by Sloan Storm
Within a matter of moments we made our way up the crushed shell trail leading towards the front door. As I reached for the key, from inside, a noise caught Fiona’s attention. Although I didn’t know what it was, something banged or hit the floor with a heavy thud. As soon as it happened, Fiona latched on to me, gripping me with all of her might.
“What the hell was that?” she gasped, as she pressed her body against mine. In a hushed whisper, she continued, “I told you something was wrong!”
I shrugged, “I’m sure it’s nothing. Don’t be so paranoid.”
With that, I slid the key into the lock and began to open the door.
“Gabe, don’t!” she begged, as she pulled me in the opposite direction with all the force she could summon.
But it was too late. I flung the door inward and as I did the interior lights switched on.
A collective roar filled the air. “Surprise!”
Stunned, Fiona scanned the interior of the suite, and as her friends came into view, she raised her hands to her face and covered her mouth. As she did, they came across the room and descended on her, swallowing her in a sea of embraces.
Satisfied I’d gotten the better of her for now, I chuckled and walked away to join my friends while she caught up with hers.
Over the next hour or so, we mingled, drank and in general, had a terrific time. As far as the reason why her friends were there, I’d sworn them to secrecy in exchange for a two-week, all expenses paid vacation.
Although I was happy to have them there for Fiona, I didn’t want to risk the chance she might discover the true reason they’d come.
Of course Fiona, being the naturally curious person she was, spent a good deal of time trying to figure it out. Even so, it looked as if my bargain with her friends had paid off, because after a while she forgot about it and spent time enjoying herself.
As for me, well, I’d expected to be a lot more nervous than I was. Perhaps I was just exhausted from the demands of work leading up to the retreat, or more likely, I was ready to get an answer from her one way or another.
And so it was, after we’d all been together for a couple of hours or so, I decided the time had come to do what I’d brought them all there to witness.
I approached Fiona where she stood in the midst of her friends chatting away. As I entered the periphery of the group, they all stopped talking and looked in my direction.
Raising my hands in a gesture of mock surrender as they stared at me, I said, “My ears were burning. You guys were talking about me weren’t you?”
The women exchanged silent, yet devious, glances with one another. At last, Fiona looked up at me and spoke.
“What if we were? What else should we be talking about on this tiny island?”
I cast another glance among the group of women and smiled.
Reaching for Fiona’s hand, I replied, “I’ll give you something to talk about. Come with me.”
Fiona reached out, and with a delicate fold of her fingers over mine, she walked with me. We made our way to the center of the suite, where we stopped and turned around to face all of the partygoers. Once we had, I raised my voice above the chatter, drawing attention towards us.
“I want to thank all of you for coming all this way to celebrate with Fiona and me.” I paused for a moment and looked at her. “I know she’s as thrilled as I am to have you all here.”
As I spoke, Fiona wrinkled her brow in confusion as she looked up at me.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
Looking past her, I raised my voice and addressed the group once more, “Fiona wants to know what I’m doing.”
I made a sweeping gesture with my arm towards the group. “You all know what I’m doing, don’t you?”
As I finished speaking, Fiona turned her head on a swivel and looked in the direction of her friends. As each of them took turns nodding, it became apparent Fiona’s confusion grew by the second. While she was distracted, trying to decipher the meaning of my words, I reached into my pocket and before she could turn back around, I’d dropped to one knee in front of her.
Soon, however, gasps from her friends riveted her attention on me once again.
Fiona turned, expecting me to be standing above her. But now, in the position I’d assumed, she slapped her hands to her face and covered her mouth.
She began to shake as I knelt, producing the small jewelry box with a single motion. I stretched my fingers across the top of it and with a gentle tug pulled it open, showing her and everyone assembled, the brilliance of the engagement ring.
Fiona’s eyes darted between the ring, me, her friends, and back again. Before I could utter a single word, tears began to stream down her cheeks. Undaunted, I continued to lift the box towards her. When at last it looked as if she might lose consciousness before I had a chance to ask her, I leapt into action.
“Fiona,” I began, as I locked eyes on her. “Not for all of the billions in the world would I want to live another day knowing you weren’t with me. And so, in the presence of your friends and mine, I want to know… Will you marry me?”
With tears streaming at an almost unstoppable pace, Fiona struggled to speak. Hardly able to grunt in approval, she instead, extended her hand towards me. Taking it as a symbol of her acceptance, I removed the ring from the jewelry box.
As I did, I reached for Fiona’s small hand and slid the engagement ring onto her finger. In spite of her tears, I insisted on getting an answer to my question. The entire group remained hypnotized, standing in silence as the scene unfolded before them.
“Well, Fiona, what’s it gonna be?” I said, as I turned and gestured towards the other people in the room. “Everyone wants to know. Yes or no?”
But almost as soon as I uttered the words, Fiona began to rock back and forth, listing in place as if she were a rudderless boat. I stood as quickly as I could, but it was too late.
For just as I neared a standing position, Fiona’s eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed to the floor in a heap, unconscious.
FIONA
“Fiona,” I heard Gabe say.
