He shoots off the couch and paces like a caged tiger. I’ve never seen him so worked up. He’s usually the king of calm, cool and collected. His smartass smirk is always locked in place. But not today. Today he’s about thirty seconds from losing his shit. It’s glorious.

“Just hear me out.” He comes to a quick stop in front of the TV, wiping a hand down his exhausted face. He takes a deep breath and holds it, rolling his shoulders. “Okay, here it is.”

I lean forward, bracing my elbows on my knees and giving him my undivided attention. His locks his eyes on me. He looks like he might throw up.

“I’m going to ask Elizabeth to marry me.”

Fuck. I was not expecting that.

I’m careful with my words, knowing he’s nervous as fuck. “You’ve only known her a couple months.”

“I know. I know. But it seems like so much longer than that.”

“It’s not.”

Austin sighs. “I didn’t come here to argue about calendars and bullshit.”

“What did you come here for?”

“To figure out if I’m fucking insane.”

“You’re insane,” I deadpan.

“Fuck you.”

He sits on the couch. We drink our beers in silence.

“I love her, man. So much.” Austin’s voice is soft and sincere.

“Why do you want to marry her?”

“Because I love her?”

“Marrying her gonna change that?”

Austin pauses, thinking. “No.”

“Then why do you want to marry her?”

I’m no expert on relationships, but I know it doesn’t matter how much two people love each other if they don’t want the same thing. They’ll walk separate paths. I shake my head to get rid of Jessie’s beautiful, haunting smile.

“Marriage is serious. You can’t take that shit back.”

“I know.” Austin’s voice has a defensive bite. He takes a long pull of his beer.

“So why?” I ask again, watching him from the corner of my eye.

He takes a deep breath in through his nose and looks up at the ceiling. “She’s the one, man. She’s beautiful. Smart. Sweet. Sassy. Loving. Sexy as fuck without even knowing it. She’s everything.” He sits up and stares into the distance. I swear I can see the lightbulb switch on. “And I want to be with her for the rest of my life. Wherever she’s going, I’m going. She’s home.”

I turn to look at him full on, seeing the truth in his words. I hold out my beer. He clinks it in a toast.

“Congrats.” I stand and we share a quick hug with plenty of back slaps.

“Thanks.”

He’s still brimming with energy, but now it’s more excitement than anxiety. I couldn’t be happier for him, but a cold ache tightens in my chest. What he has is rare. Something I might never find.