April 28, 2012 - 1:00 pm

Marley got to the coffee shop early. Probably too early, but she wanted to get the lay of the land. Where the ladies' room was, where the front door was, you know... all the places a girl would need to know in order to make a quick getaway.

She was nervous. She wasn't sure if Simon knew she was blind. Because if he did, there was a probability that he just wouldn't show up. If he didn't, then there was a possibility that they'd have a nice polite time with small talk and he'd never call back. She wasn't giving herself much of a chance that there was even a possibility that things could work out just fine. While she was stuck in the elevator, Josh had told her not to jinx it. That maybe she would get lucky and have a solid match. That this person wouldn't care that she couldn't see.

Maybe.

But she wasn't getting her hopes up.

Her phone rang, The ringtone was a really annoying one, but it made her smile.



He had set that up when he gave her the phone and she didn't have the heart to change it. She picked it up and listened before exploding.

"You ran a background check on him? Daddy! Please tell me you're kidding. The people at the Vow already did that!" she exclaimed in a rather quiet, but annoyed tone. "And you are sending a private detective to follow him around?"

She listened for a moment before sighing.

"That's not funny Dad," she said. "You promise the private detective was a joke? Because it better be. If I find out, I will..."

A chime rang. It was one she set to tell her when he was due to arrive.

"Dad I've got to go. Yes... I love you too. I'll call later. Bye."

She hung up and placed her phone on the table, found her coffee at 10 o'clock and took a sip before returning to the piece of of paper on the table. It was his bio and she had printed it on her braille printer at home. So as she waited, she reviewed his information.

Heh... I can't believe he has the same last name. At least I won't have to change mine... And my monogrammed towels will still be the same.

She smiled softly at that. She waited for him to show up as she re-read his bio. Deep down she hoped that everything would be OK.

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OOC: A braille printer/embosser both prints the text and embosses it in braille. It would look like this:

April 28th
2pm

Simon had to admit that he was nervous about meeting the woman he was supposed to marry. Simon was the kind of man that wanted to only marry one person but he had heard that that's really not how it worked around here. This service that he paid for had a lot of divorces on his roster and Simon knew that going in but still, what if it didn't work out? What if he didn't like her? What if she didn't like him. He knew that she was pretty, and she looked like she would be tall.

He paced outside Coffeebeans afraid to go in but he couldn't put it off any longer the last thing he wanted to be was late. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open. He saw her sitting looking at a piece of paper. He wondered what it was that she was reading and he slowly walked over. He rubbed his hands on his legs and stood next to the table. "Um. Hi, Marley?" he spoke softly, his voice breaking as if his throat was too dry.

He wasn't sure what to think of her but he did notice the stick that most blind people use to get around and he looked at her. He noticed the piece of paper that she was reading was what he could only assume to be braille. She was blind. Holy shit she was blind. He didn't really know what to say so he just put on a smile even though she couldn't see it. "I'm um...Simon. Nice to meet you." he just went ahead and sat down. This was going to be interesting that much he could be sure about.

She heard him approaching and as soon as he stopped at her table, she knew he was there. She couldn't help but hold her breath a bit. She couldn't believe how nervous she was.

"Um. Hi, Marley?"

She smiled a bit at his voice cracking. He was nervous. That was OK because so was she. This man could turn out to be her husband in the very near future.

"I'm um...Simon. Nice to meet you."

She heard him sit down across from her. She was trying really hard to stay optimistic. She slipped his bio back into her bag and then noticed that she had left her cane out. Her smile fell a bit.

"They didn't tell you, did they?" she asked, her mood slowly faltering.

She wanted to follow it up with a 'you can leave now if you want,' but she couldn't make herself say it. She shouldn't just assume that he would run for the hills. She wanted to keep things optimistic. She didn't want to open herself up to that 'self-fulfilling prophecy' concept. Or maybe she did. It could work the other way too. If she kept positive and hoped for the best, maybe it would work.

It could be a strong match, she said to herself. Give him a chance.

She smiled slightly again and reached for her drink.

"I'm Marley Grayson," she said with her own voice wavering a bit. "It's nice to meet you."

Please don't run before you give me a chance, she found herself hoping.

