Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Nico
Something’s up with Alex.
He’s been jittery since we left home, and he barely ate lunch, even though he swears the pizza place right near our apartment has the best pizza in the world.
He’s also been alternating between talking my ear off and completely silent, and right now, he’s walking just slightly faster than normal, which is a bit awkward considering he’s gripping my hand and having to almost pull me along next to him.
Ahead of us, a large, dark-stained wooden gate underneath a gray pagoda-style roof marks the entrance to the Japanese Friendship Garden.
Besides Vera’s art gallery, it’s probably one of my favorite places in San Jose.
The first year we lived here, the garden underwent a massive restoration and renovation to update and repair the ponds and bridges.
I remember Vera telling me about how the park used to be and how happy she was that they finally did all the planned work.
The garden fully reopened, better than new, just shortly after Alex moved down from Palo Alto to live with me in San Jose his second year of undergrad.
I slow and stop as we reach the entrance, and Alex stops half a step ahead of me. When he turns around to look at me, his eyes are bright and eager, and he’s grinning this huge, silly grin. I smile back and tug on his hand lightly. “Where’s my kiss?”
I didn’t think it was possible, but his smile lights up even more.
He closes the distance between us and lowers his mouth to mine for a short, sweet kiss.
It’s silly, but it’s become a bit of a thing—for us to kiss under the entrance here.
We did it the first time we came, although I can’t really remember exactly why, and now, we do it every time right when we enter.
“I didn’t forget,” he says, smiling sheepishly. He kisses me again, as though to prove his point, and then he tips his head toward the garden. “I’m just a little distracted because I saw the cherry blossoms.”
“They’re still blooming? This late in the season?” I glance past him into the park, and it’s like he said. Several of the cherry blossom trees are still in full bloom, even though we’re well into early May.
He squeezes my hand gently, and together, we start walking again.
The rough cobblestone path leads us to the edge of a large pond, and we pause there, too, his arm slipping around my waist. Where the water meets the edge, a small group of colorful koi fish congregate, swimming close to the surface, and then farther off in the pond, a couple of geese float along, basking in the sunlight.
It’s so peaceful, and for a second, I lean into Alex and close my eyes, and I just let myself feel the freshness in the air.
It’s this clean, crisp feeling, everything alive and growing around us, serene and calm.
The sweet fragrance of the cherry blossoms, the cool breeze, the quiet sounds of leaves fluttering and birds chirping.
“I needed this,” I say softly, and Alex’s arm tightens around my waist. “The whole day, I mean. We haven’t spent a day together like this in a while. Thank you for staying home with me.”
Our lives have gotten so busy, especially with all the hours I’m putting in for my apprenticeship, and even when I do have days off or half days off, they rarely coincide with his.
“We’re going to be busy like this for a while, I think,” he says, as though he’s reading my mind. “So we have to take what we can, right?”
I nod and open my eyes partway. The geese are still floating in about the middle of the pond, and the koi have started to move on, the water rippling here and there as bright white and orange shapes weave about below the surface.
I smile and tilt my head back. Alex isn’t watching the geese or the koi; he’s looking at me, his eyes shining and happy. God, I love this.
“I love you,” I whisper, letting my hand come to rest on his stomach.
He purses his lips to rein in his smile, and then his eyes dart off across the garden to the other side of the pond for just a second. “Let’s walk?” he asks quietly.
I narrow my eyes at his redirect but then nod, and his cheeks turn bright red. He quickly looks away again, and together, we start walking at a leisurely pace along the edge of the pond, his arm still around my waist.
He guides us down the path until it curves back around on the far side of the pond, where the ground is littered with cherry blossom petals.
The slight breeze that picks up plucks a few more from the trees, and they flutter around us, light and airy, until they come to rest on the path.
His steps stutter then, and he pauses and tightens his arm around me.
His eyes are focused ahead, where there’s a little red bridge that rises up to cross over a portion of the pond.
I follow his gaze and smile, pulling out my phone. “Here, your mom would love this picture,” I say, and then there’s a twinge in my chest as I add, “And maybe I can send it to my mom, too.”
He sucks in a breath and nods, and then he holds me even closer as I lift the phone up in front of us to take a selfie.
He’s grinning, his huge smile and bright blue eyes complemented by the vibrance of the cherry blossom tree in the background.
I smile just as wide as I capture one picture, and then he turns and kisses my cheek as I take another.
