Story
Patrick has always been a believer in a thing called love, but he was beginning to wonder if it was out there for him. He decided online dating might give him a better chance, and instead found a lot of dead ends and disaster (like that girl who was into her own brother. Yuck!) Before giving up on the world wide web, Patrick decided to give OkCupid one last go, and that was how he found Steph. Good thing he discovered her too, because her setting kept Patrick from appearing as one of her matches.
After some flirtatious messages and texts, they agreed to meet up at Barnes and Nobles. There they talked for four hours straight, ignoring their stomachs' demands for food, and instead only feasting on good conversation and company. Honestly, they both wanted to eat, but Patrick was too worried that bringing up food would end the date. Steph was waiting for him to offer dinner.
By the end of the night, date number two was set and they never stopped planning things together since. That's kind of why they're in the middle of planning a wedding now.
The Proposal:
Steph wanted Patrick to get down on one knee. Patrick wanted Steph to get the wonderful proposal she deserved. Eventually, they both got their wishes
One Saturday, Patrick asked Steph if she’d like to go out and do something. Her answer was “not really.” With a little effort, Patrick eventually convinced Steph to get out the door. As tends to happen, they became engrossed in delightful conversation. After a while, Steph started to question where they were headed. Patrick claimed that he was so wrapped up in their talk, that he never picked a destination and just kept driving (this really isn’t unheard of for Patrick). Seeing as they were already so close to Short Pump, Patrick said they might as well go there (this was totally part of his plan). A quick lap around the mall, and then Patrick asked if they could go to the Barnes and Nobles next door, since he could use a new book (again, completely normal for Patrick). Once at the bookstore, which just happened to be where they shared their first date, Patrick excused himself to the restroom. As soon as Steph’s back was turned. Patrick rushed back to his car where he grabbed the ring and a special project he’d be creating. With the greatest of stealth, he stashed the ring in his pocket and the project on the bookshelves under “G” for Gallegos.
With everything set, Patrick retrieved Steph and carefully and discreetly, lead her to the G section. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t anticipate Steph being such a terrible finder, and he had to watch again and again as she miss his clues and attempts to get her to notice his project. Finally, Patrick flat out said, “Hey, look! That author has the same name as me! Isn’t that weird?” Steph glanced over, and after a moment, realized Patrick wanted her to look at the special picture book that he put together for her. Patrick read to her about their relationship and love for one another (Thankfully, the teen girl who was using that aisle to read texts finally vacated the premises). As they reached the final page, Patrick teased that Steph didn’t want to see it. They should just put the book back on the shelf and go. After some playful protests, Patrick handed the book over. Steph flipped to the last page, and saw a drawing of Patrick proposing. When she looked up the book, Patrick was down on one knee asking the big question. Steph said yes and couldn’t get her ring on fast enough!