Quinn
The flash of the cameras made it hard to see.
The yelling and shouting made it hard to hear, but there was no, absolutely no mistaking what was happening right there on that carpet.
Dante was on one knee in front of me ,and it didn’t matter who you were, you knew what that action meant. He had a ring in his hand. The light from the flashbulbs made it shine aggressively. It was huge. It looked expensive. It was just the ring. There was no box.
Dante squeezing my hand sort of brought me back to what was happening. I had to give him an answer; he had just asked me something. He hadn’t so much asked as just told me. Marry me, Quinn, he had said.
Okay.
Yes.
Of course.
The feelings sort of all crashed through me at once. I covered my mouth and felt my chest feel full like I was about to cry. I nodded.
“Yeah?” he asked. I barely heard him over the noise. What the hell did he mean “Yeah?” Was he trying to give me a chance to take it back? To change my mind? I nodded again. He slid the ring onto my finger and stood up. He hugged me and kissed me in full view of the cameras. We weren’t done with the carpet, but he took my hand and led me at a fast walk down the rest of the carpet and into the building.
“Dante—”
I tugged the hand he was holding so he would stop. It was the hand that he had put the ring on.
“Dante… how long have you wanted to propose?”
“Shit… almost as soon as you moved in,” he said.
“Are you serious?”
“Did you just say yes out there because of all the cameras? Is the real answer no?” he asked light heartedly.
“What? No. It’s yes. It’s still yes, but… I had no idea that this was what you wanted so soon.”
“We don't have to get married tomorrow. Our engagement can be as long as you want it to be.”
“That’s not what I meant… you never said anything. The only thing we've really discussed about the future is having kids, and we did that just today.”
“I’ve been trying to be reasonable. I've been holding onto this rock for so long. I didn’t want to wait. I don’t want to wait because I want you to be mine. I want it to be official. I want to give you my last name. Living with you and seeing you every day is great. It’s perfect, but I can't rest knowing there could be more. I want everything, Quinn. I want every part of you, and I want to give you every part of me, too.”
I leaned up and kissed him.
He was ridiculous.
He was mine.
We sat and I was distracted the entire duration of the event. I couldn’t stop staring at the rock. It was a yellow-tinted diamond on a rose gold band. I had never told him anything about the kind of ring I wanted or what I liked. He probably chose the color because his team was the Yellow Jackets. That meant he remembered his team was my favorite. It fit perfectly, which I had no idea how he had managed. I couldn’t see him in a jewelry store trying to tell the people who worked there that he was looking for an engagement ring. It was large and it was ostentatious, but the band was slim and delicate. The rock was perfectly clear. I wondered whether it was all his choice or whether he had help. I didn’t care either way. I was just curious. I loved it regardless. I loved him regardless.
Dante squeezing my hand reminded me that we were at a function and I had to be present. They were about to announce who was going to beat me for the award. I sat up straight in my seat and tried to pay attention. Some night Dante had chosen to completely knock me on my ass. Was it too late to just go the fuck home?
“Quinn Blaze.” I heard my name, but I didn’t immediately remember why it was important that I had just heard it. Dante stood beside me, pulling me up and hugging me.
Oh.
I had won.
I felt like an idiot for not paying attention and realizing what was going on. I had to get to the stage. The walk there felt like it was miles long. There was applause and I realized on the way up that I had no idea what I was going to say. I had not been expecting this. A lot of people would say that they hadn’t been expecting it but then they would launch into an entire articulate prepared speech. That was not going to be me. I had no clue what I was going to say.
I tried to concentrate on walking without falling. I received my award and walked up to the mic to give my speech. I wanted it to be short, but I wanted it to be honest. There was only one reason I had put the doc together. This speech was for him.
“This is an amazing honor,” I began. “I could never have expected that when I was putting the documentary together that it would be this well received. I went into creating it…not because of the story I wanted to tell…but because of the man the story was about. Dante Rock is a man who we are going to keep talking about because he has done exceptional things and will keep doing them.”
I paused as the audience applauded.
“When I met Dante, I never expected that our interactions and conversations would turn into the finished piece. I have to dedicate this award to him because without him there would be no documentary. I learned a lot from him. I know things about him that I am happy he told me. He is the kind of man that many, myself included, at the beginning were eager to classify and put into a tidy box. Dante Rock defies definition. He showed me what he really is… which was much, much more than we all thought or wanted to give him credit for. This is for you Dante. I love you. Thank you.”
THE END
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