ever after...

It was a Wednesday…an especially delightful one at that. I remember walking down the street towards our apartment during what seemed to be an absolutely perfect summer afternoon. The air was warm, the breeze was light and sun was beaming through the trees. It was, most definitely, a perfect day!

Steve had called me earlier in the afternoon to let me know that he had a meeting that was going to go a bit later and to just head home…that he would see me there. We normally touch base every evening before leaving work and it felt strange not to hear his voice before leaving the office.

I remember thinking to myself as I approached our apartment that we should go out for dinner or dessert or at least do something to celebrate and enjoy how amazing this summer day. We had had a pretty busy summer up until then; we had just moved into our new apartment a few months earlier and I had just changed jobs a few weeks earlier…so a lot of our time involved adjusting to a new routine and getting used to a lot of changes, albeit good ones. It seemed like the perfect occasion to take a breather from our usual schedules and indulgence in the very best of summer.

Steve had other plans though…

As I walked up the stairs to our top floor apartment, I could hear music coming from our living room and it made me wonder if we had forgotten to turn off the radio before leaving home that morning. As I opened the door, Steve popped his head out from the kitchen…smiled and said hi! Clearly confused (because he was supposed to be a meeting), I merely stood in my tracks wondering what I had missed. As I looked around the room, I quickly realized that Steve’s presence wasn’t the only thing that seemed out of place; our apartment was filled with the smell of his famous lasagna; there were a dozen roses on our table in the hallway; our bed was covered with rose petals and our entire apartment was lit with candles. Before I even had the chance to understand what was happening, my beloved was on one knee with the most beautiful diamond ring I had ever seen. I don’t honestly remember what he said but I remember being speechless because there were no words…only him. Only my Steve…my love…my fiancé!

And here I thought that I was just walking home that day and going out for dinner when really, I was going home and walking right into a fairytale.