Evan
Evan
S omething was off.
Jain was jittery—which wasn’t entirely suspiciously out of character, I’ll admit—but I noticed her fingers trembling when she lifted the wine glass to her lips. At first, I thought the worst—something was wrong. I wanted to demand to know what was wrong immediately, but something in her eyes told me not to.
We were playing Monopoly, of all things. She kept jumping whenever it was my turn, and I tried not to throw the board in the air when she seemed to sigh with relief every time my turn ended.
What was wrong with her?
My mind drifted back to the phone call I’d received earlier, the anonymous caller ID that made me worry until I heard the voice speak slowly into my ear.
“You helped me in jail, so I owe you. You know where I am if you need me, teach.”
My stomach still churned with nausea at the words, but I tried not to give it too much thought. Combined with Jain’s strange behaviour, I couldn’t quite work out what in the world was going on. Hadley, as he was known in prison, had needed to pass his English GCSE so he could move onto college levels of study. He was due to be released about a month before me, but I’d had nothing to do but teach him. I smiled to myself when I realised he must’ve passed his exam, especially if he felt the need to thank me.
As my dice settled on the board, I moved my token to the appropriate place on the board. Jain sucked in a breath then, so obviously that I looked up at her in surprise.
“Are you alright?” I asked cautiously, her mouth opening and closing before opening again.
“Yes?”
“That sounds more like a question than an answer, Jain.” I chuckled before glancing back at the game. “We don’t have to play—”
“We do! Just...read the card,” Jain interrupted, licking her lips nervously.
Something was definitely off.
I shook my head as I peered at the board. The squares that housed all the different outcomes and potential properties gleamed back at me, and I saw I had landed on ‘Chance.’ I reached for the card before making a joke.
“I hope it’s a bank error in my favour.”
She was silent as I moved my eyes to the card, my breath catching in my throat.
Unlike any Monopoly card I’d seen before, in silver writing were the words I didn’t think I’d ever hear from Jain.
Can I still be Mrs Silver?
I lifted my eyes to hers to see her physically trembling. She was watching me with wide eyes, and she seemed to be mumbling something under her breath.
“Is this serious? ”
“Evan, give me a minute.” Jain gulped her wine before placing it back on the table. I watched her in disbelief, a feeling of euphoria running through my veins. “I have always wanted to marry you. I said no because, well, I was scared. I didn’t want to mess it up like I did with Julian.” She winced at the mention of his name, and I continued to remain silent. Her words were welcome to my ears, so achingly overdue that I couldn’t bear to interrupt her for a second. “I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else, and I thought, I know how I can make it different. I can propose.”
I blinked so I could continue to focus on what was happening before me. Jain’s fingers pushed her hair behind her ear, exposing her creamy neck. My lips twitched, and I realised they wanted to be kissing her there.
She cleared her throat before reaching over and holding my hands in hers.
“The thing is, I love you. I have a connection with you that is unrivalled. The things you have done to allow us to be together.” Jain’s voice cracked slightly, and her eyes filled up with tears. A lump began to form in my throat as she continued to speak. “The things you have sacrificed are monumental. A career is one of the strongest foundations anyone can build their lives around; and you lost yours to be with me.”
Our eyes met then, and as she blinked, fat salty tears ran down her cheeks. I reached over to wipe them away, just as I realised, I was crying too.
“I know how hard it has been for you, and I’m sorry. But all I can do is tell you that I want to be with you forever. I love you with all that I am and will ever be. Without you, I feel lost, like I’m looking for the other part of me. I want to be your wife, Evan Silver if you’ll marry me? ”
Her lip quivered, and her eyes widened as I rose from my chair. I ceased the distance between us in a few steps before taking her into my arms.
“Of course I’ll marry you. It’s all I’ve wanted for as long as I can remember,” I murmured into Jain’s hair, the painful memories of lying awake at night in that cell, imagining our wedding day, flashing through my head. She squealed, and we began to kiss, deeply and passionately. Immediately something had changed, and as I held her in my arms, I felt more protective of her than ever.
“I love you, Evan Silver.”
“I love you, Jain Martin. Wait here,” I commanded, smirking as she frowned at me.
I walked upstairs, heading for our wardrobe. I slid open the doors before letting my hand explore the top shelf until it touched the familiar velvet box. My stomach lurched with the associated anxiety, but I pushed it away.
This time I wasn’t asking her.
I examined it, a broad smile on my face when I strode back to the kitchen. I opened the box, her hand flying to her mouth in surprise.
“Oh my God, I thought you’d taken it back...” Jain whispered as I shook my head defiantly.
“When I first asked you to marry me, I hunted high and low for the perfect ring. Nothing attracted me, and I knew it had to, to be perfect for you. Then, finally, I saw this, and my heart almost stopped beating. Exactly how I felt when you first spoke to me.”
Tears fell from her beautiful eyes again, but this time I hoped they were from happiness. She took the ring from its cushioned home before sliding it effortlessly onto her wedding finger. It was a simple white gold band, the front of it housing a simple black diamond which shone brightly beneath the kitchen spotlights .
For me, it defied tradition. I didn’t want a white diamond. I wanted it to be black and was all the rarer for it. It seemed to signify our relationship—not your average engagement ring—not your average marriage. However, the white diamonds that surrounded it only made it stand out even more—against the sea of normality.
I gazed at Jain as she twisted her hand this way and that, biting her lip with excitement.
“Are you happy?” I asked, lifting her hand to examine the ring, finally in its rightful place.
“I am, oh I am !”
I smiled widely before kissing her all over her face. She giggled, lifting her arms to wrap them around my neck.
“So, what sort of wedding do you want, Miss Martin?”
“The sort that happens quick, Mr Silver,” Jain breathlessly answered as I tugged her from the chair.
“I’m sure that can be arranged. I’ve got friends in all sorts of places now,” I chuckled as she pressed her lips against mine.
“My bad boy,” she murmured, and I let out a coy laugh.
“Oh, Miss Martin. You have no idea,” I drawled before kissing her deeply.