Chapter 19
Nineteen
LUCA
O ver the last few weeks, Marissa and I have gone on so many dates that I can’t remember where one ends and the next begins. However, we still haven’t come up with a solution for our families. It feels like the problem is just growing, because the more we’re together, the more in love with her I fall. I think we’re both avoiding the inevitable, ‘willing it’ to go away somehow, because we don’t want the magic to end. I know that sounds silly, but it is magical, every moment I’m with Marissa.
Today is a big day for me. And hopefully it will be equally big for Marissa as well, but I can’t think too much about that right now. I have to focus on what I need to do. On one of our recent dates, Marissa introduced me to her friend, Violet and her husband, Robert. I pulled them both aside when Marissa was using the restroom, and I confided in them about my special plans. Violet was so ecstatic, and after whispering something to Robert, they turned around and invited me to have a private, romantic dinner with Marissa in their fabled rose garden, within their greenhouse.
I was overwhelmed by their incredible generosity and hospitality. Marissa has told me countless stories about her Book Club friends, who have nicknamed themselves “the Lits.” She thinks the world of them all, and from everything Marissa’s told me, they all sound like exceptional people. I’m so glad she has them in her life, and I can’t wait to meet them all.
She hasn’t exactly said so, but I picked up on the fact that Marissa is the only one of her friends who is still single… well, I mean, unmarried . I am banking everything in my heart that I can be the one who changes that status for her soon. Marissa thinks that she’s coming to have a special meal ‘just because’, just another one of our dates. I intentionally didn’t build it up to any more than that. We don’t actually have a meaningful milestone to celebrate, but after tonight, I believe we will.
From the way Marissa has described Violet and Robert’s home, I already know that the place is stunning to begin with; and with the way Violet promised to set the greenhouse up, I have no doubt that it will be even more beautiful with her special touches. I can’t wait to actually see it.
I pull up early to the house - mansion, rather - so that I can see everything that is set up. I double-check, and triple-check, to make sure that I have the ring in my pocket. It’s solidly there. Violet greets me on the steps with an excited hug.
“I’m so thrilled that this is happening for the two of you!” Her eyes are shining, and the enthusiasm she has seems to burst from every ounce of her. I already like Violet a lot. She is like a ray of sunshine, bursting into bubbles. I’ve never met someone so joyful, yet peaceful, at the same time.
“Thank you again for allowing me to do this for her, Violet. I don’t think Marissa has any idea what I’m planning. At least, I hope she has no idea!” As I speak, I can feel myself getting more and more nervous. What if Marissa isn’t ready for this kind of commitment? I’m not really worried, though. If anything, I feel like this is the best idea I’ve ever had. And I feel confident that she will think so, too.
I step back and finally look around me, taking my surroundings all in. I almost gasp at the beauty I am immersed in. The greenhouse is glowing from the light of hundreds of tea-light candles, none of them real, so as not to damage the plants; but the effect is the same. A table for two has been set in the center of the small patio, at the center of the greenhouse. The colors bursting around the greenhouse are brilliant. I feel like I’ve stepped onto a paint palette. Marissa told me about Robert’s greenhouse, but I never could have imagined this masterpiece of color. And the fragrance! Delicate and sweet, I catch hints of familiar rose scents as well as scents I can’t say I have ever experienced before! I slowly turn in a circle, so mesmerized by this enchanted place, that I almost forget why I’m here. But then I see the table again and smile. This is absolutely perfect. I couldn’t have created anything as special as this!
I just barely have time to take it all in, breathe deeply, and prepare myself mentally for my plans, when Violet brings Marissa in.
“Luca, this is amazing,” Marissa says, as Violet grins at us as she leaves. I have to think that at this point Marissa has to have some inkling of what is going on, but she doesn’t let on.
“I wanted us to have someplace special to celebrate this day,” I say. “Our relationship has been such a whirlwind, that I thought it might be nice for us to take a second to slow down.”
“I like that idea,” Marissa says, taking my hand as I hold it out to her.
Leading her toward the table, I say, “I know that things haven’t been easy for us. Our families are still feuding, and I think a lot of the time it feels like we’re star-crossed lovers , like Romeo and Juliet .”
“As long as we don’t have their ending,” Marissa says with a soft laugh.
“Yeah, that’s definitely not what I want either,” I say. “But I think that all the adversity we’ve faced has made us that much stronger as a couple.”
“Me, too,” Marissa says. “I think that, honestly, we could face anything now.”
