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I
“Puck, where are you with the beers?” Finn Hudson yelled from Noah Puckerman’s couch as he, Artie Abrams, Mike Chang and Sam Evans sat in Puck’s living room. It had been a few weeks since they last got together to play video games, and it was understandable as they all lived very different lives.
Puck’s job barely allowed him any time to hang out with his friends as he was a Detective for the NYPD, so it was rare that he was able to get actual time off. When he wasn’t working or spending time with his knucklehead friends, he was living with his girlfriend Marley Rose in their New York City apartment. Marley had graduated from college the year prior and the two of them decided they were going to head Northeast where Marley got a record deal and publishing contract with Columbia Records .
During that time, Puck had decided to take the NYPD exam, and passed with flying colors. Even though Marley knew that Puck’s job was dangerous and took the majority of his time away from her, she still stood by and supported him without so much as a complaint. And as time passed, some of Puck’s friends from Lima, Ohio also moved to New York as they all decided to pursue their careers in the arts. Finn was a music teacher at one of the most prestigious colleges of all time, Mike was a choreographer, Artie was a film director and Sam dabbled in the world of modeling.
The fact everyone was close made Puck feel a little less alone, and New York a little more like home.
Puck overheard Finn’s voice boom from the living room, as he was in the kitchen getting the beer and snacks so the five of them could commence with their gaming session.
“Yeah, we only have about a couple hours before Marley comes home and you kick us out,” Sam added in teasing.
Puck couldn’t help but smirk at his friends’ impatience and the small crack about devoting all his attention to Marley when she came home. While he would have rushed back, there was something in the back of his mind, something that he wanted to run by his friends. He turned on his heels and came into the living room with the snacks, placing them down on the table and releasing a nervous sigh. Artie, Mike and Sam were oblivious to Puck’s behavior, but Finn, who knew his best friend like the back of his hand, immediately picked up on it. “Puck? Everything okay man?”
Puck bit his lower lip as he sat down on the recliner, tapping his thigh with his fingers as he contemplated his question. Still, it was better late than never, and he really did want a second opinion on this. “Before we start, can I ask you guys something?”
“We’ve told you this a million times, the Linkin Park cover of Somebody That I Used To Know was strictly AI,” Artie quipped. “It’s not actually Chester.”
“No, that wasn’t what I was going to ask,” Puck gave a slight chuckle at Artie’s sentence. He glanced at his friends with nervousness before pulling out a light blue jewelry box from his pants pocket. “I was going to ask you guys about this.”
Puck opened the jewelry box and showed what was in it, his heart racing a little faster as he studied Artie, Finn and Mike’s expression. Finn’s mouth gaped open while Artie and Mike stuttered. However, Sam was completely oblivious to what was going on.
Inside was a three-carat oval diamond in a halo setting with a pave diamond band, and paired with it was a matching wedding band. Finn could suddenly see why Puck was so nervous.
“Okay, we all know that’s not going to fit your hands,” Sam chuckled. “Who gave you that?”
“No one gave it to me,” Puck scrunched his face at Sam’s aloofness. “I bought it. For Marley.”
“Wait, why did you buy it for Marley?” Sam innocently blinked. “I mean, I get she’s your girlfriend and all but It’s not Christmas, or Valentine’s Day, and her birthday just passed…”
“Sam…,” Mike stopped Sam’s run-on sentence in order to paint the picture for his friend. “That’s not a normal gift. That’s an engagement ring.”
“Oh, that’s kind of silly. Why are you giving Marley an engagement ri --,” As Sam was about to ask that question, it seemed something had finally clicked in his head, putting together all of the context clues. “WAIT.”
“And here we go,” Artie motioned with his hand to Sam while Sam continued his thought.
“YOU…,” Sam pointed at Puck in surprise, his eyes going back to the ring in the box. “ YOU’RE PROPOSING?! ”
“There you go! Good job, Sam!” Finn sarcastically congratulated his friend. As Sam tried to process Finn’s sarcasm, Finn diverted his attention to Puck, unbelieving by what he had just told them. “I can’t believe that you’re actually going to settle down.”