Simon wasn't really sure how he was going to handle this but he was firm believer that everyone needed a chance and he wasn't going to be vain and petty. So she couldn't see, that didn't mean she couldn't be a wonderful person and that they couldn't be happy together. It would be like if she had a bum leg or didn't have an arm, sure they would be great if that wasn't the case but he wasn't going to judge a person by what they don't have compared to others.

"No..no they didn't but that's okay. Now you won't have to worry about knowing how dorky I generally look." he laughed a little. He wasn't sure how the match would go over all, but he would go through with it. As long as she wasn't this horrible person and somehow he just didn't think she could be. She seemed to soft to be mean.

"I don't know if it's interesting or wierd that we have the same last name. I mean...you don't know a Jody Grayson do you? Cause that's my mom and if you did we'll have problems." he joked a little. He was sure he would have known if he was related to anyone like her but he hoped she wouldn't find his joke offensive or off-color. Sometimes Simon didn't realize that what comes out of his mouth might not be funny to someone else.

Someone came over and asked if he wanted anything. "Oh umm..." he really wasn't sure what he wanted. "Ice tea please." he said simply. He wasn't much of a coffee drinker and he certainly didn't feel like anything hot right now, he was already sweating bullets. "So Marley, tell me about yourself? Like do you work, what kind of hobbies..that sort of stuff." the best thing for both of them would be to get to know each other.

"No..no they didn't but that's okay. Now you won't have to worry about knowing how dorky I generally look."

He was nervous. She could tell that, but he should be. He was meeting the woman he was supposed to marry and she had a slight issue that the service hadn't told him. She couldn't help but be a little tense, but she kept optimistic.

"I don't know if it's interesting or wierd that we have the same last name. I mean...you don't know a Jody Grayson do you? Cause that's my mom and if you did we'll have problems."

A joke. So he liked to joke a little. This is good too. Marley liked a guy who could make her laugh.

"Nope, you'll be glad to know that I do not know a Jody Grayson." she said reassuring him. "That would have been awkward, wouldn't it have been? And I am not weirded out by the name. I won't need to go get my State ID redone or change names on my credit cards and bank accounts. It's actually much easier this way."

Then they were interrupted a second by someone asking if Simon needed anything. He ordered an Iced Tea. This was a plus too. Marley liked tea too.

"So Marley, tell me about yourself? Like do you work, what kind of hobbies..that sort of stuff."

"Well, friends call me Mars, so if you and I get married, I suppose that would include you too. It's not a requirement, It just seems to happen," she told him. "I do have a job. I am a massotherapist at the Evergreen Community Gym. You should come by soon. The things I could do..."

It was then that she realized how suggestive that could be taken. She blushed a deep red and nearly choked.

"I am talking about a massage... They say I have a real gift in making people feel really good..."

That didn't sound any better to her. She figured she better cut her losses and move on to another subject.

"I just moved here so I haven't really established any hobbies or favorite activities yet. I do love trying new things though. I once went skydiving. Have you ever been?" she paused a second. "Oh and I wanted to say that you probably don't look as dorky as you think you do. Believe me, I can look pretty dorky too at times."

Simon feigned a sigh of relief. "That's good news, didn't want things to get too weird already." he laughed a little. He couldn't fathom what life with a blind woman would be like but he supposed he would find out now. He just hoped that she didn't find him annoying or insensitive. He didn't know what to really do in this type of situation. He felt a little lost in that moment.

He didn't know what a massotherapist was but he thought it was kind of adorable that she blushed at her mistaken innuendos. Simon wouldn't really have thought of what she said in that fashion if she had not reacted the way she did. For whatever reason he didn't think with any other head but the one on his shoulders. At least with things like that. He never really got innuendos right away, most people had to explain them and then they kind of lose their point.

"I've never had a massage so that would be an interesting experience." he hoped that he didn't sound like he didn't care or that what she didn't wasn't important. Simon was always worried that he sounded like a bad person even though realistically he couldn't possibly know what a bad person sounded like. He was just too nice.

