#escape verse

.::.

They meet at Kings on Sunday at 2 PM. Graham shows up in this beat-up looking shirt and dirty jeans. He looks relaxed and carefree. Smiles as Robin comes up to meet him.

"Thanks a lot man, these things all look the same to me."

"S'ok," Robin say, scratching the back of his head. "Now, what are we looking for?"

"A diamond?" Graham asks sheepishly. "I dunno, help me out here. I didn't expect there to be so many...different styles."

"Go look around. Tell one of the salespeople your price range and see what catches your eye within it."

He picks out five rings...five gaudy, ugly rings with nothing in common except none of them are Regina. There's the emerald cut diamond with two little oval stones on either side, expensive and flashy and thick. Then there's the marquise cut with some sort of diamond encrusted band that looks more like a weapon than a ring. And a round cut with a diamond halo surrounded by a thick band that just looks… cheap. A cushion cut with two smaller cushions on either side, but it's raised in this ridiculous way, and the band is flimsy and cheap. And then there's this tacky swirling travesty the jeweler calls the twisted petal ring, a line of diamonds weaving around smaller marquise diamonds.

"These?" he asks, looking down at them and trying not to grimace.

"No good?"

He should just let the man hang himself, and get one of these ridiculous garish pieces of trash and just let Regina see what the man who is asking for her hand actually knows about her.

But there's a fair chance the woman will say yes, and he can't look at one of these terrors on air.

"May I take a spin? See if there's anything in your price range that might suit her better?" Robin asks. "Not that these aren't great options, but—"

"'Course man, that's why I asked you here."

He's not that nice.

He won't pick out the perfect ring for her. Regina likes antique rings anyway, something with a history. So he won't find the ring here, anyway.

But he could have directed him to the thin band with a large round cut diamond solitaire. The simple but elegant ring he'd associate with Regina.

Instead he picks out an emerald cut with a thin band of diamonds around it, and a similar ring with a pear cut.

That's just fine. Regina will like it enough, but he won't have to look at it and think that she's wearing his ring. Robin won't have to hear her gush about her fiancé's good taste, while he has to swallow down the fact the damn imbecile had outsourced this intimate task.

He won't have to hear Regina loving on the ring he wanted to give her himself.

Assuming she says yes.

He shows Graham the two options.

"Really?" Graham asks, looking at the rings with disdain. "They look so...boring."

"Just an idea," Robin shrugs. The best case scenario is Graham doesn't listen to his advice, shows up with one of these god awful rings, and Regina realizes how little he knows her, and finally dumps him. He's not an asshole, but he's not going argue too hard here. "If you think she'd like these better, by all means…"

Graham frowns. "Honestly, I don't really pay attention to what she wears. Hey, ma'am?" He calls over a saleswoman. "Which of these do you like?"

It's his five picks against Robin's two, and each ring looks quite different. She looks confused as she stares at the options. "I would...need to know more about your fiancée…" she says carefully. "Tell me about her."

"Err…" Graham scratches his head and looks at Robin desperately. "She likes pilates, and uhh, football, she watches that American sport, and…she's got dark brown hair...she's short..."

"She's in broadcast journalism," Robin steps in. "She's a reporter for newscast. Very dedicated to her job, very smart. Likes straight skirts and silk blouses."

The saleswoman smiles at him gratefully. "So a classic sort of style?"

Graham jumps in. "Yeah, classic. That's her." The saleswoman picks up both of Robin's rings. "It's going to be one of these, then. Definitely."

Graham sighs deeply, looking downright annoyed. "Thanks, give me a moment?"

He stares at the two rings as if they were a quantum physics equation.

"Fuck it." He mutters, then holds up the pear cut ring. "This will do I guess."

He calls over the saleswoman and effectively tells her to wrap it up. But of course, that's not how it works.

"What type of metal would you like the band to be?" she asks, and Graham looks confused.

"This...metal?"

"Platinum or gold, or—"

"Gold," he says, turning to Robin and asking, "right?"

