“I guess it was fine,” Isaac admitted, his fingers tickling my side.
Just as we were about to turn to head back inside, Teddy jogged back up the steps after getting a drunk Steph buckled into the passenger seat.
“She thinks I forgot my phone,” he said.
“She looks pretty passed out to me,” Isaac said.
“You are mistaken, my friend. Steph is always watching.”
Isaac nodded seriously, like he was mentally noting that for later.
“Okay, so why are you fake forgetting your phone?” I asked Teddy.
“I need to borrow the mansion. I think. Shit. I don’t know. I’m proposing.”
I squealed and Teddy waved his hand for me to keep it down. “Teddybear!” I whispered as quietly as my excitement would allow. “My little Teddybear is all grown up!”
“Congratulations, but wait. You don’t know if you’re proposing?” Isaac asked.
“No, no, I know about that part. I’ve known since the moment I met her and she verbally eviscerated me to shreds. What I don’t know is if I should use the mansion to propose. Or if you’ll even let me.”
“Of course we’ll let you!” I told him.
“Yes.” Isaac nodded. “As my roommate, who pays exactly zero dollars in rent, Sunny has every right to grant you access to my home for your proposal.”
I nodded along with a grin. “You’re exactly right, Isaac.” I turned to Teddy. “Please let us help you. You have to let us help you. This is my dream come true!”
Teddy’s brow furrowed. “Your own personal dream is to plan my engagement?”
“It’s on my fucking vision board. Oh my God, what if we do a Christmas proposal!”
“LikeonChristmas?” asked Teddy.
“Imagine it now, if you will. Lights everywhere, a roaring fire in every room. Eggnog! Roast beast! And in the middle of all the Christmas wonder, with all your friends around you, you get down on one knee. You propose, she says yes. You go, ‘What’s that above your head?’ It’s mistletoe! You make out. Then you—”
“I feel like making out is a good end point for a semipublic proposal,” Isaac said.
Teddy was smiling a little bashfully under his mustache. “That sounds perfect, actually.”
“Christmas ring! Christmas ring!” I said and gave him one last hug. “Okay, it’s a plan. Go, go, go! Before she gets suspicious. We’ll be in touch!”
Teddy scurried back off to the car, where I swear to God Steph was sleeping with one eye open.
“I guess we have an engagement party to plan,” Isaac said. “As if we don’t have enough to do.”
“It’s called productive procrastination,” I told him. “A classic sign of ADHD and my preferred form of amusement. This is going to be even better than the time I threw myself a baby shower when I got Mr.Tumnus!”
Isaac guided me back in through the front door, his hand firmly on the small of my back. “Let’s go to bed.”
“Our own beds?” I asked.
“Not unless you want those feet of yours to freeze.”
Chapter Eighteen
Isaac
Iwoke up to Sunny sitting up in bed, staring down at me.
