With Me Tonight

"Yo!" I called out as I entered the house. I kicked off my shoes and went straight to the kitchen, pulling out the carton of ice cream from the freezer just as Zack came in.

"Hey, man." I greeted, waving my hand holding the spoon at him as I propped myself up on the island.

“So, where is it?!" He asked impatiently. I shoveled a scoop of vanilla in my mouth, my words becoming muffled as I answered him.

“In my pocket…”

"Give it here." I pulled the velvet box out of my pocket and tossed it to Zack. He caught it effortlessly, opening it and letting out a little whistle. "Damn, you did good. Jack! Get in here!"

I let out a chuckle as my best friend ran into the the kitchen, losing his balance and sliding across the floor as his socks slid on the wood. Me, Jack, Zack, and his girlfriend Mackenzie all shared a house with each other, so needless to say we were all pretty close.

"Lemme see, lemme see!" Jack yelled excitedly, snatching the box from Zack.  He flipped it open and took out the ring, placing it on his pinkie finger.

"I feel so pretty!" he joked, holding his hand in front of him to show off the ring.

“Isn't it awesome?" Zack grinned, handing me back the box.

Jack glanced at the two of us, holding back a laugh. “It’s great, dude. But why are you so happy? Did Alex propose to you?”

I smirked. If there was anyone who enjoyed pointing out what a sensitive guy Zack could be, it was Jack.

"Ha ha," Zack replied sarcastically, turning his attention to me.

"Have you showed Kenzie yet?"

I threw my hands up, spoon and ice cream carton in hand. "Easy there, I just got home! I'll show it to her in a few."

"She's not gonna leave you alone about it, Zacky." Jack laughed, playfully punching Zack in the arm.

"No way," I disagreed, "Kenz is chill, she won't get her panties in a knot knowing that I'm proposing and her boyfriend isn't."

Jack shrugged and pulled out his phone. "Well I gotta run and help Rian out, but congrats, broski!" he grinned, patting me on the back and heading out the back door. 

I chucked the spoon in the sink and put the ice cream back in the freezer before exiting the kitchen. I jogged up the stairs two at a time as I made my way through the upstairs hallway and to the second door on the left. I knocked on the door, and after a few seconds I heard the familiar voice of my roommate shout, 'It's open!'

"Yo," I smiled, entering Emma and Zack's bedroom. It was a natural tan color, and obviously decorated by Mackenzie based on the coordinating darkwood dressers and the perfectly matched pale green comforter and window treatments. The only trace of Zack in here was his guitar neatly placed in the corner.

"Hey, Alex!" Mackenzie greeted cheerfully as she sorted through a box of pictures on her bed. She patted the spot next to her, so I quickly climbed up and sat down cross legged.

"What can I do for ya?" she asked without taking her eyes off of the pictures in her hand. A small grin played at the corners of her lips, no doubt from whatever memories were being sparked from the photos.

"Well," I smiled, "I picked something special up today I thought you might want to see."

She immediately dropped the pictures in her hand, turning to me with her jaw dropped.

"You finally bought it?" she asked, smiling proudly. I nodded and pulled out the blue box for what seemed like the billionth time today and handed it over to her. She delicately placed it between her two fingers and inspected it carefully.

"Well, what do you think?" I asked anxiously.

"I really can't give an opinion," she shrugged, looking up at me and swiping a strand of her long natural blonde hair out of her line of vision. "It's not like I've ever been proposed to before. I'm not sure what to be looking for."

I nodded, taking back the ring and putting it back in to my pocket.

"Well, do you think Claire will like it? I really need your opinion, Kenny."

She blushed at the old highschool nickname, and nodded confidently. "I know Claire will love it. Speaking of the ring, how much did that thing cost?"

"6 G's," I answered sheepishly.

Mackenzie's eyes widened. "Well, Claire is one lucky girl, Alex."

"And Zack is one lucky guy," I winked. 

The room faded into a comfortable silence for a few seconds, and Mackenzie resumed looking through the scattered photos on her bed. I stretched and stood up, kissing her on the forehead and heading for the door.

"Hey Alex?" she  stopped me as my hand grasped the doorknob. 

"Yeah?"

"Congratulations." she smiled.

I chuckled and patted the spot in my pocket where the ring was.

"Thanks, Kenny."

-----

Mackenzie

Alex shut the door to my room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I mean, why hadn't Zack popped the question yet? We've been dating for over 3 years, and Alex and Claire have only known each other 11 months. Was it something I was doing wrong? I mean, I know Zack loves me, but why wasn't he ready to take the next step?

The door slowly opened, making me jump.

"Hey, you okay, Mack?" Zack asked, giving me a confused look as I placed a hand to my heart trying to get my breath back.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You just scared me is all," I replied softly, going back to the pictures at hand.

The bed sank a little as my boyfriend sat down in the spot where Alex had been only moments before. He wrapped a protective arm around me and kissed my jawline. I politely shrugged him off, getting up and padding through our room into the open bathroom. I inspected my appearance in the mirror and started to brush my hair back with my fingers. 

"Mackenzie, what's up with you? Did I do something wrong?" When I looked over to him, he looked like a confused puppy wondering why his little owner was leaving him to go on the school bus. He looked hurt, and it instantly made me feel guilty. I quickly tied my hair back in a messy bun and walked over to him, kissing him on the cheek.

"I'm fine, I'm just a little tired. I'm sorry, baby." Zack still looked unconvinced, but he shrugged in defeat and laid on his back.

"I love you, Mackenzie, you know that?" he sighed, glancing over at me.

I sighed before climbing into bed and lying next to him. It felt nice to have his protective arms around me. 

"I know. And I love you too, Zack."