Nick stared up at the payphone directly in front of him. He fiddled around with the spare change in his palm and sighed, thinking over and over if he should go on. The purr of various cars passing by his corner of the street filled the air around his ears. He was supposed to be on his way back to his old home. Sarah, his girlfriend, well, now ex-girlfriend, kicked him out of the apartment they had lived in together.

They had been fighting way too much lately, and it was unbearable. She said that if they can’t live together, how could they expect to spend the rest of their lives together? It was a shallow reason, but the woman had a point. As always, she was right.

At this moment, this situation, Nick refused to be defeated. He knew that there was a future for him and Sarah, no matter what storm may come in their path. Sarah was the woman he was going to marry. She would be the mother of his children. No matter what the problem, Sarah was still going to be the one whom he would love forever.

He looked down at his change. He was going to need a lot, predicting that this was going to be a long conversation, but the conversation wasn’t the hard part. Nick had fear throbbing in this worried heart that this would be an empty mission. There was a big chance Sarah might not listen, or agree, to what he had to say. What if it really was over for her, and his love for her was nothing more than a souvenir of what they used to have?

He had to try, right? If she wasn’t on the same page, at least he was able to have his feelings in the open, and let her know how he felt.

Picking up the receiver he popped all his change into the slot. He dialed his old house number on to the keys. They other line rang its typical tone for at least 5 times, until he heard her voice. But it wasn’t the real her. It was their machine that picked up. His heart sank, he guessed Sarah knew it was going to be him and didn’t even want to talk to him. He sighed. It really must be over for her.

“Hey,” he whispered. He cleared his throat and pushed on. “It’s me. Uhm, I’m actually still on the road, at a payphone. I uh, I actually thought you’d pick up or else I wouldn’t have spent all my change. Now I can’t by gum.” He chuckled. He was forcing humor down, but even he found it pathetic. “Look, I know you said we can’t try anymore. We’re just too difficult. But I think that’s what makes us perfect. This is why we fell in love in the first place, our opposites attracted us to each other, bringing out the sides of ourselves we never knew. Sarah, I wouldn’t be who I am if it weren’t for you. I guess, what I’m trying to say is, I can’t live without you. Cliché, yes, but it’s really true. You’ve become a part of me, and I can’t have you away from my heart. Sarah, I love you. And I am willing to do ANYTHING to have you forever. I know, together, we can surpass any challenges life throws, because we’re in love. Please, don’t throw our love away. I love you too much to let you go.” He paused. He licked his lips and bowed down his head to stare at his shoes. “I don’t ever want to let you go. I mean, I uh... I don’t even know if you’re even listening but… I’ve been meaning to ask you something. Sarah, will you---“

He was cut off by the sound of the beep. His time was up. His time was up and he didn’t even make it to the most important part of what he’d wanted to say.
’’’

Nick went into his old, barren apartment. He dragged his bags and set them beside the door frame, telling himself that he would unpack later on. He hadn’t been here for a year now, it didn’t feel like home anymore. It wasn’t home if Sarah wasn’t anywhere near him.

He closed the door behind him and looked around. He saw Sarah sitting on the edge of the coffee table with fragile eyes set on him.

“Sarah?”

She stood up and walked towards him. Her chocolate eyes staring up at him as if looking for something.

“Finish your question.” She ordered.

“What?” He questioned.

“On the phone, you said you’ve been meaning to ask me something. Finish it.”

He felt dazed by her sudden appearance and her orders. But he complied. He HAS been meaning to ask her something.

Without taking his eyes off her, her kneeled down to one knee. He held both her hands and finished his question.

“Sarah, will you marry me?”
Tears started shooting out of her soft eyes, as blush crept onto her cheeks. She had a smile on her lips.
“Yes.” She nodded. “YES!”
Nick shot up a smile. He stood up feeling ever inch of happiness cover him up.