CHAPTER THREE- MARRY ME!

~Mira’s POV~

The voice, though sharp and commanding, felt awfully familiar.

I slowly turned my back only to be greeted by a pair of brown eyes.

“Mira!" He called, but this time softly.

My mouth dropped.

Grey! Why did he follow me?

But “Mira!" How did he know her name?

He waved his phone and I saw his Bingo profile. I wanted to give myself a benefit of doubt but now my hot neighbor is my Bingo match.

“Sad lady waiting for her prince charming, remember? Well, I’m here now. Be sad no more.” I laughed.

That line sounded so much better on text.

“Dress looks really great on you, Mira. Are you in an hurry?”

Just before I could reply, he quickly gestured for us to sit on the down pavement and I stifled the urge to roll my eyes.

Up close I could see his eyes were brown and his lips more pouty than they looked from afar.

We were still close to the garden where the reception buzzed on, music and laughter trailing faintly toward us. A waitress walked by, balancing a tray of sparkling wine. He plucked a glass without hesitation, tipped it back, and swallowed everything in one gulp.

“Another,” he said, handing the glass back.

I raised my brows. “You shouldn’t be drinking so much.”

“I shouldn’t.” His voice was flat, but he motioned to another waiter and collected his second.

I watched him drain half of it before I spoke again. “Tough day?”

He smirked without humor. “Something like that.”

By the time he finished that one, he flagged down yet another passing waiter. A third glass appeared in his hand, but this time he didn’t rush. He turned it in slow circles, the bubbles catching the light.

“Where’s your best friend?” he asked, finally lifting it to his lips.

“She stepped out for a bit.”

He nodded once, silent again.

I shifted, fiddling with the strap of my purse, the quiet stretching between us. He seemed content with it, eyes on the glass, sipping like he had all the time in the world.

“Do you want to leave?”

“Leave!" I couldn’t possibly leave with my neighbor, not with the unease I felt around him, so I shook my head. He had everything and had passed all my boxes and I am sure Lisa would approve of him.

“I think I’ll stay here for a while.” We both stood up and went inside the garden.

Food and snacks went round the tables. My mouth watered at the delicacy placed on the table. The band was playing a slow song to match the mood, so I dug into my small chops but Grey’s meals remained untouched.

“Have you ever wondered why people get married?”He blurted out of the blue. I wasn't really expecting such a question but I replied anyway.

“A lot of times. Yes. It’s a beautiful thing.”

But I couldn’t say for sure I would experience it. Marriage and love was a fairy-tale that didn’t exist to me.

I sipped from the glass of wine used for the toast and took a good look at Grey.

He massaged his jaw and his head turned slightly so he could wink at me.

“Was he drunk?" Heat crawled up my neck, I let my hair loose so it could cover the evidence of my embarrassment.

“What do you think about marriage?” I asked.

“It’s cool.” His fingers drummed on the table. He picked a diced apple from the fruit tray and returned it. “I don’t see myself getting married.”

I didn’t either. “Why not?” curiosity got me asking, even if I didn't want to.

Grey finally ate the apple and took another slice. I finished the rest of my small chops and he pushed his to my front. My lips pulling into a smile of gratitude and he smiled back.

“I don’t know. Finding the right one is harder than it seems. I kind of miss the old days when parents found partners for their kids.”

“You could bring it back,” I said to cheer him up. He looked better when smiling or smirking. “You could find yourself a partner you don’t know,” I teased. “That was how it worked.”

“But I feel the older methods were awful. Kids were betrothed to people they didn’t know.” His eyes crinkled. “Do you want me to bring it back?” His tone was as light as mine, full of teasing and mischief.

“Sure. Why not?” I downed the rest of my drink and shuddered. Emboldened, she said, “Who doesn’t want to marry a stranger?”

He straightened in his seat, eyes narrowing. “So if a stranger you know nothing about asks you to marry him, will you say yes?”

I laughed. “Come on, Grey!”

His expression didn’t soften. “How about a neighbor?”

My smile faltered. “That’s not funny.”

“Who said I was joking?” His voice dipped, and for the first time I noticed the way his hands fidgeted against the armrest.

I tilted my head, trying to read him. “Grey…”

He looked away, breaking eye contact as he kept scanning the garden as if searching for courage among the roses. His hand went to the back of his neck, fingers scratching nervously, a gesture he had always mocked in others.The irony wasn’t lost on me.

“You’re serious?” I whispered, my voice barely carrying.

He swallowed hard, finally meeting my eyes. The calm, teasing Grey I knew was gone. In his place sat someone uncertain, almost vulnerable.

“I’m about to ask you for something crazy, Miss Mira.”

“How crazy?”

“Very crazy.”

I cocked my head and sized him up from top to bottom, then gave him the go-ahead to speak.

His jaw tightened, and the silence stretched, like whatever he was about to say would change everything.

“Marry me, Mira”

“What?”

Of all the crazy things I had heard all year, this was the craziest. And the fact

I was thinking about it made me crazier than the man proposing to his neighbor.

“Marry this neighbor of yours!”