It was three in the morning. I couldn't believe what had just happened. I started to wonder if it was all a dream. I pinched my arm and let out a slight yelp. It was loud enough to wake Syd. Even if this want a dream, it was staying to turn into a nightmare. I just had to compose myself and stay calm so Syd wouldn't become suspicious.

"What are you doing up so early? You hate late nights," Syd exclaimed as he came over and wrapped his arms around me from behind.

"I was having trouble sleeping. I had a terrible headache and-"

"Hey, let me boil you some tea. That'll help, right?"

I shrugged and smirked at him, signaling that that'd be just fine right now. Superficially, everything might have seemed all right. But inside, my mind was racing with thoughts. I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep this up. The guilt was starting to get to me. I had to let him know.

"Hey," Syd called from the kitchen as he prepared my tea,"can I ask you something? It's kind of important."

My heart rate began to rapidly pick up and my breathing was staggered. He knew full well of my predicament. He was probably just waiting for me to crack. But maybe he didn't. I continued to play it off.

"What's that, Syd? Come over here and ask me."

Syd scurried over and gently rested the tea cup and saucer onto the coffee table. He then flopped onto the sofa next to me and nuzzled his face against my shoulder.

"So," I started,"what did you want to ask me?"

I peered over my shoulder at Syd and saw him grinning. He slowly sat up and hesitantly reached into his pocket. Simultaneously, he knelt down beside me and pulled out a mini black box. He opened it up and inside was a magnificent diamond ring.

"Will you, Kathryn Marie Clark, take my hand in marriage?"

I stared in awe, my mouth gaping and my eyes wide open. I slowly began nodding my head. "Yes, yes! I love you!"

I pulled him close to hold him tight and then kissed him gently on the lips,

"I love you, too, Kat," Syd whispered into my ear.

He gently slipped the ring into my finger and kissed me once more. Then he wrapped his arms around me and lay back, nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck. His breath was warm and his scruff tickled against my skin. We drifted off into a deep sleep together. We were engaged. Finally.

---

The next morning Syd shook me awake. I rubbed my tired eyes and yawned. He only smiled at me as I slowly got up from the sofa. "What's up, Syd? Why so early?" I asked.

"I made breakfast!" He exclaimed.

I peered over and saw the kitchen table covered with various breakfast dishes. They were all my favorite foods. Pancakes, waffles, French toast, eggs- everything. I squealed in delight and ran over to hug Syd and kiss him on the cheek. "You're the greatest."

"No, you are. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you... so much."

He waltzed over to my side and gently cupped his hands to my face and softly laid a kiss on my forehead. Then he gazed into my eyes and was about to kids me on the lips when there was a knock at the door.

"Who could that be at this early in the morning?" Syd whined as he slid off of the sofa and stomped ask the way to the door. He peered through the peephole and let out a sigh.

"It's David. Should I let him in?"

My heart began to race and my hands started to shake. I didn't want to seem worried so I tried to remain calm. "Sure, let him in," I said as my voice trembled and cracked a bit toward to the end.

Syd gave me a bewildered look but went ahead and unlocked the door and swung it open. "Hey, David. What brings you here so early in the morning?"

"Oh, uh," he stuttered until he caught a glimpse of me, then he completely stalled. "Hey, Kat."

Syd glared at him and then cleared his throat. "What did you need again?"

"Oh, yeah. I was wondering if I could borrow a few albums. Maybe we could trade. I'm looking for new music and you seem to have an ear for great music."

"That's not me," Syd scoffed,"I just write the music. Kat finds all the new stuff."

"Oh, well, do you mind if I come in and grab a few?"

"Not at all! Kat, can you take him into the other room and show him your collection? He'll love it!"

My stomach churned. It just had to be me. It just had to be now. "Sure, Syd. Come on, David."

I led him over to the boxes of records I kept stashed in the corner of our bedroom. I flipped through them as David watched closely over my shoulder. He placed his hand onto my arm as he reached for an album and I jumped.

"What's wrong? Don't like 13th Floor Elevators?" He asked as he giggled.

"No, no, I love them. It's just that you have me a little scare, okay?"

"Because I touched your arm? Jeez, it's not like I- I did this."

He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulled me close, and kissed me on the forehead. He was laughing until I pushed him away. Unfortunately, he caught eye of my new engagement ring. He forcefully grabbed my wrist and stared at my hand. "What's this?"

"Syd and I... We're engaged." I said quietly. But in the quietness of the room it seemed as if I had yelled it as loud as I possibly could.

David placed my hand down gently and proceeded to leave the room. I heard a muffled "goodbye" from syd, nothing from David, and then a door slam. I walked out and over to the kitchen where Syd was sitting at the table just staring at the plate in front of him.

"What happened to David?" He looked up and asked.

"I guess he just didn't like my music taste," I smirked a little and so did Syd.

"I guess he couldn't handle your superior palette for the finer arts in the musical industry," Syd added to my joke.

I tried to keep this whole David situation out of my mind for the rest of the day, at least. I really didn't want Syd to find out. I just wanted to spend the day with my new fiance.