Long Beach 05/19/18 After Midnight

“I think by now she’s done… I’m gonna say…..rough estimate….like 400 laps around the two of us.” Johnny says, squeezing Mari’s hand as they walked along the sandy coast of Long Beach, right by Anaheim where they spent their full day at Disneyland. Danni has consumed an amount of cotton candy that makes most dentists see dollar signs. Johnny leans down and picks up the Mickey Mouse hat that had fallen off of Danni’s head.

“Hey, Mouseketeer. You’re out of uniform. Gonna cost you a kiss to get it back.” Johnny says. The three had been out celebrating what passed for their anniversary. It had been one year since Johnny and Danni had grabbed coffee at a nice little mom n’ pop coffee shop, and on that same day, Johnny met Danni’s roommate Mari. And now the three of them were in a relationship. Life is weird.

“Ohhh!” Danni comes to a halt and jogs her way over to Johnny and Mari. She’s walking in place, ever hyperactive from the sugar rush of her favorite treat, cotton candy, and she giggles. “Just a kiss? Okiedokie!” She stops and leans in towards Johnny on the tips of her pink toenail-painted toes…

Only to kiss Mari instead. The Mexican artist laughs and shakes her head, but she returns the kiss with a smile. “I think she Punk’d you, Johnny.” Mari chuckles softly. With this walk along the beach, she’s walking barefoot with her summer-themed sandals in her left hand. She has the idea of walking around in a simple green maternity dress, a two-piece bathing suit underneath… just in case.

Danni’s jogging in her rainbow-colored, two-piece bikini. The glisten of water on her pale skin shows that she’s gone in and out of the beach itself. “Waaaaaait for it!” She moves in to kiss Johnny, himself, trying to surprise him.

Johnny releases a surprised yelp into the kiss, kissing her back as he reaches up and puts her Mouseketeer hat back on the top of her head.

“Now will you chill out for a second and lean on my other shoulder? It is a beautiful night and I kinda got something to talk to the both of you about.” Johnny says after breaking the kiss and booping Danni on the nose.

Danni glances over at Mari, who gives her a casual shrug. She has no idea what Johnny’s plan is. The celebration of their anniversary consisted of the coffee shop, Disneyland, and a third event that he’s kept to himself this entire time. Obediently, Danni moves to Johnny’s other side and leans on his shoulder.

Mari looks up to Johnny and raises an eyebrow. “You haven’t said a word about this... “

Johnny takes a deep breath. The two of them know that breath. It means Johnny was going to open up and it was a thing he usually didn’t like to do.

“Look. This past year...the two of you have held me together. You have both done more for me than I can ever repay but...but I want that shot. I want that chance to be able to repay the both of you for how you make me feel. I want to be a good father to our child….maybe even our CHILDREN. I want to make the two of you even a sliver as happy as you have made me and for that to happen….it’s gonna require a commitment and… no matter how the world views it, I know that commitment is right, and pure, and… while we can’t be official in the eyes of the law or whatever…” Johnny says. He stops walking. He turns around and takes one step backward so he is in front of Mari and Danni.

Then he drops to one knee.

Mari’s eyes widen, her heart jumping to her throat, and her body nearly stills itself. Danni, on the other hand, is bouncing up and down, the sand dancing under and around her feet.

“OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyGod.” Danni’s almost hyperventilating out of sheer excitement.

“Johnny, you…” For once, Mari doesn’t have the words. She’s always been sagacious and wise, but this time she can’t even complete a single sentence. “...you…”

Johnny reaches into his pocket and takes out a jewelry case, opening it to both of them to reveal two rings. One of them with a pink diamond and the other white.

“So uhm... Maricela Reyes and Danielle Anderson… will the both of you….for lack of a better term….marry me? And also each other, I guess?” Johnny asks. While it was true they wouldn’t be legally married, Johnny knew this step had to be taken. He looks up at the both of them and his eyes twinkle in that special little Johnny way under the moonlight.

Before Mari can even say a word, Danni’s already blubbering and screaming with absolute joy. “YES! YesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesYES!”

It makes Mari smile and laugh. Her best friend of over three years, her British girlfriend, is the cutest little hyperactive thing. Still, she feels tears of joy slowly spilling down her face. “Si, Johnathan… We will marry you, amor.” She places her right hand over her small baby bump. She’s thirteen weeks along her pregnancy and this revelation has made things even more adventurous.

When her Latina girlfriend extends her left hand out to Johnny, Danni finally stops bouncing, giggles with tears in her baby blue eyes, and extends her left hand as well. Johnny takes both rings and manages to slide both of them on their ring fingers at once. Of course Danni gets the pink one.

“Hmmm…can’t really kiss the both of you at once… do I flip a coin or…?” Johnny says as he stands, clearly having a little bit of fun with the two of them as he searches his pocket for a coin. In this distraction, Danni and Mari both lean in and kiss Johnny’s lips, each of them taking one corner to meet in the middle. They made the decision easier for him.

“Wow, that was a marvel of modern kiss engineering. I’m into it.” Johnny says. He puts a hand on each of their cheeks, the only sound now the crashing of the waves against the beach. It was a perfect moment.

“I love the both of you so so much.” Johnny says.