The candles on my birthday cake had just been blown out. One moment, I was grinning ear to ear, surrounded by loved ones in a cozy Italian restaurant. The next, I was staring in disbelief. Noah, my boyfriend of five years, surprised me by getting down on one knee with a ring.
“Clarissa,” he began, “these past five years have been the happiest of my life. Will you—”
But I didn’t let him finish. As soon as I saw the ring, my hand shot out, landing with a resounding SMACK across Noah’s cheek. The restaurant fell silent, save for gasps from our families.
“What on earth—” he exclaimed, hand flying to his cheek.
“How could you?” I hissed, tears stinging my eyes. “How dare you propose to me with THAT RING?”
Noah looked confused. “What are you talking about? I picked this out for you!”
Close-up shot of a man holding a velvet box nestling a ring | Source: Midjourney
I snatched the ring from the box, trembling as I examined it. The band, adorned with colorful diamonds, matched the photo I’d seen.
“Don’t lie to me, Noah. This is Lorraine’s ring. My best friend’s ring!”
His face paled. “Lorraine? What does she have to do with this?”
“She showed me a picture of it last week. Said it was from her ‘secret boyfriend.’ I can’t believe you’ve been sneaking around with her.”
“No, Clarissa, you’ve got it all wrong!”
“You thought you could have us both, didn’t you? My boyfriend and my best friend? How long has this been going on?”
“Clarissa, I swear, there’s nothing going on between me and Lorraine!”
Tears gushed down my cheeks. “I trusted you, Noah. And this is how you repay me? By proposing with another woman’s ring?”
My mother stepped forward. “Maybe we should all calm down—”
“No, Mom! Do you know what it feels like to have your heart ripped out on your birthday?”
Noah reached out, but I jerked away. “Don’t touch me!”
“Five years together, and you think I’d throw it all away? I love you!”
Suddenly realizing someone was missing, I asked, “Where’s Lorraine?”
Tom cleared his throat. “She left a few minutes ago. Said she wasn’t feeling well.”
“Of course she did,” I muttered. “Couldn’t watch her plan fall apart, could she?”
“Clarissa, what plan?” Noah asked.
I shook my head. “Lorraine showed me the ring, knowing you’d propose with it.”
Noah turned to Lorraine. “How did you have a picture of Clarissa’s ring?”
Lorraine took a shaky breath. “I saw it when Noah showed it to me last week. He wanted my opinion.”
I faltered. “But you said it was from your secret boyfriend.”
“There is no secret boyfriend. I made it up. I was trying to play a prank.”
“A prank? Why would you do that?”
Lorraine looked down. “I was jealous. You and Noah are perfect together. I wanted to feel like I mattered.”
I felt a pang of pity. “Did you really think this was the way to go about it?”
Noah said, “You matter to both of us. Why not just talk to us?”
“I know it was stupid,” Lorraine admitted, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Turning to Noah, I said, “I’m so sorry. I jumped to conclusions.”
He smiled softly. “Nothing’s ruined. This wasn’t how I imagined tonight going.”
As we made our way back to the restaurant, I worried about what everyone thought.
Noah cleared his throat. “If you’ll bear with us, I’d like to try this again.” He knelt again, ring in hand.
“Clarissa, these past five years have been an adventure. Will you marry me?”
Tears of joy spilled down my cheeks as I nodded. “Yes!”
The restaurant erupted in applause as he slipped the ring onto my finger. Despite the chaos, I knew this night would become a cherished story. 💞
