"OK, I'm not messing around now. I'm gonna do it." Roger rambled pacing around in front of the Life Cafe.
"Roger, what's wrong with you? What are you doing out here?" Mark asked as he rounded the corner to the Life Cafe nearly bumping into Roger.
"I'm waiting for Aid. She had to work late, so I told her we'd meet her here." he said bringing the cigarette to his lips taking a drag. "Mark, let me ask you something. You like Adrianna, right?" he asked looking down at him.
"Of course I like Adrianna, Roger. What's wrong with you?" he asked looking up at him propping his bag up onto his shoulder.
"I don't know. I... um. I wanna give her this, but I don't know if it's the right time." he said taking a small ring box out of his jacket pocket and handing it to Mark.
"Roger, this is amazing. Where did you get this?" he asked looking up at him.
"Ned loaned me some money when we were in Florida and I've been paying him off. I almost have him paid off, and I wanted to wait until it was all paid for, but I can't wait. I'm freaking out here." he said running his fingers through his hair.
"Roger, you got back from Florida 2 months ago. Why haven't you asked her yet?" he asked handing the ring box back to him.
"I told you, I wanted to wait until it was all paid for. But I can't wait Mark. If I don't ask her now, I'm gonna go crazy." he said throwing his cigarette into the street.
"So what's stopping you?" he asked looking up at him.
"I don't want to ask her like it's no big deal. It is a big deal and I want it to be special. I want to make it a night she's gonna remember the rest of her life." he said rubbing the back of his neck.
"Roger, Aid loves you. She's not gonna care how you ask her to marry you. All she's gonna care about is that she loves you. She's gonna say yes whether you go all out or ask her after work." Mark said looking up at him.
"I know, it's just I love her Mark and I don't want me asking her to marry me to be just a normal thing. I wanna do something big. I mean, really big. But I'm freaking out." he said walking over to the wall and leaning against it.
"OK Roger. Why don't you let us help you do something really big for her?" he suggested looking up at him.
"Really? You'll help me? I mean, you know I'm not good at this stuff. I've never done this before. But then again, I've felt this way about anyone before." he said looking down at him.
"Yeah Rog. I know." he smiled as Adrianna came down the block.
"Hey Baby. What are you guys doing out here?" she smiled leaning up to kiss Roger.
"We were just waiting for you." he smiled wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to him.
"You didn't have to do that. But I'm glad you did." she smiled looking up at him.
"I'm gonna go inside. I'll see you guys in there." Mark smiled before going into the cafe.
"Have you been smoking?" she asked looking up at him.
"Yeah, I have a lot on my mind. You know, with the new band and everything. I'm sorry. I know I promised you I'd quit." he said looking down at her.
"Good, because I mean Roger, those things'll kill you." she said looking up at him.
"I know Baby. I'm sorry. I'm just a little stressed out right now." he said kissing her head.
"Baby, a band is supposed to be fun. If it's stressing you out, maybe you should pull back a little bit." she said looking up at him.
"No, I'm OK. Come on, let's go inside. Everyone's waiting for us." he smiled leaning down to kiss her.
"OK Baby. But promise me that if the band becomes too much, you'll slow down, OK? I love you. I don't want anything happening to you." she said looking up at him.
"I love you too Aid and I promise. I'll slow down if it becomes too much." he smiled kissing her head before going inside.
"How about we put a table on the roof and surround it with candles and lights and champagne?" Maureen suggested as they sat around the loft thinking of ways for Roger to propose to Adrianna.
"Nah, too hokey." Collins said looking up at her.
"What do you mean too hokey? I think that's very romantic." Maureen pouted sitting next to Joanne with her hands folded across her chest.
"It is romantic, but it's not Roger's style. Roger's more the musical type. You know, him proposing to her in a song or something." Collins said looking over at her.
"Yeah well, he's the songwriter. I highly doubt we can sit and write a song asking Adrianna to marry Roger." Mark said pacing the loft.
"OK, how about we decorate the performance space. We can put a little round table and some candles in there and Roger can sing her a song and then ask her to marry him." Maureen suggested looking up at them.
"What is it with you and candles? I never realized you were such a pyro." Joanne laughed looking over at her.
"Candles happen to be really romantic." she said looking over at her.
