Glide With The Breeze

"What are you up to, man?" Rian asked as he sat across the table from Alex in an airport cafe.

Alex was playing with his phone that was on the table in front of him. His cup of tea was nearly untouched. "I was just getting ready to call Cassandra to let her know that our plane should be boarding soon," he said, not looking up from the table.

"You've been calling her a lot," Rian observed. He hadn't really thought much of it but it did cross his mind occasionally that it seemed a little out of the ordinary.

Alex looked up at his friend. Other than looking tired, as they all were, his expression was unreadable. "Have I?" he asked.

Rian nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it's good. It's just a little weird, I guess. It used to be that you wouldn't even call her every day. But you've been calling her multiple times every day lately," he said. "I'm not trying to make a big deal of it or anything. It's just," he paused, "I don't know. Is everything okay with you two? Is she mad about something?"

A laugh escaped Alex and he shook his head a little. "Everything is great with us," he said, a vague smile pulling at the very corners of his mouth. "I love her so much. I guess I'm just trying to be a better boyfriend," he said, looking down again. He reached for his cup and took a drink from it.

Rian studied his friend across the table. His words bled truth and that was more than obvious. Since he had been with Cassie, he'd grown a lot. And more recently he had taken on what seemed to be a whole new excitement for life. Genuine happiness radiated off him. Everyone around him noticed but no one questioned it.

"Do you think we're moving too fast?" Alex asked suddenly and out of nowhere.

"We've been friends for a really long time. If anything, I'd say we haven't been moving nearly fast enough," Rian joked.

Alex laughed loudly. Though he probably should have expected it, he had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't seen it coming. "I mean," he said when finally calmed himself down, "She and I haven't really been together all that long. A little over a year in total. And I want to marry her. And that's something I thought I wouldn't say until I was in my thirties. But I do. I really, really want to marry her."

A smile slid across Rian's face. Alex had grown so much since he'd met Cassie and sometimes Rian almost didn't even recognize him. But in a good way.

"In the beginning I was less than thrilled about the idea of the two of you. But you know that. I didn't even try to hide it," Rian said to his friend, who nodded. "And now, I can't imagine you and Cassie not being together. Seriously, the thought of you dating someone else, or her dating someone else, it just seems so wrong. So no, to answer your question, I don't think you guys are moving too fast. She's an incredible girl, and I've thought that ever since we were kids. And I think if you want to marry her, then you should ask her," he said.

Alex couldn't help the grin that pulled at the corners of his mouth. Without even asking for it, he had Rian's blessing. And considering he was one of the people Cassie respected most in her life, that was huge.

It didn't take long for his expression to dissipate. "I, uh, sort of, uh, already asked her," he said. Rian raised an eyebrow but Alex continued before he could say anything. "And she turned me down."

The expression that overtook Rian's face was one of utter shock. He knew Cassie incredibly well and knew that she felt the same about Alex as he felt about her. So, what his friend just told him didn't make any sense.

"What do you mean she turned you down?" he asked, trying to keep his voice low and tone even.

Alex sighed quietly. "Okay, well, she didn't completely turn me down. Like, she didn't say that she wouldn't ever marry me. I just kind of asked her in passing and she said she wouldn't accept a proposal right now," he explained.

Rian's eyes fell closed as he tried to make all the puzzle pieces fit together. But it still didn't make sense to him. "You asked her in passing," he said, his eyes still closed. "What does that even mean?" he questioned.

"We were in the car and I asked her if she wanted to get married," he said.

Rian's head hit the table with a loud thud. His eyes were open when he quickly lifted it and looked at his friend. "Are you an idiot?" he asked. Alex's expression clouded over with confusion and he opened his mouth to ask 'what?' but Rian didn't give him a chance. "Did you even put any thought into it whatsoever? Cassie may be somewhat," he paused, searching for the right word, "Unconventional," he said, "But she's still a woman. And, while I am a man and therefore ridiculously far from being an expert on women, I can tell you that women, all women, regardless of what they will tell you, like romance, at least when it comes to certain things. Like marriage proposals." His voice had gotten louder, his tone exasperated and he stressed his words to make a point. "She wants you to put the thought, the feelings, into it. You can't just say, 'oh hey wanna get married?' and expect her to say yes," he said. "Shit, if I was her, I would have slapped you for even thinking that would be an acceptable way to propose marriage."

Alex stared wide-eyed at his friend. But before he could respond, his phone rang, shaking the table in front of him. He knew who it was without having to look at it. "I need to take this," he said and slid off the chair at the same time he answered the phone call. "Hello?" he said.

"Tomorrow afternoon, Alex," she said. "Early afternoon. You're really pushing it here."

He sighed softly, hating that she was upset. "I know," he said. "My flight should be boarding in about five minutes. I'll be getting in late but I promise you that I will be at your house first thing in the morning. Probably before you even wake up," he assured her. The line fell silent and he pulled his phone from his ear to check if the call had been dropped. When he saw that it hadn't, he said, "Cassandra?"

"You're not coming home until tomorrow morning?" she asked quietly.

Confusion muddled Alex's brain. "I'm coming home tonight," he said. "I'm going to sleep at my house for a few hours so I don't disturb you," he explained.

"No," she said softly, and he could tell that she was shaking her head. "Home is with me, where I am," she insisted and it was obvious she had started crying. His heart ached. Pregnancy was making her feel vulnerable. And there was nothing he could do. "If you're not going to be in my bed when you get back, then you're not going to be home," she said. "And I really need you home." She sniffled. "I hate feeling this way."

The first group was being called for boarding for his flight but he ignored it and said the only thing he could think that might bring her even the slightest bit of comfort from the other end of a phone call. "I love you," he said. She remained silent, except for a sniffle here and there. He was quiet also. When boarding was announced again, he said, "I'm coming right home. I promise."