in the room!” he announces, and for a moment, I’m happy he’s my boyfriend too.
I smile at him. “Are you going to sing something?”
“Yes,” he says. “As a matter of fact, I am.”
I am totally shocked. I thought Larry would have to be totally wasted to get up there on the karaoke stage. But without any other prompting, he gets up and gives the DJ his song request.
“Wow,” Jason says. “He’s got more balls than I would have thought.”
“Yeah,” I say and somehow feel a little uneasy.
Larry quickly downs another beer while we’re waiting for his song to come up. He keeps his arm around me, which is also kind of unusual behavior for him. I catch Jason’s eye, and he kind of shrugs and grins at me. I wonder if Jason’s planning to sing anything. He should do Bon Jovi. He’s great at singing Bon Jovi.
I hear Larry’s name called out, and he hurries up to the stage. He takes the microphone with slightly shaking hands. “Um,” he says. “I want to dedicate this song to my wonderful girlfriend, Tasha.”
Aw. I think.
The music starts up and Larry is clutching the microphone in both hands. I recognize the melody immediately and my heart skips a beat. “Love,” he sings, “I get so lost sometimes . . .”
“Holy fuck,” Jason says. “He’s singing Peter Gabriel!”
Larry is, in fact, singing Peter Gabriel. I’m totally amazed. He somehow remembered what I said about John Cusack and Say Anything and playing Peter Gabriel below her window being the most romantic thing in the world. I look at Jason, who is shaking his head, because John Cusack movies are the one thing we disagree on. I think they’re romantic and he thinks they’re cheesy as all hell, which is probably because I think John Cusack is hot and he doesn’t. But he knows I love this song, and I think he’s kind of amazed that Larry knows it too.
In all honestly, Larry isn’t a great singer. He’s got an okay voice. It isn’t painful to listen to or anything, but he’s no Peter Gabriel. But even so, I feel myself kind of melting. This may be the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me, ever.
The song comes to a close, and I have to say, I kind of have tears in my eyes. Maybe I misjudged Larry. Okay, he’s not the most interesting guy in the world. But he’s really thoughtful. Who else would get on a stage and sing Peter Gabriel to me?
“Tasha,” he says into the microphone after the music stops. “I just want to say these last six months with you have been the best time in my entire life. I . . . I love you, Tasha. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will . . . will you marry me?”
And Larry reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a blue velvet box that sure as hell doesn’t contain a stupid gold pin this time.
I look up at Jason, whose jaw is hanging open, and Melissa looks equally stunned. Jason shakes his head and I hear him quietly say the word, “No.”
Except that’s not the word I’m thinking.
The whole bar is looking on as I slowly make my way to the front of the room. I hear someone yell, “Hey, it’s the big-butt girl!” But other than that, it’s a totally romantic moment. And Larry is gazing at me like he really loves me. “I love you, Tasha,” he says again. Never mind the fact that I’ve never actually told him that I loved him . “Will you be my wife?”
Larry opens up the box and I see the ring and . . . it’s beautiful. It’s not overly extravagant, but it’s really quite tasteful and lovely. I can almost see it on my ring finger. And as for Larry being my husband, I can almost see that as well. It wouldn’t be so bad. Larry would take good care of me. I don’t think I’d be unhappy. Most of the time.
Natasha Gold. That has a ring to it.
“Okay,” I say.
The room bursts into applause as Larry slides the ring onto my finger. Everyone starts chanting, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” So we engage in a kind of sloppy kiss in front of the whole crowd.
I smile at him. “Are you going to sing something?”
“Yes,” he says. “As a matter of fact, I am.”
I am totally shocked. I thought Larry would have to be totally wasted to get up there on the karaoke stage. But without any other prompting, he gets up and gives the DJ his song request.
“Wow,” Jason says. “He’s got more balls than I would have thought.”
“Yeah,” I say and somehow feel a little uneasy.
Larry quickly downs another beer while we’re waiting for his song to come up. He keeps his arm around me, which is also kind of unusual behavior for him. I catch Jason’s eye, and he kind of shrugs and grins at me. I wonder if Jason’s planning to sing anything. He should do Bon Jovi. He’s great at singing Bon Jovi.
I hear Larry’s name called out, and he hurries up to the stage. He takes the microphone with slightly shaking hands. “Um,” he says. “I want to dedicate this song to my wonderful girlfriend, Tasha.”
Aw. I think.
The music starts up and Larry is clutching the microphone in both hands. I recognize the melody immediately and my heart skips a beat. “Love,” he sings, “I get so lost sometimes . . .”
“Holy fuck,” Jason says. “He’s singing Peter Gabriel!”
Larry is, in fact, singing Peter Gabriel. I’m totally amazed. He somehow remembered what I said about John Cusack and Say Anything and playing Peter Gabriel below her window being the most romantic thing in the world. I look at Jason, who is shaking his head, because John Cusack movies are the one thing we disagree on. I think they’re romantic and he thinks they’re cheesy as all hell, which is probably because I think John Cusack is hot and he doesn’t. But he knows I love this song, and I think he’s kind of amazed that Larry knows it too.
In all honestly, Larry isn’t a great singer. He’s got an okay voice. It isn’t painful to listen to or anything, but he’s no Peter Gabriel. But even so, I feel myself kind of melting. This may be the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me, ever.
The song comes to a close, and I have to say, I kind of have tears in my eyes. Maybe I misjudged Larry. Okay, he’s not the most interesting guy in the world. But he’s really thoughtful. Who else would get on a stage and sing Peter Gabriel to me?
“Tasha,” he says into the microphone after the music stops. “I just want to say these last six months with you have been the best time in my entire life. I . . . I love you, Tasha. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will . . . will you marry me?”
And Larry reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a blue velvet box that sure as hell doesn’t contain a stupid gold pin this time.
I look up at Jason, whose jaw is hanging open, and Melissa looks equally stunned. Jason shakes his head and I hear him quietly say the word, “No.”
Except that’s not the word I’m thinking.
The whole bar is looking on as I slowly make my way to the front of the room. I hear someone yell, “Hey, it’s the big-butt girl!” But other than that, it’s a totally romantic moment. And Larry is gazing at me like he really loves me. “I love you, Tasha,” he says again. Never mind the fact that I’ve never actually told him that I loved him . “Will you be my wife?”
Larry opens up the box and I see the ring and . . . it’s beautiful. It’s not overly extravagant, but it’s really quite tasteful and lovely. I can almost see it on my ring finger. And as for Larry being my husband, I can almost see that as well. It wouldn’t be so bad. Larry would take good care of me. I don’t think I’d be unhappy. Most of the time.
Natasha Gold. That has a ring to it.
“Okay,” I say.
The room bursts into applause as Larry slides the ring onto my finger. Everyone starts chanting, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” So we engage in a kind of sloppy kiss in front of the whole crowd.
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