Part Nine

Belle looked at Shawn, shell-shocked. She hadn't expected Shawn to propose at all. In fact, it was the last thing she thought would have happened.

"Shawn--" she started. But she didn't know what to say. "You realize what this means?"

"That I want to spend the rest of my life with you? Of course I do."

"Shawn...do you really know what you want out of your life?"

Shawn looked at her, confused. "Of course I do. I have it all figured out."

"And I'm in that whole plan, aren't I?"

"Well, I did just propose, didn't I?"

"Oh, Shawn. We're going off to college. Our lives might take different turns."

"We don't have to get married right away. And if we're engaged, wouldn't we make a point to have time for each other?"

"You might know what you want out of your future, Shawn. But I don't. I know that we've been together for two wonderful years, and that I love you. But I don't know if I'm ready to marry you. I have nothing about my future figured out. I think it's too soon for us to make that big of a commitment."

"So you're saying no?" Shawn asked, discouraged.

"I love you, Shawn, but I'm not ready to say that I will marry you."

Shawn was silent as he drove her home. Belle didn't know what he was thinking. She knew she had probably hurt him by saying no, but she also knew she would have hurt him more in the long run if she had accepted and then later on decided she couldn't marry him.

"Shawn?" Belle asked timidly. "Talk to me."

"Well, here we are. Your penthouse. Good night Belle."

"You're not going to walk me up? You always do."

"I should get home, I'm tired."

"No kiss goodnight?"

"Good night Belle."