"I'm not much for those kinds of things. I don't really like crapping myself so that could have something to do with it. I'm not sure you could ever look dorky, you look more like a model than a dork candidate. Where did the nickname Mars come from? I don't have nicknames..people just call me Simon." he shrugged even though she wouldn't be able to see it.

"I should probably fork over some info on me...um...I dunno I was born, I grew up and now I work as a freelance graphic designer. My life is pretty boring, save for the part where I get to sit across from a pretty lady." wow really? Now he knew he was losing it cause that was awful.

He seemed relieved that she didn't think it was odd that they already had the same name.

"I've never had a massage so that would be an interesting experience."

She knew the type. He was just probably self conscious about a stranger laying their hands on him. It wasn't a bad thing, it is just that it was probably out of his comfort zone.

"I'm not much for those kinds of things. I don't really like crapping myself so that could have something to do with it. I'm not sure you could ever look dorky, you look more like a model than a dork candidate. Where did the nickname Mars come from? I don't have nicknames..people just call me Simon."

Now he was rambling. It was kinda cute, but in the back of her mind, she wondered if the rambling was due to the fact that she was blind other than the fact that he might actually like her somewhat.

Also, she didn't understand what he meant by the statement about crapping himself, but she let it slide.

"You're not much for those kind of things because you have never had one. You must let me treat you to one some day. I insist on it."

Then her mind snapped to the other thing he said. How he doubted she could ever look dorky and she looked more like a model. She blushed a little.

"You think I am pretty?" she asked softly. People had told her before that she was pretty, but it was sometimes difficult to believe. She quickly moved onto the next question hoping that he didn't think she had asked because of some deep rooted need to feel attractive. After all, how people looked didn't really have any bearing for her.

"Mars is just short for Marley and you never know, maybe after a while I can think up of a good nickname for you, you know... if you don't mind."

"I should probably fork over some info on me...um...I dunno I was born, I grew up and now I work as a freelance graphic designer. My life is pretty boring, save for the part where I get to sit across from a pretty lady."

"A graphic designer? That's cool. I wish I could see some of your work," she told him. Then she blushed again at the mention of her being a pretty lady. "You don't have to say that I am pretty..."

So far, she liked Simon. Surprisingly, she found that she also liked being told she was pretty, that is if he was sincere about it. Weird huh?

"After all, I don't really do much to spruce up myself. Make-up is somewhat problematic so I only do the bare essentials: mascara, lip gloss and a little blush. And my hair is just..." she felt stupid saying anything, especially a report on her "beauty" regimen. She just wasn't used to it. She quickly changed the subject. "Oh! I wasn't born this way, you know... blind? I had an accident as a child. I slipped by our pool in Italy and whacked my head really hard and this is what happened. Have you ever been to Italy? I've been told that there are some good museums and such there," she continued on and blurted out the next thing she thought an artist might want to know. "I remember the color red. It's my favorite."

Dear God... Now she was rambling.

Simon laughed and shook his head, even though she couldn’t see him do it. “No no I meant I’m for skydiving and scary stuff like that. Massage I’m down for.” He didn’t quite understand how she didn’t get what he meant but things like that happened and Simon had been known to confuse others when he spoke. He didn’t understand why she sounded so surprised that he thought she was pretty. It wasn’t a lie to butter her up, Simon was honest if nothing else but it was simply a fact. “Of course you are pretty.” He was sincere and he really hoped she understood that.

He didn’t really like Mars as a nickname but it wasn’t his so he wasn’t going to say anything. “Well do you want me to call you Mars?” he figured if she really did then he would but if she didn’t care then he’d call her Marley. “Whatever you wish to call me I’ll probably not mind..though I’m not really sure what kind of nickname you could come up with but I’ll leave it to you.” He smiled.

“Well I don’t like to lie to people so really it’s kind of hard for me not to call you pretty when you are. Whatever you do is working. Besides make up is over rated. I prefer the women that don’t put on tons of makeup then the ones that feel they have to, to look good. He wasn’t really sure if it mattered that she was born blind or not the fact was she was blind and it would be an adjustment for him no matter what. “Italy no, but red is a good color to remember. I’m sorry you can’t see my work but that’s okay cause it’s not really that great anyway.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“What made you come to Evergreen. Aside from The Vow, I mean why here, why randomly marry a stranger?”

