A Question Of Love

With this ring...

Tom looked down at Jamie as the words floated over the summer evening. The last six weeks had flown by for Jamie and Tom. In a haze of work and wedding preparations and generally being sickeningly, thoroughly, in love.

"I now pronounce you man and wife"  there was a small ripple of applause as the bride and groom kissed on a background of a tropical sunset.

He smiled, and her beautiful face, framed by the exotic blooms in her hair, shone with happiness.  It had been a perfect sunset ceremony on a perfect white sandy beach.

Turning, Jamie threw a handful of orchid petals and clapped delightedly.  Tom shook the grooms hand and kissed the bride.  "Congratulations, Luke. Mandy?  Commiserations to you, my dear.  You're a brave woman taking on him and his OCD for lists.  But then, I guess you know that by now!" 

"I DO!" she repeated and they all laughed and walked back towards the villa Mandy and Luke were renting for the month.  Tom and Jamie had come out to join them a few days previously and were moving on to another island to spend some time alone together before returning home.  They wanted to give Mandy and Luke some space for their honeymoon as well as take time out just for them.  It had, all things considered, been a trying few months.

Sitting on the shaded veranda in their finery, the girls reliving - almost - the whole experience again, the four of them laughed and joked and shared celebratory fruit drinks, canapes and wedding cake. Not champagne because alcohol was off the menu - for one of them at least. 

Mandy was now three months pregnant, hence the panic about her dress, so they decided to be fair, not to rub her nose in it. 

Unofficially, it was because Tom joked he was still terrified of letting Jamie anywhere near the stuff!

As they sat and watched the video back, laughing at the bad jokes of the minister and the girls crying at the vows, Tom and Luke sat quietly. Luke reliving the best day of his life, and Tom? Well, he was watching Jamie on the screen, his heart so full of love seeing her so happy for her friend. She deserved a day just like that. 

Whatever she wanted, wherever she wanted it, whenever she wanted it.

The girls went into the villa for a few minutes to change into something slightly less constrictive in the remaining heat, so Tom took the opportunity to corner Luke.

"Well? What do you think?" He pulled a ring out of his trouser pocket and held it up. Luke smiled.

"Sorry mate, you're about three hours too late. Mandy got there before you, I'm taken!" He shrugged, and Tom rolled his eyes.

"Idiot!"

"No, seriously, it's cool. She'll love it. So?  When? " Luke asked in a low voice as Tom put it away again. "Here?  Why not tonight?  Stars make a great backdrop." he tapped the side of his nose "take it from me, they'll compare notes" 

Tom blanched, "you think so?  Oh crap, hadn't thought of THAT.  What - what did you do?" it wasn't really the kind of conversation they usually had.  In fact, when Luke had told him he'd proposed he was so shocked, all he could do was shake his hand for about five minutes straight.

"Well, to be perfectly honest - you have a fairly low bar to beat." now it was Luke's turn to blush. "Aldi's carpark.  You know, the one up from the house?" he squinted at Tom who's mouth hung open.

"ALDI?" he almost shouted and Luke shushed him, waving his hand at him to be quiet.

"Mate, please!  It's bad enough without you making me sound about as romantic as Hannibal Lecter!" he checked over his shoulder to see if the girls were  coming. Their voices were still in the distance as they giggled and changed. "We were having a bit of a domestic about me not doing enough round the house.  I told her to stop nagging me, we weren't married yet." he shrugged "one thing led to another and I decided to propose there and then. Strangely, she accepted and here we are!" he smiled "I did give her the ring at the Ritz though, had dinner and so forth." 

"Thank God for that! I thought I was going to have to give you a good slap!" Tom laughed. "So I have pretty much nothing to live up to then eh?  Should be easy, even for an idiot like me!"

"What should be easy my handsome idiot?" Jamie's voice floated in as she walked back onto the veranda with Mandy.  Both girls wore summer dresses now, their hair flowing loose, Mandy's with her white orchids in hers and Jamie her pink ones.  Tom thought she looked the most stunning he'd ever seen, even though she was now barefoot and makeup free.

"You look - and smell - divine my love!" Luke, ever the expert wingman, kissed Mandy softly and she blushed.  Looking at Jamie, she said,

"So, you two heading off tomorrow? Got anything special planned?" she flicked a glance at Tom who winked from behind Jamie's head.

"Oh, maybe one or two little surprises. Nothing major." he said softly. "Nothing that will be a big surprise." his lips found her neck and she shivered as she smiled.  Jamie pulled away and took Mandy and Luke by the hand.

"You two are real couple goals you know that?  I know you -  and your little one - will be perfect together." she kissed them both on the cheek.  "Now, we are going for a walk on the beach, when we come back, we'll have a nightcap together and then me and my own personal Avenger are going to leave you two lovebirds to do what newly married lovebirds do. "she smiled and took Tom by the hand.

"Come on you, I think there's a beach with our names on it just round the corner." she walked off, dragging him behind her.

Tom swallowed, Luke had given him the ok to barge in on his big day.  Would he - should he - do it?  If he'd learned one thing over the last few months, it was he thought about things rather too much. Stop wondering and just ask the damned question.