Part 2
Fatin settled on a proposal that’s simple and personal, yet special; the reflection of their relationship. No extravagant gestures, no big surprises. Just her, Leah, and the love they had built over the years; something meaningful and intimate.
She stands in front of the mirror in their living room, smoothing down her suit for what feels like the hundredth time. Her hands are clammy, her stomach in knots, and her heart races in anticipation. Tonight is their ten year anniversary, and tonight is the night. She’s been planning this proposal for weeks, but now that it’s finally here, she’s filled with doubt and uncertainty.
It’s not that she doesn’t know what she wants; she’s known for years that Leah is the one. They’ve been together for a decade, and every moment spent by her side has only strengthened her conviction. But now, the thought of asking Leah to marry her feels so big, so important, that it seems almost impossible to get it right.
She touches the small velvet box currently in her pocket, the simple sapphire ring nestled inside; it feels like the most important object in the world.
Taking a deep breath, Fatin tries to calm her nerves. You can do this, she tells herself. You know this is right.
She glances down at Fluffy who is looking at her with his big eyes. “You’ve got an important job later, you little shit. Are you up for it?”
Fluffy simply barks before zooming around the house.
“How do I look?”
Fatin’s head whips around towards Leah coming down the stairs, and her breath hitches in her throat. Leah is wearing a tight green emerald dress, along with heels. The colour of Fatin’s suit matches Leah’s dress perfectly. Fatin is also wearing heels, so their height different remains the same.
“You look stunning, baby” Fatin says, the words coming out more breathlessly than she’d intended. “Wow.”
“You look amazing as well,” Leah says, a slight blush creeping up on her cheeks. “Happy anniversary my love. Ten years with you by my side.”
“Best ten years of my life.” Fatin grabs Leah’s waist and kisses her softly. “Shall we go?”
“Yes my love.” Leah grabs Fatin’s hands. “Bye Mr Fluffington!”
--
Fatin drives them to a luxury restaurant she picked out. She keeps wiping her hands on her suit because of how clammy there are.
Pull it together Jadmani! You’re a badass.
“Are you alright?”
Fatin glances at Leah and gives her what she hopes is a confident smile. “Of course, ten years of being in love with you, how could I not be alright?”
“You’re cute.”
“I’m hot and sexy!”
--
Overall, Fatin manages to keep her cool throughout dinner, only wiping her clammy hands on her pants a few times without Leah noticing. Dinner was perfect, just like every other dinner they had shared. Good food, good wine, and laughter.
“Do you want to skip dessert here?” Leah says and rubs Fatin’s hand softly across the table.
“What?” Fatin furrows her eyebrows. “You know we can afford the dessert here even though it’s ridiculously expensive right?” she teases.
“I know that silly,” Leah grins. “I just thought maybe we could get ice cream at that place we did when we had our first official date off the island, it’s not very far from here.”
Fatin’s heart swells with emotions. Their first official date that they had weeks after they had started dating, all because of Gretchen fucking Klein.
Their first date was your typical teenager first date. They went to movies, got dinner (tacos) and got ice cream. Then they of course made out in Fatin’s car before going to Fatin’s place to have sex.
It was still the perfect first date for Fatin.
“Let’s do it,” Fatin grins.
Fatin pays and they head to the ice cream place. They order their ice cream before Fatin suggest they take a stroll along the pier close by.
They walked together while eating their ice cream, occasionally glancing at the water, in which the city lights reflected.
“Such a beautiful night,” Fatin says.
“It’s perfect,” Leah smiles gently at Fatin. “You don’t mind if I give you your gift at home right?”
“Of course not, your gift is also at home.” Well, her gift was currently in Fatin’s pocket, but her whole plan for the proposal would take place at home.
“We’re definitely overdressed for ice cream right?” Leah jokes. “I remember our first date; we both wore jeans and crop tops.”
“I wore heels to be able to kiss you without having to break my neck and you wore your usual vans.”
