âYouâve got to be joking,â he says, his coffee cup frozen halfway to his mouth.
Heâs got the collar of his green coat turned up to the wind, one hand bunched in his pocket, and he looks annoyed as hell. And cold. Thatâs not exactly what I was expecting.
âErâŚno,â I say slowly. âI was sort of serious.â
Not sort of serious. I was completely serious. I feel the grin slipping from my face. I might have cocked this up.
He lowers the paper coffee cup and stares at me.Â
âSimon, thatâs not how these things are done,â he says, shaking his head. Incredulous. âNo forethought, no planning. There are supposed to be dinner reservations and mood music, not this,â he gestures back at the field where my pick up football match is still going. There are grunts and laughter and shouts. âYou donât do this when youâre sweaty and itâs fucking freezing outside.â
I should have known heâd be a prick about this.
âAll right,â I say slowly. âDo you want to go to dinner tonight?â
But heâs on a roll, heâs already started, and heâs about to settle into a lecture. Crowley, why did I do this? Why didnât I wait? I just saw him there, licking whip cream off his coffee and holding an extra one for me, and I just thought, âI love him.â And then it slipped out, right after, âHey thanks.â
âThereâs supposed to be romance. A speech. A grand gesture. Emotion,â he says. Heâs practically vibrating with righteous, pretentious energy. I want to kiss him, but also not, because heâs being aggressively obnoxious and I just kind of opened myself up here.
âHave you forgotten that time I kissed you in a burning forest and saved your life? That was romantic. That was a gesture,â I argue, cupping my hands around my coffee cup for warmth. He got me a large.
âSimon that was seven years ago. Youâve got to let that go,â he says, shaking his head. âHonestly, no planningââ
âI planned!â I interrupt, and he scowls at me.
âReally? You planned this? You sat down and thought, this is exactly how I want to do it, covered in mud on the coldest day in March.â
âI mean,â I grin. âNot exactly. But there was thought. There was planning.â
âLike what?â he says, but his hand has come out of his pocket and reached for the hem on my t shirt. âShow me one thing about this that was premeditated.â
âI will. Itâs back at the flat.â
âBack at the flat?â he says, about to start mocking again, but then he pauses.
âYeah,â I say. I grin. I love when I get the chance to mock him. âOh.â
âYou just got overexcited and blundered right into this, didnât you? Got an idea and couldnât wait. You probably thought this up for the first time and bought the ring yesterday, didnât you?â
I shrug and tug at his hand.
I hate how well he knows me.
He sighs dramatically and locks our fingers together, a smile playing at the edge of his mouth.
âWell then. Letâs go home so you can show me this supposed proof.â
âWait are you not going to answer?â I say. âBecause you havenât answered.â
Thatâs a pretty important part of this whole thing thatâs currently missing and hanging unanswered in the air between us. Baz just sips at his coffee again and starts walking.
âYes, obviously,â he says dismissively. âI just want to see proof, so I can judge how little effort you put into this. Honestly, one of the most important moments of our life, and you do it after a intramural football match? Just stroll up, looking a disaster, âBaz, I think we should get married.â You lot didnât even win, I donât know what youâre so happy about.â
âHey Baz?â I say, tugging on his hand. He glances at me and I can see the crinkling at his eyes, hear the smile in his voice. He hums at me, an eyebrow cocked. âShut the fuck up,â I say, and he laughs, loud and staccato into the cold air. I can see his breath.
âMaybe after you put a ring on it. Honestly, Snow.â
âBy the way, Iâm taking your name. So you have to stop calling me Snow,â I say, and he shakes his head.
âAbsolutely not. Youâre not destroying my family legacy like that.â
I scowl, and he laughs again.
âNo forethought. Just blundering in,â he tsks, shaking his head like an old bird. But he wraps our joined hands around my shoulders and drags me in to place a smiling kiss against my hair. âYou absolute nightmare.â