Epilogue
EPILOGUE
ADONIS
Four years later
Adonis
Where are you?
Clover
Almost there. I got held up in class.
Adonis
Can you give me a time? The restaurant wants to give away our table.
Clover
Less than five minutes.
Beg them to hold it.
I am so sorry. I didn’t realize how long it’d take to get across town.
Adonis
Okay, I told them, and they said they’d wait.
This place is packed tonight.
T oday is a big day, and for more than one reason.
Clover and I have so much to celebrate. My tenure packet was accepted this summer, and I am now a tenured faculty member. I wasn’t sure it’d happen this year considering the delays I had during my first year. But I busted my ass to make up for it and published twice as much as I had originally planned.
My packet was unanimously accepted, and I received the notice two weeks ago.
This past spring, Clover was offered a position at Columbia University. She’s been teaching there for several weeks now, and she loves it. She’s been swamped writing grants and creating her course lectures. Between that and my tenure packet still in review, we haven’t celebrated yet.
That’s what tonight’s dinner is for.
Plus, I’ve got a really huge question I want to ask her.
Stuffing my hand into my pocket, I wrap my fist around the small box and squeeze. I relax, confirming it’s still there.
Now that I have tenure and she’s got a job, I’m ready to take our relationship to the next level.
The past two years have been challenging for us and yet we’ve managed to work through every difficulty.
After she graduated, she was offered a post-doctoral position at the University of Chicago. I hated that she had to move so far away, but it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. We made it work and saw each other whenever we could. Every holiday and school break she came home, and I manage to steal away at least one weekend a month.
It was hard, but we did it.
I watch her cab pull up and rush out the door of the restaurant to help her out. I open her for her and offer her my hand. She smiles at me.
“Well, hello sir.” I pull her to her feet and press my lips to hers.
“Hi, minx.” I hug her close. “Did you have a good day?”
“I did. It was busy, but good.” She wraps her arms around me and runs her hands up my back. “And you?”
“Meh.” I shrug. “Better now that you’re here.”
She laughs and swats at my chest. “You always say that.”
“It’s true.” I take her hand and move her away from the cab door so I can close it. “I hope you’re hungry. I’ve been told this is one of the best restaurants in the city.”
“I’m starving. I ate a light lunch so I’d be hungry for this.”
I lift her hand and press my lips to her fingers as I lead her toward the entrance. Just before I open the door, I hear someone call my name.
I turn around to see my brother and his wife exiting a cab.
“What are you two doing here?” Atticus asks when they reach us.
“Celebration dinner,” I say. Me for getting tenure and Clover for her new job.
“Oh, how exciting.” Atticus’s wife, Indigo, says. “We’re also celebrating.” Indigo rests her hand on Atticus’s chest and smiles up at her husband. “Do you want to tell them?”
A huge smile spreads across Atticus’s face. “I just got a huge promotion at work. Senior VP. I’m being groomed for the C-suite.”
I reach my hand out for a shake. When he takes it, I pull him in for a hug. “Congratulations brother.”
“Thanks. And same for you.” Atticus reaches around me and opens the door for all of us to go in. “We should eat together. Let’s see if they can put us together.”
“Oh, no,” I say quickly. Everyone turns and gives me a confused look. “I mean, I doubt they can. They’ve already tried to cancel our reservation because Clover was running late.”
Atticus shrugs. “Only one way to find out.”
Before I can stop him, he turns to the hostess and asks her.
“No, really.” I reach for my brother’s arm to stop him. “You don’t have to do that. I’m sure you and Indigo would prefer the time to yourselves.”
“Don’t be silly,” Indigo says. “I’d love to eat with you guys. The more the merrier when there’s something to celebrate.”
I look at Clover for help but she’s looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“I’d love to eat with them,” she says, and I grumble. “What’s wrong with you? Are you mad at me for being late?”
“Of course not.” I rub my hand over my face and sigh. “It’s just … I thought we’d be alone.”
I glance around and there’s a crowd forming around us. The restaurant is busy and we’re attracting attention.
Clover rests her hand on my arm. “It’s fine, Donnie. Let’s eat with them.”
I shake my head. My irritation is rising. “What if I don’t want to?”
Now there are three faces frowning at me. I grumble and drop my head. This is not going as planned.
“Why not?” Clover and Indigo say at the same time.
“Because” is the only thing I can manage to say.
Clover steps closer to me with her brows furrowed. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m fine,” I say a little too harshly.
“Then why don’t you want to eat with us?” Atticus asks. “Are you too good for as now that you’re a tenured professor?”
I know he’s teasing but it still rubs me the wrong way. Everything is rubbing me the wrong way right now. My plans are being thwarted by my own family, and it’s stressing me out.
“Donnie, you don’t looks so well,” Clover says. She lifts her hand and presses it my forehead. “You’re sweating. Maybe you’re coming down with something.”
“I’m not coming down with something. It’s just …” I pause and stare at her. She looks worried and I don’t like it. “Screw it.”
I pull the ring box out of my pocket and drop to my knee. “This isn’t how I was going to do this but that’s sort of our thing I guess.”
I open the box and hold it up to Clover. She gasps and covers her mouth with her hand. When she looks back at me, there are tears in her eyes.
“Is that what I think it is?”
“Yes.” My voice cracks and I clear my throat. “This dinner wasn’t meant to be a celebration, but rather a proposal. That is, if you’ll have me.”
She laughs through her tears and reaches her hand out to touch the ring.
“Bro,” Atticus nudges me. “You have to actually ask the question.”
I glare up at him, and Clover laughs harder. When I look back at her, my heart melts. She looks so happy. Everything else around me fades away. I pull the ring from the box and take her hand in mine.
“Will you marry me, minx?” I whisper.
She nods quickly and falls into me, wrapping her arms around my neck as she does. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.”
I relax as I hold her tight. I think I hear clapping and cheers and maybe a few loud whistles but I’m not sure.
The only thing that matters is she said yes.