I Do?
2/17/2023
***Disclaimer: This story was inspired by a prompt provided by Reedsy.com. Prompt is provided below. Visit their site https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/ to learn more.***
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Prompt: Your date finds an engagement ring inside a slice of cake they ordered for dessert. You weren’t planning to propose.
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Bill tried all the dating apps. He was fast approaching his mid-thirties and he had never been married. Sure, he had been on plenty of dates, but it never turned into anything more than a dinner and a mutual agreement to call the whole thing off. It was no fault of Bill’s; he was a perfectly ordinary and nice guy. But seeing as he hadn’t been in a serious long term relationship and he was getting older, women seemed to see this as some sort of red flag, assuming that there must be something fundamentally wrong with him and therefore not worth sticking around for. The odds seemed to be stacked against him, and he felt like he was running out of time.
Even though Bill had dreams of settling down with a decent woman, he also knew that he was fine on his own. He decided to not lose heart no matter how the chips fell. Recently a coworker told him about a dating app where the women have to ask the men out, and since Bill had tried everything up to this point, he decided he had nothing to lose. His mind made up, Bill downloaded the app and gave dating another try.
“Here goes nothing Tucker,” Bill scratched his Labrador retriever behind the ears as he opened the dating app on his phone.
Welcome to She Harmony! Let’s get started building your profile.
Searching his photo library for a half decent picture to upload, Bill consulted his best friend who was currently lying with his head in his owner’s lap.
“What do you think, Tuck? This picture from my sister’s wedding?”
Tucker didn’t respond with words, but he always said a lot with his quizzical eyes and his infamous sighs of disapproval.
After getting the side eye from Tucker, Bill scrolled to another photo.
“Okay, what about this one from my Scotland trip? I think I look pretty good in that one.”
Tucker let out a dramatic huff.
“Someone’s in a mood,” Bill muttered as he continued to scroll. He finally landed on a photo from a camping trip he took with Tucker a couple months ago and studied it a moment before he consulted his judgmental companion once more.
“Okay, well this is the only other option,” Bill said as he held his phone up to Tucker’s face. Tucker’s tail wagged in approval, seemingly pleased that he was featured in the photo.
“That’s what I figured,” Bill said as he chuckled and shook his head. At that moment he couldn’t help but think that it would be nice to have someone to talk to other than his dog sometimes. Sure, Tucker was great company, but Bill felt like he was going a little crazy at times when he asked Tucker questions and actually expected answers.
Bill uploaded the photo and proceeded to fill out the rest of his profile.
Name: Bill Thorton
Age: 34
Bio: I’m a director of data analysis who loves the outdoors. I’m a food and music aficionado and like to think I’m a semi-professional wine connoisseur on the side. My best friend is four-legged and barks. I also enjoy intellectual conversations and reading.
“Here goes nothing,” Bill sighed as he looked down at Tucker. Tucker returned his gaze with a judgemental stare that seemed to be saying, This again? You know how this ends. You’re better off just sticking with me. We don’t need anyone, and I know you don’t want to get your hopes up again for something that probably won’t work out.
“What? Don’t you want me to be happy?” Bill asked his dog, half expecting him to respond. Tucker sighed and rested his head on his paws.
“Oh who asked you anyway,” Bill waved a dismissive hand at his four-legged friend and submitted his profile. “Even if you’re right, I’m still going to give it one more try. I’ll do my best not to get my hopes up this time. Come on, let’s go to bed.”
Bill made his way up the stairs to his room, whistling for Tucker to follow. Tucker bounded up the stairs past Bill and leaped into bed in his usual spot.
“Well, no matter what happens I always have you old buddy,” Bill said to Tucker as he turned out the light.
—
Bill woke up to the sound of his phone chiming. He lifted the phone up to his face, eyes squinted as he read the She Harmony notification.
You have 1 new message!
“Huh,” Bill mumbled groggily as he sat up in bed, brow furrowed. This was the fastest response he had ever received on a dating app before. He opened the app immediately, eager to read the message.
It was from a woman named Janice Phillips. She was a payroll coordinator who enjoyed hiking and wine-tasting, and she was also an avid reader of fiction and enjoyed jazz music. She had an old cat, a white fur ball named Snowflake. At first glance, Bill thought that Janice was beautiful, and she seemed to have a lot of similar interests as him.
