Setting the stage

Years ago I'd organised a party. Just a small thing with a handful of people for my birthday. I'd planed it and invited everyone a few weeks in advance, then confirmed the numbers a few days before. Two people showed up. Only one stayed.

Callum, late on a Sunday night, snapped his fingers and suddenly my apartment was full to the brim with random strangers. It was honestly impressive how fast he'd managed to pull this together, even though I still wasn't sure about his plan.

"Isn't this all just a little...loud?" I gestured to the room. Between the general chatter of the twenty or thirty guests cramped into the apartment and the two separate speakers playing wildly different music, it was hard to even think clearly.

"Just relax bro, it's your house-warming party!" Callum said, with a drink in his hand and a girl wrapped around the other. "We talked about this, you need an audience to make it memorable. Just relax and take it all in, this is a night you'll never forget."

His plan made much more sence when he'd explained it an hour ago. He brought in a crowd to give us more of an atmosphere. When Sarah got back from picking up the supplies Callum was having her get, the crowd would go silent and I'd ask my question. Hopefully she'd say yes, then their would be some cheering and celebrating before Callum steared the crowd away from our place giving us our moment of privacy.

It certainly had more omph than just asking her alone in our apartment, but having to make a speech in front of all these people made me a little nervous. Well, it wasn't like I had any better ideas and Callum seemed sure she'd love it happening with an audience.

"Hey." A hand on my shoulder startled me, but I soon recognised the voice.

"Hey, Lacy? Right?" I asked, my eyes instinctively looking over her body.

She wore a lilac bralette under a cool leather jacket. Black dasy duke's that were so small the pockets hung below them. My eyes couldn't help but wander further, looking down over the flawless chocolate skin of her tight athletic thighs.

"Yeah, Cal told us what's up. You really up for it?" With the music so loud she moved in closer to talk to me, transitioning her arm on my shoulder to an arm around my waist.

"Definitely ready." I shook my head, maybe a little to vigorously. Callum had made me take a shot earlier to 'steel my nerves' and I was still feeling it. "After tonight she'll really know how much I love her!"

"You're really a unique guy you know?" Shs placed her palm on my chest and leaned up closer against me. "A little fucked up, but that just makes it more fun."

She gave an impish little giggle, inching her face closer to mine.

"I uhh...thanks." I turned my head away before I did anything monumentally stupid, painfully away of her chest being pressed into my arm.

"Hmmm, you're a good boy." She let go of me, smiling like a preditor playing with its pray. "I guess we'll see how good tonight."

She faded back into the crowd before I could ask what she meant, leaving me with a beating heart and a tightness in my pants. Maybe it was stupid to not do anything when I'd let Sarah fool around a little, but that wasn't something we'd talked about. I wasn't about to do anything like that without her ok, especially not on a night like tonight.

"Hey you ready? Callum said, walking back over with a shot in his hands. "I think she's close by."

My racing heart skipped a beat as I switched gears. This was it, I wasn't going to delay a moment more.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"That's good man! You got the ring, right?"

"Yeah, I'm all set for this." I pulled out the box, showing it to him. He took it woth his free hand and opened it.

"Very nice, shell love it man!" He closed the lid, but instead of passing the box back he handed me the shot. "One more for good luck man, I can tell how nervous you are from across the room."

He was right, without the crowd here I might have chickened out I was that nervous. I threw my head back and downed the drink, just like he taught me. The burning sensation wasn't as bad the second time but it still nearly made me cough the drink back up.

"Haha, well make a man out if you tonight Liam. And don't forget the ring!" He pushed the box down into my pocket instead of handing it back. "Can't get engaged without a ring right? You wouldn't sent to lose it."

"Th-thanks man! I really-"

"Shuush, she's about to get here." Callum yelled at the crowd, quietening them down to a low murmur.

"You'll do great with her." He whispered, patting me on the back. "Just remember to trust me, I know what I'm doing and I'm rooting for you guys."

The lights went out and all the music was quiet. It almost felt like this was a suprise party, except none of the guests were hiding. Instead everybody was circled around me, leaving a passage open between me and the door.

