The Engagement

By: SnowWhite

Lexie took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart. She couldn't allow herself to believe what had just happened, but it had been true- it was real.

Slowly she took her hands off her eyes and glanced around. Archie had been standing right there, he had confessed with all his heart that he loved her and that he wanted to marry her.

The thing that was even more unbelievable was that she hadn't said yes. She hadn't said no...but she hadn't come out straight away and said 'yes'.

She had loved this man for years, fancied him from the minute she had met him- helped him, supported him, stuck by him through everything. All she had wanted for years was for him to love her and now that he did, all she could do was say that she wasn't right for him.

What was she doing? Listening to Stella, believing that she wasn't good enough for him.

But Stella had also said that Lexie should keep Archie's friendship but never hope for anything more, which was obviously false.

Lexie shook her head and tried to listen to what her own heart was trying to tell her to do. All she could think about was being in Archie's arms, she wanted nothing more then to go to him, and be with him.

He had said that he wanted to spend his entire life with her- he was a grown man who knew what he wanted.

He loved her, she loved him- they had already lived in the same house for three years. His family was like her own, he was her best friend, and she was his.

What was there to think about? She didn't want anybody but him.

Quickly she went to her room, her whole body shaking with anticipation as she changed into the ball gown she hadn't been permitted to wear, grabbed her stereo and let out her hair. Glancing in the mirror she could almost believe that a princess was staring back out at her.

Archie stood on the edge of the stage, staring off into the loch. His mind was miles away until he heard footsteps behind him.

He turned his head to look and saw Lexie coming down the stairs toward him, more beautiful then he had ever seen her before. He was on his feet before his mind had even ordered them to move.

For a second they gazed at one another till Lexie took a breath and whispered

" Take a chance?"

Archie found himself running towards her and cupping her baby doll face as he kissed her. She grasped his arm and kissed him back. The passion had been waiting to escape for so long.

Archie pulled back and looked at her, his hands sliding over her naked shoulders

" I don't have a ring...."

Lexie glanced around them, her eye was caught by a ring pull from an empty can. Gently she lifted it up and gave it to him. Constantly checking his eyes, expecting him to pull out at the last minute. Say he didn't know what had come over him, realise that he couldn't possibly marry her.

But to her surprise he smiled, and looking at her long and hard slipped the 'ring' onto her finger.

Her breath caught in her throat. That was it.....they were actually engaged. He had gone through with it!

She saw the same thoughts reflected in his eyes as they both smiled. She felt shy as he reached out to kiss her again and again, but the shyness faded as she remembered who she was with.

It was Archie...her fiance. The man she was going to marry.

He kissed her one last time before taking her in his arms and leading her into a waltz, as she smiled 'Maybe this was a fairytale.'