“Well, she seems to check most of the boxes, and she did reach out to me for some reason,” Bill assured himself. “Hey Tucker, I got a match.” Bill held his phone up to his sleepy pup, and Tucker blinked indifferently as he closed his eyes and went back to sleep. “Fine then,” Bill pretended to be hurt as he patted Tucker on the head and read Janice’s message.
Hi Bill, I’m Janice! I saw your profile last night, and it looks like we have a lot in common. I’m gonna be honest, I haven’t had a lot of luck on these apps before, but I figured I’d give this a shot and see when the next day is that you have free on your calendar. I’m free this weekend. If you’re available, we could go out to the new Italian restaurant on Main Street and that jazz bar afterwards. Anyway, just let me know if you’re interested! :)
Janice seemed like a really nice woman. Bill didn’t waste much time making his decision, resolving to jump right in and see where things went. He didn’t bother to consult Tucker before he sent Janice an eager message right back.
Hi Janice! Thanks for reaching out. If I’m being honest too, I haven’t had much luck in the online dating department either. I’m also available this weekend. Any day or time works for me! Bella Luna Bistro and the jazz bar sound perfect. I’m looking forward to meeting you!
Janice replied almost immediately, as if she was waiting for Bill’s quick response. They messaged back and forth a while longer, confirming the details before they said goodbye.
Janice: Great! How about you pick me up at 7 on Saturday night? I’ll send you my address.
Bill: Sounds great :) It’s a date. See you then!
Janice: Looking forward to it! Bye for now :)
—
Bill eagerly awaited his meeting with Janice that weekend, trying not to get his hopes up too high. Before he knew it the date was upon him. Bill tried to suppress his nervous jitters as he gave himself the once-over in the mirror, smoothing his tie and jacket with a shaky hand.
“How do I look, Tucker?” Bill said as he looked at his dog’s expression in the reflection of the full-length mirror. He wasn’t even remotely interested.
“Thanks for the feedback,” Bill muttered as he walked over to Tucker, giving him a loving scratch on the chin. “Alright, I’m heading out. No wild parties while I’m gone, and lights out at 9, got it? Don’t wait up.”
Man, Bill thought to himself as he walked out of the room. I really need someone else to talk to. Shaking his head, he headed downstairs, grabbed his coat and made his way out the door to pick Janice up for their date.
—
Janice was sitting on her doorstep waiting for Bill as he pulled up to the curb. He waved and she returned the greeting as she stood and made her way to Bill’s car. Bill leaned over and opened the door for Janice from his side, internally wincing at the fact that he didn’t get out of the car to open the door for her properly. He was a little out of practice, and more nervous than usual. But Janice didn’t seem to be put off by the oversight. She pulled the car door open and poked her head in, a sideways smile on her face as she peered inside and met Bill’s gaze.
“Bill Thorton?”
Bill tried to return his date’s easy smile. He hoped it came across as casual. All Bill wanted was to impress her; he had a feeling that this date could lead to another if they hit it off as good as he thought they would tonight. Of course he was basing this notion on what he knew about Janice based on her profile alone, but Bill was feeling optimistic.
Bill took a breath and cleared his throat before he spoke. You’ve got this, Bill thought to himself. Just relax.
“Yes,” Bill said. “Janice Phillips?”
“Guilty,” Janice grinned sheepishly as she got into the passenger seat.
Bill attempted a lighthearted laugh. He was still a little tense, but he felt himself start to warm up to Janice rather quickly as the first date pleasantries ensued on the way to the restaurant.
“So have you been to the Bella Luna Bistro before?” Bill asked Janice as he attempted to get the conversation flowing.
“No I haven’t,” Janice replied. “I just know that it has rave reviews and I’ve heard they have the best Filetto al Porto. It’s also just a block from the jazz bar. I don’t know if there’s anything I love more than some good jazz and some good wine,” Janice laughed before adding, “Except my cat Snowball of course.”
“I understand that,” Bill said. “My dog Tucker is my best friend. I take him everywhere. He loves going on hikes with me. I take it Snowball doesn’t enjoy the outdoors?” Bill smiled and awaited Janice’s response.
“You would be right about that,” Janice chuckled. “I can’t see Snowball wanting to get in a harness and go romping up a mountain.”
Things seemed to be going well, and Bill felt a lot more relaxed as they laughed and got to know each other.
