57. Zander
57
ZANDER
Today’s the day. Our house is ready, and by some miracle, I’ve managed to keep Rose away till now. The place has been remodeled to include several features we discussed and some I know she’ll love. And then there’s the surprise.
Not only for her, but for me too, in some sense.
“Are you sure about it?” Rose asks Clementine, who’s packing her own stuff.
Packing might not be the most appropriate word. Clementine throws a half-open candy packet in with her shoes. I’ve also seen some magazines being dumped in the same box.
“Rose, it’s cool. My driver should be here any minute now. Don’t you worry.” Clementine perches next to Rose, who’s folding some of her roommate’s clothes that are spread out on the bed.
After our move, unfortunately, Clementine has to return to the Hawthorne Mansion.
If she’s too upset, she’s not showing it. She’s still her same perky self .
“What’s this?” Rose picks up something wrapped in silver crepe paper, hidden under one of Clem’s blouses.
“It’s a housewarming gift for you guys. I think you’ll love it.” Clementine excitedly bounces on her feet, her hands folded before her. She’s like a kid in a candy store.
“You didn’t have to do that.” Rose turns the packaged gift in her hands. “I know you want to save for your own place.”
Clementine rolls her eyes at that, making me chuckle as I take a few steps closer to my girl.
“I want to save, but I have no clue how to. Plus, this cost nothing except some sleepless nights.”
Rose unwraps the square box, and there’s a small picture frame. “Clem!”
Jesus. I fucking love it.
“How did…you…do this? I never take off my ring. This is like…exactly the same.” Rose strokes the design of her ring through the glass. It’s like she’s trying to feel the grooves and ridges of her ring on the shiny flat surface.
“This isn’t designed from your ring, but your ring is designed from this.” Clem clutches her fists to her chest, barely holding her excitement.
A tingling warmth speeds along my limbs at Clementine’s thoughtful gesture. Her gift just made our day more memorable and gave me a chance to share a memory with my girl.
And don’t I know how much she loves listening to my crazy stories.
My pulse beats in my throat when Rose’s big blue eyes gleam behind her red glasses, and she looks between the gift and me. “I don’t get it.”
“You remember the day we were at the carnival?” I pull her close and look at the beautiful sketch.
“Yes. I could never forget that day.” Her face heats up.
Of course she can’t. I can’t either.
It was the day she lost her virginity, after all. One of the best fucking days of my life .
“I purchased something from Clementine,” I say before the memories of that day distract me too much.
From my wallet, I take out the small sterling silver ring I now carry with me everywhere.
Rose’s mouth falls open, and her hands fly to her chest.
“Though I hadn’t come to terms with us, your name, or my past, I couldn’t resist buying it. But it was so early in our relationship.” The ring, wrapped in a paper bag, had felt so heavy in my pocket.
“It was only the next day that you agreed to be my girlfriend, couch girl. I knew you would run for the hills if you saw me buying a ring.” I kiss her forehead.
Sometimes I can hardly fucking believe she finally agreed to me mine. My wife.
“Maybe I would have,” she whispers.
“No maybe, baby.” I peck her nose. “Anyway, I kept the original ring with me, and then when I was planning my proposal, Clementine made some adjustments to the design and worked with the jeweler.”
“This was the final design Zander agreed to.” Clem points toward the picture frame. “He has a copyright for this. Your ring is one of a kind, Rose.”
A tear from Rose’s eyes drops onto the shining glass. “I don’t know what to say, Clem. This is exceptional. Thank you so much.” She gives the picture another look before throwing her arms around her roommate.
Clementine’s eyes widen, then she returns the hug and smiles widely. “Rose, I don’t know what has happened, but over the past few weeks, you have changed. Maybe it’s the effect of your hunk…” She wiggles her eyebrows at me suggestively, making me chuckle. “But you look so happy.”
And she’s right.
Rose is not only happy but also more confident. Her anxiety attacks are almost nonexistent. She is opening up more. But I can’t take the full responsibility for this change .
