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Cheryl’s leg was bouncing under the table, almost as nervously as her fingers were twiddling on top of the table. Tonight was the night. Ever since she and Toni became friends, she knew that the pink haired serpent was the one. After years of fighting in the school halls after the students of Southside High arrived, a few months after they'd finally found themselves in the right place to become friends. But then, Cheryl’s dream came true. In no time, it was clear that they'd always been more than friends, and when Toni kissed her it became clear that they felt the same way. Now they were just acting on it their feelings.
It was their first Valentine's Day together. Cheryl got the idea to do this at Christmas, when Toni reminded her about the year she gave her a replica of Cheryl’s grandmother's wedding ring, and she'd been planning ever since. This time, the ring was Toni's Mother's . She'd gotten it from Toni’s grandfather a few days ago and given it to the waiter a few minutes ago.
The plan was for Toni and Cheryl to enjoy their meal, at their perfect table, looking out over Sweetwater River. Then, order Toni’s favorite dessert, mint chocolate chip ice cream. The restaurant presented the ice cream in the shape of a flower. In the middle of that flower, would be the ring.
Cheryl would take Toni’s hands, tell the story of how Cheryl’s great-grandfather Blossom got that ring to propose to her great-grandmother, and how it's passed down through generations in the Blossom family. She’d finish by telling Toni how she's always been her family, her home, her life, and ask Toni to marry her.
Cheryl thought it would be the sweetest, most romantic proposal. She couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she saw the ring. Or, the looks on their friends' faces when they told the story of this night. Cheryl was imagining it, smiling like a dork, when she noticed Toni approaching.
"I'm so sorry I'm late." She said immediately.
Cheryl didn't mind. She stood to greet Toni with a kiss on the cheek.
"Hi." She sighed into Toni’s ear.
She giggled, "Hi."
"You look so beautiful."
It was true. Toni was wearing a strapless, white, cocktail dress, with roses embroidered on the bottom. Cheryl pulled out her chair and Toni sat down.
“Sorry I kept you waiting.” Toni apologized again.
Cheryl shook her head. “It’s fine. Actually, it’s kind of nice to not be the late one.”
Toni smiled. “Now that I think about it, you haven’t been late for any of our dates since we started dating.”
Cheryl looked at her with a twinkle in her eyes. “You’re worth being on time for.”
Toni bowed her head and smiled. Cheryl loved moments like this, when she charmed her into looking bashful. It was so cute.
“Wine?”
The waiter was standing next to their table and holding a bottle of some fancy wine Cheryl couldn’t properly pronounce.
“Please.” Toni replied, offering her glass.
Cheryl did the same.
“Let me know if you need anything else.” The waiter said.
He and Cheryl exchanged excited, knowing glances before he walked away.
Cheryl sipped her wine. “So, what was it that held you up?”
“Oh,” Toni huffed. Her expression of happiness melted to one of annoyance. “You know, Fangs?”
Cheryl very vaguely remembered that name. Toni had mentioned Fangs once or twice when talking about her day at the Wyrm and he had been out for dinner with them once or twice.
“Well Kevin showed up with flowers, chocolate, and this big teddy bear. It was this big spectacle.” Toni explained.
“Sounds romantic.” Cheryl thought aloud.
Toni made a sour face. “It was so cheesy. But that wasn’t it, once he got the attention of everyone in the bar, and everyone was fawning over what a cute couple the are, he proposed.”
The tone Toni used would be better suited to describing a crime than a proposal. It confused Cheryl.
She leaned back in her chair, her perfectly groomed brows furrowed. “That sounds really nice. What’s the problem?”
Toni gaped at him. “Uh, it’s Valentine’s Day!”
“And?”
“And, that means it’s the tackiest day of the year for a proposal.” Toni declared.
Cheryl gulped. Shit.
“I mean, come on, there’s no originality. It makes the whole gesture feel forced because the holiday is all about romantic gestures. It’s like the cliche commercial for an engagement ring acted out in real life.” Toni kept going on.
Cheryl felt like she’d been slapped in the face. Very shit.
“Just pick a different day and give it some more meaning. Any other d-”
“Are you lovebirds ready to order?”
The waiter was back. Cheryl looked at him in horror, but apparently failed to communicate that the plan was off.
“Be sure to save room for dessert.” The waiter said. “We have the best ice cream in Central City.”
Why did he have to say that?
Toni licked her lips. “Mmm, well, if it’s that good,” She looked devilishly at Cheryl. “Why don’t we just skip right to dessert?”