So far so good, Bill thought to himself as he pulled up to valet parking at the front of Bella Luna Bistro.
“Here we are,” Bill announced the obvious as he nervously put the car in park. He jumped out of the car and quickly walked around to the passenger side to open the door for Janice.
“Shall we?” he said, holding out his arm for Janice as she stood up and smoothed her dress.
“We shall,” Janice replied, beaming as she took Bill’s arm and the couple made their way into the restaurant.
—
The date started off as good as anyone would hope for a first date to go. Bill and Janice were talking casually, laughing and sipping on red wine. It was all going surprisingly smooth; they seemed to be hitting it off quite well.
“I’m reading this amazing romance novel right now,” Janice chattered excitedly about the book she was reading in great detail as Bill listened intently. Bill was a sci-fi and fantasy fan himself, but he decided it probably wasn’t the best time to get into the minutia of space odysseys and far off adventures. He was content on letting Janice gush about her interests as he lost himself in thought.
Janice seems terrific, Bill thought to himself, casually sipping his wine as he watched her talk passionately about her hobbies. She’s confident, beautiful, and she definitely enjoys conversation. She seems to be checking all the boxes. Who knows? Maybe this is the start of something new.
When the waiter brought the main courses out, Janice stopped talking mid-sentence. Her wine glass was in her hand, her elbow propped on the edge of the table in a nonchalant manner. She took a moment to examine the plate the waiter just put in front of her in confusion.
“Is everything to your liking, signora?” the waiter inquired as Bill gauged Janice’s reaction, an air of tension between her and the unknowing waiter as he eagerly awaited Janice’s response.
Janice flipped her hair over her shoulder with her free hand and looked up at the waiter with a look of pure and utter distaste.
“Um, excuse me, what is this?” Janice demanded none too kindly - and none too quietly - as she waved her finger at the Filetto al Porto in front of her. It looked fine to Bill, but clearly something wasn’t to Janice’s liking and she seemed to want the whole restaurant to know that she was displeased.
“I’m sorry, ma’am?” The waiter seemed confused. Bill started to get an uncomfortable feeling in his gut as he watched the interaction, eyes darting back and forth between Janice and the server.
With a scoff, Janice looked up at the befuddled waiter as she said, “You call this food?” She gestured to her plate with an exaggerated wave of her hand. “The steak is very overdone, and I didn’t ask for spinach. So I ask again,” Janice gestured at her plate once more, raising her voice so everyone in the restaurant could hear her. “Do. You. Call. This. Food?” She threw up her hands in exasperation, her wine threatening to spill out of the glass she was holding and waving about as she carried on. “How can you call this place a five star restaurant when you can’t even get one of your signature dishes right? That just baffles me. You know what?” Janice turned her nose up in disgust as she pushed the plate away. “I’ll just have the lasagna. Do you think you can handle that?” Janice gave the waiter a demeaning stare as she set her wine glass down with unnecessary force and crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair.
“Oh, um, of course signora,” the waiter sputtered, fumbling to grab the plate with his shaking hands. He practically sprinted to the kitchen, a whirlwind of apologies and incoherent nervous mumblings. Bill’s heart went out to the guy. He was just as baffled as the waiter was.
Upon Bill’s first impression of Janice, she didn’t strike him as one of those rude customers that turned their noses up at a nice meal - and this was a very nice and expensive meal to be sure. But Bill wouldn’t have dared to point that out, at least not out loud. Janice appeared to be more than she seemed, that was for certain. Bill sat in silence until Janice turned to him and smiled a warm, friendly smile, as if nothing was out of sorts just moments ago.
“Sorry, you were saying?” Janice said, bubbly as ever, as she took another sip of wine.
“I uh, um…huh, I can’t seem to remember,” Bill laughed nervously as he took a sip of wine, taking the opportunity to hide his face until he could gather his thoughts. Janice just showed a side of her personality he hadn’t seen before, a side he didn’t expect to see.
“I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t fluster you just now. I just expect an above-decent experience when I go to a fancy restaurant that claims to be worthy of five stars on Yelp.” Janice shrugged it off as if the event had been a mere minor inconvenience, as if the poor waiter deserved it. From Bill’s perspective, that’s not how it looked; Janice seemed unnecessarily vexed at the small error. He couldn’t help but think that it wasn’t an error large enough to soil the restaurant’s name and status. But he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of Janice’s wrath just now, so he kept this opinion to himself.
