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-Aislin

Birthday Part 3:

She took in the scene before her. She tried to discern if he was joking. Surely he wouldn't joke about something like this, would he? She closed her eyes trying to see if she was imagining things. She wasn't known for her imagination, but still.

He was still by the front of the tent, when she opened her eyes. He looked the same as he always did. He had on his hat. He was in jeans as usual. Really nothing to be surprised about at all. Well, I mean if you forget about the part where is was down on one knee.

It doesn't have to mean that, she thought to herself. He could just be tying his shoes. Except for the fact that he had a small box in his hand. It wasn't another charm. Charms didn't come in boxes like this. Charms came in little velvet boxes. This box seemed different. It was metallic and smaller.

She knew what was happening, yet she felt the need to ask, "What are you doing?"

"Not very bright for a genius," He stumbled over the words. He was making jokes to try and hide his nervousness. She didn't need to be a shrink to see that. He was practically sweating through his shirt. "I'm asking you to marry me."

"And thought insulting my intelligence was a great way to get me to say yes?" She laughed equally nervously.

"Well, you know, start as you mean to go on," He chuckled. It wasn't like she didn't want to marry Toby. Of course she wanted to. It was just a surprise. She didn't usually like being put on the spot.

She walked towards him slowly. "You know it's just a yes or a no answer. You could just put me out of my misery now," He stuttered.

"Oh please, you know I live to make you suffer," She responded quickly.

"Why not just answer the question?" He suggested desperately.

"Why can't you be patient?" She pleaded. She just needed a minute to think. This wasn't like most of the decisions she had made. She couldn't just rush into anything without taking a moment to think about it.

She couldn't think of any legitimate reason to say no. They were practically married anyway. They were married in all the ways that counted. They loved each other, they lived together, and they were even raising a dog together. There was no reason to reject Toby that she could think of.

Except for the fact that marriage meant truly taking down every wall she had. Though Toby was the closest human connection she had, she didn't know if she was ready to share every part of her life. She had never been open, and she probably would never be completely open. It wasn't fair to put someone else through that.

But then again, Toby had always known about the walls, and he had gone along for the ride anyway. He never seemed to mind her moods, and, even though they fought, it was never so bad that they stopped talking to each other.

"Stand up," She ordered.

"I believe it is customary for me to be down on one knee," He replied.

"Screw customary. Up!" She commanded. This time he followed her orders, and stood over her as per usual. He looked down at her and she looked up at him. She quickly nodded. Then she quickly hugged him.

"So was that a-" He started.

She shushed him, "Don't ruin it."

When she finally let go of him, he handed her the box. "Happy birthday," he stated simply. He was more relaxed now that she had said yes.

She opened the box carefully. It wasn't a normal engagement ring. It was small, sturdy, and simple. It wasn't anything over the top. It was well suited to her. It had one small white tear drop shaped gem in the center. She loved it.

"It's well-crafted," She complimented.

"I knew you wouldn't wear anything that wasn't," he nodded.

"I like it," She understated her feelings surrounding the ring.

"You love it," He replied cockily taking the ring from her and forcefully taking her hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" She questioned.

"It goes on your finger," He informed her sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and allowed him to put the ring on her hand."Alright, dinner with the team. Wanna go?"

"I'm starving," She informed him. "I didn't have food all day."

"I'm sorry that you were too busy with your scavenger hunt to join me for lunch," He lamented. "However, I can tell you that your sandwich was particularly delicious."

"I can still call off this engagement," She threatened.

"You wouldn't," He replied worriedly.

"Wouldn't I? I'm not known to react rationally," She said seriously.

"That's true," he laughed. "Do you remember the time that you broke my wrist because I borrowed one of your screwdrivers without asking?"

"It was my favorite screwdriver," She complained.

"And you didn't even give me a chance to give it back," He remembered.

"And yet," She replied, "You still fell in love with me."

"Wasn't hard to do," He sighed. "We gotta put the presents in the car, and then we can drive to dinner."

"No," She chuckled, "You can go put the car and I will be there waiting."

"Did really just ask you for the job of being your personal slave for the rest of my life?" He questioned out loud.

"Pretty sure you did," She confirmed.