Such a big deal is made about "The Question" that it becomes almost impossible to ask it without fear, even if one has effectively been living a married life with one's partner for years.

(And, on a side note, why doeso ne "pop" both "The Question" and one's "cherry," anyway? English is such an odd language sometimes.)

It came as a great relief to me, then, that Gabriel was the one to finally ask. I said yes, of course.

But, really now. We've been mostly living together for almost two years now, and raising a child together for eighteen months. It would seem that marriage would be redundant, rather than such a frightfully uncertain question, and yet he was as nervous as I would have been.

I suppose that the symbol is important enough a difference to instill such fear, in the end. Now that the question has been asked and answered, we're all of us eager, excited for the wedding itself (which will, of course, take place in lovely Holland).