ACCEPTANCE 2

We stuck together all through our years in the university and still are friends. They have been the best friends I’ve ever had and would never think of losing them.
Something happened.
It had been four years after the university and we all have successful careers but we made it a principle to meet up and catch up with each other so that we’d never become too busy for each other. We really hated that most friendships often come to an end when friends drift apart while they all floated on the platform of excuses made up as a result of their jobs, schools, relationships and whatever causes good friends to become acquaintances at the end of the day.
On one of those night outs with the guys, something really strange happened. We were in a restaurant eating and making fun of each other when suddenly Dare got down on one knee holding out a ring to me and asked me to marry him. It looked like a movie scene because all eyes seemed to be on me in the restaurant. I choked on the salad in my mouth. I closed my eyes and opened them and he was still kneeling in front of me with a ring in his hand and a childish grin on his handsome face.
Me? I was shocked, so shocked that I didn’t know what to say. I had never ever dreamt of marrying Dare! No not DARE!! We’ve been close and all but I never expected it. He had never showed any signs of interest in me. I mean, we were not even dating!!! I know that I had found him attractive at first but I had long swept that thought or feeling under the carpet. He is like a BROTHER to me for crying out loud! That aside, I didn’t and still don’t have marriage plans and he knew that. I tell both of them every time till I was sure that I sounded like a broken record. He knew too well that I wasn’t ready for marriage; I had plans to return back to the university to get my masters degree. Why in the world was he doing this? If I had thought it was a joke, we’d all be laughing now but he was still kneeling before me eagerly waiting for an answer.