“Um…Understandable,” Bill replied with another nervous laugh as he took another long sip of wine.
“Oh no, I did it again, didn't I?” Janice put her hand on her forehead as she looked at Bill’s nervous expression. “I’m so sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I’m just so nervous. Like I said before, I haven’t had much luck with dating lately, and when I saw your profile I just couldn’t believe my luck that I found such a great potential match. I just wanted this to be perfect.” Janice sighed as she put her face in her hand, her other hand clutching the stem of her wine glass on the table.
Seeing Janice embarrassed and upset made Bill wonder if maybe he had misread her. A wave of guilt washed over him. He didn’t want Janice to think the night was completely ruined after the minor incident. Instinctively, Bill reached for Janice’s hand, trying to provide her some level of comfort while buying himself some time to find the right words. He had never been great at navigating the unpredictability of women’s emotions.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Bill reassured her, squeezing her hand gently. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’m pretty nervous myself. I wanted tonight to be perfect too. And it has been truly amazing. I’m sorry I got flustered. I was just caught off guard, that’s all. I’m just a pretty easy going guy and I don’t get upset about a lot of things. I mean I guess I’m just not as passionate about some things as most. I didn’t mean to seem so rattled. You didn’t do anything wrong. Well-done steak aside, I’ve had a really nice time. It might sound crazy, and I’m not suggesting we rush anything when I say this, but I think I’ve finally found something that could grow into a real thing past a first date. And I don’t want to mess this up either. We don’t have to force anything or move too fast. Let’s just put it all behind us, relax and enjoy tonight, and see where it goes.”
Janice smiled a warm smile, returning Bill’s gentle hand squeeze. “You’re right. Let’s just forget it. I’m having a lovely time as well.” She let out a sigh of relief before she said, “Thanks for understanding.”
The waiter returned with Janice’s new meal and they went about their evening. Bill was playing the events of the night over in his head, and after some deliberation, he felt as if he had more clarity of who Janice really was underneath.
All in all, Janice seems really swell, Bill thought to himself as they ate their food, drank and laughed, and began to relax back into themselves in a way that was starting to feel almost natural to Bill. I could see this really going somewhere with time. I’m definitely not in a rush if things continue to go well. So she has very specific taste, and she likes quality experiences. I mean who doesn’t? I might have gotten upset if it had been me. Or at least politely pointed out that my food wasn’t to my liking. It was probably a one off situation. She could have had a long day or a bad week. Oh well. I could benefit from some spice in my life. Maybe Janice can show me how to be a more confident and spirited individual.
Just as Bill started to settle into the idea of a second date with Janice, they finished their main course and the waiter brought out a slice of Italian Cream Cake for them to share.
“It’s on the house, signora,” the waiter informed Janice with a confident smile. Bill thought it was a nice gesture to make up for the previous mix up.
“Oh, thank you!” Janice said with exaggerated kindness, her mock-sincerity clear as day. “How nice!”
Once the waiter was out of earshot, Janice muttered under her breath, “Not that this makes up for their screw up earlier.” With a shrug, she picked up her fork. “Oh well. At least the night wasn’t a complete bust,” she said to Bill, smiling affectionately across the table at him as she took a bite of cake. Bill pretended not to hear her snide comments. He couldn’t help but notice she didn’t offer him a fork or put the cake within reach of him, even if he had wanted a bite.
Bill smiled meekly back at Janice as he attempted to push down the negative thoughts that were starting to cloud his mind. He swallowed hard as he simultaneously started to rethink his and Janice’s compatibility and what to say next. Maybe this behavior wasn’t a one off thing after all.
“So –” Bill began, but he suddenly stopped short as he saw the shocked expression on Janice’s face.
“Oh my goodness,” Janice exhaled in surprise as she looked down at her half eaten cake, mouth agape as her fork slipped out of her hand and hit the plate with a loud clang. There was a small shiny object buried in the center. What Bill saw he couldn’t believe. His jaw dropped as Janice pulled out a beautiful - and very expensive looking - ring out of her dessert.
“What on Earth –” Bill whispered, in complete shock as he stared at a gold ring with a colossal heart-cut diamond. But it was too late.
