Tommy caught Belem’s eye when they first met. They had both been invited to dinner by Gabby, a mutual friend. Belem spent the whole night watching him, tranced by his timid gaze and his nervous smile. She made it her mission to talk to him; she sat across from him and tried to find a topic that would gain enough momentum for a conversation to unfold throughout the evening. Tommy had peaked her interest. After dinner Belem confided in Gabby how handsome she thought Tommy was. Maybe Gabby would pick up on the hint and start talking her up. Gabby could be a great wingman, and she was. A few weeks later, Belem paced her room waiting for Tommy to pick her up for their first date. Gabby took it upon herself to give Tommy Belem’s cell phone number after Belem suggested she bring Tommy around more often. Before she knew it, they had set a time and date to go out. Belem looked around her room and groaned at the destruction caused in search for the perfect outfit the night before. She was nervous. She had gotten out of work ten minutes early and rushed home to get ready. Belem wanted to make sure she looked her best. She knew she was smitten from the moment she met him, and how smitten she was only grew when he asked if he could pick her up at her doorstep for the date. He didn’t ask what she wanted to do, he made a plan to take her to dinner, an Italian place he had heard about from his coworkers. She was so impressed that she even told her dad about it. The date went better than imagined. After a couple of glasses of wine to settle the nerves, they naturally eased into conversation. They both spoke of their families, their interests, their favorite movies. Belem enjoyed watching him talk, she was drawn to the sound of his voice. As the date came to an end Tommy walked Belem to her door, their hands gently grazing every few seconds as they walked. Once they reached the door they turned to one another, Belem looked up at him and took him in. He had the loveliest eyes she had ever seen. Both stumbled over their words, nervously expressing that they would like to see each other again. Electricity filled the air as Tommy leaned in to kiss her. Sparks coursed through them when their lips touched. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him in closer, welcoming the kiss. She melted into him and allowed herself to enjoy the warmth of his lips pressed to hers. When they pulled apart and they looked upon one another once more, both rosy in the face from the cool October chill and the kiss itself. It was a gentle kiss, he held her like she was made of glass. Like she was the most precious thing he ever came across. She smiled as she looked into his eyes relishing the moment, thinking that she could get used to being kissed by him. When she lay in bed later that night, she realized that she had to wait a whole week to see him again. A whole week to hear his voice and hold his hand and maybe even kiss him again. A whole week seemed like far too long. She replayed the date in her head over and over again. She closed her eyes, exhausted from the long day and dreamt of him.

Tommy had just gotten home from asking for Belém’s hand. This was it. He was going to ask her; he was going to propose. The plan was set and in motion. He had already bought her ring a couple of months prior, right after their six month anniversary. Tommy had been putting a lot of thought into how he was going to propose. He had spent hours thinking of proposal ideas with their friend, Gabby. It had to be something different from when he asked Belém to be his girlfriend. So a candlelit dinner and roses spelling out a question on the bed was no longer an option. Belém had been talking about going to the botanical gardens. She said she wanted to go, and Tommy decided he would do it there. They would wake up in the morning, she would dress up, and they would go have a picnic in the gardens. Then he would get down on one knee. He would ask Belém to marry him. “Hey, I am getting out of work early, I’m on my way home.” He quickly glanced down at his phone, it was a text from Belém and he began to sweat. He quickly opened the “off limits” cabinet above the stove and pulled out a small white ring box. Could he wait until tomorrow? He began to pace up and down their tiny apartment, he was going to give it away. He knew he would. It wouldn’t even be a surprise if he waited until tomorrow. He would give it away. She was on her way home, and he hadn’t even seen her but he was already nervous. How was he going to hide such a big secret? How was he going to wait until the following day? The answer came quickly. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t. He wanted to ask her to marry him as soon as he saw her today, as soon as she stepped foot in their little shoebox of an apartment. She wouldn’t get upset if he did ask her, she didn’t want anything elaborate. As a matter of fact, Belém had mentioned to him that it would be perfect if it was just the two of them. He looked down at the white ring box and decided that he would do it as soon as she got home. He sat on the couch, opened up his phone and scrolled through his twitter feed, maybe it could ease his nerves. As soon as he heard the front door unlock he jumped towards the middle of the living room. He stood, almost shaking as he heard her footsteps come closer towards him. “Babe, I’m home” She called out. She looked around the living room and saw Tommy standing with the white ring box in his hand. Her eyes opened wide in surprise. She was wearing her scrub pants and a sports bra. She looked like she was glowing. “Are you doing this right now?” She asked, and she put her lunch box down on the kitchen counter. Tommy nodded and she laughed, her eyes began to water as she walked towards him. Tommy watched her, she was beautiful and she was glowing. She was who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. “A little over a year ago, I moved to Colorado not knowing what the hell I was doing. Then I met you and realized I was looking for you. I was coming to meet you and to be with you forever. Up until I met you, I still considered Florida my home. Since we’ve been together, I have been at home with you. You are my forever home,” his voice trembled as he spoke. Belém’s smile was breathtaking. Her eyes were bright and tears ran freely down her face. Tommy got down on one knee, opened the white ring box and revealed a golden ring decorated with diamonds and pearls. “Belém, will you marry me?” He asked. She nodded without saying a word and dropped to the floor with him to meet his gaze. “Yes, yes, yes!!” She cried. She took his face in her hands as he looked into those bright brown eyes that he loved so much. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He pulled her into a deep kiss. The kind of kiss that you remember forever. The kind of kiss that lingered and set them both on fire. The kind of kiss that made him feel like home because, now, she was his home. Today, tomorrow, and everyday for the rest of their lives.