“Madam, are you serious?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” I assured him. “And by the way, I’m Miley.”
“Stan,” he replied, still confused. “And you’re seriously proposing to marry a homeless man you just met?”
I nodded.
"I know this sounds crazy, but I promise I'm not a serial killer or anything else. Just a desperate woman with nosy parents."
“Well, Miley, I have to say this is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me.”
“So that’s it?” I asked.
He looked at me for a long moment, and I saw that twinkle in his eye again. “You know what? Why the hell not? You have a deal, future wife.”
And so my life turned out in a way I never imagined.
I took Stan shopping for new clothes, took him to the hair salon, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that underneath all the grime was a quite handsome man.
Three days later, I introduced him to my parents as my secret fiancé. To say they were shocked is an understatement.
“Miley!” my mom exclaimed. “Why didn't you tell us?”
“Oh, you know, I wanted to make sure it was serious before I said anything,” I lied. “But Stan and I are so in love, aren't we, honey?”
Stan, to his credit, gave a brilliant performance. He charmed my parents with his fabricated stories about our whirlwind romance.
A month later we got married.
I made sure to have a solid prenuptial agreement in case my little plan didn't work out. But to my surprise, life with Stan wasn't so bad after all.
He was funny, intelligent, and always ready to help around the house. We became friends effortlessly, like roommates who occasionally had to pretend to be madly in love.
However, there was one thing that bothered me.
Whenever I asked Stan about his past, how he ended up on the streets, he would withdraw into himself. His eyes would close and he would quickly change the subject. It was a mystery that both intrigued and frustrated me.
And then came the day that changed everything.
It was an ordinary day coming home from work. As I entered the house, a trail of rose petals caught my eye. It led me into the living room.
The sight that greeted me in the living room left me speechless. The entire room was filled with roses, and on the floor lay a giant heart of petals.
And there, in the center of it all, stood Stan.
But this wasn't the Stan I knew. Gone were the comfortable jeans and T-shirts I'd given him.
Instead, he wore a sleek black tuxedo that looked like it cost more than my monthly rent. In his hand, he held a small velvet box.
“Stan?” I managed to choke out. “What’s going on?”
He smiled and I swear my heart skipped a beat.
"Miley," he said. "I wanted to thank you for taking me in. You've made me incredibly happy. I'd be even happier if you truly loved me and were my wife, not just in name but in real life. I fell in love with you at first sight, and this past month we've spent together has been the happiest of my life. Will you marry me? For real this time?"
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