“That’s why I wanted us to have this special dinner here tonight,” I continue. “Because, unlike Romeo and Juliet , I know that we can have happiness despite our families’ animosity toward one another. There was a moment after we had our one and only fight. We left things badly.”
“I remember. It was awful,” Marissa says.
“The line from Romeo and Juliet comes to mind. ‘ Parting is such sweet sorrow. ’ And that night, I realized how hard it is for me to walk away from you, for any reason at all. I realized that I wanted to put you first and make sure that you were okay emotionally, no matter the cost.” I pause, and pull the chair out for her to sit down. Then I take my seat. Part of me is so nervous now, that I’m worried I’ll forget to breathe.
Marissa squeezes my hand, which she is still holding. “I don’t think you know how much it meant to me that you came back that night. It showed me that you weren’t like most guys out there. We had both acted immaturely, but the fact that you took responsibility for that made me fall in love with you that much more, Luca.”
“I love you, Marissa,” I say, staring at her, feeling momentarily blank. All the words that I have been practicing so hard suddenly vanish.
In all the lead-up to this proposal, I have thought through so many different scenarios that I truly felt prepared for this night. The one thing I forgot to prepare for was Marissa saying something like that back to me. My mind has gone completely blank now, and it takes me a long time to get back on track. This is why I love her so much. She constantly keeps me from getting too much inside my own head.
“Can I tell you something else?” she asks.
“Of course,” I say.
“I knew the moment that we locked eyes at the ball that we had a special connection, but when you came into Little Italy that first day, I kind of wanted to punch you in the face,” she says.
I laugh at this unexpected confession. “I don’t blame you,” I say. “I feel like that would have been justified, given that I was there to accuse your family of trying to sabotage my family’s restaurant.”
Marissa sobers up at that thought. She’s quiet for a long moment, and I hope that I haven’t ruined the moment. Finally she says, “Do you ever think that they’ll be able to work it out?”
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “I hope so, but I think what I’m realizing is that we aren’t responsible for that to happen. Our parents are the ones perpetuating this. It’s not something we can control.”
“That’s a good way to look at it,” she agrees. “It just makes me so sad sometimes that we have to keep our whole relationship a secret from our families.”
“Well, except from Angelo and Chiara,” I say. “Honestly, I’m surprised that Angelo has kept the secret as long as he has.” We both chuckle at the thought of Angelo.
“I don’t want to think about any of that tonight,” Marissa says. “I just want to focus on the two of us. This is such an amazing gift that you’re giving me.”
“What do you mean?” I ask. For a second, I’m worried that she’s figured out why we’re actually here before I get to do the whole speech and my big reveal. Then I realize that, even if that is the case, it doesn’t matter. At the end of the night, as long as Marissa says yes to my proposal, I’ll be happy.
“Look at all this,” Marissa says, gesturing to the space around us. “How lucky am I to be here with you right now?”
“That’s the thing,” I say. “ I’m the lucky one. I couldn’t have put this all together without Robert and Violet’s help. I wanted tonight to be amazing for you, because this is what you deserve. You are the most amazing person I have ever known, Marissa. You have changed my life in ways that I didn't even know was possible. Before I met you, my life lacked meaning. I had forgotten that I could have dreams of my own, away from my family and their restaurant. I want you to know just how deeply I love you.”
“Oh, Luca, I do know that,” Marissa says. She’s gazing at me in a way that makes me feel all of this so much more deeply than anything I have ever felt before. I don’t know how to describe the depth of these feelings, except that I’m choked up at the same time that I’m feeling sick to my stomach. It’s nerves and excitement and love all mixed together.
“Good, because that’s important to me,” I say. “Do you want to dance?”
“Sure,” Marissa says, surprised and delighted all at once.
I lead her to the small paved area near the table, where I planned to dance to our song. I fumble with the bluetooth connection on my phone for a minute, before getting it to work. We start to sway in time to the music, Marissa snuggling into my arms. This dance feels like the prelude to everything that I want to happen in my life. I savor the moment, because what comes next will surely change both of our lives. For better or worse.
When the song ends, I lean in to kiss Marissa gently on the lips. When we break apart, I know that this is it. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. I take a deep breath, step backward, and get down on one knee. Immediately Marissa draws in a sharp breath.
“Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh,” she murmurs.
