You know your man wants to put a ring on it—you just don't know when he's popping the Q. These recently engaged men reveal the sneaky indicators that your boyfriend is just days (or minutes!) away from getting on one knee. Girl, it's time for a manicure.
He guards his phone.
"When I was texting with my mom about the ring, I was insane about keeping my phone by my side. One night when I was washing dishes, I accidentally left it on the dinner table. I heard it buzz and dove across the room, dish gloves and all, to swipe it before my girlfriend could see. I don't think it set off any alarm bells, but I basically freaked." —Mike P.
He's weird about packages.
"I ordered my girlfriend a ring from Tiffany.com, and the package—a small shipping box discreetly labeled TSC—arrived when we were both home. When she asked, 'What is that?' I mumbled something about a phone charger and tossed it aside as if it was something random and not a multi-thousand dollar piece of jewelry. But really, who does that? Everyone opens packages the second they arrive." —Steve K.
He's all up in your schedule.
"I planned to surprise my girlfriend with a hot air balloon ride at sunrise—then propose. But since we had to leave the house at 4:30 a.m. and she's not a morning person, I asked her the night before if she wanted to take a shower. She was like, What? I seriously asked her five more times before I gave up. I think if a guy gets that pushy about your routine, just go along with it!" —Nick K.
He's extra organized.
"I set up a new folder in Gmail called 'investments' to hide my conversations with other people about the ring—on the off chance that she happened to glance at my computer and wonder why I was going back and forth with her best friend." —Ryan M.
He refuses to cancel plans.
"A few days before our anniversary dinner, I came down with a horrible stomach bug. My girl wanted to cancel, but I was determined to carry through with my plan to propose. That night, I barely touched the food, and even left the table for 20 minutes to throw up. When I finally asked her to marry me, she said yes—then admitted she was on to me. I guess I wasn't quite as stealth as I thought!" —Brian C.
He becomes a deadbeat.
"In the few weeks before I proposed to my girlfriend, I didn't suggest any dates, long walks, or even drinks—I didn't want to do anything that would tip her off. Then one day when she came home from work, I was waiting for her with a ring. I wanted to catch her when she'd least expect it." —John M.
He guards his phone.
"When I was texting with my mom about the ring, I was insane about keeping my phone by my side. One night when I was washing dishes, I accidentally left it on the dinner table. I heard it buzz and dove across the room, dish gloves and all, to swipe it before my girlfriend could see. I don't think it set off any alarm bells, but I basically freaked." —Mike P.
He's weird about packages.
"I ordered my girlfriend a ring from Tiffany.com, and the package—a small shipping box discreetly labeled TSC—arrived when we were both home. When she asked, 'What is that?' I mumbled something about a phone charger and tossed it aside as if it was something random and not a multi-thousand dollar piece of jewelry. But really, who does that? Everyone opens packages the second they arrive." —Steve K.
He's all up in your schedule.
"I planned to surprise my girlfriend with a hot air balloon ride at sunrise—then propose. But since we had to leave the house at 4:30 a.m. and she's not a morning person, I asked her the night before if she wanted to take a shower. She was like, What? I seriously asked her five more times before I gave up. I think if a guy gets that pushy about your routine, just go along with it!" —Nick K.
He's extra organized.
"I set up a new folder in Gmail called 'investments' to hide my conversations with other people about the ring—on the off chance that she happened to glance at my computer and wonder why I was going back and forth with her best friend." —Ryan M.
He refuses to cancel plans.
"A few days before our anniversary dinner, I came down with a horrible stomach bug. My girl wanted to cancel, but I was determined to carry through with my plan to propose. That night, I barely touched the food, and even left the table for 20 minutes to throw up. When I finally asked her to marry me, she said yes—then admitted she was on to me. I guess I wasn't quite as stealth as I thought!" —Brian C.
He becomes a deadbeat.
"In the few weeks before I proposed to my girlfriend, I didn't suggest any dates, long walks, or even drinks—I didn't want to do anything that would tip her off. Then one day when she came home from work, I was waiting for her with a ring. I wanted to catch her when she'd least expect it." —John M.