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This was the third jewellers in town that Cal had tried because it had to be perfect. Nothing else would do. Finally he spotted what he wanted, a shining diamond ring perched neatly in the centre of all the others. The ring sparkled under the harsh UV lights of the shop, and it would sit perfectly on Chloe's finger if she said yes.
And Cal hoped more than anything that she'd say yes. Chloe was one of the most vibrant, exciting and full of life people Cal had ever met – and after some of the wild nights out he'd had at Merton college when he was studying, that was saying something. She'd started talking to him because she thought his English accent was adorable and to his delight he'd managed to score a date.
That had been just over a year ago, and even though they seemed the unlikely couple, Cal and Chloe had seen it through. Last week they had been out at the cinema and whilst Cal was buying the tickets he could see some guy hitting on Chloe. The guy was well-built, seemed the football player type and Cal could feel the familiar gut clench as he watched them before approaching them. Possessively slipping an arm around Chloe's waist, he had pasted on a grin, "Are you ready, darling?"
She'd turned back to him with a winning smile, the other man forgotten and Cal let out the breath he'd been holding. At that moment he had realised that he didn't want to live without Chloe, they went together too well and losing her was an almost unbearable thought.
Which had led him to the jewellers. Some guys might have been scared of the commitment but Cal would consider himself the luckiest man in the world if Chloe agreed to be his for the rest of their lives. They were going away in a week, one of Chloe's friends was getting married off the coast of Seattle – a place called Harper's Island. Cal planned to ask her while they were there, before the wedding kicked off, he thought it would be romantic.
"That one's a beauty, ain't she?" The assistant caught Cal's attention and reached into the cabinet to retrieve the ring so Cal could inspect it further.
Carefully, he took it from the case and turned it over in his fingers. The man behind the counter started to describe it, "What you're looking at there is a 24 carat gold ring, the diamond itself is a 1.5 carat with colour rating of H. Do you what that means, sir?"
"It means it's almost colourless." Cal replied, holding the ring up to the light to examine it.
"A man who knows his diamonds, that's always good, that is."
Cal imagined the way that the ring would look sliding onto Chloe's finger as she said yes, and made a quick decision. Setting the ring down on the counter again he announced, "I'll take it." Without asking for the price.
"Very good, sir." The assistant smiled and took the box back, "And might I say, she's a very lucky lady."
He thought of Chloe, of her smile, her strength and charm. Not to mention the way she looked in that black lingerie set that she loved so much. "No," He replied, "I'm the lucky one."