It just kind of happened. Artie had had a plan. It was a rather good plan, if he did say so himself. Rather, it would have been a good plan if it had worked.
However, instead of asking after a romantic dinner at their favorite restaurant, he ends up blurting it out.
They're riding in a cab to the restaurant and Sam jokes about how this seems like a set up for an engagement.
Instead of keeping his mouth shut, Artie feels the need to deny.
The denial ends up with Artie holding Sam's hand and saying, "There's actually something I have to tell you. You're definitely the love of my life and there's no one else I want to dork away the rest of my days with. You're a special person and I think we make each other better people. I know that at this point we're pretty much unofficially together forever, but if you're willing, I'd like to make it official."
Artie looks around wildly, suddenly realizing that instead of denying the engagement plan he had confirmed it, but never actually asked the question. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the rings.
"Sam Evans, will you marry me?"
He holds the rings out for Sam's inspection.
"I figured you wouldn't want a big diamond engagement ring, so I got these," Artie says. "Technically, they're wedding bands. They're both made of platinum. Or rather, they will be. They're like prototypes and if you like them we can get more permanent versions made. If you don't we can get something else made."
Sam stays silent, examining the rings. Artie bites his lip and looks at him. It doesn't take long for the silence to scare Artie into vomiting up even more words.
"Oh God Sam, I'm so sorry. I should have asked you about the rings and I didn't mean to do it this way. It was supposed to be perfect at the restaurant. Right after the main course we were going to take a walk in the park while we waited for dessert. I was going to ask you by the little pond. Not in the back of a cab while you're hungry and, well, in the back of a cab."
He forces his mouth shut and shoves his hands into his lap. Sam looks up from the rings right at Artie. He holds up one of the rings.
"What does the engraving say? This obviously isn't English," Sam says.
Artie feels the heat rise on his face. He reminds himself that their relationship is partially built on their shared dorky tendencies.
"Well I'm assuming you can read the Navi one… The other one says pretty much the same thing, but in Elvish. Our shared love of fictional languages is one of the things that we bonded over at first. I thought I would wear the Navi one and you would wear the Elvish one…" Artie trails off.
" 'Forever yours…' Artie, these are beautiful," Sam says.
He slips the ring on his finger, and then takes the other ring and slips it on Artie's finger. Artie looks up, question written on his face.
"Can I take that as a yes?" he asks.
Sam cups Artie's cheek and nods. Artie reaches his hand up to grasp Sam's hand. Their rings clink against each other audibly. Tentatively, they smile at each other.
"Artie, your proposal was wonderful. Completely you. It was just like the man I want to marry… The man I've wanted to marry for a while now, but never had quite gotten up the nerve to ask," Sam says.
"Kiss him!" the cabbie yells.
They had both forgotten that there was a third person in the cab with them. They look up at him guiltily.
"W-what?" Artie asks.
"That's what you're supposed to do when you get engaged. I swear kids these days," he says, shaking his head.
Sam looks at Artie, who nods back.
"Well if it's what we're supposed to do…" Sam says.
Artie grabs him by the lapels and drags him in for a kiss.
"Now that's how you seal an engagement," the cabbie says.
They snuggle in the backseat of the taxi in comfortable silence.