…for Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers photo prompt.
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Let me read it to you!
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A waxen candle, a golden flame. Glasses of crimson wine. Their hands rested on the table, his fingers brushing hers.
He stared into her eyes, she blushed.
A waiter appeared. On a silver platter sat a small square box.
He took it, and raised the lid to reveal the most beautiful ring imaginable. Tears filled her eyes.
He took her hand, but she drew it away.
Neither understood what was happening. She stood and fled the room.
*
In the middle of the night his phone rang. He pressed it to his ear but before he could speak, a faint voice whispered, ‘hello’.
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Click the ring to see the squares!
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PHOTO PROMPT © Susan Rouchard
Audio background music – Best Friends by the Romantic Piano Music Academy
A voice from beyond?
It’s her, hoping they can still be best friends, nothing more.
Wondering now whether it’s an apology, an explanation, or an acceptance.
An explanation best describes it. Too far, too fast.
Spambox again?
Yes!
Wonderful love story with an unexpected ending, Keith. I wonder who was on the other end of that call?
Thanks, Suzette, it was her hoping they could remain best friends.
Ah, I see. Thank you! Have a good one Keith.
In retrospect, I should have made it clearer!
Oh no worries, I enjoyed the ending as it is.
Men should stop doing this type of thing in such a public setting. Sadly she was not on the same page as him. Nicely done!
Us men! Too right, he should have given it a lot more thought!
Every time I see these grandiose marriage proposals, I think man… I hope you guys already spoke about the possibility of marriage coz if you didn’t and she ain’t digging it, you are putting her in a very uncomfortable position!
Indeed Dale, that’s exactly what happened!
Oh dear….
This is a sad one! Will they still be friends? Can they be? One with a broken heart, the other whose heart is free? I wonder what he’ll do. What a well-written vignette, Keith!
We can only hope they take a step back, then carry on as before. Thanks so much.
I’m glad she let him know right away instead of leading him on. It will still hurt, but maybe heal a little more quickly? Beautiful music to accompany your story.
My thoughts entirely, thank you, Lisa.
You’re very welcome, Keith.
What a beautiful mystery. I want to know if it is her on the phone and what else she will say.
Thanks so much. It is her, all she ever wanted was friendship.
Yikes
A bit of a misunderstanding!
Ooh! This is an intriguing ending. Loved it.
She really wants to get back to the way it was. Thanks, Sadje.
You’re welcome. You do tell a story well.
I think they should have discussed things first to know if they were on the same page.
They didn’t know each other as well as they thought.
Looks like it. Best to be friends if the heart is up for it.
Oh, poor man. I think she’ll change her mind. How could she reject such a proposal? She just needed time to think about it. Anyway, that’s what’s happening in my continuation of your story. Lovely.
You could be right, but being ‘besties’ was all she ever wanted. Thanks, Margaret.
So beautiful and subtle, I love it. Maybe she needs a bit more time, and sometimes commitment just isn’t the right thing. I hope they can mend their friendship.
Thanks so much. You’ve summed up their predicament perfectly!
So many songs are playing in my head after reading this.
Unrequited love, I think they call it. A great topic to write about, but living it, at least from his point of view, sucks. 🙂
Well, at least SHE called HIM. That is something.
Indeed, I’m sure they’ll share common ground again in time.
Not the way I hoped this would end but your writing is lovely and so very touching.
Perhaps there is hope for them? A beautiful write, Keith.
Thanks, Nancy. I’d like to think so.
If you haven’t talked about marriage seriously, and you aren’t completely sure she’s waiting for you to ask, don’t ask in public. It’s so sad when this happens.
Very true, Mimi.
I’ve often wondered about the wisdom of a public proposal. So glad ours was private and personal! Apparently she wasn’t ready for him to pop the question.
Me too, Linda. All she wanted was friendship.
Oh, I hope she had a change of heart. Fingers crossed. 🙂
Time will tell, I’m sure!
How embarrassing it was for him to propose her and for her to react that way. She obviously wasn’t prepared for it. Maybe her phone call would encourage and give him some hope.
They didn’t know each other as well as they thought. I’d like to think they found common ground.
Great story Keith – I don’t understand why some men think a big public show is the way to go – crazy 😄
I had several goes but never in public – thank goodness!
Practice makes perfect Keith 😊
Dear Keith,
How disappointing for him. And to be rejected in a public place had to have been devastating for both of them. Well told.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thanks, Rochelle. Sadly they both wanted different things in their relationship
Oh wow, poor guy, this happened to me. I can still remember the look on his face when I turned him down. Maybe if he had waited another 6 months, or a year it would have been different. Maybe not. Hard to stay friends after that.
Good story!
Oh dear! Who knows how different your life would have been had he bided his time?
Yea…ooo..made me shudder. lol