Bonus Scene
One year Later
Oakley
Rushing throughout the apartment, I’m trying to make the final touches on everything when I hear the soft click of the door unlocking.
My heart races, knowing that this is it.
In just a few short minutes, I’ll be asking the love of my life to spend the rest of his with me.
Which, I’ve already been planning to do since we were kids, though in a different way than I originally planned.
I’ve spent the entire day decorating the apartment, filling it with flameless candles and rose petals all throughout.
I bought a shit ton of small bouquets—ones I knew he would like—and I lined the living room and kitchen with them.
It’s probably a little over the top, but with Cole I want to give him everything I can, even if that means basically buying my own flower shop.
A few weeks ago, Cole and I were walking around the mall and happened to stop into one of the jewelry shops.
His eyes might have lingered a little on this gorgeous gold band in one of the cases.
As soon as I saw the twinkle in his eye, I knew I had to get him that ring.
The very next day, I had that small thing in my possession as I left the store.
Trying to keep it hidden from him has been a nightmare. He’s the tidy one, so he’s always cleaning and tidying up, so making an effort to hide them wasn’t easy. Luckily, I realized he never empties my laundry basket, so I hid that ring at the very bottom of my hamper.
“You in the kitchen?” His voice grows louder as he draws closer to me.
My palms become sweaty as I tap my pocket, making sure the piece of jewelry is safe and sound. “Yeah, I’m in here.”
“Okay, so I want you to close your eyes.”
“What?” I ask. He wants me to shut my eyes? I look around at everything I’ve decorated, knowing that I want to see the reaction on his face when he walks by the corner.
“Are you doing it?”
“Uh, yes.” I lie, keeping my gaze straight ahead at where he’s going to enter. There’s no way I’m going to miss the way his eyes light up as he sees everything I’ve done.
“Okay, good. So, I’ve been thinking a lot about us and about what I want from the future.
Or more so what we want from the…” his voice trails off as he enters the kitchen, his gaze pinging around the entire space.
“Oh my god,” he whispers, his hand flying to his mouth.
His eyes water at the sight of everything in front of him, a stray tear falling down his cheek.
It’s at that moment I see the bouquet of flowers in his hand, with a small black box tied around it. “What are those?” I question, gesturing to the items in his hands.
“If what I think is happening is actually happening, then we might do the same exact thing.” He smiles softly, looking around the kitchen again.
I reach into my pocket at the same moment Cole pulls the small box off the bouquet.
“Will you marry me?” We both ask in unison.
“Holy shit,” he whispers, stepping closer to me.
“Yes,” I tell him, answering his question. We stare at one another for a few seconds before I break the silence. “Uh, you didn’t answer my question.”
“Oh god,” he chuckles, shaking his head. “Yes, you dummy. Of course, yes!”
He jumps into my grasp, my hands expertly grabbing him under his ass, having been used to doing this a million times.
God, I love this man so much. It’s wild to see how far we’ve come.
To think that only a year ago, I was calling him my best friend.
He’s always been so much more than that, and I’m glad we both finally figured out what was truly happening between us.
And now that he’s agreed to marry me, I’ll spend the rest of my life keeping this gorgeous smile on his face.
“Fuck, I love you, Cole.” I whisper, grabbing him around the nape and pulling him close to me, and kissing him passionately.
“I love you, too,” he responds, kissing me again.
The End