Benji draped his arm around Luxx's shoulder lightly, and she settled into his touch. She didn't seem as relaxed as she normally was around him. She was a little more tense that evening, and Benji knew it. He eyed the table suspiciously, trying to figure out who had told her or if anyone had indeed told her at all.

Joel and Billy had excused themselves a few minutes earlier to go talk to the bartender. The plan was for Benji to get up and go get a drink for Luxx once everyone at the table had settled in.

Even though it was just Luxx and Benji's friends, the place was loud and busy. Benji leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Do you want something to drink?"

She nodded and turned her head slightly so that their foreheads were touching. "Shirley Temple, extra cherries." Benji nodded and smiled at her regularity. She always had a Shirley Temple with extra cherries, and tonight it was a good thing, because that's what he was basing his proposal on.

He kissed her on the lips softly and got up from the table. He wiped his hands, which were dripping with sweat, on his jeans and made his way to the bar where Billy and Joel were anxiously waiting.

"Shirley Temple with extra cherries," Benji told the bartender and grinned.

Joel scuffed at the drink. "What a straight edge drink. It sounds like it's going to be loaded with vodka, but it's not. It's cherry seven up with cherries." Even Joel had gotten used to Luxx's regularity; how she always called Benji at 11:30 at night after the shows and right before they went out to party, how she always ordered the same drink, how she always held the same hand of Benji's, and how she never loved anyone else but Benji.

Billy stood behind Benji so that he was blocking Luxx's view of what was being slipped onto one of the cherries in her drink. Benji pulled the box out of his pocket and plucked the ring from its slot. His hands shook a little and he couldn't seem to wipe the smile from his face as he slid the ring onto the stem of a cherry and watch it float down to the bottom.

"Ready?" Billy asked as he patted Benji on the shoulder.

Benji wiped his hands on his jeans again and nodded. "Oh, God..." he whispered.

Joel embraced his twin in a hug, their telepathy kicking in as Joel knew exactly what he brother was thinking. "She's going to say 'yes'. She loves you Benj, I know she does."

Benji pulled back and took a deep breath. He steadied his hands and picked up the glass as he had done thousands of other times for her before, except this time it was loaded down with a little extra weight.

When they walked into the club that night, Luxx was happily surprised to see all her friends from Florida as well as her former band mates in 'Verified'. She also had all the friends she had made through Benji sitting around a big table with her. The fact that all of her friends were sitting there with her that night put her a little more at ease, but she was still tense and it wasn't because she knew Benji's little secret.

Benji set the drink down in front of Luxx who was chatting with Chelsea. She thanked him and settled back into his arm which was back around her shoulders. Joel and Billy came back to their seats, knowing that it wouldn't be long until Luxx picked her cherries out of her drink and found her ring.

One by one she picked the cherries that rested on top of the ice out of the red liquid. There were always the ones that floated below the surface which she eventually would pull out with her straw.

As she drained the glass, it seemed like she'd never discover the ring, but one by one Benji watched the faces of a few of the girls change as they saw the shiny rock at the bottom of the glass.

"Holy shit!" Chelsea screamed and stood up from her chair after she saw what was lying in Luxx's glass. Tony grabbed her hand and pulled her back down quickly and whispered in her ear the secret.

"What? Is there a bug in my glass or something?" Luxx asked. The whole table looked down, unable to answer the question truthfully without laughing.

"There's still one cherry left in there," Lars pointed out. She felt Benji's chest inhale deeply, but never exhale.

She sat up from Benji's arms and looked suspiciously at Joel, Billy, and her boyfriend. "What'd you guys do to my drink?"

"Nothing." Joel and Billy answered in sync.

"That cherry is really bugging me." Lars said, with a completely straight face.

She dug her straw into the ice and pinkened liquid to catch the cherry. She pulled it above the ice and let it rest momentarily as she slowly realized why everyone was smiling and quiet.

"Benji..."

"Luxx..."

"Oh, fuck..."

"Is that good or bad?"

"I don't know." She was now looking at him and he was gathering up all of his courage to bring words to his lips.

"Luxx, I haven't loved you since the moment I met you." He started and everyone around the table laughed. The girls covered their open jaws and the guys leaned forward in anticipation. "I didn't know how I could ever even get along with you, but we did and we are. Now I don't know how I could ever not love you. I've known you for about two years, but we've been dating for about a year and a half, and I can't see myself spending another moment of my life not loving you."

The whole room was completely quiet; the staff of CBGB's had come out from back rooms and behind bars to watch. Luxx covered her mouth and tried to hold back tears of happiness, anxiousness, and relief.

"Luxx...I can't spend my life without you." He pulled the wet ring out of her drink and cleaned it on his t-shirt. "Luxx, will you marry me?"

She starred him straight in the eye and said absolutely nothing, but the tears were still rolling slowly down her cheeks.

"Luxx?" He whispered.

She nodded slowly and then faster, wrapping her arms around his neck. The whole room broke out in applause.

"Oh, God, Luxx. I thought you were going to say no."

She shook her head against the skin of his neck. "Benji," Luxx whispered. "Benji, I need to talk to you."

He rubbed her back lightly. "About what?"

"Benji...I'm pregnant." She said breathlessly in his ear, he was the only one that could hear over the clapping and hollering of everyone in the room.

["And I wake up today/Still smiling in the air/Wish dreams could be so great." The Early November: "Open Eyes"]