“No no I meant I’m for skydiving and scary stuff like that. Massage I’m down for.”

Marley felt a little dense that she hadn't followed what he meant.

"Good. Just tell me when you'd like to come in and I will make sure I am available. Which isn't quite hard yet. I haven't been here long enough to establish a decent client base, but it's growing."

Then he told her again that she was pretty. She fiddled a little with the hem on her shirt, she still didn't know what to think.

“Well do you want me to call you Mars?” “Whatever you wish to call me I’ll probably not mind..though I’m not really sure what kind of nickname you could come up with but I’ll leave it to you.”

"You may call me Mars or Marley or whatever. Go with what you're more comfortable with. I answer to both of them. And as for you, maybe you weren't destined for a nick name. Right now, I think I will stick with Simon."

Then he went back to the part about her being pretty, she smiled softly, trying to accept the compliment.

"My parents... They mean well, but they can be a little patronizing. They tell me all the time that I'm pretty, but sometimes I wonder if it is just to bolster my self esteem. It's not like I can look and have my own opinion. They can be quite enthusiastic when it comes to me. I love them to death, but sometimes parents can be a little too enthusiastic."

Then he told her that he'd never been to Italy but liked that she had a favorite color. He was also humble. He called his own work 'not that great.'

"I am sure your work is very good, Simon. Don't discount yourself. You seem like a really great guy."

She was sincere about that. Unconsciously, she pushed up her sleeves, unwittingly revealing the scar across her left forearm. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either.

“What made you come to Evergreen. Aside from The Vow, I mean why here, why randomly marry a stranger?”

She smiled again.

"That again would be because of my overzealous parents. I was getting tired of being fixed up with people they thought would be good for me. Talk about a blind date with a blind girl. More guys than none would get freaked out by it and never call back. And the other ones would call back because they saw me as a ticket to the good life. It was getting depressing. I wanted to skip the depressing part and find someone who I could finally start a life with. I heard about the Vow and signed up. I needed someone that had an unbiased opinion of who would be good for me."

Plus it was the extensive background checks that The Vow used, she thought. She didn't want to tell Simon about t he stalker. She hoped she never had to. It was just too painful.

"What about you? Why did you sign up?"

Simon simply listened and nodded his head even though it didn’t matter. He wasn’t really sure how to react sometimes in this conversation. He had never gotten a massage because the thought of someone he didn’t know touching him made it hard for him to say sure to the idea. Then again this was going to be his wife so he supposed if there was anyone that should be rubbing on him it would be her. “Sure I’ll make sure to do that.” He responded simply.

“Simon works and for now I think I’ll go with Marley, if that changes I’ll let you know.” He laughed a bit and moved on. “Well every parent is supposed to make their child feel good about themselves but I can assure you in this particular case they had every good reason possible to tell you that. I promise, I’m not the lying type.” He was honest about that for sure. Simon didn’t really even know how to lie properly, some would say that that is a fault to him it was a good thing. If he didn’t know how then he never would. Lies hurt people and he didn’t ever want to be that person that hurt someone.

He stared at the table for a moment and took another drink of his tea. Now she was complimenting him and he didn’t really know how to take it. “Thank you, I’m glad that you think so. Your opinion of me matters more than most.” He pushed the glass around and stared at her a moment as she asked why he was there. He took a moment to think of the reasons before answering. “Well, I’m not good at finding love myself. I just get to nervous about meeting new people and so I don’t and then I’m just working more than anything else and I didn’t like not having anyone to share my life with. I heard about this place and figured it would also be a nice change of pace. So far it’s been different, but good.”

“I don’t mean to sound..rude but how do you do it? I mean I couldn’t imagine being blind and obviously I can’t really sympathize with that but you have to be really tough to be here on your own. At least to me that’s how it seems. I could be wrong of course.” He didn’t want to be nosy but he wondered. He didn’t think he could handle it himself and that made him kind of sad.

She was glad that he told her that he would come and let her give him a massage. She wanted him to know that she was good at what she did. For some reason, it was important to her.

“Simon works and for now I think I’ll go with Marley, if that changes I’ll let you know.”

