Chapter 8- Message in a bottle
When Georgie arrived back at the barracks, Elvis was waiting for her much to her surprise. He had the biggest grin on his face and she ran over to him, jumping into his open arms. Georgie hadn't realised quite how much she'd missed him and her emotions were all over the place. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry that she was finally home. 'You said you'd meet me at my parents?' came Georgie's first words to him. 'What and leave you to make your own way home? No way' came Elvis's. 'I couldn't wait another minute to see you' said Elvis. Georgie gave Elvis the biggest kiss, both forgetting they were still standing in the middle of the barracks. There were plenty of wolf whistles and cat calls from the guys and comments like 'get a room' and 'you stallion'. Elvis and Georgie both laughed and stuck their middle fingers up at the guys. They couldn't care less.
Elvis really wanted to be selfish and just take Georgie straight back to London, so it could just be the two of them but he knew he couldn't do that. Georgie's parents had been so good to him whilst she'd been away, and he knew how much they'd missed her aswell. They ended up spending the first couple of days at the Lane household. Georgie's family reminded Elvis of his own, and he began to feel a little sad that he didn't get to see them half as much as he wanted to, but that's what happens when you have a job that takes you all over the world. Grace and Max had become Elvis's second family over the past few months and he couldn't wait any longer to make it official.
Georgie's family were in on the proposal and had helped Elvis set it up, so once Georgie had settled back into home life and gotten over her jet lag, Elvis knew there was no better time than the present. He'd suggested that the two of them walk into town and get some lunch, and had taken her the scenic route through the park. As they had walked past the boating lake, Elvis pointed out to Georgie that there was a message in a bottle floating by the edge of the lake. At first Georgie didn't look bothered by it and certainly wasn't keen to pick it up but after a little encouragement from Elvis she fished it out of the water. Elvis studied her face carefully as she read his note but she wasn't giving anything away. 'Turn around' she said. 'Pen?'. Elvis had come prepared and handed her a pen. He could feel Georgie writing something on the piece of paper on his back and laughed a little to himself. As Elvis turned around and said 'Well, what do you think then?', Georgie launched the bottle back into the boating lake. Unfortunately for Elvis, this time it landed in the middle of the lake. Georgie gave Elvis the most smug smile and said 'You'll never know' and walked off. At first Elvis couldn't believe what she'd just done, but then quickly saw the funny side of it. Luckily for him there was a guy in his boat on the lake, so he asked him if he'd mind fetching the bottle for him. The reply Georgie had written was 'Yes, but where's the ring?'.
Elvis looked around for Georgie and spotted her sitting on a bench a few metres up from the lake watching Elvis's every move, laughing away. As Elvis reached her, he said 'Follow me, Miss Lane' and grabbed her hand. Georgie realised fairly early on that Elvis had planned this proposal down to the very last detail, as only a military man could do. Tucked just around the corner, under a pretty willow tree, was a picnic blanket and a wicker basket. Once the couple had sat down, Elvis opened the hamper and took out a bottle of champagne and two glasses. Georgie went to open her mouth to say something but Elvis put his hand up to stop her. 'For once Georgie, please just let me do the talking...'
'When I walked into work and saw you for the first time, you left me speechless, which really doesn't happen a lot' Elvis scrunched his face up and laughed a little at his comment. 'I was awestruck by your beauty and personality. I was never looking for anything serious, but I knew right from that very first moment that I'd found someone special. I was amazed to find a woman who shared the same passion as me, and I knew straight away that I'd found something special in you. I think I first realised that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you when we were in Afghanistan, of all places. I knew then that I would do anything to keep you safe. Before I met you I just lived for my job. When I was home I would count down the days until I was next due on tour, but since you've come into my life, I count down the days when I am on tour until we can be together again. I love and respect just how seriously you take your job and how you want to make the world a better place. You make me want to be a better person. We're like fire and ice. I'm the killing machine, and you're the healer, but together we are the perfect match, and I'm hoping you'll let me spend the rest of our lives showing you just how perfect we are together. So, what do you say Georgie? Will you marry me?', and with Elvis's question hanging in the air, he pulled out a velvet box from his jacket pocket and presented Georgie with a very sparkly platinum diamond ring. Georgie had tears running down her face. She'd never heard Elvis speak so affectionately before. Sure she knew Elvis loved and cared for her. Everyone could see that, but she never thought Elvis would be the marrying kind. Before she could overthink it anymore, Georgie said excitedly 'Yes, of course I'd love to marry you' and pulled Elvis in for a big kiss. Once the couple had consumed their champagne and got over their excitement a little, Elvis announced that they needed to leave otherwise they'd be late for lunch. Elvis had arranged for them to meet Georgie's parents and sisters for a celebratory lunch at Manchester House. 'How did you know I was going to say yes?' joked Georgie. 'I just knew you couldn't resist my charm' joked Elvis back. The couple walked hand in hand to the restaurant with Georgie admiring her engagement ring. 'Did my parents know about this then?' came Georgie's question after a few minutes of walking in comfortable silence. 'Yeah, I came to ask for their permission when you were away' spoke Elvis. 'Awww how very traditional of you' joked Georgie. 'How the hell have my sisters kept quiet about this?' came Georgie's second question. 'They don't know. We couldn't risk Marie finding out, knowing how close you two are. We thought you'd like to tell them yourself when we get to the restaurant?'. Georgie smiled at the thought of telling her sisters their big news.
The lunch ended up being a boozy affair with lots of champagne consumed. Marie and Lulu were very excited about the news and had already made themselves bridesmaids. Elvis and Georgie had both decided they wanted a quickish wedding, ideally before they both went away again, so wedding planning would be starting straight away.
Song credit: The Police- Message in a bottle
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