13. Eric
We heat up the food we’d abandoned and eat a quick dinner downstairs, before I snag a bottle of wine from the fridge and lead Graham back to the bedroom and into the bathroom.
He huffs and rolls his eyes as I start the bath, but when I glance at him as I open the wine, I see the small smile on his face.
“Are we heathens?” he asks, as I take a drink of the wine and pass him the bottle.
“No dishes this way,” I point out.
Graham shrugs and takes a sip of the wine, making a face as he swallows. “What is this?”
“It’s a rosé. You don’t seem to like the reds, so I picked it up the other day. Something wrong with it?”
He takes another sip before replying. “No, just didn’t expect the sweetness. All the other shit you’ve given me has been bitter as hell.”
I laugh and take the bottle from him, gesturing to the tub. “Get in.”
Graham lowers himself into the bath and groans. I take another swig of wine and set the bottle down before climbing in behind him.
The hot water feels amazing, but not as good as the feel of Graham in my arms. He lies back against my chest, and I wrap my arms tightly around him.
“Will you marry me one day?” I ask.
He turns in my arms, water splashing over the edge of the tub. “Are you proposing to me? Now?”
I don’t hesitate. “Yes. Whether you say yes now or later doesn’t matter to me. We can get married tomorrow or in fifty years. All I care about is being with you, Graham. I never believed in love at first sight until I watched Sawyer fall for Blaise. Never thought it would happen to me…until you.”
“Eric…” He stares at me with wide eyes, and I smile.
“I love you, Graham. I don’t know when it happened, but I know I’ve been falling for you since we met.”
He threads his fingers through the hair at the back of my head, pulling our mouths together. The kiss is soft and sweet, and it makes my heart beat faster and harder than any words of love ever will.
When he breaks the kiss, he whispers, “I think I fell for you when you bought me birthday pancakes and told me that I deserved to be seen and heard. You’re the first person to ever see me as a human being. You’re kind and selfless and have a big heart, with more capacity to love than I ever thought was possible. And I’m so fucking in love with you, even though I tried hard not to be.”
Tears leak from his eyes, and I reach up to wipe them away. “Will you marry me, then?”
“Yes. Today, tomorrow, in fifty years. I will marry you any day of the week. It’s batshit insane, but everything about this has been from the very start. So, yes.”
I kiss him again. Hard and deep. Affection for him spreading through my entire body.