Iggy nodded and followed me out to the garage. "Can I see it?"
My immediant response was "No, duh." Iggy stuck his tongue out at me. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the box. Iggy flipped it open. "Are you sure it's the right size?" he asked.
"Yeah, I hope. I'd be pretty embarassed if it didn't fit." I said. Normally, I'm very calm and collected but right now I was possitively fidgety.
"It feel's pretty." Iggy said in barely a whisper. I think he forgets that we all can't hear like he does. "She'll like it."
I certainly hoped so. The ring wasn't spectacular or anything. It didn't even have a diamond chip to make it obviously an engagement ring. It wasn't even new. It's not like I went into a pawn shop and bought the first ring I could find, no, I went to a little antique jewlery store in Staunton, the town near us. I was a little hesitant to go into a place called Jolly Roger's but I'd been told good things by the local weirdos. The ring was silver, old and elegantly simple. There were no rough edges to catch on things, just a simple ivy patern that ran straight around the ring.
"Iggy..."I said, suddenly filled with panic.
"Yeah man?" He replied handing me the box.
"What if she turns me down? What if-" I said.
Iggy sighed and shook his head. "She won't. So how are you planning to do it?"
The thought had never occured to me. "I-I-"
"Let me guess, you haven't thought that far ahead, have you?" He asked.
"No." I said, feeling like the world's biggest idiot.
"Good! Don't plan anything. Just go in there and ask her. Don't do anything stupid like getting on your knees." He said matter of factly.
"Why? Why shouldn't I get on my knees?" I asked.
"Because she'll probably wonder what's wrong with you." Iggy said with a laugh. The sad thing, he was probably right.
We went back into the house, Max was in the kitchen washing the dishes. Iggy made the 'see ya!' gesture before plucking Angel and Gazzy out of their chairs and dragging them into the living room. "I wan't you guys to help me with something." I heard him say. Thanks Iggy.
"Max." I said.
"Yeah?" She asked. Max wasn't making this easy on me. She didn't even look away.
I set the box down on the counter and tried to think of how to phrase this. "Um... Max... I kinda have to ask you something."
"What is it." She said, still scrubbing the silverware. I couldn't ask her while she was busy, I was loosing my nerve. I sighed.
"I'll ask you later." I said and stepped into the living room where Iggy had the kids drawing schematics.
"How'd it go, what did she say?"
"He didn't ask her." Angel interupted.
"ANGEL!" Me and Iggy said in unison.
Iggy rolled his eyes. "Fang, Fang, Fang, what are we going to do with your sorry butt?"
Suddenly there was the sound of breaking glass. Iggy and I ran into the kitchen where Max was bracing her self against the counter. "Max? Are you okay?" I asked. There was a pile of broken glass on the floor. Iggy carefully walked over the pile.
"What was it?" He asked.
"THE SMALL GLASS BOWL!" Angel yelled from the living room. I rolled my eyes. I vaguely heard "not the mixing bowl!" come from Iggy's direction but I was looking at Max. The jewlery box on the counter was open, small sud bubbles popping on the edges. This wasn't looking good.
"Max?" I asked. For once in my life I was terrified of something that wasn't trying to kill me. Who knows, she might actually try to kill me. One never knows with Max.
She turned to me. "Is this for..." I knodded. "And it's a..." She continued. I knodded again. Suddenly she ran to me and engulfed me in a hug. I huged her back.
"Sorry it's not much, and that I'm not exactly romantic..." She put a hand to my lips.
"I don't care. It's perfect." she said with one of her hundred watt smiles. I kissed her.
"It's about time." Iggy said. Nudge walked in, wondering what the comotion was about.
"Hey, what's up guys, 'cause I hear this breaking noise and now-" Fang covered her mouth with a gentle hand.
"Shh!" He said. "Max and Fang just got engaged."
Nudge gasped.
"Is that what it was? I couldn't understand what she was saying." Gazzy mumbled. Angel elbowed him.
"Max, Fang, I hate to break up this moment, I really do, but... Somebody owe me a mixing bowl."Iggy said.
I glowered at him. He smirked.
Max grabbed my hand. "I love you, Fang"
And the rest, as they say, is history. Come to think of it, we never did replace that mixing bowl...