“You looked so beautiful that day, just like today. I can’t believe it’s only been ten years. I feel like we’ve already had a lifetime together.”
Fatin blushes softly. “Stop,” she pushes Leah softly with her shoulder. She considers just popping the question right here right now, but what she planned is too cute; so she holds herself back.
They get home about an hour later and Fatin feels the nerves building up once more.
“Fluffy!” Leah calls as they walk in the house, hand in hand, and the little shit comes running. Leah picks him up to give him some cuddles before he scurries off to his next adventure.
“Alright,” Leah says excitedly and pulls Fatin towards the couch. “I’m too excited so I’ll get your gift now!”
“Okay my love,” Fatin laughs and takes a seat on the couch.
As Leah goes up to their room, Fatin calls Fluffy and finishes the final touch of her proposal. Her pièce de résistance as Amanda would say.
Leah comes back down a few minutes later and Fatin makes sure Fluffy is off in his dog house, out of Leah’s sight. Leah places a beautifully wrapped box in front of Fatin.
“Is it another sex toy?” Fatin joked.
“Yes, because that would be the perfect gift to celebrate us dating for ten years,” Leah deadpans.
Fatin laughs before taking the box in her hands, her eyes soft with affection. She carefully unties the ribbon, peeling back the paper with gentle fingers. As the paper falls away, the wooden box comes into view, its surface polished and smooth.
“This is beautiful,” Fatin murmurs, her hands lingering on the box as she turns it over to examine it.
Leah takes a seat right next to Fatin, their knees touching. “Open it,” she urges, her voice barely above a whisper.
Fatin carefully opens the box, her eyes widening as she gazes inside. Nestled within is a collection of small items—a ticket stub from the Taylor Swift concert they went to years ago, their very first photo as a couple, a handwritten note that Fatin had long forgotten she’d left for Leah when she stayed late at work one evening. Each item is a memory; small, but significant.
Fatin’s eyes glisten as she picks up each item one by one, smiling at the memories attached to them. A soft laugh escapes her lips when she finds a tiny trinket from their trip to Bora Bora: a shell Leah had taken from the beach.
“You kept all these?” Fatin asks, her voice thick with emotion. She’s on the verge of crying but takes a deep breath. These are things that Fatin was sure they had thrown away over the years, but unbeknown to her, Leah had kept everything.
“Every single one of them. They mean something to me. All these little pieces of our lives together, of us.”
“Didn’t know you were a hoarder, babe.” Fatin teases before leaning over and capturing Leah’s lips in a soft kiss. “You’re amazing.”
Leah reaches into the box, pulling out a small, velvet pouch hidden beneath the other items. She places it in Fatin’s hands, her expression soft with love.
Fatin raises an eyebrow, intrigued, and carefully unties the pouch. Inside, nestled in the soft fabric, is a delicate gold necklace. The pendant is a small heart, simple yet elegant. She holds it up, her eyes widening when she sees the engraving on the back.
Fatin’s breath catches in her throat as she reads the engraving, her voice filled with awe. “The day we made it official, back on that island.”
Leah nods, her voice gentle. “The day we started dating. I wanted to give you something that would remind you of that day, every day. And of everything we’ve shared since then.”
Fatin’s fingers trace the heart pendant softly, the significance of the gift settling into her heart. The necklace, the memories in the box—it’s all so them. Simple, meaningful, and full of the quiet beauty that defines their relationship.
Fatin’s eyes fill with tears as she looks at Leah, her voice barely above a whisper. “I love it. I love you.”
Without another word, Leah grabs the necklace and slips it around Fatin’s neck, the pendant resting softly against her skin. She kisses Fatin’s shoulder softly. “Ten years. I can’t believe it’s been ten years. And I can’t wait for the next ten.”
Fatin had almost forgotten she had an important mission at hand. She wipes her eyes and faces Leah once again. “Do you want to play for your gift?”
“What?” Leah says, confusion written all over her face.
This was the beginning of Fatin’s plan.
