Marcus Rashford - The Ring

                                    

                                          
She found an engagement ring in Marcus' drawer.
Published: 13/08/2021
—
Marcus huffed as he closed the fridge. He was on dinner duty tonight and was quite satisfied with the spaghetti bolognese he had made, until he realised that he was missing the last complementary ingredient. He had searched the fridge and every single cabinet in the kitchen, but he couldn't find any cheese.
Marcus walked to the stairs and yelled, "Babe, do we still have some cheese?" hoping that she could hear it from upstairs. When he didn't get an answer, he sprinted up the stairs.
"Babe?" Marcus was going to make his way to the walk-in closet in the bedroom they shared, where he thought she was going to be. She'd said that she was going to help him unpack his suitcase from yesterday's away match. But the figure beside his side of the bed stopped him in his tracks.
She was sitting on the floor. He could only see her hair up in a bun and a small part of her back. He got a little bit worried when she didn't even budge after he called her name one more time. So he walked closer to see what she was doing.
Marcus' heart dropped when he saw the small blue velvet box in her hands, opened, showing a shiny diamond ring inside.
She seemed to have noticed his presence as she, excruciatingly slowly, raised and turned her head to him.
"Why is there a ring in your drawer?"
Marcus was now frozen, body and mind, a couple of feet from her with his mouth slightly hanging open. His gaze shifted to the opened drawer in his cabinet, before shifting back to her again. In his head, he was praying that the horror he was feeling didn't show on his face. The confusion in her face was clear and he didn't want to show a reaction that could possibly confuse her more.
"Marcus?" she asked again. There was a twinge at the pit of her stomach as she realised that Marcus was absolutely stunned, just like she was a couple minutes ago when she found the box in his drawer.
"I didn't mean to go through your drawers, I was just going to put your things back but this thing was poking out from the back and I couldn't stop myself, I'm sorry," she explained. The apologetic tone on her voice made Marcus' heart drop even more.
"Is this supposed to be for me?" Her gaze fell to the ring again. It was still as breathtaking as the first time she saw it. A white gold ring with a gorgeous oval-cut diamond, just like she liked it, just like how she always dreamed her engagement ring to be.
"Of course. Of course it's for you," Marcus finally broke his silence as he got on the floor to sit beside her.
But then the uncomfortable silence took over again, both of them were occupied by their own thoughts; she was wrestling all the questions in her head, he was struggling to compose the explanation he needed to give.
Marcus was about to say something, but she looked at him again, looking extremely worried now.
"But Marcus, I'm not ready to get married. You know that."
"I know, baby, I know," his hand reached her knee and he gave it a light comforting squeeze. "Me too. You know that too."
"Then why— I don't understand." She shook her head lightly. She placed the box down very carefully, scared that her clumsy hands would break the ring.
Marcus took a deep breath. The words he had composed in his mind were still jumbled, but he needed to get it out.
"I bought it months ago, baby, I'm not even sure why I did," he began to explain. "Remember the talk we had that night, about marriage and all that stuff?"
"Of course. We said we'll get married when we're ready," she answered, reminding him about the conclusion of the discussion they had on last new year's eve.
"Yes, yes," he nodded very surely, trying to make her understand that he didn't forget about that. "Then we somehow started talking about dream proposals and you said things about the kind of rings you like." Her eyebrows raised very slightly and Marcus bit his lip, sighing. "Let's just say that I couldn't get it off my mind even after a few weeks."
"You couldn't get the ring off your mind?"
Marcus nodded. "I was in my hotel room in London, we lost a match, and I couldn't sleep. Then I just started browsing engagement rings. And the next week I bought one."
"For what?"
Marcus shrugged, his face was scrunched, showing his own uncertainty. "I honestly don't know, babe. I just— I just wanted to feel safe, somehow. I mean, if you suddenly tell me you're ready, I have the ring already and I can just ask you on the spot."
She suddenly burst into giggles which startled Marcus. Well, it was a mixture of giggles and cries, which confused him even more because he really thought she was upset. Finding an engagement ring in your boyfriend's drawer was not something you'd expect to happen, she must've been be so confused.
"Yeah, okay, I know it sounds stupid." Marcus grabbed her hands and pulled her so she would sit facing him. "It was probably stupid but I swear, babe, all I could think about back then was a vision of you with a ring. I know it won't happen in the near future but I felt like I needed to have the ring in my hand first."
She sighed. "Oh, Marcus, I honestly don't know what to say..." Her voice went so soft. The shock in her face was gone as it was replaced by endearment. She stares at Marcus with her eyes that were full of fondness, showing that she was completely touched by his words. "I mean... Are you really sure you want to marry me?"
"Who else am I gonna marry? No one can deal with my habits but you."
The smile that grew on her face was just as fond. "You're right. And for the love of God, Marcus, stop leaving the towel on the bathroom counter! And please fold your socks before putting it on the suitcase. It's not very hard to do."
Marcus just grinned. She knew that it would need a miracle for Marcus to stop his habit that irked her all the time, even making her feel like her head wanted to explode if she was super tired. But she loved Marcus and all of his annoying habits, she wouldn't mind dealing with it for as long as she could.
"I can't imagine my future without you, my love," Marcus said. 
Marcus' words sent butterflies to her tummy. She couldn't deny that the idea of spending the rest of her life with Marcus was irresistible. They weren't ready now, but there would be a day where they finally did and she was excited for that.
"I shouldn't have opened this, I'm sorry. But I have to admit that you have an impeccable taste. It's so beautiful, Marcus," she said, grabbing the box and opening it once again.
"Do you want to put it on?" Marcus casually suggested.
"What? No! It's for our future proposal!"
"I can just buy a new one..."
"Are you insane? No, Marcus, no. I know this ring costs a fortune!"
"It doesn't, and it's nothing compared to you, my love. You know what? Now that I think about it, you deserve more than this one. I should buy something more expensive."
"Don't. You. Dare."
"Or what? Are you gonna say no if I propose with a new ring?"
She giggled and Marcus answered it with his chuckles. She linked her hands around his neck and he quickly leaned closer. Their lips met. At first it was just a sweet and gentle kiss, until Marcus's hands slipped under her shirts. She pulled Marcus even closer and Marcus deepened the kiss.
"Dinner can wait, right?" he asked.
"But the spaghetti will get cold," she breathes out.
"I don't care. Do you?"
She shook her head. Marcus got up and she was reluctant to let him go at first, asking where he was going. But the smile on her face reappeared, when she saw Marcus went to the door and locked it.