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“Blimey, this is beautiful!” Rose fingered the sapphire and diamond ring, eyes soft with appraisal.
Alec glanced off to the side while rocking on his heels. He never understood a woman’s obsession with jewels, and despite Rose’s Vitex background, he never thought of her to be the type. He didn’t want to ruin a good thing, though, so he kept quiet.
“One of our most sought after.” The saleswoman smiled up at Rose, recognizing her easily. “It complements your complexion beautifully.”
Rose smiled at the woman and the turned back to the ring. The sapphires reminded her deeply of the TARDIS, with the two diamonds on the side acting as if they are the swirls of the vortex. Nostalgia took over quickly and as she gazed down at the item. “It is gorgeous.”
Alec glanced down at the price tag and guffawed. When he noticed the sales attendant glancing at him in annoyance, he tugged Rose aside. “Rose, that’s over five thousand pounds! You have to admit it’s a bit extravagant for a ring.”
Rose blinked at him in surprise. His behavior was rather unusual with his regular diffident demeanor. She sighed and placed the ring back down, feeling self conscious. “Right, yeah. ‘Course. Mum’s expecting us for Tony’s birthday, so we should get a move on.” She grabbed his arm and hauled him out of the store in embarrassment.
oOo
Alec swallowed nervously while he waited for Rose to open her front door. He was fingering the newly purchased ring in his pocket.
“Sorry! Couldn’t find my shoe.” Rose hurried out the door, offering him an apologetic look.
He waved it off and was about to offer his arm to her when he noticed her right ring finger. Or more so, what was on it. “Where did you get that ring?!” He stared at the sapphire and diamond setting in disbelief, his hand subconsciously going back to the exact item in his pocket.
Rose sighed. “Alec, stop. I know you think it’s silly for me to want it - I know I’ve thought the same thing about some of the stuff my mum buys - but I love it. I wanted it. Now can we please go?” She began to walk down the front steps.
Alex blinked in surprise, frozen on the spot. Once she approached the car, he
kicked into gear. “That’s not…we need to talk.”
Rose’s brow furrowed him confusion, feeling rather uneasy at his word choice. She slowly made her way back over to him. “All right…go on.”
He huffed while looking down at the ring and running his fingers through his hair.“That’s…that’s a bloody engagement ring, Rose! You don’t buy it for yourself!”
She frowned and crossed her arms. “I don’t need you making me feel bad about myself because I wanted something nice! This is ridiculous, Alec.” She blinked away tears and stared off to the side.
Shit. He was really mucking this up. They were supposed to be on the way to her favorite restaurant where he would do something terribly romantic like stick the ring in her cake or champagne glass. “Rose, please listen-”
“No, you’re going to listen to me. I know this isn’t what you’re used to, I’m still not used to it myself, but that doesn’t mean-”
“Rose, if you’d just listen-”
“Don’t go bloody telling me what to do when you’re acting like a complete arsehole! I just wanted to have a nice night out-”
In a flurry, Alec reached into his pocket and shoved the ring into her hand. “Here! Here’s the bloody ring! That’s why I didn’t want you to get it. And I know I acted like an arsehole at the store, but I had reason tonight. Just…here.” He took a deep breath, agitation quickly transforming into nerves.
Rose glanced between him and the ring in confusion. “But you said-”
“I know what I said. And yeah, it may seem like a lot of money for just some ring you’ll wear once or twice, but it’s rather appropriate for…longer use.” He glanced off to the side and rubbed the back of his neck.
Rose blinked back tears. “Wait, so are you…is this a proposal?”
He swallowed visibly and gave a tight nod. “I had something better planned. Y’know, like in one of those horrible movies you like so much.”
She giggled and flung her arms around his neck. “Blimey, you’re really bad at this.” She pulled back and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “But I love it.” Another kiss. “I love you.”
Alec smiled and pulled her closer. “So is that a yes?”
Rose grinned and pulled away to take off her ring. “Good thing I kept the receipt.”