"No, it's perfect," Karen says quickly, a little breathless, as she glances down at the ring he's slid onto her finger. Growing up, she was never really the kind of girl who fantasized about her future wedding and planned out all the details. A few times here of late, she's caught herself looking at displays of rings in windows, but even then, she hasn't put much thought into anything concrete, hasn't pictured what her ideal engagement ring would look like or anything of the sort. Looking at this, though, the size and color of it, nothing too huge and gaudy, it seems just right, something she might have picked out for herself if she had started trying to do so. "I love it."

Her cheeks starting to hurt from smiling, she looks up again from the ring to John. "I love you."