Page 21 of Ring Me

Chapter 6

Favorite Flavor

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I'D NEVER GONE SHOPPINGfor an engagement ring.

Never mind my OWN engagement ring.

Walking beside the long glass display case, I stared at the glittering rings until my vision blurred. Being in this store was absurd. I kept glancing over at the exit, debating just making a run for it and abandoning the plan I'd made with Conner.

Five days, I reminded myself. That was all the time we had to prepare before my grandfather's party. It wasn't enough, but it would have to do.

“Well?” Conner asked, coming to stand next to me. I didn't look at him, just at his reflection in the case. “See anything you like?”

“I don't know,” I answered honestly. Wrapping my hand in his, I pulled him away from the counter—and away from the grinning, eager salesman who kept eyeing us, hovering a foot too close. “Conner, when I first agreed to meet up with you in person, I told you I didn't want a relationship.”

“I remember.”

“Going from that decision, to picking out a ring... my head is spinning.”

“It's a lot to handle,” he said. He clutched my shoulders, the weight of his hands immediately comforting me. We were rooted in the moment together. “What's your favorite color?”

“Blue,” I said automatically.

“Big diamond or little diamond?”

“Oh, Conner, no. Let's not spend a bunch of money, we can do no diamond.”

“Big. Or little. Diamond.”

Was steam coming out of my ears? “I... little, just something tiny. Minuscule.”

Chuckling warmly, he turned me to face the door. “Go get something to eat. I'll meet up with you in a minute.”

“Hold on,” I argued, grabbing for his wrist to stop him from walking towards the display case... to that smirking sales clerk. “Don't do this on your own! We're a team!”

His eyes fixed on me, freezing me in place. “Exactly. I'm the half of the team that recognizes this is freaking you out. I'll handle it, Maya. Trust me.”

I hadn't trusted anyone for a long time. That part of my soul had frayed away too recently to have healed. But watching Conner as he strode up to the counter, talking softly, patiently, to the salesman, I did want to trust him. I'd trusted him enough on Friday to play out that scene with him, hadn't I?

That's different, I told myself. Real life, with real money, and real fucking responsibilities and consequences for wasting cash on a pointless ring for a fake engagement... that's not something you do casually. Conner didn't care about my plea. He didn't glance at me as he spread his hands on the glass counter top, eyeing the rings inside.

Sliding my heel backwards, I hesitantly left the store. It was a relief to get away from all the over priced jewelry. I hated that Conner was in there, buying something without consulting me. If he spent a bunch of money, I'd throw up. I had no clue what he could afford. I still hadn't asked him what he did for a living. If we showed up at my Pappy's birthday party and I didn't know what my would-be-husband's job was... I'd look like a fool.

I'm unable to handle being humiliated. I'd always been hard on myself. My mother was a critic, but I didn't blame her for making me this way. I'd watched her work herself to the bone, all to make sure I was taken care of. I'd recognized her desire for my success at an early age. It was me that had decided life was pointless if you weren't trying your best.

Winning, in everything, was key. Once, I'd broken into tears during a first grade spelling bee because I'd misheard the word 'cabinet' and had been too proud to ask them to repeat. I'd spelled 'clarinet' instead. I still had nightmares about that day.

Conner and I had so much work to do to pull this charade off.

“There you are.” He walked up to me where I was waiting only a few stores down. “You didn't get far.”

“You didn't take much time,” I countered. I eyeballed his empty hands. “So...”

He winked, his long legs carrying him towards the mall's double-door exit. “You didn't get a snack.”

“We ate at Stony's an hour ago.”

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