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“So, what do you say?”
Spike really wasn’t sure he had the words to answer that question. He had his mouth open, meaning to say something, but somehow he just couldn’t speak at all, at least, not for a while.
“Spike?” Lynda prompted, frowning at him. “I asked you a question.”
“Yeah, so I heard,” he confirmed, nodding his head, “but right this second, I’m trying to figure out if you seriously expect me to give you a straight answer.”
That was clearly the wrong thing to say, but it was the best he could do in the circumstances. There was very little that could actually render Spike Thomson speechless, even Lynda had to try hard to manage that, but she did it tonight.
“What other sort of answer is there to a question like that?” she snapped, folding her arms across her chest defensively. “It’s very simple. Yes or no. Do you want to marry me or not?”
Spike blinked very hard at her, amazed that she just didn’t get it.
“Lynda, I know romance has never exactly been your strong suit, but you just pitched marriage to me like a business deal, and now you’re mad at me for not jumping at the chance to sign up?” he checked, shaking his head. “You might actually be getting worse at this, boss.”
If looks could kill, he would be on the floor clutching his chest right about now, Spike knew, but then he was well used to that. If all his years of dating this crazy woman hadn’t taught him to be resilient, then nothing ever would.
“There are a lot of advantages to being married over just living together. Is it my fault that I know about them and took them into consideration before I asked? I thought you liked how organised and thoughtful I am.”
“Lynda, this is so far from being about what I like about you, or what I love about you, for that matter,” he told her, less angry and indignant by now, more just disappointed, frankly. “Which by the way is not a word you used even once in your whole speech on why we should get married,” he pointed out.
Even Lynda looked surprised by that one.
“Well... I do love you as well,” she said then.
His eyes fell closed and Spike pinched the bridge of his nose, pretty sure he had a headache coming on. That very special kind of migraine-type headache that only ever came over him when Lynda was involved. One day, the woman would be the death of him, but God knows, he didn’t know how to live without her.
“You do love me as well,” he echoed in muttered tones. “You know, I’m a pretty forward-thinking guy, Lynda. I move with the times, I support you in the whole feminist thing you have going. The girl can propose to the guy these days, that’s fine with me, but geez, could you at least have led with the part where you loved me, instead of how much more financially stable we’d be with a marriage certificate?”
She didn’t have an answer for that. Spike knew it was true because one minute her face was turning red with anger and then she was on her feet. Shoving the chair under the table so hard that it hit his knees on the other side, she glared daggers at him one more time.
“Sometimes, I don’t know why I even bother with you, Thomson!” she said angrily. “You don’t want to marry me? Fine, just say no. No-one’s forcing you or anything!”
“Lynda!” he called after her, but she was already gone, slamming the door as she left.
He noted she hadn’t actually left the flat, just gone into the next room. That was something.
Taking a moment to regroup, Spike drew in a deep breath and let it out slow. Now he was over the shock, he could probably handle this situation a little better. Somebody sure needed to.
Getting up from his seat, he finally gave chase, following Lynda through to the bedroom. She hadn’t thrown herself on the bed to cry like some girls might, but then Spike wasn’t really expecting that. Instead, she was stood out on the pitifully small balcony, hands gripping the rail too tight, hair blowing wildly in the wind.
Walking up behind her, he appeared at her side, not exactly shocked when she turned her face away from him. Maybe she was even crying, it had been known to happen, though not often. He hated when it did occur. Hated it worse when he was the one who caused her tears.
“Hey,” he said, his hand over hers on the railing. “You know, I never actually said no,” he pointed out, smiling slightly when he finally got her attention.
It was as if she were never mad at him then, as if there had been no fight at all. It happened that way with them sometimes. Probably seemed weird to outsiders, but anyone who knew Spike and Lynda would be well aware of just how normal it really was for them.
“So, yes then?” she checked, turning into him and meeting his eyes.
Spike put his free hand to her cheek and smiled widely. “Yes, Lynda,” he told her, knowing he could never give any other answer. “’Cause seriously, boss, who else is gonna put up with you?”
That actually made her laugh.
“I could say the same about you,” she pointed out, right before she kissed him.
Seemed like they really were stuck with each other then, and truth be told, Spike couldn’t be happier.