A barrage of curses flew through Cheryl’s mind. This was a disaster.
“I’ll have mint chocolate chip.” Toni ordered. “What about you, babe?”
Cheryl choked a little trying to find her voice. “I’m uh- not in the mood for dessert.”
Toni tilted her head. “What? Why not? You’ve been talking about how great the dessert is here for days. That’s why you picked it.”
“Um- uh- I-” The usually loud Cheryl was suddenly stuttering through her words as she tried to cover up her plan.
“Why don’t I get you two an extra large serving of mint chocolate chip?” The waiter offered. “That way, you can share.”
“Perfect!” Toni said, before Cheryl could protest.
The waiter trotted off. As Cheryl watched him go, she felt more nauseous the closer he got to the kitchen.
Toni rubbed her hands together mischievously. “Ice c-”
“I have to go to the bathroom!” Cheryl suddenly announced, a little too loud.
“Oh, ok.” Toni said, a little taken aback.
Cheryl bumped the table as she got up. Her eyes searched the restaurant, but their waiter must’ve still been in the kitchen. The door to the kitchen was in plain view of Toni. There was no way for Cheryl to get in there, talk to their waiter, and get back without Toni noticing. She was panicking.
“Everything ok, babe?”
Toni’s voice shook Cheryl from her frozen state.
“Yeah.” She shakily lied. “Just trying to see where the bathroom is.”
Toni confusedly pointed directly behind Cheryl, where a sign reading ‘Bathrooms’ was prominently displayed.
Cheryl laughed nervously, feeling her pale face flush. “Good eye.”
“Thanks...” Toni said half heartedly, still confused as to why Cheryl was acting this way.
Cheryl hurried away. She knew she was going to make a mess of the night, but didn’t know how to fix it. She couldn’t go through with a proposal Toni would hate, but she couldn’t think of an excuse to get out of the restaurant before the waiter brought their bejeweled dessert.
A splash of cold water on her face helped Cheryl calm down. She looked at himself in the mirror, mentally yelling at herself to get it together.
‘You’ve got to do something. This is making it worse. She suspects something. You need to get back out there and act normal. Just a regular date night. When the dessert comes, just grab the ring before she realizes it was even there. Problem solved. You got this. Now, go! What if the waiter brings it while you’re in here? Run, Cheryl, run!’ She quickly reapplied her cherry red lipstick in the mirror, bracing herself against the sink before taking a deep breath and walking out of the bathroom as confidently as she could manage.
When Cheryl sat back down at their table, Toni looked warily at her.
“Something wrong?” Cheryl asked her, projecting her own feelings.
Toni reached for her hand, her hold reassuring, immediately calming down Cheryl’s jitters.
“Cher, you know there’s no pressure on tonight, don’t you?”
She scrunched up her face in mock confusion. “Yeah, of course. Why would there be pressure?”
“It’s our first Valentine’s Day after graduating, and I know you like to go all out, but I’m fine with a simple dinner. You don’t have to feel bad it’s not something bigger, or feel like you’re going to mess it up” Toni put her calm to Cheryl’s cheek, the other girl leaning into her touch. “I’m happy just to be with you.”
As Toni spoke she quietened Cheryl’s anxiety, bringing her to a moment of genuine calm. She turned her head slightly and kissed Toni’s wrist.
“I’m happy just to be with you too, TT.”
Cheryl’s calm was brief. Over Toni’s shoulder, she saw the waiter coming, platter of mint chocolate chip ice cream in his hand. Cheryl gulped.
The waiter presented the dessert with a dramatic, “Voilà!” and a wave of his hand.
Toni smiled and picked up her spoon, ready to dig into the ice cream.
Cheryl realized there was no way she could pluck the ring off without Toni at least noticing she took something off the tray. That would be too suspicious. Sweat dripped down the back of her neck as she weighed her options. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do, just that she needed to act fast. Before the waiter could set the tray down, allowing Toni to see what was fashioned in the center, Cheryl grabbed it.
“I’ll take that.” She said, trying to sound casual.
The waiter, apparently assuming this was part of the proposal plan, gracefully walked away from the couple. Less gracefully, Cheryl used her bare hand grab a fistful of the ice cream in the center-and the ring-and shoved it into her red rimmed mouth.
Toni gaped at her.
The sharp edges of the diamond were painful on Cheryl’s tongue as she tried to maneuver the ring to the front of her mouth. She didn’t dare swallow, fearing the ring could slip down.
“Cher, what the hell are you doing?” Toni whispered.
