Joke Me Something Awful

I almost hailed at taxi right at that moment, on the verge of helpless, hot tears, but I realized Jon wasn't heading home; he was heading towards a group of well-lit, pretty shops that shone like beacons in the night.

A small flame of hope lit up in my chest and I thought a few more moments of heartbreak would make no difference.

I involuntarily walked closer to Jon as we passed a toy store, and then a cookie store.

Jon reached for my hand again and this time I let him hold mine.

I didn't see it coming, but I couldn't bear to pull out of his grasp.

Jon's warm fingers locked around mine and he gently squeezed, a little smile forming on his face.

The flame of hope in my chest grew even bigger and I thought I might shoot him if I was disappointed again.

Seriously.

"Ashlynn?" Jon asked quietly as we walked on.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go inside Build-A-Bear?" He asked, looking at me with pleading eyes.

I swear, he looked just like a little kid.

Half an hour later, we came out of the workshop with our stuffed animals.

Mine was a tiger and Jon went for the teddy-bear...

Which he named after me; cue the butterflies and a helplessly in love feeling.

"What's the tiger's name?" He asked, peaking in the tiger's box and laughing at the over-alls I had dressed it in.

"I don't know, I have to think about it." I laughed.

"I think you should name him Jon. It's only fair." Jon explained rationally.

I frowned.

"What if it's a girl?"

"It's not a girl! It's obviously a boy!"

We lightly argued about it for a few more moments, but in the end, the tiger was a boy named Jon.

He always gets what he wants...

-------------------------------------------------------

An hour later, we were back at Jon's apartment.

Jon had convinced me to stay there for the night, saying he has something important he wanted to give me.

The flame of hope was even bigger than before and I knew that if he gave me something stupid, which was likely, I would be totally crushed.

So I was on edge from the moment he unlocked the door and let us in.

I was so on edge that I could barely speak.

I sat down on the couch and held my stuffed animal anxiously.

Jon sat next to me in such a way that he was facing me.

"Ashlynn?" He asked once again, looking at me with those big eyes.

I gulped.

"Jon?"

"Don't be scared, ok?" Jon replied, knowingly.

I immediately relaxed, but I was still preparing myself.

It couldn't possibly be what I wanted it to be...could it?

"Alright..."

Then Jon pulled out a velvet box from his pocket and held it out to me, and I swear I almost recoiled.

Had he gone completely and totally insane?!

But I finally realized that the box was too big to be a ring box, and I felt silly.

I looked at Jon and saw his smirk; he obviously knew what I had been thinking.

"Will you do me the honor of..." With a pause, Jon opened the box, showing a beautiful, shinny, silver necklace chain, "becoming my girlfriend?"

At first I wasn't sure I heard correctly.

Then I was sure I was dreaming.

I even pinched myself, but the dream didn't fade.

It was real alright.

"What? Jon, what?" I sputtered, running my hands quickly through my hair a few times.

"Ash, I've loved you for so long...since we met, almost! I just never knew, until last month, if you felt the same way. And then I felt terrible for everything I had put you through...But I love you, Ashy... love you."

Time stopped, my heart stopped, and nothing else mattered but what Jon was saying to me.

"Wow, really? And what's this?" I finally managed to say, quite flustered, pointing at the necklace chain in the box he was still holding up.

Jon laughed a little.

"It's an I-love-you-very-much necklace...to replace this old chain..." Jon reached over and gently grabbed the necklace around my neck. "It's rusting a bit."

He had noticed after all...

I let Jon take the necklace off my neck and I watched faintly as he put the half-moon on the new chain.

As he clasped the new one on my neck, I felt his warm breath on my cheek and neck and I closed my eyes, trying to take the moment it.

I grinned when I felt Jon's lips on mine; this time it was right.