#289: the ling-bay.

so. here's the how. kind of from the very beginning.

**********************

we had been dating for a rather tumultuous six months (translation: yours truly refused to be exclusive). towards the end of the six months, we signed up to run a half-marathon. the day after the race, along with sore legs, i realized i also had all these pent up mushy feelings for him. so i let him know...that i was down to get serious and give us a try.

two years later, after moving together to a new city and living in sin for a year, we signed up for a triathlon as motivation to get buff and keep us in shape. the plan totally didn't work. but we decided not to drop out, even if it meant failing during the first leg of the race. since we didn't care about the time and simply hoped to come out alive at the end, he convinced me that we should run the course together.

so we did. he could've easily burned me but he chose to be my backbone. i suffered and cursed a million times but we biked and ran together...trekked through and crossed the finish line hand in hand. after our friends congratulated us, we headed to our transition areas to gather our things (including my tiny wetsuit that almost suffocated me during the swim). he suggested that we go to the lake for a quick dip since the sun had gotten pretty hot by then. i said ok.

bf: "come into the water with me. it feels great."

after dipping my toe in: "nah. it's too cold."

bf: "um, are you sure?...come on. no? but don't you want to cool off? yeah? no? hm, ok." splashes water around to 'cool off'. comes out of the water and hugs me. "isn't this great?"

me: "sure."

bf: "so...we've done a half marathon...and you've put up with me for two years...and now we've completed our first triathlon together..."

me: "yeah..."

bf: "...do you think...you could marry me?"

me: "we should definitely discuss that at some point..."

bf: "...no...i'm being serious..."

me: "what?"

bf: now on bended knee. "will you marry me...?"

me: "whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?"

by then, i was covering my face and then uncovering my face and then covering my face and then wiping my eyes and then sticking out my hand and saying "are you serious" about a million times. he had to prompt me to give him an answer as i'd apparently forgotten to say anything other than "are you serious".

so i said yes. yes to forever with him.




round brilliant center, flanked by two rose-cut diamonds. the setting is a beautiful rose gold.