“I remember once upon a time, you told everyone that Puckerman’s didn’t do marriage,” Artie added. “You said something about not wanting to commit.”
“Yeah, what changed your mind?” Mike wondered.
Puck’s eyes focused on the ring that was sitting in its perfect compartment. He didn’t have to think hard about his answer. “Marley did. From the moment I met her, I knew she was incredible. And when we started going through life together, I thought to myself that I couldn’t live without her. So yeah, call me a wuss all you want for wanting to commit, but I just thought it was time to pop the question. Especially since I love her and want to spend the rest of my life with her.”
Finn stood silent for a few moments as he saw how serious Puck was before ultimately giving his best friend a grin. “So when are you going to ask her?”
“I was thinking I’d take her out to dinner tonight, order her favorite bottle of champagne and ask her then,” Puck relaxed a bit when he realized his friends weren’t going to make fun of him for being sentimental.
“You guys are going to be so happy together,” Mike beamed, Artie and Sam sharing Mike’s sentiments.
“I’m worried though,” Puck bit his lower lip as a new thought entered his mind. “What if she says ‘no’?”
“Puck, she’s put up with your stubborn ass for four years,” Finn quipped before he became serious. “Hell would have to freeze over in order for her to say no.”
“Yeah, she clearly loves you,” Artie piled on Finn’s comment. “You guys moved across the country and live together. It was only a matter of time before you guys got married.”
“You’re definitely overthinking,” Finn assured him before deciding to change the subject. “So what did Marley’s mom say when you asked her?”
“She was the one that helped me pick out the ring,” Puck admitted. “When Marley’s mom visited a few weeks ago, we went to a jeweler and tried to figure out what ring Marley would want. No one knows her better than her own mom.”
“I’m not gonna lie, that’s actually pretty adorable you went ring shopping with her mother,” Sam gave a genuine grin, the other boys following suit. “Everything’s going to work out, man. And when she says yes, we want to be the first to know.”
“I will be sure to let you guys know when she says yes,” Puck chuckled. He grabbed the controller that was on the table and turned on the PS5, motioning for his friends to do the same. “Enough talk. Let’s see how many times I can shank Sam in Free-For-All.”
“You guys always go for me when we play Free-For-All ,” Sam groaned while the others laughed. Puck felt the nervousness reappear in the back of his mind as the thought about the next step he was about to take in his relationship.
He didn’t know what he would do if Marley said no.
II
Marley exited the elevator to her floor in her apartment building as she went to get her keys from her purse. She was tired, but in a good way, especially since her record label had divulged news to her that she was excited to tell Puck once she got inside.
Once she reached her apartment door, she placed the key in the lock and twisted the doorknob, opening it and closing it behind her. When she turned around, she noticed there were rose petals all over the floor, making a trail towards their bedroom. Marley couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought Puck went through all this trouble to be romantic, and she would have been lying if she said she wasn’t intrigued.
Marley followed the rose petals to their bedroom, and at the end of the trail was Puck. However, Marley took in the fact Puck was dressed up, which made her wonder just what was going on.
“Hello gorgeous,” Puck almost felt his heart was going to burst out of his chest from nervousness, but he tried his best not to show it. He didn’t want to give away any surprises.
“Hey handsome,” Marley chuckled, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. “How was your day?”
“It was great,” Puck leaned his forehead on hers, staring into her baby blue eyes. “And how was yours?”
“It was good,” Marley leaned in and gave her boyfriend a sweet kiss, parting and placing her hand on his cheek. “It’s better now that I’m home.” She observed the plaid shirt, navy blue blazer and matching slacks he was wearing, her interest finally piquing. “I’m not against this whatsoever, but why are you all dressed up?”
“Well, I thought you and I could go out for dinner,” Puck held her close while giving her a doting grin. “I know it’s spontaneous, but…”
“No, I love it when you’re spontaneous,” Marley giggled, giving him another kiss. After they parted the kiss, she got out of his grasp and went to her closet. “We absolutely can go out to dinner. I just want to make sure my outfit is up to par with yours.”
