By: E*A

He pulled the little box out of his backpack and opened it slowly. "Oh, God." he murmured to himself.

"Nervous, Benj?" Joel asked. Benji nodded slowly.

"I'm so worried she's going to say 'no'." He twirled the ring around in his hand. On either side of the diamond laid their birth stones. "Oh, God," he whispered again. "I'm freaking out just thinking about this, man. I mean, what the hell is she going to say?"

"She's not going to say 'no', Benj. She loves you, you know that. I know that. Hell, half of America knows that. You guys are disgustingly in love." Joel faked a shiver. "Please, dude, when you do this tonight...hold off on the serious PDA until we get back to the hotel room."

Two years ago, the band that Benji and Joel were in, Good Charlotte, played an arena in Florida. Benji's best friend, Tony from the band Mest, introduced him to his girlfriend, Chelsea, who then introduced him to her best friend, Luxx. He hated Luxx from the moment he saw her. She was strikingly beautiful with dark hair and dark blue eyes, but he just couldn't stand to be around her at all.

He tried to get to know her, but he couldn't stand her positions on certain topics. She wasn't Christian, she wasn't pro-life, she didn't love her mother, she was very much straight edge, and the worst part of all was that she hated NOFX. He was her exact opposite, a devoted Christian, pro-life, loved his mother, hard core, and considered NOFX to be the best thing since anything. They just seemed to bump heads on everything.

Everything except music. Luxx was at the concert, not because she wanted to meet her best friend's boyfriend, but because she loved the bands that were playing there. She loved music, but still with only one thing in common, Benji still found it hard to like her too much. She selectively left out a million things about her past and herself that would have made Benji and her click a lot sooner.

Benji drew himself out of the trance that he had entangled himself in with the ring. He looked around his empty hotel room to find that Joel had left. He wondered how long he had been sitting there, remembering the past and staring at the ring.

He heard a pounding at the door and set the ring back in the box and hid it deep inside his bag. He hoped the person on the other side of the door was Luxx, but he knew he was probably wrong considering the pounding was heavy.

Benji opened the door slowly to reveal two old friends. "Hey guys," He greeted. "How's the Warped Tour been?"

The taller of the two gave a toothy smile and took off his hat to reveal a smashed down pink Mohawk. "Alright, alright. Better than last year, I'll tell you that." He looked at his friend and smiled. "We've got no wives to leave us high and dry this time around, eh Tim?"

"Definitely better than last year," Tim responded and gave a weak smile.

"Speaking of wives..."

"Lars! The door is wide open. She could hear you!" Benji stepped aside and let the two inside his room, slamming the door behind them.

"When are you going to do it? Tonight?" Lars asked.

"Hopefully, if all goes as planned." Benji looked down at the floor and rubbed his hands over his face. "I'm so nervous."

"I was nervous when I asked Brody to marry me. I about shit my pants trying to get the right words out." Tim sat down on the bed and thought about his ex-wife. "I don't think you'll have to worry about an ending like Brody and me."

He sat back on the bed and pulled the ring out to show to the guys. He remembered sitting in Lars' hotel room about two years ago after he met Luxx. When Benji mentioned the name 'Luxx McNamara' to Lars and Tim two years ago, they both burst out laughing. He asked what they were laughing about and Tim patiently explained to the young kid.

"Ever heard of the band 'Verified'? They broke up sometime ago, but I know you've heard of them." Tim asked and waited for Benji to nod. "The guitarist of that band is Luxx McNamara. Luxx is from Florida, she's straight edge, pro-choice, hates her mother, and has a knack for getting way too into the pit at concerts." Lars and Tim started laughing hysterically at the last comment. "I met Luxx through Brody. Brody and she were both in the pit at some concert and they completely tore the place up. Afterwards, they came back to our house to patch up wounds and stop Luxx's bloody nose." He paused and laughed at the picture that appeared in his head of meeting the young girl with her white blood stained Velvet Underground t-shirt. "You know that Guttermouth song, 'My girlfriend'? That was written about Brody and Luxx."

Benji called Tony up later that night after hearing about just who Luxx was and it turned out that even Tony didn't know. He wondered why such an amazing guitarist would leave out the most interesting thing in her life out. He got Luxx's number from Chelsea and called her the next day. She told him all about Verified; why they broke up, how she liked the pit more than the stage, who they played with, and how she'd never touch another guitar again.

After three months of talking on the phone, e-mailing, and writing letters they finally got to meet again. From there on out it was never Luxx or Benji alone, it was always Luxx and Benji, best friends, couple, and guitarists.

Lars and Tim left Benji to ponder his proposal. He laid back on the hard mattress and stared at the ring a little longer. He had the whole night planned, right down to the little detail. A few of her friends flew in from Florida and the remaining members from Verified came up to NYC. Hardly anyone knew that he was going to purpose to Luxx later than night, and he prayed that no one's big mouth had let it slip that Luxx was going to be getting a ring later on that night.

["Today, could be the day/But I'm waiting for the perfect time and place/And I'm scared, what you might say baby, please/Please don't/turn me away/I need you/They say, we're too young/But I never/listen to what I've been told/And I'd rather be to young, than/too old/To feel the way I do/About you" Smoking Popes: "Mrs. You and Me"]