Off The Record
I Slapped My Boyfriend After He Made A Public Proposal To Me At A Restaurant
My ideal birthday proposal at a busy restaurant should have been romantic, but it wasn’t. I never thought the moment would become a nightmare when my boyfriend proposed and showed me the ring.
My birthday cake had just had its candles blown out. At one point, I was at the warm Italian restaurant with my loved ones, beaming from ear to ear. The next I was looking in shock. My five-year boyfriend Noah surprised me by proposing to me with a diamond. đź’Ť
“Clarissa,” he said, “I have never been happier than I have been over the last five years. Are you going to—”
Still, I interrupted him. My hand flew out as soon as I saw the ring inside the box, slamming into Noah’s cheek with a loud SMACK. Except for our families’ collective gasp, the restaurant was quiet.
With his eyes wide with surprise, Noah’s hand shot to his flushed cheek. “Clarissa! What the devil—”
“How could you?” With tears hurting my eyes, I hissed. “How dare you propose to me with THAT RING?”
Noah’s eyes were confused. “What are you discussing? I chose this specifically for you.”
With trembling hands, I grabbed the ring out of the box and looked it over. As I remembered from the picture, the dainty band was set with vibrant diamonds.
And there it was, the incriminating carving of the initials: L.F. on the side of the band.
“Noah, don’t tell me lies.” Lorraine’s ring is this one. “The ring of my closest friend!”
Noah’s face went white. “Lorraine? How is she connected to this?”
I sensed that everyone in the restaurant was staring at us. I was so embarrassed and angry that my cheeks burned.
“Last week, she showed me a photo of this exact ring.” claimed that her “secret boyfriend” was the source. “It’s unbelievable that you and my best friend have been skulking around together.”
Noah’s mouth fell open. “Clarissa, you’re completely mistaken. I would never—”
“Nathan, you would never what? Never be unfaithful to me? Never lie to my face? Well, the evidence is right here!” I thrust the ring in his face, my hand trembling with rage.
With a look of hurt and frustration on his face, Noah got to his feet. “Please, just give me a moment’s attention, Clarissa. All of this is a major misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?” I laughed bitterly. “Oh, I completely get that. You believed you could have us both, didn’t you? Behind my back, my best friend and boyfriend are skulking around. How long has this been going on, Noah? Weeks? Months?”
Noah ran his hands through his hair, clearly exasperated. “Clarissa, I swear to you, there’s nothing going on between me and Lorraine. If you would just give me a chance, I could explain why she has a picture of this ring.”
With tears streaming down my cheeks, I shook my head. “Noah, I had faith in you. I cherished you. And you pay me back like this? By proposing with another woman’s ring?”
My mother walked forward, her face etched with concern. “Clarissa, darling, maybe we should all calm down and—”
“No, mother! I’m not going to relax. Have you ever experienced having your heart torn out on your birthday? By the man you love? In front of everyone you love?”
I flinched away from Noah’s attempt to touch my arm. “Avoid touching me! Right now, I can’t even look at you.”
“Please, Clarissa. You think I would discard anything after five years of dating? For you, that ring is. Just you. I swear I had nothing to do with Lorraine’s situation, but I’m not sure what’s going on.”
Upon scanning the restaurant, I became acutely aware that someone was absent. “Where is she? Where’s Lorraine?”
Tom, my brother, cleared his throat uncomfortably. “She, uh, she left a few minutes ago. Said she wasn’t feeling well.”
I chuckled. “She did, of course. She couldn’t bear to see her little scheme fail, could she?”
Noah’s gaze expanded. “Make a plan? “What are you talking about, Clarissa?”
“Oh, Noah, don’t act foolish. Now it’s clear. Knowing that you will use the ring to pop the question, Lorraine shows it to me. Here, what was the endgame? To make me look foolish? to separate us?”
Noah gave a fierce shake of his head. “Clarissa, I swear to you, I have no idea what’s going on. But I do love you. Just you. Could we just discuss this, please?”
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. The rational part of my brain was screaming at me to listen, to give Noah a chance to explain. But the hurt, the betrayal, it was all too much.
“I need some air,” I muttered, turning towards the exit. “I need to find Lorraine.”
“Clarissa, wait!” Noah called after me. “Let me come with you. We can sort this out together.”
I paused at the door, turning to face him one last time. “No, Noah. I need to do this on my own. I need to hear the truth from Lorraine herself.”
With that, I stormed out of the restaurant, leaving behind a stunned Noah and a room full of bewildered guests, determined to confront my best friend and uncover the truth behind this birthday disaster.
The cool night air hit me like a slap to the face as I burst out onto the sidewalk. I spotted Lorraine’s retreating figure half a block away.
“LORRAINE!” I shouted, my voice echoing off the buildings. “Stop right there!”
She froze, her shoulders hunching as if bracing for impact. As I reached her, she turned slowly, a haunted look in her eyes.
