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inthefreakdom)
Who: Gray Stone, Evangeline Rothschild
When: Saturday, July 18th
Where: Pleasantview, Gray's house
What: A typical Saturday morning conversation takes an unexpected turn
Bingo: Favorite theorist/philosopher
Gray knew things about Evangeline that even Harper Grace didn't know. He knew her guilty pleasure was watching All My Children while eating Ben & Jerry's straight from the carton. She only ever got to watch it on her Friday's off; she said it was best that way, the week's storylines were all exposed on Friday and they had the best cliffhangers.
He knew that Angel washed her pantyhose in the sink and hung them over the shower rod to dry if she had an important meeting the next day. Otherwise she'd just toss them in a special bag and wash them with the normal laundry. He insisted that it didn't take that long to wash in the bag if she knew the night before, but Angel always explained that with her luck they'd all run in the washer and she'd be hosiery-less.
One of Gray's favorite little secrets about Angel was her favorite philosopher. She had a real thing for John Stuart Mill and his ideas about personal liberty and utilitarianism. He'd done his own bit of research, brushing up on the subject so he could have informed debates with the love of his life. They'd lay in bed late on a Saturday morning, just like today, and converse combatively on one of his theories until it devolved into a tickle fight (which almost always devolved further into an afternoon romp).
This Saturday, Gray and Angel talked about Mill's support of women's right. He was an early champion of the movement, at least from the scholarly male persuasion. There was an ulterior motive behind this and Gray had steered the conversation purposefully.
"How do you feel about marriage?" he asked, pretending to be as blithe as ever, merely following the conversation of womens' rights up with the marriage angle. Wasn't that so like a man?
"I suppose it depends on the marriage. If a woman enters it completely aware, if it's a solid partnership, then I think it's a fine idea."
"Just an idea though?" he pressed. "Not an idea worth trying?"
She laughed, hitting him with a pillow. "I hadn't given it much thought for myself, if that's what you're getting at."
He fidgeted a moment and pulled a little box out from under the pillows. "Yeah. It is sort of what I'm getting at."
She stopped immediately when the box came into view. For a moment she was speechless. She honestly hadn't seen this coming, though she knew Gray was a terrible romantic. She swallowed hard. "You're supposed to be a best selling author, Gray Stone. Where are your beautiful words?"
"Words pale in the face of your beauty." It was kind of cheesy, but she swooned. He reached up to brush his fingers over her cheek. "I want you. Plain and simple. I want to fall asleep next to you every night and wake up to you every morning." He bit his lip lightly, a boyish smile forming despite the effort to hold it back. "I've loved you since that very first time I saw you walking through town."
She was utterly charmed, melting in his cupped hand. She hadn't expected a wedding proposal on a Saturday morning in bed, but then she never expected to find safe haven with Gray, to fall so deeply in love with him that the answer arrived before she did. "Yes, please," she said quietly, reaching out slowly to take the box.
He passed it to her without opening it, knowing she'd want that pleasure for herself. There was a little red ribbon tied around it which she pulled off gleefully. The box popped open in between her fingers.
The ring was exquisite. If Evangeline had any expectations on the sort of ring Gray would give her, this certainly did not fit the idea. She knew Gray had a taste for simplicity and this ring was too ornate to be something he picked up in a shop.
"It was my grandmother's ring," he said gently. "It was supposed to pass to Amelia's mother, but her husband insisted on buying his own ring." He didn't want to dwell on it much, since it reminded him too much of his sister's death.
She thought to ask about Amelia, how would she feel about the ring going to Angel, but she kept the thought in check. If Gray thought it best to give it to her then she would accept it gladly. She would learn in a few years that Amelia felt much the same about it as Gray did, she couldn't think about that ring without evoking her mother's memory; it was too bittersweet.
"It's beautiful," she said reverently, slipping it onto her ring finger. It was a little too big, but nothing some string couldn't fix.