I would say it’s Sophia’s journal. Every night, Rose reads it. I’ve noticed how she closes her eyes and picks a random page. She smells the book, her fingers gliding over the letters. She takes almost an hour to read one entry.
That’s saying something, considering my girl can speed read. But she savors the words written by her mother like they’re the last slice of a birthday cake.
Every night after reading the journal, she cuddles next to me. Sometimes there are tears in her eyes; sometimes she is just giddy with joy. Sometimes she is thoughtful, and sometimes she hits me with random questions. I never ask what she read. That journal and its contents are meant for Rose and Sophia and no one else. I just hope the written words will somehow ease the tension between them.
Rose has just about accepted Beast. His frequent dinner invitations have helped him to get close to his daughters. I often find him showing Kristy and Rose some hidden crook of his house that holds a meaning to only them.
I can’t even imagine how many emotions are trapped in his heart, fluttering to come out. The same is true for Rose. She holds on to his every word, grabbing random pieces of her lost childhood. Last week, I even heard her calling him Dad.
But to Sophia, she is distant. I don’t understand why. When Rose thinks no one is watching, I often find her staring at Sophia with anticipation. But of what? It seems as if she’s waiting for her mother to do something. Give her a hint. And I think the same is true for Sophia. I hope they don’t spend too much time just waiting .
An hour later, Clementine’s driver, Scott, arrives. I must praise the patience of that man. He didn’t even release a sigh of exasperation while hauling Clementine’s heavy bags and boxes into the car. Only two of those ten boxes made the journey from the house to the car trunk without toppling over. But that man picked up everything and even cracked a joke about Clementine’s cat lamp.
After handing the keys to Rose’s landlord, Mr. Hart, we get into my car to start the next, and hopefully the most amazing, chapter of our lives.
I slow the car as we get off the highway and take the narrow lane. It has been paved with concrete but not widened. I wanted to preserve the charm of the location.
“Zander, this looks so magical.” Rose points toward the blinking lights.
A few meters beyond the highway, there are solar lights on either side of the road. This was one of those things we discussed.
I take a turn, and as before, hidden behind some trees, is our house. There are several other cars parked outside.
“We have company?” Rose’s brow furrows as her gaze shifts from the open parking space to me.
“It’s a small housewarming party.” I give her a smile, hoping she’ll smile back.
“I thought we…were celebrating alone.” Watching her shift in her seat, my insides soar. My nerd craves for me as much as I do for her.
“Oh, we’ll celebrate alone all right, couch girl.” I raise my eyebrow as her face becomes scarlet. I turn off the ignition, and holding her hands in between mine, I place a kiss on her palm. “But everyone is too excited to see the house we’ve been raving about for months.”
“I guess that makes sense.” She giggles before opening her door.
I lead her to our front door. Before she can turn the knob, I hold her hand.
“What is it?” She looks up at me in confusion.
“Ring the bell. ”
“Isn’t it open already?” Rose cocks her head to the side but rings the bell regardless. The sounds of chirping birds and smooth piano music greet us. “Wow!”
This is one of those surprises I thought she’d like.
I open the door, but before she can walk in, I grab her by the waist, lift her into the air, and enter the house.
“What are you doing?”
“Crossing the threshold with you.” I kiss the tip of her nose. I can’t believe this is my life. In such a short time, this girl has changed everything. I’m looking forward to a future I never even dreamed for myself.
All because of her.
My fiancée. My couch girl. My soon-to-be wife.
“Isn’t that something we’re supposed to do after we get married?” She peeks at me shyly.
“For me, we’re already there. God, I want to carry you to our bedroom. To hell with the family,” I say before capturing her lips with mine.
“Come on, guys. Let’s get this party started!” Zach’s holler interrupts us. He’s probably starving already.
“Let’s go before he burns down the place.”
Rose chuckles, then she grabs my hand as we join the others in our living room.