
Beca opened the door to find her fiancee standing there. "Hey, Beca?"
"Yeah, Chloe."
"Now that you put this ring on me, how about you take everything off of me?"
"Chloe, that is so cheeseballs."
Chloe looked at her. "I could start without you, you know," she said, walking toward the bedroom.
Beca quickly followed Chloe. "Not necessary," she said, laughing as she caught up with her. She reached for the hem of Chloe's shirt and removed it.
"That's what I thought," said Chloe.
On Tuesday, Chloe had the afternoon/evening shift at the animal hospital and Aubrey had an evening class, so Beca took the opportunity to call Stacie after dinner.
"What's up, Shorty?"
"Hey, Stace. I guess Aubrey told you our news?"
"Yeah. Congratulations. When's the wedding?"
"We haven't figured that out yet. What about you two?"
"What do you mean 'what about us?'"
"Stacie, cut the shit. I know you love her. Where's Aubrey's ring?"
Stacie got quiet.
"Stacie, come on."
"I guess I was hoping Aubrey would ask me."
"I don't think she has the guts to ask you."
"Why do you think that?"
Beca sighed. "Okay, so, if I tell you something, you have to promise not to tell Aubrey."
"What's going on?" asked Stacie.
"So, when Chloe FaceTimed Aubrey to show her the ring, I was in the other room. I overheard her comforting Aubrey. I didn't hear the entire conversation, but I heard enough to know that she's waiting for you to ask her. She's scared you'll say no if she asks."
"She is?"
"Stacie, this is Aubrey we're talking about. I know you love her and all, but you know how nervous she can be. I don't know what Chloe said to her, other than that she doubts you would say no."
"Of course I would say yes."
"Stacie, you've got to be the one to ask. Sack up, dude!"
"Aubrey told me Chloe said you didn't actually ask her."
"That's right," said Beca with a chuckle. "I took her to the jewelry store and told her to pick out a ring."
"Aren't you just the romantic one, Beca?"
Beca scoffed. "We're engaged, aren't we?"
"I think I'm going to have to actually ask Aubrey."
"Well, that's for you to figure out. Please don't tell Aubrey or Chloe I overheard, though."
"Okay," said Stacie. "I won't. I've got some thinking to do, so I'll talk to you later."
"Chloe will be home soon anyway. Good night!"
Beca and Chloe were talking after they'd climbed into bed for the night.
"Your brother Sam was so cute at the adoption," said Chloe.
"Yeah, he's something else," said Beca. "I never thought I'd say this back when my parents divorced, but I'm so glad my dad remarried. I got a pretty awesome brother out of the deal."
"You sure did. Maybe we can take him for a whole weekend soon as he asked. What do you think?"
"I think if we ask him in front of my dad and Sheila, he may faint from sheer delight."
"Yeah, maybe you should ask them when he's not around."
"Are you sure about the whole weekend?"
"He's a cool kid. Why not?"
"We've never had an 11-year-old kid for an entire weekend."
"We'll manage. I'm sure we can come up with some fun stuff for him," said Chloe. She thought for a minute. "Hey, we could go to the aquarium!"
"I like that. Let's catch the sea lion show this time since we missed it before. Sam LOVES sea lions."
"Maybe your penguin admirer will be there."
"We can always hope," laughed Beca.
That Saturday morning, Beca called Stacie while Chloe was working the morning shift at the animal hospital.
"So, how are things?" Beca asked.
"They're good," said Stacie.
"Have you figured out the proposal yet?"
"I think so," said Stacie. "If you don't mind, though, I'd like to keep that to myself. I'll just tell you I bought a ring and I have a plan."
"Do you actually know Aubrey's ring size?"
"It's the same as mine," said Stacie. "After we hung up, I tried a few rings on from her jewelry box and they fit me."
"Sneaky," said Beca.
"Yeah," said Stacie. "Beca, I have to go. Aubrey's going to be home soon and I told her I'd eat a late lunch with her."
"Okay. See you soon. Bye!"
Beca and Chloe were sitting down to eat dinner on Sunday when Chloe's phone pinged with a text.
"Hey, Beca," said Chloe as she read the text. "Aubrey and Stacie want to FaceTime. Is now okay?"
"Sure, I'll grab the iPad so we can both see the screen."
Beca grabbed the iPad from their bedroom and brought it to the kitchen table. Chloe called Aubrey. When they answered, both Stacie and Aubrey had ice packs held to their foreheads. Aubrey appeared to have been crying, but she and Stacie both had smiles on their faces.
"Guys, what is this all about?" asked Beca.
Aubrey yelled, "Stacie proposed! We're engaged!"
Chloe let out a whoop. "Aubrey, that's awesome! Let me see the ring!"
Before Aubrey could respond, Beca asked, "Why are you two holding ice packs on your foreheads?"
Stacie started laughing. "Aubrey, you tell them."
Aubrey said, "Well, Stacie made me this super romantic four-course dinner with candles, wine, and everything. After dessert, she proposed. I was so excited that I jumped forward to kiss her and ended up head-butting her."
"Only you two," said Beca, shaking her head.
"Let's see the ring," said Chloe.
Aubrey turned the phone to focus on her ring. It had a princess-cut diamond surrounded by sapphires with a design on the band.
"Good job, Stacie," said Beca. "You picked a good one."
"Thanks."
"Congratulations, you two. We'll let you get back to icing your foreheads. We need to eat dinner. Aubrey, you and I will talk wedding details later," said Chloe.
"Okay, text me when you have time to talk," said Aubrey.
