On the rooftop of her apartment building, he got down on one knee and lifted an opened box containing a sparkly diamond ring, “Emma, I have loved you since the night we danced at prom. I know it might be a little too soon seeing we just graduated from college not long ago and just now beginning to be able to support ourselves but I think we can make it work. What do you say? Will you marry me?”

When he got down on one knee, Emma reflexively took a step. She knew where Scott was going with this. She had seen enough movies about how this scene would play out she just never imagined it would be happening to her. As he spoke, she ran through every scenario in her head. Yes or no? She ultimately asked herself.

There must had been a blank look on her face because he was waving a hand in front of her. “Earth to Emma?”

“Sorry,” Emma apologized and then she, too, got down on her knees and looked down at the box with the ring and placed a hand over the ring to shut the box. “Scott,” she sighed.

Scott sighed, too, “You don’t have to say it, I know a ‘no’ when I see one.” He got up and about to leave.

“Scott, wait, let me explain.”

“What is there to explain, Emma? Your look told me everything I needed to know.”

She litted up a sleeve, “You see this tattoo? It says, ‘Love Yourself.’ I got this shortly after high school graduation. I’m not rejecting your proposal. I just need more time to figure things out before I can be the best partner for you.”

“What kind of things?”

“I’m not ready to discuss that with anyone yet,” she grabbed his hand, “but I promise I’ll let you know when I’m ready. For now, can we just be?”

Scott stared at her for a moment, also running through various scenarios in his head, before wrapping her tight in his arms. “Of course.”

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