Russian Dolls

Sometimes you get the sense form people that they know more than they're letting on. It's nothing tangible, just the way the smile or walk or speak. Some undefinable characteristic that tells you you're outmatched, this person has you at a disadvantage. Thing is, sometimes you get it from people you know... Which is even more worrying.

This is a really roundabout way of saying that Elise seems particularly smug about something as I wait for her to finish putting on her make-up.

"All I'm saying, you could've done this topless and then at least I'd have something to look at too." I complain. I've been forbidden from leaving the room, which usually would cause no complaints, but when no one's sitting on my face it just feels constricting. I'm sure there's some pun I could make there, but I'm better than that... Which is a really roundabout way of saying I can't think of a good punchline.

"You be a good girl for now and I'll consider it for later." Elise answers with a wink. That's just cruel, fluttering those eyelashes at me, if I end up ruining another pair of knickers after literally waking up to sex then that may prove my libido has grown beyond control. At that point, time to pray to whatever deity will listen, it's end of days time. Elise's phone buzzes and she takes a moment to check it before turning back to me. "Alright, party time." She grins at me. The look of confusion on my face must have been obvious. "Oh, I finished my make-up ages ago, but I needed to keep you up here." My girlfriend admits.

I can't help but roll my eyes as I force myself to my feet and Elise gestures me out of the door. Opening it reveals Trish and a bored-looking Rouge. "You been forced to wait around too?" My sister asks, to which I respond with a nod. She's wearing a dress that... Wait, Trish is wearing... Wait a second, I know those outfits.

"Are you wearing your wedding dresses?" I yell excitedly, quickly realising how loud I am.

"Calm down, we just thought it'd be nice for everyone who wasn't there to see them." Rouge answers quickly. "Besides, they're hardly bridal gowns, are they?" That's true, they do look like stuff they'd wear on a night our anyway, suppose it's efficient to reuse them.

Our tangent is cut off by Trish clearing her throat. "If it pleases your ladyships, please proceed to the living room." She commands in her poshest voice.

I begin to follow Elise downstairs, but can't help but overhear the brief conversation behind me. "You... You don't happen to own a butler outfit, do you? You know... For scientific reasons." I hear Rouge ask. Trish simply laughs and leads her wife down the stairs after us. We arrive at the living room door and Elise again gestures for me to open the door.

"Surprise!" Comes a chorus of voices and faces.

Surprises in surprises in surprises. Today's pretty great... But really weird.

*

"I just mean, if they already knew we were coming, it's not really a surprise, is it?" Kara points out, taking a swig of her drink. We've convened in the living room with... Well, everyone. Along with Kara there's Gabriel, Henry, Jenny, Rob, Skye, Anya, Jessie, and a new skater-looking guy I'm introduced to as Caleb. Turns out he's Kara's 'friend' but the way Anya said it definitely implied a lot more. Maybe that means Kara started to figure more out about her sexuality, maybe she's just horny, who can tell? Better this guy than trying to hit on Elise again though.

"In my opinion, it's like proposing, the surprise should be that it's happening now, not that it's happening at all. You can trust me on that, what with me being a... Married woman... and all that." Trish retorts, flashing her wedding ring as if she's tipping a waiter ten grand. Her statement forces a collective groan from many of our guests.

Jenny takes it upon herself to explain for me and Rouge. "She's mentioned that like a thousand times while we were organising this, every group chat, every call, every time. Did you hear Trish is married, by the way?" She adds sarcastically. I'm taken back for a moment, with her tone of voice like that she reminds me a little of her old self, but more than anything she sounded exactly like Rouge. Creepy.

"Yeah, if you love marriage so much, why don't you marry it?" Henry jokes. Trish simply smirks at the abuse being hurled in her direction, at the end of the day she's the one with the ring on her finger, I guess that's the overarching victory, isn't it?

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say bridesmaid, are you ever going to pop the question to Geek Chic anyway?" Trish counters. Gabriel turns a deep shade of red, and Rouge turns to her wife, shocked at the insensitivity of her question. It's not like everyone needs to get married as soon as possible, relationships are complex, it's just mean to throw stuff like that out.

Henry seems to ponder Trish's question for a moment. "Good point." He replies, before standing and pulling something out of his pocket. He then turns to Gabriel... And lowers himself to one knee.

Wait, what? What is this, the fifth level of surprise? I look to Trish, who has the look of someone who knows more than they're letting on. She was in on this? Gabriel looks like his brain's broken, apparently he wasn't part of the conspiracy... Which I suppose makes sense.

"Gabe... You know I'm no good at words, I can't do poetry, or speeches, or read all the fancy stuff you like... So I can't give you a bunch of good reasons, but I've got a good one. I love you. Will you marry me?" Proposes Henry.

I should be annoyed, proposing on my birthday, I should be furious, but, if it means I get to witness this, I'm more than okay with it. The room seems silent for a long time, I look at the various shocked faces around the room, it doesn't seem like anyone else had any idea this was going to happen either. Gabriel looks like there's a loading bar in his brain, the situation being real hasn't quite hit him... But then... I don't think he needs to say a word. A smile slowly forms on his face, and then a sudden and decisive nod.

"Yes." He states plainly. "Yes, you idiot." He repeats.

The sound in the room is ungodly as Henry slides the ring onto his fiancé's finger, with almost everyone cheering or screeching or, in one particular case, weeping. It's insane to think about... The first time I really interacted with Gabriel he was making out with my half-naked sister in this very room... Now he's gotten engaged in it. It feels fitting in the weirdest possible way... But more than that, it feels like he deserves it.

Which is a roundabout way of saying I'm the one crying.