“Yeah, let’s play for it. If you win, I give you your gift, but if I win,” Fatin shrugs, “you get nothing.”
“Are you serious? Leah deadpans.
“What? We’ve been together for ten years! I want to spice things up a little.”
“How nice of you to do that after I’ve given you your gift,” Leah teases.
“Come on, it’ll be fun! How about…” Fatin pretends to think, “a little blind test? You’re always bragging about all the songs you know.”
“You work in music!”
“With French artists! Come on, it’ll be worth it, I promise,” Fatin grins.
“Fine,” Leah rolls her eyes. “You’re unbelievable.”
“I know,” Fatin winks. “Okay we’ll play songs from our phones on shuffle and each note down the songs we get, alright? The one who gets the most song wins.”
“Okay,” Leah grins and Fatin can feel her getting a little excited.
Leah doesn’t know but Fatin prepared a special playlist, “The Proposal”, all with songs that Leah already knows for sure. If Leah doesn’t know a song, Fatin is fucked.
They play for the next few minutes and Fatin pretends to not know some of Leah’s songs to give her more confidence about winning.
Fatin knows Leah will win.
Leah is fully invested in the game as they reach the fourteenth song, which is also the final one but Leah doesn’t know that yet.
So far, these are the songs that Leah correctly guessed (thank god it’s all of the songs Fatin planned).
- You’re the one that I want from Grease
- My heart will go on by Celine Dion (Fatin considered Marry you by Bruno Mars but thought it was a bit too obvious and cheesy)
- La vie en rose by Edith Piaf (The only French song Leah knows, but a classic nonetheless)
- All of me by John Legend
- When we were young by Adele – Fatin started sweating because Leah took a little too long to guess that one
- Right here right now from High School Musical 3 (kind of perfect)
- Run the world by Beyonce
- If I ain’t got you by Alicia Keys
- Love drunk by Boys and Girls
- Your body by Christina Aguilera (Fatin wants to get laid tonight)
- Only girl in the world by Rihanna
- Every day from High School Musical 2 (Yes two HSM songs)
- More than a woman by The Bee Gees
Fatin plays the last song and a few seconds later, Leah shouts “Unchained melody by The Righteous Brothers!”
“Wow, you are just too good babe.” Fatin pretends to be sad about losing. “I’m done. You win,” Fatin shrugs.
“Where’s my gift bitch?” Leah jumps and claps her hands. Fatin raises an eyebrow at her. “Sorry, got carried away. This was fun!”
Fatin grins, “I’m glad you’re having fun.”
“Come on babe!” Leah whines and pulls Fatin up. “I won fair and square.”
“Fine,” Fatin smiles. “You gift is…in the songs,” Fatin wiggles her eyebrows and points to the list of songs Leah noted down. Each song that Fatin made her guess.
“What?” Leah looks at Fatin like she has two heads. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll give you a hint. Look at the first letter of each song title. You have to rearrange them.”
Leah grabs her paper and stares at the list of songs for a few minutes. Fatin watches her and smiles nervously; she could feel her heart beating faster, but this time, it wasn’t out of nerves. It was because this was it.
“I don’t get it babe,” Leah whines. “Can you just give me my gift please?”
“Maybe Fluffy can help you.”
“What?” Leah says once again. “What’s going babe?”
“Fluffy, come here boy!” Fatin calls. He comes running from the kitchen and Fatin is so grateful that he stayed far away from them while they were playing the game.
Leah picks up Fluffy, and squints her eyes, “Is that a new dog collar?”
“It is. Read it.”
Fatin had changed Fluffy’s dog collar when they came back home. She had a special one made, and it read ‘Will you marry me?’. Fluffy looked adorable in it.
“Made in China?” Leah was looking at Fatin with her brows furrowed.
“Wha-, No, the other side!”
Leah turns the dog collar around and Fatin takes a deep breath.
“Will you mar-,” Leah freezes and her eyes go wide. She puts Fluffy down, her eyes already welling up with tears.
