Theo scrubbed the remaining dregs of sleep from his face and stared at the coffee table. It took a few minutes for his memory to filter through the alcohol-induced fog. The snapshots of his on again off again relationship lay scattered before him. He swept them into a pile and reached for his lighter. 

He shouldn’t have printed them. Left the memories in digital form where they were easier to ignore. Lesson learned. The fire grew brighter as it ate the photographs, leaving nothing but ash in its wake. She complained to her friends about his lack of commitment, but was too scared to say yes herself. Theo rolled his shoulders, releasing the last of his bitterness. Convinced he was ready to move on, he settled back on the sofa and instinctively answered his ringing phone.

“Hey,” Sherry said, “sorry about yesterday.”

Theo massaged his temples. “Then marry me.”

“Yes.”