“Whatever you wear, you’re going to look absolutely stunning,” Puck gave her a wink as she went to the closet and picked out a dress.
“You know, with all of the rose petals in the house, I 100% expected to find you in here naked. Not that I would object to sex, but finding you in here all dressed up was a nice surprise, ” Marley teased, trying to decide between a red dress or a navy blue one.
“Don’t worry, that’s what after dinner’s for,” Puck slyly commented as Marley bashfully chuckled in response. He didn’t want to completely ruin the surprise of what Marley was going to wear to dinner, so he motioned that he was going to go to the living room. “I’ll give you a few minutes to get ready, princess.”
“Okay,” Marley giggled as Puck walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
Once he made his way to the living room and he was sure Marley wasn’t coming, he went into his slack pocket and pulled out the ring box, opening it and gazing at the ring that was inside.
You can do this, Puckerman, Puck thought to himself. You’re just asking the love of your life to marry you. No pressure.
“Noah?” Puck widened his eyes as he realized Marley had come out of the bedroom, closing the ring box and stuffing it in the inside pocket of his blazer. He turned around, hoping Marley didn’t see him looking at the ring, and he got his answer when Marley appeared oblivious, instead wanting to show her boyfriend the dress she was going to wear to dinner. She had decided to go with the navy blue one, and he could tell that she had quickly curled her hair in beachy waves to go with her outfit. She shyly looked away from him before they made eye contact, realizing it might have been a little silly for her to be so bashful around him. “What do you think?”
Puck stammered for a few moments, trying to collect his thoughts. It wasn’t an exaggeration that Marley always found ways to leave him speechless. After a few moments, Puck held his hand out for Marley to take as he pulled her closer to him. “You always ask how you look, and I always respond, ‘you look absolutely stunning’.”
“Four years and that answer hasn’t changed,” Marley chuckled, feeling Puck’s hand grip her tightly with adornment.
“It also never will,” Puck pressed a kiss to the top of her forehead before pulling her towards the door. “Come on, we don’t want to be late.”
“How could we be late to dinner?” Marley went to grab a jacket and put it on. “Did you make reservations or something?”
“I might have,” Puck winked, all while Marley bit her lower lip.
“First I found you all dressed up, and then you made reservations for dinner?” Marley giggled. “What’s the occasion?”
“What, a man can’t take his beautiful girlfriend out for dinner for no reason?” Puck placed on his jacket before opening the door for Marley to walk out. “I just want to show my appreciation for you.”
“Hmm, well I can’t object to that,” Marley grabbed his hand as he closed the front door and locked it. “You’re always doing nice things for me.”
“That’s part of my job, right?” Puck squeezed her hand as the two of them made their way to the elevator to go out to dinner.
III
Marley knew that Puck had hinted they were going somewhere fancy since he had made a reservation for them, but she didn’t think that it would have been one of the most expensive restaurants in town. She knew she and Puck could afford it once in a blue moon, but she was a little suspicious at the fact they had just gone out for her birthday a few weeks prior. However, she pushed her suspicions to the back of her mind, thinking that maybe Puck was doing this simply because he wanted to. And there was nothing wrong with Puck wanting to show his love and affection for her.
“How were you able to get a reservation for this restaurant?” Marley decided to make some small talk as she and Puck waited to order their food. “It takes months to get a table.”
“Well, when you’re literally one of New York’s finest, they don’t hesitate getting you a table,” Puck nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. “Plus it helps that there were some cancellations, which sped up the process.”
“You always did know how to work your magic,” Marley took a sip of her water, a smile gracing her lips. “Mmm. remember the time that Finn was trying to get playoff Rangers tickets and you somehow were able to get him front row seats?”
“Yes I do. It’s all about the connections, baby,” Puck winked. “Plus, Finn had done a lot for me, so what other way to return the favor?”
“He wouldn’t stop bragging about how awesome you were and that he was forever in debt to you,” Marley chuckled, taking another sip of her water. After she put the cup down, she folded her hands and her grin illuminated, deciding now was a better time than ever to tell him. “So the C.E.O. of the record label came to visit at work today.”
