It was the night of the Flyers’s end of season banquet, and Sean was on his way to pick up his beautiful date. Even though they had moved in together more than a month ago, Charlie was just finishing up moving out of her apartment. It was her last night renting it, so she had suggested that she should get ready there and he could pick her up. It had been almost 4 years since they met, a year and a half since he accidentally said I love you, and 6 months since they started dating. By society’s standards, they were definitely moving too fast. But it just felt right. He knew over a year ago that Charlie was the only woman in his future. Everyone else knew it too. That’s why the entire way to her apartment, the shiny engagement ring he picked out less than a week ago burned a hole in Sean’s pocket.

Sean couldn’t help but think about his future with his beautiful woman the entire way there. He had talked to his financial advisor and had an idea of what they had available to them. He also contacted a realtor and set up an appointment to talk to them about what kind of house they will be looking for. He knew it had to be big. He and Charlie both wanted a fairly large family, maybe 4 or 5 kids. And a dog or two. They were going to need a big yard. Maybe even big enough for a mini hockey rink. And a pool. Definitely a hot tub, at the least. It didn’t need to be extravagant, that didn’t fit either of their personalities. But it had to be home.

He pulled into the extra parking spot at her building and took a deep breath. He was going to wait until after dinner. He would take her out to the garden at the banquet hall and ask her to make him the happiest man in the world. The only person who knew about his plan was Brayden. He owed a lot to his best friend, keeping his secret and helping him pick out a ring. They had actually picked out rings together, and Sean was proud of him. The sales woman was shocked when he suddenly decided to pick one out in the middle of shopping for Charlie. But Brayden said Sean’s bravery had inspired him. If Sean could grow the balls to propose to his girlfriend of 6 months, he could grow the balls to propose to his girlfriend of 3 years.

He rode the elevator up to the seventh floor and helped himself into her apartment, likely for the last time.
“Babe, I’m here!” He called.
“Just a minute!” She replied. There was something in her voice, though. Something that didn’t feel right. She came out of her room and his jaw dropped to the floor. He hadn’t seen her dress yet, but wow. Just wow. The navy blue dress flowed beautifully from her neck all the way to the floor, cinched with a gold belt around her waist. She looked like a Greek goddess.
“You look- Um. Wow.” He stumbled.
“You look very handsome, Sean.” She said with a small smile.
“Gorgeous. You’re gorgeous.” He finally managed to get out, blushing. ‘Way to go, Couturier. You’re an idiot. Who in their right mind would marry a moron like you?’ He thought to himself.
She giggled and thanked him. He offered her his hand, and she took it.

Leaving her apartment for the last time, they headed for the car. Sean opened the door for her and she slid in, careful not to mess up her dress. He was finally regaining his composure, and noticed her behavior was slightly off. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but something told him that he didn’t want to know. He trusted her, and she would tell him when the time was right. They reached the beautiful banquet hall and he handed his keys to the valet, leading them towards the entrance. They instantly spotted Brayden and Janine, who motioned them over to their table.
“Charlie, you look absolutely stunning.” Janine said, giving her a hug.
“By far the second most beautiful woman here.” Brayden added with a wink.
“Oh, sure. Put your girlfriend ahead of me.” She joked with him.
“Actually... Fiancee.” Janine corrected with a smile. She lifted her hand and allowed them to see the ring on her finger. Charlie gasped.
“When did that happen?” She asked. Sean shot his best friend a questioning look.
“Last night.” Brayden responded with a shrug. “I had a whole plan for when we go to Sasky this summer but then the moment just felt right so I said fuck it and asked her.”
“Well congratulations!” Charlie exclaimed. For the first time that night, Sean saw a real smile on her face. An announcement was made that dinner would be starting soon, so they headed towards their own table. Suddenly, Brayden pulled him back for a second.
“Go ahead, Charlie. I just gotta talk to Couts for a second.” He said. Charlie nodded and headed for the other side of the room. “I hope you’re not mad at me.” Janine sent the two a confused look.
“Why would I be mad at you?” Sean asked.
“You’ve had this night planned for a while now and I’m kinda stepping on your toes here. Stealing your spotlight. I really didn’t think about it last night at all.”
“Schenner, it’s fine.” Sean confirmed, finally understanding what he was talking about. “You really should have proposed to this one months ago. Seriously, it’s fine.” His friend smiled.
“Wait. Are you talking about what I think you’re talking about?” Janine asked, excitedly.
“You didn’t tell her?” Sean asked.
“You told me not to tell anyone. I knew if I told her, all the women would find out. And then all the guys would know. So I kept it to myself.” Brayden shrugged.
“Can one of you confirm what I’m thinking right now? Please?” Janine was getting hysterically excited now. Sean smiled at her and pulled the ring out of his pocket. She gasped and he slipped it back in before anyone noticed them. “Oh my god! This is so exciting!” She squealed.
“You gotta keep this a secret, babe.” Brayden said giving her a serious look. She nodded, but her smile continued to grow.
Sean gave his two friends one more smile before leaving them for his own table. They were sitting with Wayne Simmonds and Braydon Coburn, and their ladies.

The entire dinner he felt like the weight of the ring just kept growing. He hadn’t been nervous before, but as the time passed he started to understand what married men meant when they talked about their pre-proposal jitters. Finally it was time for him to put his plan into action. Sending Brayden and Janine a nervous smile, he led Charlie out the back door to the extravagant garden. They sat down on a bench and he wrapped her small hands in his, intertwining their fingers.

“Charlie, from the moment I met you I knew there was something special about you.”

She sent him a confused look.

“But I was stupid and didn’t realize that I was in love with you until you were on the other side of the world.”

He could see the nervousness in her eyes.

“When you told me what happened with Anne, my heart stopped. I thought I was going to die. And I’m pretty sure if something had happened to you, I actually would have died. I don’t ever want to go back to that time when I didn’t have you in my life.”

Was that fear he saw in her eyes? He played with the promise ring he had put on her finger only a few months prior.

“On Christmas morning, I gave you this ring and made you a promise. I promised you that one day you would be my fiancee, and then my wife.”

Realization crossed her face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring.

“Charlie, I love you so much and I can’t live without you. Will you marry me?”

She was crying. And not happy tears Why was she crying?

“Sean.” She sobbed. “Of course I’ll marry you. I want nothing more than to be your wife. But...” She paused.

“But what, Charlie?” Panic was setting in. He could feel his heart racing, threatening to burst out of his chest. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. She was supposed to just say yes. They kiss. They celebrate. The end.

“I got a call this morning. I’m being deployed next month. I’m going back to Afghanistan.”

Notes

I know you guys haven't been on this whole journey with me since I just started posting this on here a couple days ago. But I just wanted you all to know that this is my very first story ever, and I'm really thankful for all the people who have read this, commended on it, subscribed to it, voted for it, everything.

I've left it open for a sequel, so let me know if you guys want one.
Also, I'm most likely going to be starting a new story soon focusing on Brayden Schenn. So check it out when it's up.

Go Flyers!