AJ grinned. "Linguistics specialist. I basically translated dispatches at a desk in Afghanistan for most of my deployment." Except for the months in the field, which he was trying hard to forget. "I went in right after high school." He said.
"And you'd totally be able to make it in New York." He told her, ready to launch into a retelling of all his acquaintances from high school that were now in the chorus on Broadway, when he noticed her look down at the pocket of his shirt.
Did he honestly...? Yes. He'd left the ring in his shirt pocket. Oh dear.
"Oh, wow," Annabelle said, impressed. "I would never be able to do something like that. How long were you there for? It must have been pretty stressful.” Annabelle couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to be in Afghanistan. Even if he had been at a desk, there were stories about roadside bombings every day in the news, and she didn’t think she could ever be brave enough to risk living in a situation like that. “And thank you! That’s very sweet of you.” She didn’t think much of whatever was in the shirt pocket. She didn’t want to be too nosy, and besides, it was none of her business what he had in his pocket.
"Four years." AJ told her, his mind still frantically racing to figure out what he was going to do about the ring. "I'll be going back in December. I'm only on leave for a year." He was rambling a little now, trying to cover his sudden panic. What would he do if she found the ring before he'd had a chance to explain, what if...
His brain quit trying to worry, and instead opted to take the bull directly by the horns. "There's a bag in the front pocket of my shirt. It's for you."
“Oh, I see,” she said, nodding. She admired his bravery. If she had the choice of going back, she wouldn’t have ever chosen to go back to such a terrifying place. She briefly wondered if his scar had anything to do with his deployment there, but when he mentioned that whatever was in the pocket was for her, she stared at him in surprise.
“Oh!” She exclaimed, surprised. “For me?”
Annabelle reached into the pocket and took out a small velvet pouch, glancing up at him in surprise. Opening the drawstrings, she reached in to feel a ring.
Confused, she took it out and stared at it for a few seconds before looking up at him, her confusion evident on her face. “Wha…?”
His panicked brain went into overload. "Will you at least promise to hear me out? Then you can walk away, pepper spray me, whatever." He didn't even wait for an answer, just launched into an explanation. "It's only a matter of time before both of us get paired in this crazy lottery. Really, the only reason I haven't been paired yet is because military overseas are exempt." He took a deep breath, then continued.
"It's only a matter of time before the government pairs me with a total stranger that I probably have nothing in common and don't even like. I've at least got a bit of a better chance at happiness if I take things into my own hands. I don't even know your last name, I've only met you once...but." ...this really wasn't coming out right at all.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is- Annabelle, will you marry me?"