That didn't bother her any. Some people were taken to nicknames and some weren't. She didn't feel slighted at all. She supposed some people may have taken it the wrong way, but she did not.

Then he reassured her that her parents weren't stringing her along. It was good to know. Sometimes she wondered what they were actually doing. Don't get her wrong. Marley loved her parents and wouldn't change anything about them. They were just... parents.

She frowned inwardly at the promise that he wasn't the lying type. She hoped that he didn't think she was alluding to that. He didn't dwell on it, so he must not have thought so either.

“Thank you, I’m glad that you think so. Your opinion of me matters more than most.”

He sounded surprised about her compliment about his work. She didn't know how, but she just had that feeling that he was the kind of guy who was so humble that he didn't give himself enough credit.

What impacted her the most was that he had said that her opinion of him mattered more than most. It was sweet. And promising. Maybe the Vow had found her the guy who really wasn't freaked out too much about her blindness. Is that possible?

“Well, I’m not good at finding love myself. I just get to nervous about meeting new people and so I don’t and then I’m just working more than anything else and I didn’t like not having anyone to share my life with. I heard about this place and figured it would also be a nice change of pace. So far it’s been different, but good.”

"I agree. Different but good sums it up for me too," she told him. "It feels good to be out on my own again. My parents have the tendency to hover just a little too much, but I love them and I don't know if I would do anything different if I were in their situation."

She was truly surprised by his next question. It was a good one too. Most guys who were going to bail on her after the first "date" never asked for details. They never even mention the fact that she was different. It was like her blindness was the 2,000 pound elephant sitting in the middle of the room that no one wanted to talk about.

But Simon did.

"Don't forget that I haven't been this independent my whole life. I have had 20 years to get ready for being out on my own. Plus there is technology around nowadays that wasn't even available 5 years ago," she reminded him. It was true. There was technology now that wasn't even available the last time she went out on her own. "And I don't think you are being rude. If we are to be married, you should probably know about these things just so you don't worry about me whenever I leave the house."

She showed him the copy of his bio that she was going over when he arrived.

"I have this cool printer that stamps out the braille on it for me. Plus computer technology has come a long way. Between programs that read the contents out loud to me and the braille reader I can plug in to it, I am quite adept at getting around the information super highway," she said with a smile. She leaned forward a bit and joked a little. "Now if they can only come out with cars that drive themselves, then I could handle the regular highway just fine."

She fished through her bag and brought out her phone.

"This is my lifeline," she revealed. "Siri helps me navigate the phone. Let's me make reminders for myself, tells me what I have scheduled for the day and make calls by simply asking. There are other things that the phone and it's apps do to help me. It reads my texts for me. They came out with an app where I can use the braille alphabet to put in text that gets translated into regular text responses. There is one that can tell me what the denomination of paper money that I have and a whole lot more."

She blushed a little.

"But I don't need to give you a dissertation on everything now, do I?" she said. "But believe me, I think you could do it if you had to."

She smiled softly, but a little sadly too.

"I like it that you asked. Shows that you might actually be serious about marrying me. I always worry that I am going to scare people away."

Simon was beyond shocked and just how many things there were that could make her function like everyone else. It was nice to know that technology didn't forget people like her that couldn't do things like that before. He still didn't think that he could really handle something like that. It would just all be too much for him. And would be especially hard since his career was a visual one.

"Well at least you have so many things to help." he nodded, he was a little surprised that she liked that he asked in the first place. Why wouldn't he? He was after all marrying her as she said and that was information he would have known if they dated for a very long time. So why not ask? It seemed like the simplest thing. He wasn't sure that asking meant that he was serious about marrying her but that he wanted to know more about her so that marrying her wouldn't seem as scary.

Not that she herself was scary, marriage on a whole, was scary. He finished off his tea and sat back in the chair. He thought about all the people that she probably knew or had known that had taken advantage of her disability. He wondered if she was ever hurt because of it. Which was an odd line of thinking because Simon always saw the bright side of things. That was just how he worked.

