Serendipity (S. Black)

FIFTY-TWO

"when a girl is quiet, a million things are running through her mind"

*

"Holy... holy... holy..."

James couldn't even choose a word to follow up. He just stared at the ring in his hand, a dainty band of rose gold twisting around an opal shaped like a lotus flower. It was rather unconventional for a stereotypical engagement, which convinced James that it was meant for Eva. 

He wants to marry her?

"Ugh, Prongs, just go to bed already," Peter muttered, rolling over to shoot him a glare, but he drew in a sharp breath when he saw the box. "Bloody hell. You are such an idiot!"

"What?"

"You've literally been dating Lily for weeks, and you're already at this?!?"

"What? Wait, no. Hold on a-"

"She's gonna hate you forever," Peter said matter-of-factly, pulling the covers over his head to demonstrate his annoyance. "You finally got her, and guess what? POOF! She's gone! And how much money did you waste on that?"

"Nonononononono! I'm not proposing to Lily! The ring isn't mine!"

Peter poked his head out from under the covers. "Oh yeah? Then whose is it?"

"It's the dumb mutt's!" James whisper-screamed, pointing over and over to the snoozing Padfoot, whose tail wagged lazily like he was dreaming.

"Bloody hell! Get over here!"

James ran over and jumped onto Peter's bed. The boys clambered over each other to get a better look at the box while trying not to wake the other two.

"Sweet cheese, it's a ring!"

"You're just figuring this out now?"

"Shut up! We're worse than dead if one of them wakes up!" Peter hissed, taking the ring from James. "I can't believe he's gonna ask her to marry him. He said we were idiots when we brought it up!"

"Why didn't he tell us?" James asked indignantly.

Peter searched his half-awake mind for a reasonable explanation. "Um, maybe we're jumping to conclusions. Maybe the ring's for something else."

James stared at him without blinking for so long that it made Peter uncomfortable.

"How thick are you?"