“Clarissa, I can explain,” she began.
“Explain what? How you’ve been sneaking around with my boyfriend?”
Lorraine’s eyes widened. “What? No! I would never—”
“Save it. I saw the ring, Lorraine. The one you said your ‘secret boyfriend’ gave you. Well, guess what? Noah just tried to propose to me with that exact ring!”
To my surprise, Lorraine’s face crumpled, and she burst into tears. “Oh, Clarissa, I’ve made such a terrible mistake.”
Before she could continue, Noah came jogging up, slightly out of breath. “Clarissa, please,” he panted, “let me explain.”
I turned on him, my eyes blazing. “Explain what, Noah? How you thought you could propose to me with my best friend’s ring?”
Noah ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in his voice. “It’s not Lorraine’s ring! I had it custom-made for you. L.F. doesn’t stand for Lorraine. Or Fisher. It stands for ‘Love Forever.’ It’s our thing, remember?”
I faltered for a moment, remembering how we always signed our messages to each other with L.F. But then I shook my head.
“How did Lorraine have a picture of it?”
Noah turned to Lorraine, confused. “Yeah, Lorraine. How did you have a picture of Clarissa’s ring?”
Lorraine took a shuddering breath, wiping at her tear-stained cheeks. Whispering, “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I saw the ring when Noah showed it to me last week. He wanted my opinion, wanted to make sure you’d love it.”
I felt as if the ground was shifting beneath my feet. “But… you said it was from your secret boyfriend.”
Lorraine’s shoulders sagged. “There is no secret boyfriend. I made it all up. I… I was trying to play a prank on you both.”
“A prank? Lorraine, why would you do something like that?” I gasped.
She looked down, unable to meet our eyes. “I was jealous, Clarissa. You and Noah, you’re so perfect together. I thought if I could make you doubt each other, even for a moment… I don’t know. I guess I wanted to feel like I mattered, like I could impact your relationship somehow.”
A pang of hurt and sympathy suddenly replaced the anger that had been fueling me. “Oh, Lorraine, did you really think this was the way to go about it?”
“Lorraine, you’re Clarissa’s best friend,” Noah stepped closer. “You matter to both of us. Why didn’t you just talk to us if you were feeling left out?”
Lorraine sniffled, shaking her head. “I know it was stupid. I never meant for it to go this far. I thought Clarissa would just get a little suspicious, and then I’d reveal it was all a joke. I didn’t think… I didn’t realize how much damage it would cause.”
I turned to Noah, tears welling in my eyes. “Honey, I’m so sorry. I jumped to conclusions and ruined everything.”
He smiled softly, taking my hand in his. “Nothing’s ruined. Although I have to say, this wasn’t quite how I imagined this night going.”
A watery laugh escaped me. “I imagine not.”
“I’m so sorry, both of you,” Lorraine stepped back, her voice trembling. “I never meant for this to happen. I’ll understand if you never want to speak to me again.”
I looked at my best friend, seeing the pain and regret in her eyes. Despite everything, I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.
“Lorraine, what you did was wrong. It was hurtful and it could have destroyed my relationship. But you’re still my best friend. We’ll work through this.”
“Really? After what I did?”
I reached out and squeezed her hand. “That’s what friends do. They forgive. But next time you’re feeling left out or jealous, talk to us. No more pranks, okay?”
“I promise. Never again.”
As we made our way back to the restaurant, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nervousness. “Everyone must think I’m crazy,” I muttered.
Noah squeezed my hand reassuringly. “They’ll understand once we explain.”
We stepped back into the restaurant’s warmth, all eyes turning to us. My mother rushed forward, concern etched on her face.
“Clarissa, darling, what happened?”
I took a deep breath. “There was a misunderstanding. A big one. But everything’s okay now.”
Noah cleared his throat, addressing our families and the curious onlookers.
“Folks, I’m sorry for the commotion earlier. If you’ll bear with us for a moment, I’d like to try this again.” He then turned to me, a tender smile on his face.
My heart fluttered as Noah once again lowered himself to one knee, producing the ring that had caused so much chaos. This time, I saw it for what it truly was—a symbol of his love and commitment.
“Clarissa,” Noah began, “these past five years have been an adventure. We’ve had our ups and downs, our misunderstandings and make-ups. But through it all, my love for you has only grown stronger. You’re my best friend, my partner in crime, and the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. Will you marry me?”
Tears of joy spilled down my cheeks as I nodded enthusiastically. “Yes,” I managed to choke out. “Yes, I’ll marry you!”
The restaurant erupted in cheers and applause as Noah slipped the ring onto my finger. As he stood and pulled me into a kiss, I knew that this rollercoaster of a night would become a story we’d tell for years.
As I looked around at the smiling faces of my loved ones, I couldn’t help but think that sometimes, the unexpected twists and turns make life and love all the more meaningful. đź’ž
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