“Oh he did?” Puck widened his eyes, trying to decide if it was a good or bad thing. Usually C.E.O’s didn’t show their face unless it was of the utmost importance. “What did he want?”
“Well, he wanted to speak to me because…,” Marley folded her hands and leaned closer, Puck now wondering what Marley wanted to say. “...the Recording Academy wanted to congratulate me on the album I recorded last year and I should get ready to pack my bags for Los Angeles in February.” Puck processed what Marley was trying to tell him, with her finally announcing. “I was nominated for a Grammy!”
“Wait, what ?!” Puck beamed as Marley nodded her head quickly. “That is amazing , Marley! Wow!” Puck grabbed her hand from across the table and gave it a tight squeeze, Marley studying his expression which was filled with nothing but pride. “I am so proud of you, baby. You’ve worked for this for years, and now all your hard work is paying off.” Marley adoringly glanced back at her boyfriend, Puck this time interlacing their fingers together. “You’re incredible, you know that?”
“I couldn’t have done it without you, you know,” Marley played with his fingers while gazing into his hazel eyes. “All of my best songs seem to be when I write about you. You’re my muse.”
“Glad to be of service,” Puck toyed with her fingers as Marley continued her thought.
“I hope you know I want you there on the red carpet with me.”
“Marley, there’s nowhere else I would rather be than with you in your finest hour,” Puck squeezed her hand as Marley appeared as if she had the greatest idea.
“This calls for a celebration,” Marley cleared her throat and tried to flag down a waiter, Puck realizing everything was going to plan. He knew Marley was going to order a bottle of champagne, and once she did, he was going to go into a speech about how much he loved her and pop the question. A waitress walked up to the table and flashed Marley a grin, only taking a second to realize who it was that wanted her attention.
“What do we have here?!” The waitress appeared excited at the fact Marley was one of their customers. “Marley Rose?! Here in our restaurant?!”
“Yep, that’s me,” Marley giggled, putting on her best smile.
“It is an honor to meet you Ms. Rose,” The waitress gushed. “Whatever you need, you let us know. We will not hesitate to accommodate you.”
“That’s great!” Marley clapped her hands once. “My boyfriend and I are celebrating tonight and we were wondering if we could order a bottle of champagne?”
The waitress's smile fell slightly from their face at Marley’s request, almost if it had pained her to say her answer. “I am so sorry, Ms. Rose. All of the champagne was bought out by a private party.”
Puck’s eyes widened at the waitress's revelation as he came to the conclusion that his original plan to pop the question wasn’t going to work.
“Wait what? What do you mean all the champagne was bought out?” Puck tried not to sound disappointed, but Marley immediately picked up on it.
“Babe, it’s okay, it happens,” Marley waved it off without a second thought. “It’s not the end of the world.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Puck agreed, but it still pained him that he couldn’t propose the way he intended. He was going to have to think of another way.
“Just curious, Ms. Rose, how much do you like chocolate cake?” The waitress garnered Marley’s attention again, with Marley’s eyes widened in excitement.
“Oooh, I love chocolate cake,”
“Perfect, we can get you the best that our kitchen has to offer, on the house,” The waitress promised.
The gears started to turn in Puck’s mind as he realized there was another way for him to propose. He would just need a few more key players. The waitress quickly took both of their orders and jotted down a note that she was to bring a dessert as well, just so the kitchen wouldn’t forget.
“Okay, we’ll bring it out right after dinner,” The waitress saw the table next to theirs flag them down, as the waiter went to do her job. “Yes?”
“Hi, we couldn't help but overhear that there was chocolate cake involved,” The man stated. “My girlfriend would love some as well.”
“Absolutely,” The waitress flashed a grin and walked towards the kitchen to give the order slip to the cook.
Puck cleared his throat and pointed to the bathroom, Marley raising an eyebrow as she wondered where he was off to.