Groaning, I stirred to consciousness as I rolled my head back and forth on one of the luxurious pillows in my room.
“Fiona,” Gabe repeated, only this time several decibels higher. “Wake up.”
Soon after, I flipped my eyes open with a series of rapid blinks and saw him standing above me.
Dressed in all white, casual linen attire, he reached down to me and began to slide his fingers through my hair. Recalling I’d fainted, I attempted to sit upright in the bed, but as I did, Gabe pressed his palm against my shoulder, pinning me in place.
“My friends? What happened? How did I wind up in bed?”
As I rattled off my questions, I reached towards my cheek and pressed my hand against it, by chance feeling the cool touch of metal. Just then, another memory returned and I stretched my arm out in front of my face, snapping it straight at the elbow.
There before me was Gabe’s engagement ring.
Somehow I’d lost consciousness right after he put it on my finger. I stared at it, hypnotized by the kaleidoscope of colors shining from it as the ambient light in the room reflected across the magnificent stone.
“Well, I’ve seen a lot of things in my time, Fiona but that one… It’s going to be hard to beat.”
Half listening, and half looking at the ring, I glanced up towards Gabe.
“Huh?”
Gabe spent the next few minutes explaining what happened. As he recounted the events, I remembered almost all of them right up until the moment I blacked out. As it so happened, I hadn’t given him an answer to his question.
“It’s just me and you, Fiona,” he said, as he withdrew his hand from my head. “I thought you would enjoy having your friends around, but I understand if it’s too uncomfortable and awkward. That said, I am going to insist upon an answer from you.”
Touching the ring, I looked up at him in silence.
&nbs
p; As he finished speaking, he sat down on the mattress next to me and pointed at it. “I don’t just hand these out to everyone.”
“I know,” I said with a whisper. “I’m flattered and honored.”
Gabe leaned away from me a bit. “I feel a ‘but’ coming.”
My eyes moved between the ring and his face.
Perhaps in the moment before, I’d just gotten overwhelmed, and being that it was so unexpected, my nerves got the better of me. But now, in the intimate quiet between us, I had time to search my feelings for the answer.
On the surface, it was easy to jump at the chance and say ‘yes’. I wanted to do it more than anything. But, before I did, there was a question that still needed answering and it wasn’t from me.
“Gabe,” I began, as I looked into his eyes. “There’s something I need to tell you, and likewise there’s something I need to hear you say.”
“Shut up, Fiona,” Gabe replied, without the slightest hint of emotion.
Recoiling into the bed a bit, I frowned and said, “What? Shut up?”
Gabe nodded.
“Yes… Shut. Up.”
A sudden swell of indignation rose up within me.
“Why should I shut up? You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”
“I do. And, that’s why you need to shut up.”
Now he was pissing me off. Frustrated, I tried to move myself into a more upright position, but as I did, Gabe held me still once more.
“Sit still and calm down, Fiona,” he warned.
“I will do no such thing and…”
Just then, Gabe leaned over top of me, grabbing me by the upper arms and shoving me into the bed beneath. No sooner had he forced me down than he crushed his mouth into mine and began to kiss me with aggression and passion.
Resisting at first, I started to relax my body under his control and give in to a need within me, which had been neglected for too long now. But no sooner had he started than Gabe broke his lips free of mine with a sudden jolt.
With his eyes locked on mine, he said, “I love you, Fiona, dammit. I’m in love with you and I want you to be my wife. Now you can say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, it’s up to you, but you better say something and you better do it now.”
“I-I…” I stammered as he hovered over me still clutching my upper arms with force.
“Now!” he barked.
“O-Okay, okay!” I exclaimed, as I choked a hard swallow down my throat. “Of course I’ll marry you, Gabe. Of course I’m in love with you! Are you crazy!!?”
“Only for you, babe… Only for you.”
He leaned in and began to kiss me once more. As the seconds ticked by, I felt a terrible stirring between my thighs. Seizing the moment, I brazenly reached up and grabbed hold of his cock. But no sooner had I done so, than Gabe swatted me away with a rather forceful smack.
“Not right now,” he said, with a scolding tone. Doing a half-turn, he pointed in the direction of the living room. “You’ve got company.”
With that, Gabe stood and walked towards the bedroom door of my suite. After opening it, he disappeared down the hall. Out of sight, but not out of earshot, I heard muffled tones as he announced the news of our engagement to the partygoers. Hoots and hollers erupted from the other room, and before I realized it, my friends were clamoring into the bedroom to offer me their congratulations and well wishes.
They’d all been well accustomed to my fainting spells over the years, so we were able to move past the issue with a minimum of questions and concerns. The true discussion, of course, was about my acceptance of Gabe’s proposal. We laughed and chatted for the better part of half an hour. Between congratulations and admonitions of ‘I told you so’, at some point, the discussion of wedding and bridesmaids dresses came up when Cheri issued a challenge.
“Let’s do it,” she said, as her face flashed with eagerness.
I scoffed as I looked at her.
“Do what?”
“Go shopping for dresses,” she continued, as she looked at the rest of the group for support. “It’ll be fun!”
