Home

***

"How's your day been darling?" Emily asks me over the phone as I make my way up from the subway, Emily has had a rare day off and by the sounds of it hasn't left the apartment.

I sigh and dodge other commuters as I walk briskly through the city streets "busy, we're changing the play bill and Gregory's been a pain in my ass all day about it. But I should be home in ten minutes so I'll see you then."

Emily falls silent for a moment before she speaks "yes, ok then. Ten minutes. I'll see you then darling." I hang up and shove my hands in my coat pocket, this is always the worst part of my commute home from work. Especially today when I'm already so anxious about getting home to see Emily, she's been acting a little weird all day. Texting more than usual, calling more often than she usually would and then going all quiet and distant the longer the day goes on. I know she's up to something, but I just don't know what.

I take the stairs up to the apartment quickly, my mind spinning through the hundreds of various scenarios playing out in my head, each one more disastrous than the last. As I stand outside the door, keys in hand, I take a moment for myself. Bracing myself for whatever it is that's in store for me when I walk in, with a deep breath and a long sigh I open the door. It's easy to say that what I saw when I walked through the door, is something I never expected in a million years.

Every surface, counter, table, even the floor; was covered with roses. They were in vases, baskets, gift bags, gorgeous bouquets of the fresh red flowers decorated the apartment. Candles burnt alongside these, hundreds of them burning together, creating a warm golden glow around our home. The smell of cooking, candle wax and roses assaulted my nose and together with what I was looking at made tears burn in my ears and my breath catch in the back of my throat.

Turning around the corner, the view I'm greeted with makes me gasp audibly. Emily is knelt on the floor, dressed in a beautifully tailored suit, a single rose in one hand and a black velvet box in the other. Her eyes are bright as she watches my reaction, her smile blinding as I take everything in and try to get my brain to understand exactly what it is that's happening right now. "Hi beautiful," she says easily, as though this whole scene is something that happens every day.

"Hi yourself" I whisper, my eyes wide and my mouth dry "what's going on?"

Emily clears her throat and motions for me to come closer, I oblige and feel her take my hand in hers after dropping the rose she's holding "every day I get with you is like a revelation, these last three years have been the best of my life and I have you and you alone to thank for that." She pauses as she swallows thickly and takes a breath to compose herself "I love you, more than I've ever loved anyone. You're the person I want to make my happiest memories with and the person I want by my side when things get rough." Dropping my hand long enough to open the box in her hand to show me a beautiful single diamond set in a white gold band "will you marry me?"

I nod silently, watching the smile on Emily's face widen, the look in her eyes encourages me to find my voice "yes," I drop to my knees in front of her and take her face in my hands, finally trusting my voice to sound somewhat normal "yes," I kiss her lips firmly and feel the first of my tears fall down my cheek.

Emily pulls back and slips the ring on the third finger of my left hand and looks at it like she's seeing colour for the first time. Her eyes snap up to mine and widen as if the reality of what's just happened has only just set in "you said yes?"

I nod and smile brightly "I said yes." I'm not quite prepared for Emily tackling me to the ground and pinning me beneath her. Her mouth finds mine easily and she kisses me with earnest, when her tongue traces my lip I can't fight the moan that escapes me. She looks down at me adoringly, watching my eyes, her fingers tracing my face as though she's trying to engrave it into her memory. "Em?" I ask quietly.

"Yes darling?"

"I love you," I whisper, watching her eyes flicker in the candlelight. She dips her head and touches her lips to mine gently, "I do have one request." I murmur as her lips move my mine and begin a slow arduous trail down my neck to the base of my throat.

"And that is?"

"We at least discuss the possibility of you taking my last name, I know how much of a control freak you are." I feel her laughter against my hot skin before she lifts her head up and raises one of her perfect blonde eyebrows at me.

"I'll think about it, now hurry up and take your clothes off before I change my mind." Laughing, I happily oblige as we tumble into our own little slice of perfect.