Mouth dripping mint chocolate chip, Cheryl mumbled, “I’mb hungaray.”
Most of the ice cream had melted at that point and Cheryl couldn’t help but swallow. The ring was pressed against her cheek. She couldn’t spit it out yet, Toni was confusedly staring at her, probably wondering what the hell was going on.
It wasn’t a good idea, but it was the only one Cheryl had, so she shoved another handful of ice cream into her mouth.
“CHERYL!” Toni shrieked.
A second mouthful was too much. The ice cream was so cold, Cheryl bent over, her pearly white teeth in agonizing pain.
“Mmmaaaaahh” She moaned.
The spectacle had caught the attentions of most of the other couples in the restaurant. They looked on in disbelief. Toni cringed. Cheryl felt bad about embarrassing her, but this was going to get worse before it got better.
Unable to hold it in a second longer, Cheryl opened her mouth, and a waterfall of bile-looking ice cream with chunks of half melted chocolate spilled out. Several people gagged at the sight. Among the sea of regurgitated ice cream, Cheryl saw the glinting diamond of the ring. She fell off his chair, onto the knees of her cherry red dress to attempt to pick it up inconspicuously.
“Oh my god,Cheryl.” Toni jumped up, giggling and went to her side. She helped her stand.
“I’m ok.” She said. “Stomach ache.”
She rubbed Cheryl’s shoulder. “Let's go home.”
—-
At their apartment, Cheryl lay on the couch, sipping cherry cola for her ‘stomach ache’.
“Do you want another?” Toni asked.
“No, thanks. I’m good. I’m feeling a lot better.”
Toni sat down next to her. Her deep hazel eyes look deep into her, like she was examining Cheryl’s soul.
Confused, she frowned back at her TT. “What?”
“Were you going to propose at the restaurant?”
Cheryl was blindsided. “What? N- no, of course not, no.” Damn her pale features. She could already feel herself flushing again.
Toni didn’t falter and she leans farther forward. Her lips parted ever so slightly, and the hum, “Sure,” escaped.
Cheryl cracked. She leaned into Toni, her elbows on her knees and head on Toni's shoulder . “How did you know?”
“It’s the only explanation I can think of for why you acted so weird tonight.”
Disgusted by her behavior, Cheryl closed her eyes. “Toni, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s ok.” She said, rubbing Cheryl’s arm.
“No, it’s not.” She insisted. “I was so stupid . I made a fool of myself and ruined your night. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, no. You didn’t ruin anything. I did! I’m the one who’s sorry. I never should’ve said all that stuff about getting engaged on Valentine’s Day. It was so stupid. You were being so thoughtful and romantic, and I was like the grinch of Valentine’s Day.” Cheryl giggled at that.
“No you weren’t. You deserve a special proposal that you love.”
“The proposal doesn’t matter!” Toni said, wrapping her arms around Cheryl's waist. “All that matters is that we’re in love.”
Cheryl smiled feebly. She watched Toni’s eyes change from the soul seeking assuredness of before into a tentative gaze.
“And,” Toni took a deep breath. “I really want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Cheryl’s heart fluttered. “You would’ve said yes?”
Toni laughed. “Of course I would! I love you, Cheryl.”
“Even though, it was going to be a tacky, Valentine’s Day proposal?”
She smirked. “You would’ve made it perfect.”
Cheryl relaxed, leaning further into her, their foreheads pressed against one another.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Then,” Cheryl fumbled for the ring in her purse, “I have something to ask you.”
The ring in one hand, Toni’s hand in the other, Cheryl got down on one knee before her.
“Antoinette Topaz, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” Toni cried. “Yes, a thousand times yes!”
Tears sparkled in her eyes as Cheryl slid the ring onto her finger.
“It’s beautiful!” She gasped.
Cheryl surged up to capture her lips in a soft kiss. In that moment, it didn’t matter that her plan went wrong. All that mattered was she was with Toni. They were engaged. It was perfect.
Cheryl’s hands cradled her face. “I love you so much.”
“I love you!” Toni replied, alight with happiness. She looked from Cheryl to the ring, expression changing to one of slight disgust. “You washed this off though, right?”
“Yes.” Cheryl laughed.
“Good, because that was really gross!”
They both laughed as they kissed again.
—-
Later that night, as Cheryl was in the bathroom, Toni dug her hand into the pocket of her dress, picking up a silver ring encrusted with small diamantés.
“She had to do it first, didn’t she.” Toni sighed. She slid the band back into her pocket and slipped off her dress, sighing happily as Cheryl returned from the bathroom.