"Do you think its a great idea to marry a stranger? Not saying that I'm trying to back out, just curious of how the idea of marrying someone that doesn't know you really makes you feel. I know you said that you wanted to do this so that someone would be unbiased but...were you worried that I wouldn't even sit down?" he asked because he felt that it would shed more light on her. The idea for him is scary as hell. He didn't know why he really was doing this but after you pay the money that you do you kind of have to just do it and hope it works out well in the end.

"Well at least you have so many things to help."

"Indeed. They didn't have half the stuff available the last time I lived alone," Marley inwardly cursed herself. She hoped he didn't ask too many in depth questions about the last time she lived alone.

But then again, shouldn't she tell him? Shouldn't she give him a heads up before she could possibly have a horrible nightmare and wake up screaming? She didn't even want to worry about it right now. She would just have to deal with that when and if he asked.

That was scary though. She hadn't even thought about that part of her life for a whille until she got stuck in that elevator. She had no intention on ever telling anyone about that time and here it was again... Almost up front and center in her life. She was sure that sooner or later she'd have to tell Simon the whole story if they got married, but she really hoped it would be later.

"Do you think its a great idea to marry a stranger? Not saying that I'm trying to back out, just curious of how the idea of marrying someone that doesn't know you really makes you feel. I know you said that you wanted to do this so that someone would be unbiased but...were you worried that I wouldn't even sit down?"

Good question... Marley thought. Simon was smart and he seemed inquisitive. Somehow she knew the conversation about her stalker would probably come up sooner than she wanted, but she would put it off for as long as she could.

"Like I said, I was tired of the whole dating process. There were my overzealous parents and most guys I got fixed up with would either disappear after the first date or stick around hoping to get a ticket to the 'good life'," she said as she realized that he might wonder what she meant by the 'good life', so she explained. She wasn't snotty about it, it was just a fact of life when it came to her. "My family is wealthy. So, I usually scare people off or attract gold diggers. I don't like it that some see me as an easy target."

She thought a little more.

"I like it that the folks at the Vow screen their applicants fairly decently. Plus, they are people who actually want to get married. Maybe not to someone like me, but I figured I would have a better chance," she suddenly thought about her conversation she had with her Dad right before Simon arrived. She grimaced a little. "I do have to apologize though... You know those overzealous parent I have? They've already done an extensive background check on you."

She was glad she didn't have to see the look on his face.

"I am pretty sure that I talked my Dad out of having a private detective follow you around. I just wanted to warn you. They are just very... overprotective."

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"I really am sorry about that. I hope it doesn't scare you away."

Simon really didn't know what he was doing, he didn't know how to be a husband or how to be an anything that would be good enough for her but he wasn't about to just run away without putting in some effort. He leaned forward onto the table and just listened to her talk. She was saying what she said before and he kind of felt that the question he wanted answered wasn't being answered. He understood what she said before but what he really wanted to know was why. The real reason, sure the it's time to settle down and I want to find someone that won't judge me is a good reason but he felt like there had to be something else. However he decided not to ask again. At her mention of her parents doing a background check he snorted.

"Well, that would be a first for sure." he shrugged. Maybe it was just that he was nervous or maybe he was worried that he wasn't going to do this right but Simon was suddenly afraid of it all. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a moment. He didn't know what to really say next. He felt like he was going to let this whole thing fall apart before he really could give it a shot.

"I don't know if this is going to work out, I don't know if we'll be happy, or in love. I don't know if I'll be the kind of guy you always dream of and I'm terrified that this will crash and burn but if you are willing to marry me despite not knowing me than I'm willing to marry you despite not knowing you either." he knew it sounded a little cliche to say but he felt like if he didn't put out the possibility that this wasn't going to be the dream marriage she might be hoping for than she'll be even more disappointed when it failed, not that he wanted to be divorced before he could really be married. He had to think of all the variables, the brainiac in him kind of sucked like that.

Marley was happy that Simon didn't seem ruffled when she mentioned the background check and the possibility of a private detective following him around.

"Well, that would be a first for sure."

She surmised that it would probably be the same for her. She couldnt imagine being investigated like that, especially to that extent. Matter of fact, she almost thought that he snorted at the prospect and that made her smile.

"I don't know if this is going to work out, I don't know if we'll be happy, or in love. I don't know if I'll be the kind of guy you always dream of and I'm terrified that this will crash and burn but if you are willing to marry me despite not knowing me than I'm willing to marry you despite not knowing you either."

