Andy avoided looking at his surroundings. After all his years of sobriety, he knew that he was strong enough to withstand the temptation of buying a bottle for himself, but he decided to not make it harder on himself by not looking at the bottles of luxurious liquors in the store. He made a beeline straight to the counter and approached the cashier, a man in his early thirties who was dressed in the store's branded apron.

"Hello, my name is Todd. How can I help you today?" The cashier said.

"Hi, Todd. I would like to buy a bottle of 2009 Pinot Noir from your Smokey Cabaret collection," Andy replied.

"Of course," Todd answered and walked towards one of the shelves. He took down a fancy bottle with a black and gold label and a delicate pearly cork and returned to the counter. "That would be $78. This is a fine choice. Is it a gift?"

"No," Andy replied as Todd began wrapping the bottle in a branded paper bag.

"Hello," Todd greeted another customer who entered the store. Andy took his wallet out of his pantsuit pocket and pulled out a credit card.

"Andy?" the voice he heard was unmistakably Sharon's. She stood in front of him frozen. By the alarmed expression on her face, he could tell what she was thinking. "Oh, God." She turned around and walked out of the store. Andy handed Todd his credit card and urged him to hurry up. Todd handed him the receipt to sign, and Andy scribbled on it and went out of the store.

"Sir, you forgot your wine!" Todd called after him, and Andy ran back, grabbed the bag with the bottle and left. He had hoped to be able to find Sharon walking down the street, but there were too many people, and she was lost in the crowd.

"Shit!" he cursed and walked defeatedly to his car. He knew that trying to call Sharon would not help. When she was really angry, she needed her time to think. His plans were completely screwed now. "The hell with it!" he said after wandering down the street for ten minutes. He drove to the nearest flower shop and bought a bouquet of blue orchids and white and pink lilies. He put it in the passenger seat of his car and drove to Sharon's condo. With the bouquet in one hand and the bottle in the other, he rode the elevator. He knew convincing her to listen to him would not be an easy task. Sharon has been hurt too badly in the past to accept any excuses, true as they were.

When the elevator reached the 11th floor, Andy walked out. Moving the bouquet to his other hand, he pulled his key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. He found Sharon, sitting in the living room and staring blankly at some invisible spot on the coffee table.

"Sharon," Andy touched her shoulder, and she stirred and looked at him. Her eyes were full of sorrow, and Andy felt a pinch in his chest. He hated seeing her in such pain and knowing that it was caused by him, albeit not intentionally, made him feel even worse. "Can we talk?" She let out a defeated hum.

"I don't think there's anything to talk about," she said sadly.

"Sweetheart, can I just explain something?" Andy said.

"I really don't need to hear any excuses, Andy. I've heard too many of those for the past thirty years. I'm not interested in more," Sharon sighed.

"Sharon, it's really not what you think," Andy tried to explain.

"What is it then? Were you not a liquor store buying an alcoholic beverage?" Sharon asked.

"I was, but…" Andy started.

"But what? Do you really think that getting me flowers will make up for this?" Sharon's face was flush with anger.

"Sharon, hold on a second," Andy tried to calm her. "I'm sober."

"You were planning to drink that bottle!" Sharon accused him. "And you haven't because I caught you buying it."

"No, I wasn't planning to drink it. Sharon, the wine is not for me," Andy said.

"Of course not. Provenza sent you for it," the sarcasm in her voice was evident. "Andy, don't you think that I've already heard all those stupid excuses already?"

"It's not for Provenza. I bought it for someone else, but…"

"Oh, come on, Andy. Please, do us both a favor. Call your sponsor," Sharon said quietly. "If you haven't slipped yet, please take the necessary steps to avoid slipping."

"I don't need to call my sponsor because I'm not going to slip. Sharon, the wine is not for me," Andy called out. He's never seen Sharon so upset, and in all honestly, they've never had a serious fight before. Sharon was usually very keen on resolving their issues in a civilized manner. He was somewhat surprised to see a woman so fed up with an alcoholic's excuses that she wouldn't even let him finish a sentence. He wasn't even hurt by her accusations; he was overwhelmed with the anguish and disappointment that were reflected in her eyes. It was only then he realized that what Jack put her through must have been far worse than she let on.

"Andy, please. I'm just… I can't help you. I want to be here for you, but I can't deal with you trying to rationalize your drinking. If you're not going to call your sponsor, and you're going to drink, then please leave. I simply can't go through this again." Sharon sat back down and buried her face in her palms

"Sharon, look at me for one moment, and let me talk," Andy said. Sharon raised her head from her palms and looked at him with tearful eyes. "I bought the wine for you," Andy explained and pulled the bottle out of the paper bag.

"For me?"

"I noticed that it's the brand you like, and you finished the last bottle you had. You didn't buy a new one, and I thought…" Andy paused and sighed. "Boy, that's not how I planned for this to go at all. I wanted to cook dinner for you – that eggplant lasagna you like. And pour you a glass of wine. And then I planned to give you this," Andy kneeled and pulled a small purple jewelry box out of his jacket pocket and opened it. Sharon covered her mouth with her palm and let out a strangled cry.

"You wanted to ask me to marry you?" Her voice was thick with emotion. Andy nodded. "I'm such an idiot!"

"No, sweetheart, you're not an idiot. You have just been through too much," Andy replied softly and cupped her cheek.

"I'm so relieved, Andy. I thought… I thought I was going to lose you to this damn addiction," Sharon burst into tears. "I love you so much, and when I thought about you drinking, I couldn't breathe." She wrapped her arms around him. "Do you still want to marry me?"

"You betcha!" Andy said. He took her hand and brought it to his mouth, pressing his lips against the soft skin. "Do you want to marry me?"

"I do, I really do," Sharon replied. Andy took the ring out of its box and slid it down her finger. "It's a beautiful ring, Andy. You have a great taste."

"Of course I do. I chose you, didn't I?" Andy offered her his infamous boyish grin. Sharon snorted and pressed her lips to his. "Shall we make a toast?" Andy asked and handed her the wine bottle. Sharon nodded slowly, and Andy went to the kitchen to bring two wineglasses and his cranberry juice. He poured the beverages into the glasses and handed the one with the wine to Sharon. "To us," he said. "And to many happy and sober years together." They clinked their glasses and sipped. Sharon let the slightly earthy, fruity aroma of the wine roll on her tongue. She was quite knowledgeable when it came to wine, and she could tell that Andy had gotten her the very best, with attention to all the small details. Even without reading the label on the bottle, she could tell that the wine was slightly aged, by its rich and smooth texture and taste. It was just like her fiancé to know exactly which wine she liked and deliver it to her, along with a beautiful bouquet that she was currently laying on the coffee table. She took his hand and leaned against him. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is just perfect," she smiled at him. She still couldn't believe that she made a huge drama out of what was a kind gesture. But Andy, being the wonderful man that he was simply understood it and rather than judging her for her behavior, he has followed through with his plan to ask her to be his wife. Engaged. She still couldn't believe it, and it wasn't even her first time around. Only this time, it would work out. This time she and her betrothed will not grow apart, they will not hurt each other. They will cherish and love each other until death does them part, and they will let their love be like wine – get better with age.

As always, I would love to know what you thought of this story, so feel free to leave a review or send me a PM.