Frank was stuttering a confused, "Wait a second," as Alice ran off. He was still grinning and that wouldn't really go away anytime soon. One of the waiters was dressed tastefully and giving Frank a sidelong glance. Frank shrugged at him lightly and waited.
When she reemerged from wherever she'd gone, Frank rose from the seat he'd taken and bit back the amusement that was clear in his voice. He didn't want to laugh, but he probably would soon. He leaned in to give Alice a kiss and let this one linger a bit longer than the previous had. When that was done, he pulled away. "Hi." He cleared his throat and felt the nervousness dancing around in his system. In spite of this, he looked the epitome of cool. Frank was good at appearing calm in the worst of situations which was probably why he did so well in his line of work. Even though she knew what was coming, he felt a little jumpy.
"I'm not good at speeches like you are. All I know is that I love you. And I've loved you for a long time. And I want to love you for the rest of my life." He took a deep breath. "You've stuck by me through a lot of shit. Good and bad. You put up with my mum. You make me smile, even after I've had a miserable day. And I really like the blob cookies that you make." He smiled. "My day isn't complete unless I've seen you or spoken to you. My life wouldn't be right if I didn't have you as my wife."
He was smiling as he got to one knee. "So, you want to get married?" He opened the box to reveal a tasteful little band. Neville had sworn they'd worn similar rings in his lifetime.
It wasn't the best of speeches. It probably could have been more romantic. There were bits that he couldn't quite remember that he'd wanted to say. But Frank had tried his best.