Cora took one final sip of her coffee and so did Darren. It had been a few months after what happened with Adam--6 months to be exact. They'd gotten to know each other pretty well after the incident and were now dating.
They threw away their paper cups and rose from their seats. Darren took Cora's hand in his.
"I wanna show you something,"
They both smiled and walked out of the coffee shop. The sun was shining and the day was filled with the promise of happiness and love. Cora felt like she could breathe again. The first couple of weeks after Adam had gone to prison, she was sure he'd escape and so she walked on eggshells for the rest of her life until the day she realized that that wouldn't happen. And today was that day.
"Isn't this beautiful?" Said Darren.
"Wow," Was all that Cora could say. She was speechless.
They stood in a pathway full of bright red roses surrounding them. It looked like something you'd see in a movie, or something in a romance novel. Cora was beyond impressed.
"What's this for?" Cora asked, apparently her smile was contagious.
And that's when he did it. Darren let go of Cora's hand and got down on one knee in front of her. Cora gasped and covered her mouth with both of her hands. Tears started to form in her eyes.
"I know we've only been dating for about 6 months, but I've never been so sure about anything or anyone in my life as I am about you. From the moment we met, even though it wasn't perfect, I knew we had something special,"
"Darren wait,"
But he kept on going.
"And I don't need a year of dating to prove that. So,"
He pulled a small black box from his pocket.
"Cora Marianna Garcia, will you marry me?"
There was an awkward silence between them that went on too long for comfort.
Cora wanted to say yes, but there was a huge doubt that was clouding her judgement.
"I'm sorry I just can't . . ."
Cora wiped away her tears. Darren shut the small box closed and forced it back into his pocket then stood back up. She could tell he was disappointed and maybe a little angry, so she thought maybe an explanation would help cool things down.
"I'm just not ready . . . and it's not because it's too soon, I just have this small doubt in the back of my head and--"
"Just stop!" Darren yelled although he didn't mean to, given Cora's history with Adam, he would never want to make her feel like she was in that type of situation again.
Cora slowly backed away, terror coursing through her veins. It must've been obvious because Darren's face changed too. Instead of looking angry and disappointed, he looked sorry.
Cora finally stood still, allowing him to take hold of her. He held her small hands in his to reassure her what happened with Adam was never going to happen again.