Of course, every time they visited Vrie''s home, Phoebe would subtly-or


    sometimes not so subtly-hint that they should get married.


    Brandon had always assumed Vrie wasn''t interested in marriage since she never responded to those hints. He hadn''t considered proposing.


    But today, seeing her so excited about picking out baby clothes made him start to imagine a future with her building a family, raising a child.


    That thought filled his heart with warmth.


    After more than three hours of shopping, they finally left the mall, their arms full of bags.


    Once they loaded everything into the car, Vrie turned to Brandon. "I''m starving. Let''s grab something to eat."


    Brandon nodded. "Sure. What are you in the mood for?"


    "I''m not picky. Is there anything good around here? I don''t feel like going too far," she replied.


    Brandon paused, then said, "There''s a ce with ethnic cuisine nearby. I went there once for a business meeting-it was pretty authentic. Want to give it a try?"


    "Sounds good," Vrie said.


    "It''s about a ten-minute walk. Let''s go," Brandon suggested.


    As they walked toward the restaurant, they passed a bridal boutique.


    Vrie''s gaze lingered on the wedding dresses disyed in the window. She wondered when she''d finally get the chance to wear one and marry the person she loved.


    She nced at Brandon, who was walking ahead, focused on finding the restaurant. He hadn''t noticed the bridal shop.


    Ten minutester, they arrived at the restaurant and ced their orders.


    As they waited for their food, Brandon noticed Vrie seemed unusually quiet.


    "Are you okay? Tired from shopping?" he asked.


    Vrie looked up at him, her voice slow. "When we were walking here, we passed a


    bridal shop. I saw a wedding dress in the window. It was beautiful."


    "Do you want to go back after we eat and try it on?" Brandon asked.


    Vrie stared at him for a moment. His expression was calm, as if suggesting something casual She shook her head. No, just seeing was enough. It might not even suit me"


    "You won''t know until you try it. Let''s go after dinner. If you like it, we can buy it," Brandon insisted.


    After a brief pause, Vrie couldn''t stop herself from asking, "Brandon, do you know what wearing a wedding dress means?"


    If he didn''t understand what she was implying, he must be an idiot.


    Brandon furrowed his brow, then abruptly stood up. "I need to take care of something. Wait here for me."


    With that, he turned and quickly walked out of the restaurant.


    Vrie stared after him, utterly confused.


    What the hell? Did he just... run away because he didn''t want to answer?


    If that''s what happened, she wouldn''t let him off the hook.


    ...


    Vrie waited for nearly an hour.


    ret


    The food had already been served,


    but Brandon still hadn''t returned. Her patience was running thin.  swn?vels


    Taking a deep breath, she realized he probably wasn''ting back.


    She stared at the food in front of her but suddenly had no appetite.


    She had never thought Brandon could be this much of a coward.


    Even if he didn''t want to marry he did he really have to run away like that?


    He even told her to "wait for him."


    Liar.


    BUMS


    Vrie grabbed her purse and stood up, ready to leave.


    Just then, the restaurant lights dimmed, and the room was plunged into darkness.


    She fumbled for her phone, but before she could pull it out, she saw a soft glow appear in the distance.