"There's yellow gold, rose gold, white gold, 18 karat gold, 24 karat gold…"

He frowns. "Rose gold? Like a pink?"

The sales woman smiles and takes out a brochure showing the various type of metals. "Why don't you look at this and get back to me?"

Graham looks at the brochure for a second before dropping it on the table. "Fuck if I know what metal is best."

There's a rage inside Robin threatening to get out, but he swallows the anger down best he can. For Regina. Still he'd be remiss if he didn't at least try something….

"You know, maybe you should hold off on this for awhile," Robin offers, "this is a big decision."

"I know," Graham says, narrowing his eyes, "but it's a decision made. What are you saying, mate? You sound like my mum."

Robin tries to fight a wince, tries to keep things light and non-confrontational. "Well you don't seem to have a sense of what she likes...and this is an expensive gift to get wrong, yeah? Maybe give it a few weeks to feel her out, notice her tastes and preferences...most of these men…" he motions to the other customers, "probably have a better sense of what their girlfriend's style is. It's easier to shop this way. I know you brought me to help, but I shouldn't be making all the decisions. I should just be input, right? Because you know her best, right?"

"Of course I do," Graham says defensively. His expression changes, as if he's determined to show Robin he's got Regina all figured out. "White gold. I'll go with that. Yeah?"

It's...certainly not the worst decision. She would probably have preferred platinum but at least it's not rose gold or yellow gold. She's never been much for either of those.

"It's a good choice." Robin agrees.

They call the saleswoman back.

"What size?" she asks.

"Err...a two?" he looks at Robin as if he's proud of himself. "Or sometimes a four.."

The saleswoman is biting back a smile.

"Those are dress sizes, mate." Robin rolls his eyes. "this is a ring size."

The saleswoman reaches for a little laminated guide to ring sizes, along with a key chain of sample ring sizes. "So this is what our ring sizes are, a lot of times men can get a sense of what would fit when they see the ring itself. Do you know what size is close to hers?"

Graham eyes the rings dumbly. "I usually feel her fingers more than look at them," he admits.

Robin shudders.

He doesn't like hearing that one bit.

"Maybe go on home and find a ring of hers, trace it on a piece of paper, and bring it back?" Robin offers. He cannot help adding a small dig, "you know, since you've no idea of her size."

Of course leaving a store is nothing a good saleswoman will permit. Not without a fight.

"Would this help?" The saleswoman takes out a large silver stick It starts more narrow, and widens throughout the length. "there are different widths here, for each ring. If you are used to holding her hand…"

"Oh, that will help," Graham says hastily. He seems determined to prove something as he grips each width, frowning as he does. Then finally he shakes his head. "Definitely this, 6.75."

He hands Robin the stick, as if he just accomplished some great feat, and starts to talk to the saleswoman about diamond clarity and color and carat.

Graham seems to have something to prove now, and he's making an ass out of himself but Robin doesn't really care what sort of shit diamond he ends up with.

He plays with the sizing stick idly. It's strange, Marians fingers always seemed bigger than Regina's, and she was a size 6 ring.

But when he feels what a size 6.75 width feels like, he knows Graham is off.

Way off.

Regina's got long slender fingers, slender even for her tiny frame. She's probably a 5.25 but he would get a 5 ½ just to be sure.

This ring will fall off her.

He should say something, and prevent Graham from embarrassing himself.

He should, but he won't. There's only so much his heart can handle, and watching this asshole with the woman he loves has been years of sweet torture. He's tired of always putting his own feelings aside to be the good guy in all this.

Graham can give her this tasteful (but not her type) ring (that she will never know Robin picked out), but it won't even come close to fitting. And then Regina can see how little Graham actually knows her.

And maybe that will be the small sign she needs to turn down the proposal and finally leave him.

He shouldn't hope for his best friend to have a terrible breakup. He should be wishing her the best.

And there will be days when he's strong enough to push those feelings aside and be the bigger person.