“I’ll be right back, I’m going to go to the bathroom,” Marley nodded her head, watching as Puck got up from the chair and started making a beeline to the bathroom. Puck made sure Marley had looked down at her phone before he diverted his path towards the waitress that had taken their order. The waitress stopped for a moment and realized who it was that had got her attention, her eyes darting back to the table where Marley was sitting.
“Is everything okay?” The waitress worried that Marley wasn’t having a good time, but she noticed Puck had quickly nodded his head.
“Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine,” Puck replied. “I actually came to find you because I needed a favor. See, I want to ask Marley to marry me, and I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind writing ‘ Will You Marry Me?’ on her dessert plate before you bring it to her.”
“You’re proposing?” The waitress put her hand over her mouth in shock before she composed herself. “Yes, I can absolutely do that.”
“Perfect,” Puck let out his nervous sigh. “Thank you.”
“No worries, just leave the rest to us,” The waitress winked, going back to the kitchen so she could relay the message. Puck turned back on his heels and went to the table, seeing Marley had looked up from her phone and flashed him a grin.
“Hey, you’re back,” Marley chuckled, Puck taking a seat across from her. “I was afraid you would have gotten lost in the bathroom.”
“Yeah, it was a perilous journey full of dragons and goblins. But alas, I have returned.”
Marley heard the teasing in his voice, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tightly. “Tonight has just been perfect.”
“It’s going to get even more perfect,” Puck promised, although Marley thought Puck was trying to make an innuendo out of the moment.
“I’m sure it will be. I am most definitely looking forward to riding The Puckerman Express when we get home,” Marley bit her lower lip seductively in return. Puck was about to comment, but a waiter they didn’t recognize came up with their food and placed it down on the table.
“Hi, um…where’s our waitress?” Puck couldn’t help but ask, Marley suddenly wondering why he was interested in the particular waitress that served them.
“Her shift ended,” The waiter answered. “I’m going to take over.”
“Wait, what do you mean her shift ended?” Puck stammered. “I just saw her like five minutes ago.”
“It’s 8:30, and she’s not allowed to work overtime, so here I am,” The water rolled his eyes, unbelieving he had to explain all of this to Puck.
“Did she remember to relay that Marley asked for dessert after dinner?” Puck wondered.
“Yep, she wrote it down,” The waiter couldn’t seem any more interested in this conversation and decided to move onto another table.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Marley scrunched her face in confusion, wondering just what Puck was getting into. “Noah, what’s going on?”
“What do you mean?” Puck innocently tried to play it off, but Marley’s suspicion was beginning to return.
“You’ve been acting nervous all night,” Marley mentioned. “The champagne and then the waitress leaving her shift…, what’s going on?”
“It’s nothing bad,” Was all Puck could say so Marley wouldn’t catch on. However, her suspicion was deepening even further.
“Okay, if it’s nothing bad, then what’s wrong?” Marley wondered. “Do you not like the restaurant, because we don’t have to come back here if you’re that upset about it?”
“No, it’s not the restaurant,” Puck once again tried to assure her. Before Marley could answer, Puck saw the waiter with two plates of chocolate cake, and that was when he knew that it was time. He grabbed Marley’s hand and prepared himself for the speech he had planned once they set the cake with the question in front of her.
“Here you go,” The waiter placed down the plate on the table, but Puck’s eyes widened when the plate only had the piece of cake on it. The inscription he asked for wasn’t there. However, Marley didn’t seem to mind and she grabbed her fork to take a bite of the cake.
“Mmm, this is yummy!” The chocolate cake danced with Marley’s taste buds in the most delicate way possible, resulting in her grabbing another forkful, this time to give to Puck. “Babe, here, try it.” Marley held the forkful of cake out for him, but she paused when she realized he was staring at the plate. She was even sure Puck’s eye twitched a little. “Puck?”
Puck didn’t get a chance to respond when he heard squealing from the next table, the both of them glancing over and seeing the man and woman that had also asked for cake were the focus of the restaurant. Puck glanced over at the plate that was on the woman’s table, and noticed the chocolate cake on that plate was paired with the words Will You Marry Me .
Puck realized the plate that was meant for him was served to the wrong table.
