Proposal(s)
“Erin, will you marry me?”
“Please do not propose to me while I’m taking a shower,” Erin’s voice came from behind the curtain.
“Sorry!”
It had been the third time that Holtzmann had brought up the idea of marriage at an inappropriate time. The first time, they’d been very drunk, riding the subway home after a long night celebrating Patty's birthday. Holtz had been giggling uncontrollably, causing quite the scene.
“Erin, get your woman under control!” Patty had said, clearly bothered by her friend's loud behavior. “This is inappropriate behavior for the subway.”
Erin had gently tugged Jillian into a sitting position.
“Erin? Hey, Erin!” Holtz had shouted, despite the fact that they were pressed up against each other.
“Yes? I’m right here, so there’s no need to shout.”
“You should marry me! Totally. I am MARRIAGE MATERIAL, baby! Wanna do it? Let’s do it! Right here on this subway!” Erin was mortified. Abby and Patty had stepped in.
“Holtzmann, you’re drunk. You’re not allowed to propose unless your blood-alcohol level would enable you to legally drive a car. And that’s definitely not the case right now.”
“You’re not the case right now! Don’t tell me what to do!” came Holtz's retort.
“Holtzy, girl, you’re embarrassing Erin. Keep your shit together.”
The second proposal had fallen on Valentine’s Day, to Erin’s dismay. Holtzmann was cooking dinner and just casually mentioned it over her shoulder while she stirred the pasta that was simmering on the stove. Erin stopped in her tracks, squeezing her eyes shut tight.
“Please, Jill. Is that really the kind of question to ask while you’re cooking? You weren’t even looking at me.”
“True. Sorry."
"Plus, it's Valentine's Day. Proposing on Valentine's Day is..."
"Cringey. Cringey is the word you're looking for. Worry not, I'll save it for later."
As soon as Erin stepped out of her shower, Holtz pounced on her. She had stripped off her own clothes and was kissing down Erin’s neck, hands exploring. Erin stopped her, taken aback.
“You are ALL over the place today! What’s the deal?”
“What? Why can’t I kiss my girlfriend?”
“And propose to her while she’s showering off a layer of slime?”
“You’re irresistible, Gilbert,” she purred, running her hands up Erin’s arms, causing her to shiver.
“We need to talk about this. Let me get dressed.” Erin pushed past her naked, handsy girlfriend and managed to throw on a t-shirt and shorts.
“What do we need to talk about? Let’s bang, baby.” Holtz made a clicking sound with her mouth to accompany the wink and finger guns she shot Erin’s way.
“Put some clothes on, we’re having an adult conversation.” She tossed her girlfriend a robe and a pair of panties, which she reluctantly put on.
“All right, all right. What are we talking about?” Holtz sighed. Being naked was way more fun than wearing clothes.
“Marriage. We’re talking about marriage. You seem to struggle with bringing it up at inappropriate times.” Holtz blushed a little and shrugged.
“It’s been on my mind.”
“Well, it’s been on my mind too. I know that I want to be with you forever. I plan to do that whether we’re married or not. But I know that it would have some benefits. You know, taxes. Hospital visitation rights if you blow yourself up. The whole...having kids thing.” Their eyes met. It was the first time that Erin had been the one to bring it up. Holtzmann had mentioned it in passing a few times, but hadn’t wanted to push. She really just wanted to gauge whether Erin was open to the possibility of bringing children into their lives.
“Where are you on the whole kids thing?” she asked plainly. Erin cringed a little at her straightforwardness, but ever since the elevator debacle, they’d both vowed to be as honest with each other as possible.
“I’m...open to the idea. I don’t know. It seems like a lot to screw up.”
“Or make awesome. We could be a Ghostbusting family of awesome. What kid wouldn’t want to be a part of that?"
"You may have a point. But let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. Are you serious about wanting to marry me?" Erin asked.
"Is the atomic weight of cobalt 58.9?" Holtz countered.
"Then let's do it. Let's get married."
"Are you sure?"
"Wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't." Erin said matter-of-factly.
"So...are we engaged now?" Holtzmann asked.
"I'm afraid so," Erin said, wrapping her arms around Holtz and leaning in for a kiss.
A grin spread across Holtzmann's face. "Cool."