“Oh yeah, you should send them that one,” he mumbles against my cheek, and I fake-scoff, then laugh and shove him away.
Both of his arms wrap around my waist from behind, and he bends down to kiss my neck.
“Here, take this one too,” he says. I hesitate for only a second before I lift the phone up again.
On the screen, I see him—I see us. He tilts his head a tiny bit to rest against mine, and he smiles that same brilliant, bright smile.
“You’re gorgeous,” I breathe.
He shakes his head a little and murmurs, “Take the picture.”
“’Kay, yeah.”
We both smile, and I snap the photo. Then he does the same thing he did with our first pose, kissing my cheek, and I snap that one, too.
I lower the phone and look down at it, scrolling through the pictures.
They’re perfect, each and every one of them.
He’s happy, and, fuck, even I look happy.
I close the camera app and start to open up my messaging app to send the photos to his mom (and maybe to my mom, too), but he stops me, his hand covering mine.
“Wait, one more thing first before you send them,” he says, though his voice seems to waver. “Come on.”
Rather than waiting for a response, he takes my free hand and gives me another grin, tipping his head toward the bridge.
With a shrug, I slip my phone back into my pocket and follow as he leads me the rest of the way up the path to the bridge.
The wood creaks under our feet as we step off the path, and he stops us right at the top of the slight arch.
“You want another picture from here?” I go to pull my phone out, but Alex intercepts my hand and pulls gently until I’m facing him. He has this smile on his face that’s soft and hopeful and eager all at once.
“Um, not quite yet, actually. First . . .” His smile deepens, and then he ducks his head as his cheeks turn bright red.
And it’s not until he squeezes my hand and then starts to lower himself down to one knee that I finally realize what’s going on and why he brought me here. My heart jumps in my chest, and I think I stop breathing as he lifts his eyes up to meet mine.
“Nico . . .” He smiles again, and it’s still soft and hopeful and eager, filled with all of his love.
He brings my hand slowly to his lips and kisses my knuckles, the gesture sweet and loving, and before he’s even said more than my name, this wave of warm, bright joy hits me. I swallow and shake my head, but his smile just widens.
“Nico . . . you’re my best friend,” he says softly, and I swear his eyes are now glistening with unshed tears. He blinks them back and continues. “There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not grateful for you, for what we have together . . . for this life we’ve built.”
I smile and drop my chin as a tear slips down my cheek. “Alex . . .”
He squeezes my hand. “I love you, Nico. I love you with all of my heart, and I will love you for all of my life. And—” His voice falters as he lets my hand go long enough to reach into his pocket.
He pulls out a small black box, and, with a shuddering breath, he opens the box and lifts his eyes to mine again. “Nico West, will you marry me?”
My gaze drops to the two matching dark metal bands in the box, and I’m suddenly laughing and crying and nodding and blubbering something incoherent all at once.
Whatever I say must sound like the yes that I mean, because Alex’s face lights up like the sun, and then he’s standing and my arms go up around his neck, and he kisses me, his tears mingling with mine.
We kiss and kiss until I’m breathless, and then he steps back and takes one of the rings out of the box, his hands shaking.
“I-I hope it fits, I had to guess at your size,” he stammers, and I can’t talk, so I just nod again. The ring slips on my finger easily, and it’s just fucking perfect.
I tell him that, and then we kiss again, his hands finding my waist as mine slide up his chest to rest on either side of his neck.
“I love you,” I whisper against his mouth.
“Mmm, I love you too,” he hums. He kisses me one more time, but it’s an awkward kiss because we’re both grinning. When he pulls back this time, I lower my hands to his chest, and he glances down and then takes my left hand in his, running his thumb over the band. “It is perfect, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I breathe. Then, wordlessly, I take his ring out of the box he’s still holding, and I kiss his hand before I slide the ring on his finger. “Perfect.”
I lift my eyes to look up at him, and he’s watching me too. I shake my head. “I knew something was up.”
He laughs and lowers his eyes. “I thought you might have.”
We’re quiet for a moment, and then I laugh and hand him back the ring box before taking my phone out of my pocket.
“So, now you want that picture, right?” I say.
He nods.
There are still tears on my cheeks, and I’m sure my face is as flushed as his, but I lift up the phone anyway as he steps behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. He threads the fingers of his left hand through mine and rests both of our hands on my chest so the rings are visible.
Then he tilts his head against the side of mine, and I snap the selfie.
“Perfect,” he whispers in my ear, and he kisses my cheek as I snap another.