Simplicity

This isn't a joke or a test. I know this isn’t exactly the most romantic way to do things, but I figured you’d appreciate something simple more than some flashy event. I love you, Julie. Will you marry me?

Tyler stared as the words on his phone screen glowed out from the darkness. It was short, simple, but sweet enough. He felt like he had properly conveyed himself, even over a text. That wasn’t what bothered him. What bothered him was what he saw right below that message.

Seen Yesterday 11:46 PM

She hadn’t replied yet. He tried to rationalize it. Of course, she hadn’t. After all, it was a big question. She couldn't decide something this important in a day or two. Hell, he’d spent three days just agonizing on how to write it.

He started out the overly-sappy sentimental route. 

You are my life, my soulmate, my everything. 

 Yadda, yadda, and all that junk, but he almost wanted to puke after reading it. That sickly-sweet crap would make Julie gag too. Next, he thought about the minimalist route. Short and simple. 

Will you marry me?

 The problem with that is they had both used it as a casual joke before. Things like:

Hey, do you want me to pick up pizza? 

Umm, yes! Marry me XD

He didn’t want her to think he was joking around. He wanted her to realize how serious he was being. Of course, the obvious choice to avoid this problem was to just ask in person. Somehow, that was an even more stress-inducing idea. Being left on read was bad, but the only thing worse would be waiting for a reply in person. 

If he took her out to ask her and she rejected him, then his heartbreak would be witnessed by dozens of strangers. Not that that would happen. Julie was the sweetest, she’d say yes just to spare him the embarrassment if nothing else. He didn’t want to do that to her. He didn’t want the false hope of thinking she had accepted and he really didn’t want to be the asshole who put her in that position in the first place. Besides, she wasn’t a “grand public display of affection” kind of girl. If anything, something like that would make her less likely to say yes.

The next choice was to ask her in private. Maybe take her to a small place, special to them. The park where they had their first date, or even just doing something together at home. This was even more terrifying than asking in public though. She had no reason to say yes out of obligation then. She might reject him outright. Then not only would his heart be broken, but his memories would be tainted too. He’d never be able to go to that park again without remembering her rejection, his apartment would be a place of bad omens, and any beautiful memories they once shared in these places would be overshadowed by the pain he felt. That was more horrifying than any rejection could ever be.

So he settled on a text. Hey, it was a modern world, right? Everything was online now. He couldn’t have been the first guy to do it, probably not the last either. Julie wouldn’t care about something like that. She’d appreciate his honest feelings a hell of a lot more than some flashy proposal. After all, it’s not like he was half-assing it. He bought a ring and everything. He was going to rush over to her place with it the moment she said yes. If she said yes.

He sighed deeply. That was the real problem. The real reason he was too afraid to ask her in person. The truth was, he had no confidence whatsoever that she would say yes. He didn’t even imagine it as a possibility. Why would she marry him? 

He wasn’t smart like she was. A college-educated woman, Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. He barely finished high school with a 2.8 GPA. He wasn’t successful like she was. A top associate at the bank she worked for. Meanwhile, he was pulling minimum wage as a grocery store stock boy. He wasn’t talented like she was. An amazing cook, killer at karaoke, and knew her way around a sketchpad. Fried eggs were his best meal, his singing shattered glass, and stickmen weren’t really that impressive past third grade.

Beautiful, intelligent, kind, gentle, funny, loving. Julie was everything. The woman every man dreamed about. She could have any of them if she wanted. Why would she choose him? What did he have to offer? 

A sudden knock at the door interrupted these thoughts. Tyler glanced at his phone. 2:17 AM. Who the hell was here this time of night? He sighed and got out of bed, tucking the phone into his pocket. He heard the knock again. 

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” he grumbled.

He unlocked the door and opened it, ready to complain to whoever was there about what time it was. It was Julie. He froze as he saw her there. They stared at each other in silence for a moment.

“Can I come in?” She asked finally.

“Oh! Yeah, yeah,” he said, moving aside so she could get in.

He closed the door behind her. Once inside the silence from the hallway took over again. Well, she was here now. What should he say to her? He didn’t have a clue. He opened his mouth, hoping the words might find their way out.

“Jules, I-”

“A text message?” She said finally. “Really Ty? A goddamn text message?”

He looked at the ground and shrugged. He knew she was right. It wasn’t exactly any girl’s dream proposal. He hated how much of a coward he was. Why couldn’t he have grown a pair and asked her like a man? He felt pathetic.

“Just tell me why,” she sighed. “Why a text message?”

“Because I was afraid you’d say no,” he said quietly. “A text message would hurt a lot less than hearing it from you directly.”

“Do you really believe that?” She asked.

“I guess it would hurt either way, but-”

“Not that,” she huffed angrily. “You really thought I’d say no?”

He looked up at her in shock. “Huh?”

“I know you. Where’s the ring? You wouldn’t have asked without one,” she said, crossing her arms.

She stood there, waiting on him. His brain sparked back to life and he ran to his room to get the ring. It was nothing expensive, but it was something he hoped she would like. He brought out the small, velvet box. She held out her and expectantly. He gave it to her, still not sure what was going on.

She pulled out her phone and started playing with it. What was she doing exactly? His question was answered when his pocket vibrated. He pulled it out. He had a new message. He glanced up. Julie smiled and opened the box, she put the ring on her finger. She looked down at it happily. His heart started racing as he opened the notification. A single word stared up at him from the screen:

Yes.