As soon as she finished her thought, the excitement we’d experienced moments before as we chatted suddenly fell away into silence. One by one, they turned and looked at me.
“What?” I said, as I moved my gaze from one to the next.
“Cheri is right, Fiona, let’s go do it. Let’s shop for dresses,” Kelly said, as she smiled at me.
“Wait… You guys want to go shopping for bridesmaids’ dresses for yourselves and a wedding dress for me? Is that what you’re telling me?”
Almost before I could utter my final word, eight arms reached down and grabbed hold of me. The pulled me out of the bed, hugging me and congratulating me. The next thing I realized, they promise to take me wedding dress shopping first thing in the morning, whether I was ready or not.
GABE
“Okay,” my friend Brad said as he hung up his cell phone. “I’ve got the information on the dress. Just give me the word and they’ll deliver it here.”
“Do it, man,” I said, as I looked at him. “The sooner we get it here, the less likely it is Fiona will be suspicious of anything.”
Brad nodded. After swiping his cell phone on, he disappeared around the corner for a minute or so before returning.
“All right, the dress is on the way.” As he slid his phone back into his pocket, he continued, “And, it looks like it’s your lucky day. The dress was a perfect fit. The woman who runs the place told me they didn’t need to do any alterations.”
I smiled and nodded.
My plan came together better than I could have anticipated. Not only that, but we’d managed to bring our groups of friends together and they’d all hit it off. There was only one minor issue between Brad and myself. I had no intention of allowing it to linger, so once he’d put his phone away, I got right into it after inviting him to take a walk outside with me.
After leaving the confines of the suite, I wasted no time.
“I know we haven’t really talked about this since the first night I met Fiona,” I began, as I looked at him. “But, this is something we need to discuss and get it behind us.”
Brad hooked his thumbs inside the front pockets of his shorts as I talked. But almost as soon as I finished, he began to shake his head.
“Look, Gabe, I was out of line. I shouldn’t have said what I said about her that night at the restaurant.”
I nodded, appreciative of his candor.
“Brad, you should know me well enough to know that I don’t have a problem with someone speaking their mind.”
“I know, but what I did went beyond that. I was being a shitty friend and certainly not someone who’s deserving of a best man position.”
Brad leaned against a wall outside the suite.
“Yeah, well, be that as it may, you’re still my best friend.”
I walked closer towards him and slapped my hand on top of his shoulder.
“No hard feelings, man. Really, it’s all in the past. The important thing right now is the future.”
“That’s not going to be good enough for me, Gabe,” he said, as he looked up at me. “I need to make this right between us.”
I removed my hand from his shoulder and slipped it into my pocket.
“You’re wasting your time, man.” I replied. “But, if it’s going to make you feel better and get us past all of this, be my guest.”
“I appreciate that,” he said. “I know there’s a lot to do so I’ll keep it short.”
“Please.”
With that, Brad slapped his palms down on top of his thighs. As he looked up at me, he said, “I’m sorry for what I said about Fiona at the bar the night you guys met. I was way out of line, not to mention insulting. It’s clear to me now what you saw in her the night you guys met. I didn’t mean to be so shallow and superficial. Please accept my apology.”
“You finished?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
Nodding, I pointed in t
he direction of Fiona’s room and said, “There’s tampons and tissues in there if you’re not sure.”
As soon as I finished, Brad shot to his feet and shoved me.
“Fuck off, Gabe,” he snarled. “I’m only trying to be a friend to you and tell you that I’m sorry for what I did.”
By now, what had started as little more than a chuckle on my part transformed into a full-blown belly laugh.
“You’re really a dick,” he said, as he started to walk past me. “You know that?”
Soon enough, my howl receded, and as it did I turned and followed him with my eyes as he walked away.
“Come on man, you know I’m only kidding,” I said, as I stood. “I’m just having some fun with you.”
Brad froze in place and turned back to face me once again. My friends and I spent a good deal of our time together joking and making fun of one another. But as I looked at Brad, I noticed the lighthearted manner with which I’d delivered my joke hadn’t gone over well.
“What?” I said, as I shrugged.
“I need you to accept my apology, Gabe,” he said, with an earnest expression. “Either that, or throw me out of here.”
Frowning, I leaned away from him for a moment.
“You’re being serious aren’t you?”
Without a word, Brad arched an eyebrow at me.
As I raised my hands, he stood there frowning at me.
“Okay, okay. I guess I didn’t realize how important this was to you. I accept your apology, man.”
Brad began to nod his head as he replied, “Thanks. That’s all I wanted to hear.”
I smiled and approached my friend, slapping my hand across his upper back as I drew close to him.
“Good,” I said, as I began to walk with him. “Now you and I both have a lot of work to do if I’m to marry Fiona. There’s no time to waste, so let’s get to it.”
“You got it,” he said.
“After all,” I replied, with a quick wink. “I couldn’t do any of this without my best man.”
FIONA
After a delightful afternoon trying on dresses, my friends and I got ready for dinner that evening in my bedroom. Although I tried to keep the conversation contained to the engagement, it wasn’t long before the girls moved far beyond it into discussions of marriage and children.