“I thought I was crazy…” Janice began, staring at the ring in amazement, “…I don’t know why, but I had this feeling that you were something special from the moment I saw your profile. Now I'm here with you, and I’m sitting here asking myself if it was fate that we met when we did, and if this is the universe telling us something.” Janice laughed softly in disbelief as she held the ring in her palm. I’ve never done anything like this before…” Janice trailed off as she met Bill’s flabbergasted stare. “But maybe for the first time in my life it’s time for a blind leap of faith.”
Through the ringing in his ears, the sound of a million alarms went off in Bill’s head, snapping him back to reality in time to realize he had to fix this, and fast. Even if Bill was willing to look past the events of the evening and agree to see Janice again, he was nowhere near ready to commit to her and walk down the aisle before their second date.
“Oh, I don’t think…you don’t understand, I didn’t…please…I didn’t do this. You really don’t have to –” Bill sputtered like the hopeless fool he was. He couldn’t find the words to tell her that he had never seen that ring before, and never intended to propose. At least not like this. Or this early.
Janice’s brow furrowed, seemingly unaware of Bill’s panicked mutterings as she sat there and appeared to be seriously weighing her options. Bill knew that there was no going back when he heard the distant echo of Janice’s voice in his head as she said definitively, “Yes. I will marry you Bill.”
Bill was stunned. Before he could get a word out to stop this madness, the restaurant exploded with applause for the newly engaged couple who, little did they know, just met that night.
What on Earth is happening? Bill thought to himself, frantically trying to make sense of how a casual date with a woman he met online turned into a lifelong commitment to a stranger on the first date. What on Earth do I do?
“Janice, I –” Bill tried to speak again, but for some reason the universe was just content on watching him squirm for the moment.
“Aww, you’re speechless. You didn’t expect me to say yes,” Janice sighed dreamily, shaking her head as she smiled at Bill.
“No, Janice. I –” Bill tried again.
“I know, I can’t believe it either.” Janice’s eyes lit up as she interlaced her fingers with Bill’s across the table. “I have to say, this is quite the pickup line. You know? I’ve always believed in fate, and here and now, I believe the stars have finally aligned for me, for us. I’m finally ready to take the plunge. Wow, what an adventure this is going to be,” Janice laughed giddily as she yanked her hand away from Bill’s and began to clap excitedly. It was clear she was over the moon. What could he even say? Oh boy, Bill thought to himself as the rest of the night went by in a numb blur.
—
Just like that they were getting married.
It turned out that Janice had her dream wedding planned for years, but after two failed engagements she never got to bring her dreams to life. After Janice and Bill’s first date, it only took Janice six months to get everything together.
Before Bill knew it he was in a chapel with four hundred family members and friends, who frankly he didn’t even know they had, and…wait. What’s my barber doing here? And why is Tucker in a suit standing at the pulpit? In a daze, Bill found himself turning from the canine officiant to his soon to be wife and saying, “I do?” in front of what felt like the whole entire world. The day was a disorienting daze. Bill felt as if he was in a dream, an uncanny out of body experience.
Is this my life? Bill asked himself, wondering how it was that he ended up there. Is this what fate, timing and aligned stars was supposed to feel like?
And that’s how it felt for the rest of Bill’s life: a whirlwind of absent-minded yes dears and of course honeys as he spent the rest of his life wondering how he got there to begin with, and what would have been if Janice had never found the ring in that cake.
—
Bill woke up with a jolt, covered in a layer of cold sweat. Tucker perked up at the foot of the bed, tilting his head up at Bill as if to say, “Are you alright?”
Fumbling for the light, Bill sat up and looked at his left hand, where he fully expected a ring to be on his finger.
“Oh thank goodness,” Bill sighed in relief, resting his head on the headboard of the bed as he caught his breath. There was no ring. It was all just a crazy dream. But it was too real for Bill.
In that moment, Bill decided he had made a pretty good life for himself, and that he was content living out the rest of his days with his loyal four-legged friend, single and free to be as polite to waiters as he wished. The dream made Bill realize that not everyone found their person, and the stars sometimes aligned for a nice single man and his dog and that was okay.
Bill deleted all the dating apps off his phone, letting out a huge sigh of relief as he smiled and put his phone back on his nightstand. Resolving to never have that much wine before bed again, he fell right back to sleep. He never had such a good night’s rest.
THE END