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He kept glancing at the clock on the wall in his hotel room. He was waiting for the night to be over, but time seemed to drag.
He was supposed to spend the evening with a couple of mates. But the night was cut short when his friends had brought a stripper to his room, claiming it was tradition and wanted him to enjoy his last night of freedom.
They hadn’t understood why he had gotten angry, and when one of them made a rather unkind remark about Kate, he had seen red and kicked them out.
That was only an hour ago. But it felt like longer. He hadn’t wanted to spend the night before his wedding away from Kate, neither had she. But Shirley and Mel had convinced them. They had said no at first, but Shirley and Mel were stubborn and had kept pestering them until they had finally given in.
To make the night worse, Shirley kept texting him with videos and pictures of Kate enjoying her night and having fun. He was happy she was having a great night; she deserved it more than anyone. He just wished he could be there with her.
He glanced at the clock again but only five minutes had passed, since the last time he looked. He thought about going to bed, but he couldn’t sleep yet; it was only 9 pm and he was too excited for tomorrow. Instead, he poured himself a drink and sat down on the bed thinking about when he first had asked her to marry him.
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Kate had surprised him one evening by cooking one of his favourite dishes; shish tawook with tabbouleh salad and pita bread. It was delicious, he had loved it so much he had asked her to marry him with food still in his mouth. She had grinned and then shaken her head. They both knew he hadn’t meant it, but he couldn't help but notice the change in her expression. Her eyes shined a little bit more and she had looked fondly at him for the rest of the night.
That’s how it started, he had asked her several times since, just to get to see her smile. He would ask doing the most ordinary things, like when they were doing the dishes together or watching tv. He would sometimes ask when she had a bad day because he sensed it seemed to lift her mood.
At some point he decided to ask her for real. Because the more he asked her for fun, the more he thought about and realised he wanted her as his wife.
He had made dinner for her. Her favourite curry dish, they have had a bad week, and he wanted to do something for her.
He hadn’t planned on proposing there and then. He had a hard time finding the perfect time. But standing there in the kitchen after dinner, watching her make coffee, made him go for it. She hadn’t seen the ring in his hand, so she had shaken her head and smiled fondly at him, like she used to.
He was disappointed, he took the rejection hard. He had gone to bed early and looked like a kicked puppy for days.
Which had made Kate realize he had meant it this time. She wanted to marry him, so she thought it was only right that she asked him this time.
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He was brought back from his thoughts by his phone ringing. He glanced at the clock, now 10 pm and then at his phone. His faced lit up when he saw the name of the caller.
He had only just pressed answer when Kate spoke “Will you come and get me?... I want to go home, and I want you there with me… I miss you” he giggled. She was drunk, she always became more affectionate when she had a few drinks.
“But it’s tradition for the bride and groom to spend the night before their wedding apart” he replied jokingly, already packing his things. “Sod tradition” was her only replied. “I will be there in 15 minutes” he answered, hanging up.
She was standing outside the pub, her face split into a wide smile when she saw his car. She jumped in and kissed his cheek.
“Drive” she said placing her hand on his leg. “Your wish is my command” he glanced at her and grinned cheekily.
Once home they went to bed straight away, they were both tired and wanted to be fully rested for tomorrow.
They undressed and once in bed, they shared a gentle kiss and she snuggled into his side; her head on his chest and her arm securely around his stomach.
He kissed the top of her head and looked at the clock. This time with excitement, to see how many hours until he was a married man. He couldn’t wait to start married life and getting to call her his wife.
He tightened his arms around her and fell asleep with contentment on his face.