Her smile fell for a second. Was he trying to bail? She always got worried when the words 'I don't know if this is going to work out' are uttered. That was usually finished up with 'you're a really nice girl' or a 'it's not you, it's me' and a quick exit. But she was surprised when he continued with the 'I'm willing to marry you if you were willing to marry him' line.

But what struck her most was the fact that he was so sincere about it all. He seemed nervous. Truth be told was that she was too. It was a big change for her and a real leap of faith.

"Yes, Simon Grayson," she said with a hopefulness she hadn't had in a while. "I will marry you."

She slid her hand towards the opposite side of the table, hoping that he would take it in his. After all, holding hands would be a good start.

"So what do we do now?"

Simon wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to be doing but he couldn’t back down now. He placed his hand in hers and didn’t let the fact that he didn’t feel anything at the contact of their skin mean anything. He was always a dreamer about romance, that if they were the right person then a simple touch was supposed to hold sparks and that. But he knew deep down that that wasn’t realistic, that just wasn’t how things were. He wouldn’t feel anything for Marley because he barely knew her. He knew tidbits but not enough to have feelings for her.

He didn’t want to think of all the things that could go wrong that wasn’t fair to her. She was just trying to find love, same as him, however he wondered if he was doing this because the person he really wanted didn’t want him back. The last thing he wanted to do was to get into a relationship with anyone while having feelings for someone else but how else was he supposed to get over her, she had her own life, her own child and he wasn’t going to be able to be a part of that.

“I suppose we get married.” He shrugged. He wondered if she had a dress or not, he wondered if he would think she was beautiful and smile. He wondered if he would wake up that morning and not show up because he was too afraid. He wondered a lot of things as he sat there holding her hand. He wished that things weren’t so complicated in his head. He had done really well pushing Trista out of his brain for the most part of his meeting Marley, she needed to be in his focus, not Trista. But here he was thinking about her now and looking down at the table.

His hand slid out of hers and he pressed his lips together. “So have you ever been in love before? Or..met anyone while you were waiting to be matched that you found yourself liking? You don’t have to answer, I’m just curious if I’ll have to worry about anyone trying to kick my ass for marrying you.” He really just wanted to not leave, not just because he wanted to know her more but because if they ended this meeting then the next time he saw her they would be getting married and his stomach was getting a little twisted at that thought.

She felt hope as he placed his hand in hers. In response she squeezed his hand gently. She wanted him to know that she was sincere about all this. She too wanted to give it a try. You never know, things could go extremely well.

Or extremely badly.

But she was hoping for the positive view.

Then he finally answered her question about what to do next.

“I suppose we get married.”

Married.

Just like that.

She wondered what kind of wedding he imagined.

"What kind of wedding should we have? I am open to suggestions. I am definitely not your bridezilla type," she informed him. At this point she wasn't even sure if she was going to invite her parents. they would probably be hurt, but she was afraid that if they travelled there, a couple of things would happen.

They would insist on staying with them, which really wasn't conducive to getting to know one's spouse.

And he could follow them. What if John was still looking for her? What if he was still fixated on her even after all this time. She had barely seen her folks in the years since the stalking happened. And she hadn't been home to New York since. She was too scared and too paranoid about the possibility. After all, he tried to kill her the last time she saw him.

“So have you ever been in love before? Or..met anyone while you were waiting to be matched that you found yourself liking? You don’t have to answer, I’m just curious if I’ll have to worry about anyone trying to kick my ass for marrying you.”

She thought for a moment on what she should say. After a moment she answered.

"I've never been in love. In like? Yes. In lust? Definitely," she admitted as she blushed. She believe at being as truthful as she could. After all, she was going to marry this guy. "As for someone while waiting to be matched?"

She wanted to say this correctly.

"Yes, there was someone, but we're just friends," she told him. "I assure you that I don't have anyone who would try to kick your ass for marrying me."

Then she had a fleeting thought about what John would do if he found out she was married... She knew that one of these days she would have to tell Simon the whole story, but right now just wasn't the time. She was going to put it off as long as possible.