IV
“You mean it Jerry?! You want to marry me?!” The girl clapped her hands, but the man was trying to get her to calm down. He wasn’t sure what kind of joke was being pulled, but he wasn’t appreciating it one bit. “Oh my gosh! Yes, Jerry! I will marry you!”
The patrons in the restaurant started clapping for the couple, while the woman waited for Jerry to pull a ring out.
“Where’s the ring?! Let me see the ring?!”
Jerry sympathetically glanced at the woman before mentioning, “There is no ring, Cindy.”
Cindy’s excitement deflated like a balloon, which was a stark contrast to just moments before. “What…what do you mean there’s no ring?”
“Just that,” Jerry replied. “There’s no ring. I’m not marrying you.”
“Wait a minute,” Cindy folded her hands together, the anger appearing evident in her eyes. “You mean to tell me that you got me all dressed up all fancy like, come to this expensive restaurant, ask the waitress to get me a cake, only for you to tell me that you’re not going to marry me?! We’ve been together for four years, Jerry!”
“Cindy, people are watching,” Jerry muttered, but at that moment, Cindy didn’t care.
“Don’t try to get me to be quiet!” Cindy yelled. “I should have listened to my mother, I was wasting my time with a low life loser like you!”
“Why would I marry someone who was screwing the mailman while I’m working?!” Jerry retorted. Cindy’s face dropped and the entire restaurant was pin quiet at Jerry’s revelation. “I tried putting it behind me! But I don’t trust you, that’s why I won’t marry you!”
“You want to play this game? Okay, fine. I was screwing the mailman, but that’s only because I caught you screwing my sister!” Cindy screamed. “We hadn’t had sex in GOD knows how long! But you gladly stuck yourself where it didn’t belong!” Cindy composed herself slightly, traversing her arms while glaring at Jerry. “I didn’t want to marry a no-good coward like you! You and your hand are going to be very happy together because you ain’t getting no more from me!”
“Fine by me, I’ll just get more from your sister.” Jerry’s expression turned devilish, and that was when Cindy had enough. Cindy stared at the red wine that was in her glass on the table, intending to pick it up and toss it at Jerry. But when she picked it up, the drink splashed backwards--hitting Puck at the next table.
Marley covered her mouth with her hands in disbelief as Puck gave a wince of defeat, watching the red wine stain his plaid shirt. Everything that could have gone wrong tonight did, and if he couldn’t even pull off a simple proposal, how on earth was he going to be a good husband for Marley?
V
Puck had just enough and decided to take Marley home, thinking how dinner was an absolute bust and he was still back where they started. He entered the apartment and proceeded to take off his blazer, just so he could get to the stained shirt. He didn’t even realize the ring box had fallen out of the pocket and landed by the coat rack. Marley entered after him, wanting to get to the bottom of why Puck was so upset.
“Puck, you know we have to talk about this, right?” Marley closed the door behind her, seeing he had turned around and nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. “You were acting kind of squirrely all night, and I’m still not sure what happened. All I know is that you were exceptionally quiet on the cab ride back.” Marley had paused, wondering if there was something Puck wasn’t telling her or if he had done something wrong and was trying to find ways to break it to her. Marley walked over and stood in front of him, wondering if she should ask what she was thinking. “Noah, did you do something and you’re trying to butter me up to soften the blow?”
“No, I didn’t do anything,” Puck gave a dejected sigh.“In fact, I was trying all night but…it ended up being one big mess.”
“ What ended up being a mess?” Marley felt her face soften, noticing Puck was looking down at his feet. Eventually he looked up at her, tears welling in his eyes.
“That chocolate cake that was given to the other couple…it was meant for you .” With that, Puck turned on his heels and went to the bedroom, all while Marley processed what Puck was trying to tell her. Before she got any further, she noticed there was a blue box on the floor by Puck’s jacket, which piqued her interest as she went to pick it up.
Marley opened the box and her mouth gaped open at the sight of the diamond ring in there, finally realizing what Puck had been trying to do all night. She went to the bedroom and opened the door, seeing that Puck was sitting on the bed. Puck registered Marley had found the ring box, and he studied her face expression in hopes that she wasn’t absolutely repulsed at the thought of marrying someone like him. Especially since he couldn't do one single thing right tonight.
