This, That, and the Other

“You know,” Andy said as they were standing on the edge of the outcropping looking out at a beautiful orange sunset, “I was smitten from moment I first laid eyes on you.”

“Aw, what a lovely thing to say,” Arlene responded. “I admit that I was taken with you, as well.”

“Hard to believe that was nearly six months ago, isn’t it?” Andy said. “My passion for you hasn’t subsided at all. And that first time we were intimate, oh my.”

“Yes,” Arlene said with a sigh. “that memory is a durable one, that’s for sure.”

Suddenly dropping to one knee, Andy pulled out a small, blue velvet box from his pocket. Opening it and exposing a diamond engagement ring, he said, “Arlene, you are the love of my life. On this Valentine’s Day, I’d be honored if you would agree to be my wife so that we can spend the rest of our lives together in holy matrimony.”

“Um, no,” Arlene said matter of factly.

“No? What do you mean no?” a shocked Andy asked. “Don’t you love me?”

“I do like you, Andy” Arlene said. “I like you a lot.”

“So what’s the problem, then,” Andy asked. “Why are you saying no to my marriage proposal?”

“You’re a very nice man, Andy,” Arlene said. “And as I said, I do like you. But do you remember when I said that the memory of the first time we had sex was a durable one?”

“Yeah, you just said that.”

“Well, Andy,” Arlene said, “what made that memory so durable was how bad you were. I was hoping, Andy, that with my help, your, um, bedside manner, so to speak, would have gotten better. I’ve invested almost six months trying to make you a better lover, but to no avail.”

“Sheesh, Arlene, if that’s how you feel, why didn’t you say anything before now?”

“Oh my dear Andy,” Arlene said, “I tried so many times and in so many ways, but you never picked up on it. Face it, Andy, you’re a selfish lover. You’re only interested in meeting your own needs and you don’t seem to care about meeting the needs of your partner.”

“And you chose this evening, Valentine’s Day, of all times, to tell me that?”

“You chose Valentine’s Day to beg the question, Andy.”

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Written for Sue Vincent’s Thursday Photo Prompt. Also for these one-word prompts: Word of the Day Challenge (smitten), Your Daily Word Promt (passion), Ragtag Daily Prompt (intimate), and Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (durable).