I take this as a good sign and look up at her. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the ring box. I take her hand, and say, “Marissa, I know that we haven’t been dating all that long, and that from the outside it must seem crazy how fast our relationship has moved. But I know that I have never been so sure of anything in my entire life. I love you, and I don’t want to go on living without you next to me every day. I want to go to bed beside you each night and wake up next to you each morning. Marissa, will you make me the happiest man in the world, and be my wife?”
Tears spill down Marissa’s cheeks, she’s nodding, but she can’t seem to get the words out. Finally she gasps, “Yes, oh my gosh, yes!”
I slide the ring onto her finger, and stand up. I pull her in for another kiss. This one deeper and more passionate than the last. I wipe the tears off her cheeks, and she starts laughing. “This is crazy,” she says. “I had hoped this was coming, but I had no idea this would be tonight. Oh my gosh!”
I kiss her again. “I’m thrilled,” I say. “I’ve been wanting to ask you for weeks. I bought the ring almost right after we met.”
“You did not,” she says, her eyes light up with delight.
“I did,” I say. “I couldn’t help myself. I told myself that if it didn’t work out, that I could always return the ring. But I didn’t think that I would have to.”
“You didn’t have to worry about that,” Marissa says. “I would have said yes to marrying you after our first date, when you cooked for me and told me all about your grandma.”
“I was so nervous that night,” I admit. “I never share that side of myself with anyone, probably because my family doesn’t like that I even continue those traditions. Not that I would tell them any of it anyway.”
A pensive look crosses Marissa’s face. “We’re not going to be able to tell our parents,” she says sadly.
I know she’s right, but I don’t want her to focus on that, so I smile and say, “Let’s not worry about that right now. When the time is right, we will tell them. Everything will work out the way that it’s supposed to.”
Taking her hand, I draw her back to the table, where two glasses of champagne are waiting. I hadn’t noticed them before, and I wonder if they were there, or if Violet managed to sneak them in while we were dancing. This whole setup wouldn’t have been possible without her. I don’t know how I will ever thank her properly.
Handing Marissa one of the glasses, I take the other and raise it. “A toast - to us,” I say.
“To us,” Marissa says, beaming ear to ear.
We clink glasses, and drink. The bubbles tickle my throat. We sit down again at the table. There is a knock at the greenhouse door, and a man dressed as a waiter enters with two plates of food, which he sets in front of us. Violet has provided us with a steak dinner fit for royalty.
As we eat, we start to discuss wedding plans. We both agree that we want to keep things simple, since our parents are going to have such a hard time with this union. Marissa sighs, and sets her fork down.
“I don’t know how you’ll feel about this idea,” she says. “But what if we elope?”
“Elope?” I repeat.
Marissa nods. “I don’t want to wait. I want to start our life together as soon as we can. And honestly, if we wait until our families come around, we might never get married. So, yes, I say that we elope.”
“I don’t hate the idea,” I say. “And we could throw a big reception when everyone is on board. That could be a fun way to celebrate!”
With our plans set, we finish our dinner in peace. There is nothing hanging over our heads at the moment. It feels like we have made our first big decision about how our lives together are going to be. I think that we’ve crossed a major hurdle. I know that Marissa feels a little sad about not being able to tell our parents. She might even want the big wedding, but I am going to trust that this idea of eloping is truly one that she wants to go with.
As we are leaving, Violet peeps around the corner of the library. Marissa catches sight of her friend, and beckons her over. “Look,” Marissa says, holding out her left hand.
Violet squeals. “I’m so happy for you!” she exclaims. “For both of you.”
“Thank you, again,” I say. “I honestly don’t know how to thank you and Robert.”
“Robert and I were happy to help,” Violet says. “We feel like we already know you, Luca. And now that we actually do, we hope there will be many more celebrations like this that we can have the privilege of hosting!” Violet winks at me as she says this.
Marissa hugs her friend again, and we leave the house. As we head to our respective cars, I realize that this is one of the last times we’ll be here as an unmarried couple. The next time Violet and Robert invite us over, we’ll probably already be married. The thought takes my breath away.
“I wish you could come home with me,” Marissa says. “But soon, we’ll be together all the time.”
“I can’t wait,” I say, pulling her in for one last goodnight kiss.
After saying goodbye, we climb into our cars and head home. I wonder if we’ll keep my apartment or get somewhere completely new. I wonder if we’ll get a cat. Or a dog. Will we both keep working at our families’ restaurants? There are a lot of questions about the future, but I know that I am on the right path.