"You're welcome," he says with a dopish grin, relieved by the reaction, which also makes him a little more confident about what he wants to ask her. A small part of him is worried it will be like the having kids fiasco all over again, but that's partly because he always seems to doubt himself on the things that really matter. In any case, he's going about it a lot better this time, not just blurting out an expectation.

"I love the bag, too. Definitely an upgrade from my knockoff Jansport," he says with a soft chuckle, kissing her forehead before pulling back to look at her. When he searches her eyes, he can see the love in them. It sounds corny, but it's true. Her face changes when she looks at him sometimes, shifting into an expression that no one else gets to see, and it makes him feel like he's on top of the world.

"There's something I wanted to ask you," he says after a moment, reaching up with his free hand to gently move a stray piece of hair out of her face and tuck it behind her ear, careful to avoid the piercings. "Something I've been thinking about."