A click and a twist, the door yawned open as she stepped back into the apartment. With the radiant moonlight illuminating her I could tell immediately she'd be crying. Even though she only wore a small amount of make-up you could tell her tears had distorted it and her cheeks still glistened with a trace amount of moisture.

Her hair was dishevelled and her cheeks were so red it looked like she'd been slapped across her face. None of that changed how beautiful she looked to me, more thsn ever I knew this was the right decision.

"Wh-whats going on?" She asked, her eyes scanning over the crowd. Callum was suposed to have told her about the party, did she not get his message?

Before I could explain it myself, Callum swooped up to her. Clouds passed over the moon as he whispered to her, preventing me from making out her expression properly. But after just a moment Callum took the tote bag she was carrying and ducked out if the room.

"Sarah... there's something I need to ask you." I'd worried in the moment I would **** up or fumble my words, but I spoke clearly and with conviction.

Callum had told me not to prepare any words, but to just let them come to me. I spoke only with my heart, reaching deep enough to hopefully touch hers as well.

"There was a time where I had nothing in my life, when I couldn't imagine every finding happiness." I started stepping towards here and she met me half way. The room was filled with people, but right now, in this moment there was only her.

"You gave my life light, you gave it meaning and direction." I held her, one hand on her shoulder and another brushing her face.

"Everything good I have, any goodness inside me. That comes from you. I love you so much, just for being who you are and there's nothing that could ever break that love!"

"Liam...do..do you really..." Tears streamed down her face again, this time tears of joy I hoped. Her expression was a choked up mess of conflicted emotion. I needed to cut through that tangled Web and reach her heart directly.

"I mean every word." I dropped down to one knee, getting the ring box out and showing her. This was it. The single most important point in my life so far. The moment wasn't perfect, wasn't how I'd imagined it but it just felt so right.

"Sarah." I said, staring deep into her eyes as I opened the box. "Would you do me honour of becom-..."

My voice trailed off as I stared in sheer disbelief. No. No this couldn't be happening! I had just seen it! Where could it have-

"Lost something?"

The lights came back on, the searing white light blinding me for a moment as my eyes adjusted. The shot was catching up to me. Disoriented I fell to the ground, looking up at the smug grin Callum had planted all over his face.

"What the fuck did-"

"Don't get mad now, the ring is perfectly safe." He pointed over to his friend, Steven. "It's just in one of those shot glasses."

Sarah helped me back up and I could see what was on the plate better. Seven shot glasses, each with the same thick white liquid that prevented me from seeing which contained the ring.

"W-what the hell is that?"

Callum laughed and the crowd laughed with him. What the hell was happening? Did everyone know what was going on except me and Sarah?

"Why don't you tell him ginger tits. You're the one that worked so hard for it." Callum said. He walked over to us and held out his hand. Sarah's eyes darted between it and me, but she made her choice. She walked over into his embrace, her eyes low the the ground as defeat crawled over her face.

"It's cum." She said, her voice sounding distant.

"I...I don't...." My voice trembled as my confused brain tried to process any of this. "Who's cum is it?"

She opened her mouth and then stopped herself, still not able to look me in the eyes she said. "I'm not sure, I never got their names."

I couldn't believe this was happening, now of all times. I didn't understand, this was far beyond the teasing we'd done before. She couldn't have really gone out and collected strangers cum?!

"It's been a busy night for her, and it's about to be for you." Every word he said soaked the anger that was building inside me. Just what the fuck was this smug asshole trying to do here!

Why the fuck did he put my Grandfathers ring into a fucking shot glass of cum!

"If you want a chance at getting that ring back, you'll need to pass a few little challenges. Nothing a man about to propose to his girlfriend shouldn't be able to do." I could have punched him right there. I wanted to so badly, but with Sarah at his side and the crowd at his back I couldnt do anything.

"I mean, if you can't pass these tests, these trials. Should you even be marrying ginger tits here?" His hands groped at her chest and Sarah just let it happen.

"You said your love for her was unbreakable. So prove it."