Fatin pulls her to sit with her and shows Leah the notes app on her phone. “These are the first letters of the song titles rearranged.”
W – When we were young by Adele
I – If I ain’t got you by Alicia Keys
L – Love drunk by Boys and Girls
L – La vie en rose by Edith Piaf
Y – Your body by Christina Aguilera
O – Only girl in the world by Rihanna
U – Unchained melody by The Righteous Brothers
M – My heart will go on by Celine Dion
A – All of me by John Legend
R – Right here right now from High School Musical 3
R – Run the world by Beyonce
Y – You’re the one that I want from Grease
M – More than a woman by The Bee Gees
E – Every day from High School Musical 2
“Are you serious?” Leah is crying so Fatin wipes her tears with her thumbs and takes another deep breath.
“My love,” Fatin pulls Leah down to take a seat on the couch, trying hard to ignore her heart pounding in her chest, “You-,”
Leah interrupts Fatin. “Yes! Yes I will marry you!”
“Babe,” Fatin chuckles and gives Leah a pointed look, “I kind of have a speech prepared?”
Leah leans over to kiss her cheek before nodding. “Okay,” she sighs happily.
Fatin holds Leah’s hands in her laps, hoping that they are not as clammy as they seem right now. “Leah, my love, my heart, my life,” she starts before her eyes go wide. “Wait, shit I forgot something!”
She is really fucking up this proposal right now.
She fumbles through her jacket to get the small velvet box. She grabs Leah’s hand; box in the other, her fingers trembling as she steadies herself before continuing her speech. Leah is laughing slightly, her eyes still filled with tears and Fatin cannot help but kiss her cheek.
“You are the love of my life. You make me feel like I can conquer the world. You’ve shown me what real love is, a kind of love that I never knew existed; a love that is deeper, richer, and more beautiful than I ever imagined possible. I love you for everything you are, and everything you've become through the years. I still remember when I first realized ‘damn I am so fucking in love with this girl’. We were on that fuckass island, around the bonfire and singing ‘Home’ with the girls. You held my face in your hands while singing to me and, in that moment, I felt like it was just us. You ignited a fire inside of me that night and I never want it to go out. You added colours to my previously very dull life, which is so fucking ironic because we met at the darkest moment of our lives,” Fatin chuckles, only now realizing that she is crying like Leah. She sniffles before continuing.
“I love every single thing about you. I love the fact that you have to watch a Spongebob episode after we watch a horror movie, even though you’re literally a bestselling author for a horror book. I love the way you furrow your brows while watching Criminal Minds because you’re trying to figure out who the unsub is before the team, I love the way you sing when you make coffee in the morning, I love the fact that you leave me notes on my lunch pack every day, I love the way you take care of Fluffy, I love..” Fatin sniffles. “I love the way you take care of me,” Fatin squeezes Leah’s hand. “I love that you support me in everything that I do, I love your honesty, I love your integrity, I love your laugh, your smile, your little nose, and those blue eyes that remind me of the sea in Bora Bora. And don’t even get me started on those dance moves,” Leah snorts slightly and crunches her nose.
“We have been through so much and we have overcome so much together. A decade of laughs, love, inside jokes and cheesy moments, and yet I find myself yearning to make more memories with you. In these ten years, I’ve realized one thing above all else: I want to keep doing this with you forever. I want to keep making bad jokes that only you will laugh at. I want to keep planning our lives together, hand in hand. And I want to be the one who stands by you through every twist and turn, no matter what life throws our way.”
Fatin takes a final deep breath, heart racing.
“So, Leah Rilke, will you please continue to make me the happiest woman on earth? Will you marry me?” she says as she opens the velvet box to reveal the ring.
Fatin is overwhelmed by a mix of emotions: she feels excited, anxious, but mostly, so much love. At this point, they are both crying like babies. Fatin sniffles and stares into those big blue eyes that she loves so much. Leah releases Fatin’s hand to grab her face.