"Well I don't see Roger using candles for romance. He's more a candles for necessity kind of guy." Joanne said looking over at her.
"I think you underestimate Roger's sense of romance. He wants to make the night he proposes to Aid to be the most romantic night of her life. So instead of blowing off my ideas, why don't you three be constructive and come up with ideas of your own?" Maureen said looking up at them.
"Fair enough." Collins said looking over at her.
"OK, my performance space idea. Yay or nay?" she asked looking over at them.
"I like it, but how is Roger gonna feel about it?" Mark asked looking over at her.
"I'm gonna call him." Maureen said getting up.
"Maureen, what if Adrianna answers the phone?" Joanne asked looking over at her.
"I'll just tell her I need to talk to Roger. Duh." she said dialing Adrianna's phone number.
"Yeah Jo. What's wrong with you?" Collins laughed drinking his stoli.
"Hi Aid, is Roger there? I need to ask him something." Maureen smiled talking into the phone.
"Sure Maureen, one second. Baby, it's Maureen, she said she needs to ask you something." Adrianna smiled looking over at Roger.
"Thanks Baby." he smiled taking the phone from her. "Hey Mo, what's up?" he said looking over at Adiranna who was straightening up the kitchen.
"OK, I know Aid is there, so just tell me yes or no, OK?" Maureen said looking up.
"OK." he smiled watching Adrianna.
"I have an awesome idea." she smiled as she began telling him the plan.
"I think I can do that. Thanks Maureen." he smiled trying to hold back his excitement over the idea.
"OK. I'll come to the bar later and we can get started on the planning." she smiled looking over at them.
"OK. I'll talk to you later. Bye Maureen." he said hanging up the phone.
"What was that all about?" Adrianna asked drying her hands on a dish towel.
"Nothing. Maureen just wants me to help her with something. It's no big deal." he smiled looking over at her.
"I'm gonna leave for work now. I'll see you later, OK Baby?" he smiled going over to kiss her goodbye.
"OK Baby. I'll be there later, OK?" she smiled kissing him back.
"I can't wait. Bye Baby." he smiled before leaving the apartment. Adrianna smiled as the door closed.
"OK Maureen, what's your plan?" he asked looking over at her as he entered the bar.
"OK, we're gonna set up a little table in the performance space with candles all over the room. Um, how fast can you write a song for Aid?" she asked looking up at him.
"Is this fast enough?" he said handing her a piece of paper from his back pocket.
"You wrote one already?" she asked looking down at the lyrics.
"I wrote it a couple of months ago. I couldn't get it out of my head." he said looking down at her. "What do you think?" he asked nervously.
"It's good. Roger this is really good. She is so gonna cry. It's perfect." she smiled looking up at him.
"You think so?" he asked rubbing the back of his neck.
"I know so Roger. She's gonna love it. You're gonna make her cry." she smiled folding the paper again handing it back to him.
"I don't want to make her cry Maureen. I wanna ask her to marry me." he said looking down at her as he put the song sheet back in his pocket.
"Don't worry Roger. Her crying at a song is a good thing. It means she's touched by it. That's a good thing." she smiled looking up at him.
"Yeah well, I hate to see her cry." he said looking down at her.
"Don't worry Roger. It'll only last for a second and then she's gonna be melting in your arms." she smiled looking over at him.
"I don't want to get her into bed Maureen. I want to ask her to marry me." he said walking away from her.
"Roger, that's not what I meant." she said watching him as he went around to the other side of the bar.
"I know. I'm sorry Maureen. I'm just really nervous and I want this to be the most amazing night of her life." he said looking over at her.
"I know Roger. I'm sorry. But I really think this is gonna be perfect." she smiled looking up at him.
"Thanks Maureen. I really appreciate you guys helping me with this." he smiled looking over at her.
"So when do you wanna do this?" Maureen smiled looking up at him.
"As soon as possible. I don't think I can take it anymore. I've been carring this damn ring around for months." he said looking over at her.
"I know Roger. OK, how about tomorrow night?" Maureen asked looking up at him.
"OK. Thanks Maureen. I really appreciate you doing this for me." he smiled looking over at her.
"You're getting married Roger." she smiled excitedly looking up at him.
"Yeah I am." he smiled leaning over the bar to hug her.