She walked over to the bed and stood in front of him, fiddling with the box in her hands and giving him a soft smile.
“You were trying to propose to me,” Marley said above a whisper, using one of her hands to grab his and give it a tight squeeze. Puck was sure that Marley would have thought he was a failure, but instead she was emotional by the fact that the man that loved her wanted to be with her forever. “Was that why you were so nervous tonight?”
Puck was embarrassed that this was how Marley found out. But he couldn’t deny it any longer. He nodded his head and added, “That’s why I was upset they didn’t have champagne and that they switched the waiters mid-dinner. I had told the first waitress that I wanted them to write on your plate, but they gave it to the couple next to you by accident. I failed. And if I couldn’t propose to you at the restaurant, how am I supposed to be a good enough man for you when it comes to executing important stuff?”
“Noah,” Marley’s tone was soft and welcoming, one that invited Puck to gaze into her eyes. There was nothing but adornment for him on her face, and that was when he let his guard down and returned the smile she was giving him. “Okay, so it didn’t work out at the restaurant, and you got wine spilled all over you because we got an impromptu show along with it,” Marley gave a light chuckle before she sat on his lap and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “It doesn’t mean you’re a failure or that you’re not a good enough man. You loved me so much that you went through all that trouble to make me happy. You are incredible, you know that?”
Puck felt a smile grace his lips as he studied Marley’s face expression. “So are you. That’s why I wanted to make it as romantic as possible.”
“Hey, it’s not at the most expensive restaurant in New York City…,” Marley gave a soft giggle before she handed Puck the ring box in her hand. “But it can still be romantic.”
Puck nodded his head as he motioned for Marley to get up from his lap. He followed suit and placed his hand on her cheek, stroking it softly with his thumb.
“We’ve been together for four years and you’ve seen me through my ups and downs,” Puck adoringly stared at her. “You supported me, you stood by me, and even when I wasn’t the easiest to love, you were still right there. When you said you wanted to go to New York to further your career, I was all in, because I was all in on us. And when I mentioned I wanted to join the NYPD while we were here, you didn’t balk at the idea. You said, ‘how can I help make sure you succeed’? You amaze me every single day by how kind you are to others, and how easy you’re willing to love those around you. You believe in me, and you make me feel like I can do anything.
I love you, Marley, and I want us to be together for the rest of our lives. I want to grow old together, I want to have babies with you, I want the whole nine-yards. There is no one else for me, baby. It has been and it always will be you.”
Puck got down on one knee and opened the ring box, showing Marley the ring that was inside. She wiped some of the tears that were trickling down her face while flashing the biggest smile she could. She stared into Puck’s eyes as he asked the question both he and her were waiting for.
“Marley Rose, will you marry me?”
Marley didn’t have to think twice about her answer. She nodded her head and wiped more of her tears while simultaneously bending down to get on Puck’s level.
“Yes, Noah, of course,” Marley leaned in and gave Puck a passionate kiss, with Puck wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him. They parted the kiss and Marley extended her left hand for him, Puck taking out the ring from the box and placing it on Marley’s ring finger. It fit perfectly, and she loved that it came from the most perfect man to come into her life.
“I love you,” Puck whispered.
“I love you too, Noah,” Marley reciprocated. Puck pressed his lips to hers again and picked her up off the floor, holding her in his arms as he softly laid her down on the bed. His lips disconnected from hers as they glanced at each other, although Puck appeared as if he had just remembered something. “Oh shoot, I was supposed to tell the guys you said yes.”
“Tomorrow,” Marley pecked his lips while wrapping her legs around his waist. “Right now I want to celebrate with my fiancè.”
“Puckerman Express ?” Puck smirked, Marley’s fingers dancing along his shirt while she undid the buttons.
“ Puckerman Express ,” Marley stated in a matter-of-fact tone, Puck’s hands going towards Marley’s dress and pulling it over her head so they could celebrate their engagement.
END