“Yes, I will marry you Fatin Jadmani. I absolutely fucking will.” Leah leans over to capture Fatin’s lips.
They have kissed over a million times over the years, but this kiss? This shit was something different. Fatin thought she was going to explode, right there on their couch.
It’s slow, tender, yet electric with the promise of forever. It's a kiss that tastes like years of laughter, tears, memories, and dreams, all wrapped up into one unreal moment. The kind of kiss that feels like an eternity and yet, somehow, it’s only just begun.
As their lips move together, Fatin grasping Leah’s waist as Leah caresses her face tenderly, Fatin feels a sense of weightlessness; as though they’re floating in a world where nothing else matters. Their kiss is the perfect blend of softness and fire, a delicate dance between passion and tenderness, where every second is infused with the sweetness of a promise fulfilled.
Fatin pulls Leah closer and deepens the kiss, as if she’s afraid that Leah will disappear, afraid the moment might slip through her fingers. But in that kiss, there’s no fear—just the pure certainty that they are exactly where they’re meant to be.
They finally pull away, their foreheads resting together as they both catch their breath, still buzzing from the moment.
“I have one last thing to do.” Fatin leans back, her fingers trembling just a little as she grabs the ring from the box. Leah’s eyes light up with excitement, her grin widening as Fatin slides the ring onto her finger before kissing it, as if sealing a promise.
“Took you long enough Jadmani.”
Fatin laughs, shaking her head. “I know right? Can’t believe we are engaged!”
“I know!” Leah beams, her smile practically glowing. “I’ve never been happier.” She leans in to kiss Fatin again, but suddenly pulls back with a mischievous look. “Wait,” she says, furrowing her brow. “Does that mean I didn’t really win the blind test?”
Fatin winces, looking guilty. “I may have strategically chosen songs I knew you’d totally recognize... and only made a playlist of fourteen tracks.”
“So you tricked me?” Leah teases, raising an eyebrow.
“Hey,” Fatin grins, shrugging innocently. “It was for a good cause. Plus, all those songs lyrics make me think of you and our relationship.”
“That’s disgustingly cute,” Leah teases, squeezing Fatin’s hand tightly. “It was the perfect proposal.”
Fatin smiles and leans in closer. “That was actually my second idea. The first one involved serenading you Glee and High School Musical style, hoping you’d join me for a duet before I proposed.”
Leah bursts out laughing, her face lighting up. “I’m so glad you went with this plan, baby. And using Fluffy? So fucking cute.”
Fatin smiles warmly, glancing at Fluffy playing with his chicken toy. “Can you imagine him in a tuxedo for the wedding?”
Leah’s eyes widen with excitement. “Oh my god! He’s gonna be the cutest thing ever!”
Fatin grins, her heart full. “We’re getting married.”
Leah stares at her for a second, as if the words haven’t fully registered. Then, she lets out a joyous scream, surprising the fuck out of Fatin. “I AM GETTING MARRIED TO THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!”
“Babe!” Fatin laughs, her hands flying to her ears in mock horror as she looks over at Fluffy, now bolting toward them, confused by all the noise. “The neighbours can hear you!”
“I don’t give a fuck,” Leah yells even louder, her voice practically shaking with excitement. “I AM MARRYING FATIN JADMANI! You hear that, Fluffy boy? Your mommies are getting married!” She scoops Fluffy up and squeezes him.
Fatin just laughs because she is way too fucking happy to care as well. “Do you like the ring?”
Leah holds out her hand, gazing at the ring with pure adoration. “It’s beautiful, Fatin,” she says, her voice full of awe. She gently puts Fluffy down, then cups Fatin’s face in her hands, her expression softening. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Fatin smiles, her heart swelling with love, and in that moment, everything feels perfect.
That night, Fatin discovers that ‘we just got engaged’ sex is even better than the most intense sex she has ever had with Leah.
