RFW ~ The Honeymoon Penny

THE BRIEF: Only for this challenge, RFW recognizes that not all honeymoon periods involve a wedding. The honeymoon could refer to that period after taking a platonic relationship to its next logical step; the phase in the DV cycle where the abuser is wooing back into the victim's good graces; that period of adjustment when blended families attempt to get along; the getting to know you phase after a promotion (who's the cutie in the next cubbie keeps making the "come here" eyes?); a relocation to a new city (who's the hottie lounging by the pool or mowing the lawn every other week?)
For writers of more contemporary or darker commitments: that period of blissful adjustment after being bitten by a shifter or vamp, feeling the relief after a bad break-up, the thrill of quitting a go-nowhere job.

Whatever the circumstances of the Honeymoon ritual, be sure to add some romance to the exuberant feeling of "the right decision"; even if the feeling is only a few moments, a few hours, or a few months. Honeymoons are essentially a celebration of a long anticipated decision come to fruition. Any genre or POV, prose or poetry, fiction or non-fiction, up to 1000 words. The linky will be open from July 19 thru July 22.  Be sure to link your DIRECT POST, and add the undertone of romance to whatever Honeymoon situation you create. Have fun!

Okay, so here's mine:

The Honeymoon Penny  by Madeleine Sara

For Eleanor, it seemed the penny had yet to drop, for she was still in that blissful honeymoon period, where she could dismiss all of Tony’s little quirks as something she could iron out of him in time. Though she knew only too well that she must have some faults and foibles of own that he must surely overlook. Tonight, she thought excitedly, she and Tony would be dining at Carson’s, the posh restaurant on the high street, to mark their first year together. She stood gliding the iron over his seventh shirt, while listening to ‘Breathless’ on her iPod and imagining herself in the soft, pink gown she had chosen for the occasion, that complimented her complexion. Her thoughts then wandered to an image of Tony, changing into his best suit for the evening. There was no denying he had a super, gorgeous body and a cheeky smile that lit up his dark brown eyes, enough to melt any woman’s resolve. An intoxicating flutter darted from Eleanor’s stomach to her heart, settling as a yearning ache further down inside her. It thrilled her that Tony’s eyes only lit up at the sight of her and that he had chosen her to be his girlfriend, above all others. She dreamed that one day, he might even get down on one knee and ask her to marry him. Their children would be gorgeous, too.

 Eleanor hung the freshly ironed shirts in the wardrobe, remembering how she and Tony had met on a cold wet evening. Tony had been the only one not to hurry past her, but instead helped pick up and carry her shopping, when the bags had split. Such a gallant gesture from his knight to her damsel in distress.

As the music track changed to ‘Forgiven, Not Forgotten’, she bent down to pick up yet another pair of socks that he had discarded, smiling to herself. She remembered how her dad had done just the same thing; so her mother had stuffed each one into his pillow case until the whole thing became as ripe as a piece of Gorgonzola. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table and hurried into the shower. Tony would be home soon and she needed to get ready.

Later that evening, in the restaurant, Tony held her gaze as he clasped her hand in his own. Then he started fumbling distractedly in his pocket with his other hand, making her recall how he rarely used a handkerchief, preferring to sniff incessantly when he had a cold. The thought dissolved when Tony began to unfurl her fingers like a blossoming flower and placed a small, velvet box on her palm.

“Marry me” he whispered, his eyes glinting with love for her.

Trembling like a petal in the breeze, she opened the box to find a large, ornate engagement ring glaring defiantly up at her. From the look of it, this must have cost a pretty penny! She bit her lip with tears in her eyes, wondering how she could live with such an ugly piece of jewellery on her hand; yet knowing she could never live without her Tony.

“Yes, I will” she breathed back, leaning forward to consummate their vow with a kiss, with Rachmaninoff's piano concerto No2. playing quietly in the background.

(550 words)

Does this press your romance buttons?
You may give full feed back on this submission. Thank you

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