Marlowe
The celebration was still in full, joyful swing when Theo suddenly climbed onto one of the picnic tables, wobbling slightly in a way that made half the crowd brace instinctively for his usual clumsiness, and cleared his throat loud enough to draw everyone's scattered attention.
"I have an announcement," he said, and I watched Nova's expression shift from confused to horrified in the span of about two seconds.
"Theo, what are you doing—"
"I proposed," he said, talking over her fast, clearly too overwhelmed with excitement to stop himself now that he'd started. "This morning, actually, before the ceremony. I know that's not exactly traditional timing, proposing right before your girlfriend's massive, important patch evaluation, but I was terrified I'd lose my nerve if I waited an