--
They spend the next day celebrating this new engagement, just the two of them. Leah called her parents, who were ecstatic, and Fatin called her brothers who simply said ‘we knew she’d say yes. She’s as crazy as you’. They still need to announce their engagement to their friends; so that night, the excitement still buzzing between them, they head to their friends’ house, ready to share the big news.
They grabbed some beer and pizzas on the way, and together they drive to the house, no warning and no heads-up. Fatin told Dot to be at the house since she’s the only one who doesn’t live there anymore.
As they walk in the house (they obviously still have a key), they find their friends all lounging in the living room. Rachel is sprawled on the couch, Nora is half-draped over an armchair, Martha is scrolling through her phone, Toni and Shelby are dancing, and Dot is scrolling through Netflix.
“Hello bitches,” Fatin says. “Big plans tonight?” she teases.
“What’s all this?" Toni asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Pizza and beer," Leah says with a grin as they place everything on the small table in the living room.
“Yeah, but why?” Rachel takes a beer and pops it open. “We didn’t know you were coming.”
“I’m sorry, since when do we need to announce that we’re coming?” Fatin says, giving everyone a beer. “Can’t we just want to hang out with you guys?”
“Well,” Nora hugs Fatin and Leah, “I’m happy you’re here, it’s been a while.”
“Bitch we saw them last week,” Toni deadpans.
“Maybe we should just take our pizza and beer and leave?” Leah teases.
“No!” Dot says. “Leave the pizza and beer before you leave.”
“Fuck you Dorothy,” Fatin laughs.
“Whenever and wherever you want baby,” Dot winks.
"Okay enough flirting with my girl," Leah teases, sliding onto one of the couches, Fatin right behind her. They settle in, both looking like they're holding back something big. Fatin’s hand is casually draped over Leah’s, careful to keep the engagement ring hidden, but the playful glint in their eyes almost gives everything away. They exchange a quick, knowing look, their faces both lit up with mischievous grins.
"We may have something to announce," Fatin adds, the words slipping out in a way that only makes the suspense grow.
"Let me guess," Toni says, leaning forward with a raised eyebrow, clearly already formulating a ridiculous idea. "Fatin is quitting her job to become a Reality TV contestant?"
“Big Brother or The Voice?” Martha asks.
“I’m thinking My Strange Addiction,” Shelby says with a nod.
“They’re obviously both going to participate in the next edition of Naked and Afraid,” Dot says with a smirk, already knowing why Leah and Fatin are here. “They miss the island too much.”
"Nope," Rachel chimes in, shaking her head slowly with a grin. "It's Leah who's quitting her job to become a professional plant whisperer."
Fatin lets out a loud, dramatic sigh. "I’m sure the plants would appreciate the love, but nope, not that either."
Nora leans in with a knowing smirk. "Oh, I know! Fatin’s coming out… as a bitch."
"Okay!" Fatin bursts out laughing, hands raised in mock surrender. "Are you guys done yet?" She shoots Leah a glance, and they both struggle to hold back their laughter. The energy in the room shifts, like a countdown to a big reveal.
Leah grins and throws Fatin a playful wink, feeling the rush of excitement building. She takes a deep breath and dramatically extends her hand toward their friends. "We’re engaged!" they shout in unison, their voices bubbling with excitement, as if they can’t hold it in any longer. Leah’s hand sparkles under the soft lighting, the engagement ring catching everyone’s attention. The stone gleams, as if it’s trying to outshine the moment itself, lighting up the room.
For a brief moment, the room goes silent. Everyone freezes, processing what just happened, and then... utter chaos.
Rachel is the first to react. She bolts up from the couch so quickly that she almost knocks over the coffee table. "WHAT?! You’re engaged?!"
Martha, practically vibrating with excitement, jumps to her feet and shouts, “This is amazing, you guys!” Her voice is high-pitched with pure joy.
“I am so happy for you guys,” Shelby says, her smile wide and sincere, though she’s clearly holding back tears of happiness.
