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earlier walked by. He
caught a glimpse of the woman’s face, and she was smiling in an amused,
maternal way—as if she’d just caught two young lovers in a tender moment.
    Paul
stiffened, feeling more awkward than he should have over such a little thing.
    He
was used to being good with women. He instinctively knew how to make women
laugh, make them melt, make them open to his advances—but none of his normal
routines could ever be used on Emily. He’d felt off-kilter ever since she’d
come to him with this crazy scheme, and it seemed to get worse by the day.
    He’d
known her casually from around the neighborhood most of her life, and he’d
always felt comfortable with her. She was an intelligent, clever girl who
didn’t unduly tax his emotional resources. Even when he’d felt deep sympathy
for her when she was diagnosed with this virus, she hadn’t made him feel
rattled this way.
    It
was probably a sign that this marriage was a mistake, but he’d gone too far to
renege on their agreement now.
    The
elevator finally arrived on their floor, and they both got in. As they waited
for the doors to close, Emily said, “I’m sorry I was snippy. I know you were
just trying to help.”
    Paul
relaxed a little, verifying from her expression that she was sincere. “I’ll try
not to coddle you too much,” he told her, half-smiling at his use of her word.
“As long as you’ll let me take reasonable steps to make sure you’re taken care
of, as part of my role in this marriage.”
    Emily
nodded, looking away from him as if something he’d said had made her feel
self-conscious.
    “And
speaking of that,” he added, deciding he might as well get this next thing over
with too. He reached into his pocket.
    She
gazed up at him with eyes that looked bigger and bluer because her face was so
pale. He was distracted at the thought that she might be sick even though she
didn’t have a fever.
    “What
is it, Paul?” she asked, a faint impatience reflected in her expression.
    He
fiddled with a little velvet pouch until the ring came out. “I thought you
might want an engagement ring, since we’re now legally allowed to be engaged.”
    Emily
wordlessly stared down at the ring he extended.
    He’d
found the ring for her yesterday, since he assumed she would want the entire
wedding experience, of which an important feature for women was the ring.
    He’d
gone to the jeweler he normally used for women’s gifts, thinking he’d just get
her a basic diamond solitaire. But the manager had been thrilled at his
unexpected engagement and had asked question after question about what Emily
was like and what she might want, so he’d eventually had to come to a real
conclusion about the kind of ring that would suit her.
    He’d
finally landed on the ring he was now presenting to her. The band was a
delicate twining of gold and platinum, intricately filigreed and nestling an
emerald with small diamonds on either side.
    He
thought the ring was stunning and had more character than the generic diamond
solitaires on platinum bands everyone seemed to favor now. It had felt like
Emily to him.
    But
he started to feel rather self-conscious when she just stood frozen in the
elevator and stared at it.
    He
cleared his throat.
    “I
didn’t know,” she breathed, her eyes never leaving the ring, “I mean, I didn’t
think you’d get me a ring.”
    “Well,
why not?” Ridiculously, he felt almost offended.
    “I
don’t know. I just have three months to wear it.”
    “Then
you better start now.” When she still didn’t take it, he added, “I thought
maybe you’d like something different, but I can get you a more traditional
diamond if—”
    “No!”
she burst out, “This is beautiful. But it’s too much.”
    “It’s
not too much.” Since he felt like an idiot holding out the ring she refused to
accept, he moved it back to the same hand as the velvet pouch.
    The
elevator stopped on a floor, but the doors opened and closed without