Gray didn't pause to admire how it looked on her finger. He slipped his hands into hers and leaned in for a lingering kiss.
inthefreakdom)Who: Gray Stone, Evangeline Rothschild
When: Saturday, July 18th
Where: Pleasantview, Gray's house
What: A typical Saturday morning conversation takes an unexpected turn
Bingo: Favorite theorist/philosopher
Gray knew things about Evangeline that even Harper Grace didn't know. He knew her guilty pleasure was watching All My Children while eating Ben & Jerry's straight from the carton. She only ever got to watch it on her Friday's off; she said it was best that way, the week's storylines were all exposed on Friday and they had the best cliffhangers.
He knew that Angel washed her pantyhose in the sink and hung them over the shower rod to dry if she had an important meeting the next day. Otherwise she'd just toss them in a special bag and wash them with the normal laundry. He insisted that it didn't take that long to wash in the bag if she knew the night before, but Angel always explained that with her luck they'd all run in the washer and she'd be hosiery-less.
One of Gray's favorite little secrets about Angel was her favorite philosopher. She had a real thing for John Stuart Mill and his ideas about personal liberty and utilitarianism. He'd done his own bit of research, brushing up on the subject so he could have informed debates with the love of his life. They'd lay in bed late on a Saturday morning, just like today, and converse combatively on one of his theories until it devolved into a tickle fight (which almost always devolved further into an afternoon romp).
This Saturday, Gray and Angel talked about Mill's support of women's right. He was an early champion of the movement, at least from the scholarly male persuasion. There was an ulterior motive behind this and Gray had steered the conversation purposefully.
"How do you feel about marriage?" he asked, pretending to be as blithe as ever, merely following the conversation of womens' rights up with the marriage angle. Wasn't that so like a man?
"I suppose it depends on the marriage. If a woman enters it completely aware, if it's a solid partnership, then I think it's a fine idea."
"Just an idea though?" he pressed. "Not an idea worth trying?"
She laughed, hitting him with a pillow. "I hadn't given it much thought for myself, if that's what you're getting at."
He fidgeted a moment and pulled a little box out from under the pillows. "Yeah. It is sort of what I'm getting at."
She stopped immediately when the box came into view. For a moment she was speechless. She honestly hadn't seen this coming, though she knew Gray was a terrible romantic. She swallowed hard. "You're supposed to be a best selling author, Gray Stone. Where are your beautiful words?"
"Words pale in the face of your beauty." It was kind of cheesy, but she swooned. He reached up to brush his fingers over her cheek. "I want you. Plain and simple. I want to fall asleep next to you every night and wake up to you every morning." He bit his lip lightly, a boyish smile forming despite the effort to hold it back. "I've loved you since that very first time I saw you walking through town."
She was utterly charmed, melting in his cupped hand. She hadn't expected a wedding proposal on a Saturday morning in bed, but then she never expected to find safe haven with Gray, to fall so deeply in love with him that the answer arrived before she did. "Yes, please," she said quietly, reaching out slowly to take the box.
He passed it to her without opening it, knowing she'd want that pleasure for herself. There was a little red ribbon tied around it which she pulled off gleefully. The box popped open in between her fingers.
The ring was exquisite. If Evangeline had any expectations on the sort of ring Gray would give her, this certainly did not fit the idea. She knew Gray had a taste for simplicity and this ring was too ornate to be something he picked up in a shop.
"It was my grandmother's ring," he said gently. "It was supposed to pass to Amelia's mother, but her husband insisted on buying his own ring." He didn't want to dwell on it much, since it reminded him too much of his sister's death.
She thought to ask about Amelia, how would she feel about the ring going to Angel, but she kept the thought in check. If Gray thought it best to give it to her then she would accept it gladly. She would learn in a few years that Amelia felt much the same about it as Gray did, she couldn't think about that ring without evoking her mother's memory; it was too bittersweet.
"It's beautiful," she said reverently, slipping it onto her ring finger. It was a little too big, but nothing some string couldn't fix.
Gray didn't pause to admire how it looked on her finger. He slipped his hands into hers and leaned in for a lingering kiss.
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