Dot’s eyes glisten and she wipes at her cheek, smiling through the emotion. “Congratulations! You two are perfect together,” she says, her voice soft with affection.
Fatin chuckles, wiping away a sudden, unexpected lump in her throat. “Are you crying because I’m officially off the market, Dorothy?”
“Nah bitch,” Dot laughs, shaking her head while she wipes at her eyes again. “I’m just crying for Leah, because she’s stuck with your ass forever.” The room bursts into laughter.
Toni, who has been quietly watching the scene unfold, suddenly makes a sound that’s a strange mix of a sob and a laugh. It’s like she’s fighting to hold it together, but failing miserably.
Leah turns to her, eyes wide in surprise. “Oh my God, Toni, are you crying too?”
“Allergies,” Toni mutters, quickly swiping her face and trying to cover her emotion.
“Aww, baby,” Shelby says, rubbing Toni’s back with mock sympathy.
“We all know you don’t have any allergies, Shalifoe,” Rachel teases, rolling her eyes playfully.
“Shut up!” Toni snaps.
"We're all really happy for you guys!" Martha says, grinning as she grabs a slice of pizza from the table, clearly ready to dive into the next phase of celebrating.
Rachel leans back, arms crossed, a playful grin on her face. “Kind of feel like you could’ve gone for something fancier to tell us. I mean, beer and pizza? Done and overdone.”
Fatin shoots her a sideways glare. “Bitch, I asked Leah to marry me, not you guys!”
“Still,” Rachel shrugs. “Could’ve made it a little more special for us.”
Fatin rolls her eyes. “I’m sorry, next time I’ll buy everyone a gift.”
“Next time?” Leah raises an eyebrow, giving Fatin a teasing look. “You’re planning on getting engaged to someone else?”
“No!” Fatin’s eyes widen, her voice panicked, “I meant next time we have something to announce!”
“Like when you get pregnant?” Toni teases, wiggling her eyebrows. The joke causes Leah and Fatin to blush, both of them sharing a sheepish look.
Rachel leans forward, eyes gleaming with excitement. “I’m going to be the best aunt ever.”
“What do you guys think of ‘Nora’ as a baby name?” Nora says thoughtfully, taking a sip of her beer, as if this is the most natural topic to bring up right after an engagement announcement.
Dot shrugs, looking completely nonchalant. “I think Dottie is cuter.”
“Pfft, nah man,” Toni chimes in, shaking her head with confidence. “Toni’s the best, and it works for both a boy and a girl.”
Fatin interrupts, raising her hands in mock exasperation. “Guys! We just got engaged last night! Can we stop with all the baby talk?”
Leah turns to Fatin with a grin, teasing her. “Scared, Jadmani?”
Fatin gives her a playful shove and kisses her cheek, smiling. “Hell no, but let’s maybe get through the wedding first?”
“I’m going to look so gorgeous as a bridesmaid,” Shelby smiles.
“You really will, babe,” Toni says with an exaggerated wink.
“Who the hell said you’ll be our bridesmaids?” Leah teases, her voice dripping with playful mockery.
“As if you have any other friends,” Nora says with a dramatic roll of her eyes.
Fatin shakes her head, laughing at her friends. “You guys are unbelievable,” she says, smiling at Leah. She turns back to the group, shaking her head in disbelief.
The conversation shifts to wedding ideas—how big it should be, whether or not they should do a destination wedding, and who’s going to wear what. There’s laughter, advice that nobody asked for, and the occasional ridiculous suggestion (Toni mentions a “circus theme”). Leah and Fatin agree that their first dance as a married couple will be on “Can I Have This Dance”, otherwise they might as well cancel the wedding.
Everyone raises their drinks and laughs as they clink bottles together. And as the night goes on with jokes, laughter, and a lot of teasing—mostly at Fatin’s and Leah’s expense—they know they’re surrounded by the right people. Leah and Fatin exchange a smile that feels like the beginning of something beautiful, something new.
The end.