shoved me backward, my arms flailing as I grasped for anything to break my fall. Thankfully, my butt touched the floor quickly and I dropped my hands to steady myself.
“I don’t want your damn ring!” she exclaimed taking it off her finger and throwing it at me. “I want you to explain to me just what in the hell you think you’re doing!”
“Shhh, Ellie, calm down. Someone will hear you.”
“Oh, sure, now I’m Ellie,” she whisper-seethed. “What happened to honey bunches, snookums pie?”
I couldn’t help it; I snorted. I take full responsibility for it. I love when she gets worked up, and, no one had ever called me snookums pie before. I sat on the floor clutching the ring in one hand and watched her break into a fit of giggles she couldn’t control. I joined her, letting the tension out of my chest and shoulders. I crawled over to her on my knees and put my arms around her in a friendly hug, but she immediately pushed me away.
“Don’t touch me,” she said, but the words only seemed to make her laugh harder.
I stood and went to the fridge, opening it up to find a cool drink, surprised when I found more than a little bit of wine in the appliance. I also found two cans of Sprite hiding in the back, so I grabbed them and brought her one. She ran the cold can across her forehead before snapping it open. She took a long drink from the can and lowered it slowly to her lap.
“I’m sorry,” she said, then seemed to think better of it. “No, I’m not. I don’t have to be sorry. You have to be sorry.”
I held up my hands and nodded. “You definitely don’t have to apologize. This situation is all on me.”
“What were you thinking? Married? Did aliens take over your brain?”
I sat next to her on the bed. “It seemed like a good idea for the three seconds I thought about it. If we’re married we can’t be part of a dating game, but then I thought, ‘What if she wants to be part of a dating game?’, but it was too late by then. I couldn’t tell Katie I was just kidding about the marriage.”
She shook her head laughing. It was great to hear her laughter instead of angry snarling. I would take it, for now. “I don’t want to be part of it. However, I’m certain we could have come up with a better way to get out of it than saying we got married and have been having a secret love affair.”
“Do you have a better idea?”
“Do you have a plan to fix Katie’s broken heart when she finds out she’s been bamboozled?”
“Bamboozled? That’s some pretty strong language,” I teased and she stuck her tongue out at me. “I’m going to have to come clean, but not until after the event.”
She threw her hands up and let them fall back to the bed. “That’s almost a month away! You can’t let them think we’re married for a whole month.”
“Sure we can. Think about it. It’s the perfect amount of time to say we realized we aren’t good together and we’re parting ways.”
She flopped back on the bed, her feet still on the floor, but her hands above her head. “I can’t even tell you what’s going to happen when my mom and the Admiral find out.”
“The Admiral?” I asked confused.
“Yes, the Admiral. That’s what we call my father, since he’s an admiral in the Navy. It’s a term of endearment, kind of like honey bunches, but you’d know that, if you were actually dating me and not pretending!”
I leaned back on my hands against the squishy bed. “Do you want me to be dating you?”
She threw her arms over her face and groaned. “What I mean is, it’s usually wise to know a few things about the other person before you start throwing around wedding bands.”
I held hers up. “You’re the only one throwing wedding bands around. As for your parents, do you see them much?”
“I see them at least once a month. They’re on the base on Oahu. My mom flies over to do lunch and shopping with me all the time.”
I frowned deeply. I really hadn’t thought this
“I don’t want your damn ring!” she exclaimed taking it off her finger and throwing it at me. “I want you to explain to me just what in the hell you think you’re doing!”
“Shhh, Ellie, calm down. Someone will hear you.”
“Oh, sure, now I’m Ellie,” she whisper-seethed. “What happened to honey bunches, snookums pie?”
I couldn’t help it; I snorted. I take full responsibility for it. I love when she gets worked up, and, no one had ever called me snookums pie before. I sat on the floor clutching the ring in one hand and watched her break into a fit of giggles she couldn’t control. I joined her, letting the tension out of my chest and shoulders. I crawled over to her on my knees and put my arms around her in a friendly hug, but she immediately pushed me away.
“Don’t touch me,” she said, but the words only seemed to make her laugh harder.
I stood and went to the fridge, opening it up to find a cool drink, surprised when I found more than a little bit of wine in the appliance. I also found two cans of Sprite hiding in the back, so I grabbed them and brought her one. She ran the cold can across her forehead before snapping it open. She took a long drink from the can and lowered it slowly to her lap.
“I’m sorry,” she said, then seemed to think better of it. “No, I’m not. I don’t have to be sorry. You have to be sorry.”
I held up my hands and nodded. “You definitely don’t have to apologize. This situation is all on me.”
“What were you thinking? Married? Did aliens take over your brain?”
I sat next to her on the bed. “It seemed like a good idea for the three seconds I thought about it. If we’re married we can’t be part of a dating game, but then I thought, ‘What if she wants to be part of a dating game?’, but it was too late by then. I couldn’t tell Katie I was just kidding about the marriage.”
She shook her head laughing. It was great to hear her laughter instead of angry snarling. I would take it, for now. “I don’t want to be part of it. However, I’m certain we could have come up with a better way to get out of it than saying we got married and have been having a secret love affair.”
“Do you have a better idea?”
“Do you have a plan to fix Katie’s broken heart when she finds out she’s been bamboozled?”
“Bamboozled? That’s some pretty strong language,” I teased and she stuck her tongue out at me. “I’m going to have to come clean, but not until after the event.”
She threw her hands up and let them fall back to the bed. “That’s almost a month away! You can’t let them think we’re married for a whole month.”
“Sure we can. Think about it. It’s the perfect amount of time to say we realized we aren’t good together and we’re parting ways.”
She flopped back on the bed, her feet still on the floor, but her hands above her head. “I can’t even tell you what’s going to happen when my mom and the Admiral find out.”
“The Admiral?” I asked confused.
“Yes, the Admiral. That’s what we call my father, since he’s an admiral in the Navy. It’s a term of endearment, kind of like honey bunches, but you’d know that, if you were actually dating me and not pretending!”
I leaned back on my hands against the squishy bed. “Do you want me to be dating you?”
She threw her arms over her face and groaned. “What I mean is, it’s usually wise to know a few things about the other person before you start throwing around wedding bands.”
I held hers up. “You’re the only one throwing wedding bands around. As for your parents, do you see them much?”
“I see them at least once a month. They’re on the base on Oahu. My mom flies over to do lunch and shopping with me all the time.”
I frowned deeply. I really hadn’t thought this
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