Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side - sim: To Propose or Not to Propose?

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side - sim: To Propose or Not to Propose?

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side - sim: To Propose or Not to Propose?
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
It was the same for Roman, there was a feeling of safety and contentment and belonging. It was comfortable and nice. And then they started dancing again, slowly, without separating. Roman found himself excited for the future. He was proposing tonight. He would get to spend the rest of his life like this, assuming nothing bad ever happened. That made him very happy.

~ Roman

That last hour moved slowly, but was over too quickly. Rand was still unaware of what Roman had planned, which was a good thing, no time to worry about it. Rand would be truly happy to spend her life like this, with Roman. She didn’t bring up the future though. She was content and Roman never talked about his family, not much. But enough for her to know that family was a difficult for him, given that most likely Jay and his family were the only one Roman really knew. No need to make it harder for him. She’d also learned that enjoying what she had when she had it was important, after her 18th. It was in total contrast to her anxiety, but she did try. Roman made that easy.

Rand

When the hour ended, and Roman realized what time it was, he let her go, his hand lingering in hers for a moment. “It’s time for dinner. Are you ready?” He still needed the ring. He’d just claim he forgot something once they were out in the hall and come back. Unless he was really lucky she’d need a minute in the bathroom or something.

~ Roman

“I am.” Rand looked around and spotting Pipkin she scooped her up and placed her in the cage. “She’s out of water. I’m going to fill the bottle first.” She removed the bottle from the side of the cage and disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door.

As soon as the door was shut Roman went to the closet. Filling the water wouldn’t take long at all, he needed to hurry. He bent down, unzipped the pocket, and grabbed the ring box. Checking quickly if it was the right one, he slipped it into his pocket and closed the closet door. It took Rand longer than he expected and he found himself waiting, one hand nervously gripping the ring box in his pocket.

It was silly, she’d spent all day with Roman, but Rand took the time to brush her hair once and pin it back on the sides. She came back out and replaced the water bottle. She smiled, taking his hand, “Okay, now I’m ready.”

Rand

He took her hand and smiled, leading her down to the observation deck. The deck was empty and set up exactly as he’d hoped: a table in front of the window, the pies already waiting for them. When they reached the table, like he always did, Roman pulled Rand’s chair out and let her sit before taking his own seat.

~ Roman

Rand stopped a half step in when the doors opened, it was empty. She stood there a moment and then started walking again, led on as Roman moved toward the only table in the room. She sat when he pulled out her chair and looked around the room again. However the eye was drawn to the prime star. The blue was dazzling. They were close enough for the windows to be almost filled with it, but far enough away it wasn’t painful to look at. Or maybe that was some kind of filter put on the windows? Rand wasn’t sure.

Looking out the window Rand watched the color flicker and flash like a gem caught in sunlight, “It looks like a blue topaz.” She glanced over at him, “It’s beautiful.” The smell of the food finally caught her attention and she peeked under the dome - Shepard’s pie. That was when Rand realized Roman had put a lot of thought and effort into…well, all of that, and she started to worry she’d missed something really important…

Rand

Roman looked a little nervous, his palms sweaty as he uncovered his own food and picked up a fork. “I’m glad you like it.” The light cast by the star was a soft blue and it made the whole room look a bit blue. He looked up and smiled at her. “I thought it was about time we just have a special day.”

~ Roman

Rand slowly blew out a breath. Okay, she didn’t miss anything, this was just because. “I do like it.” She picked up her fork and took a bite, and hummed her appreciation.
It was soooo good. The lights in the observation lounge were low, making shadows, but allowing the star to create a blue tinge to the room. She watched the light flicker off the bulk heads. “It’s like being underwater.”

Rand

Roman nodded. “It is. There are filters on the windows to keep it from being too bright.” And then, he went on a scientific tangent about why the star burned blue. It wasn’t his specialty, but he’d gotten the report from the related department and thought it was interesting. He ate his own pie slowly, it really was very good, but his nerves were making it harder to enjoy it.

~ Roman

Rand listened as he talked about the star, and eventually he said something she had to ask about. The conversation flowed back and forth easily, or it felt like that to Rand. Before long, or so it seemed to her, she was finished with her meal. She set her fork down and sipped at her drink and leaned back against the chair. “I think Chef keeps getting better.”

Rand

Roman was finished with his around the same time. “Maybe he’s learning more about shepherd’s pie.” He commented. And then he realized they were done, and that meant it was time, and suddenly the little ring box felt really heavy in his pocket. “It was very good.” Roman had told Chef the reason for the pies. He’d have to thank him later.

How should he ask? Should he just kneel now and blurt it out? He needed to say something or the meal will end and he won’t have done it at all. It was the mental image of the two of them together, old and grey, that finally kicked his mouth into moving: “Miranda, I love you, and you’ve done so much for me, helped me in more ways than I’d have thought possible. You..” his voice shook slightly with nerves and emotion. “I can’t imagine life without you anymore. I want to be with you until we’re old and grey and retired, back on Earth or wherever else.” An idea that previously, he couldn’t have imagined at all, retirement. There’d been nothing for him outside of Starfleet. That wasn’t true anymore. Where the hell was he even going with this? He was so bad with emotional stuff like this. “My point is, I love you and Miranda, I want you to marry me.” As he said her name again, he knelt, pulled out the ring box, and opened it, taking the traditional proposal stance.

~ Roman