Chapter 31 Rosie #2
“I wrote it all down for you. All of it. The good, the bad, my fuck-up, the million signs and opportunities I missed. All of it’s in there.” My heart pounds, but slowly, I open the book. It opens halfway through, revealing heavy cream paper, but that isn’t what has my breath stopping in my lungs.
The pages are covered in heavy-handed black ink. Jack’s handwriting, I realize.
“If you forget it, when you forget, it’ll be here.
” My chest jumps, in despair or joy, I can’t decide, but it does all the same.
“The first time I saw you, some part of me knew I was going to fall for you. Each time you came into my place and I argued with you. It’s in there.
” As I flip through to the front, I realize there are dates and entries, going back three years.
Three years since I moved across the street and opened Meet Cute Magic.
March 14
The for sale sign came down across the way, and I saw you walk in. Over the next week, you moved your things in with your sisters, but I never came over to introduce myself.
You were far too pretty, and I knew I’d make a fool of myself.
March 30
You came over to introduce yourself, and I was so stunned that someone as sweet and beautiful as you was in my shop, I panicked and acted like an ass. It turns out, I’d do that a lot over the next three years.
April 30
The grand opening of Meet Cute Magic had a line outside the store. It made me smile, even if I complained to the town the next day that you left the balloons up too long.
I smile at the memory of Mayor Greenwell coming the next day with a begrudging, apologetic smile to remind me that all exterior decorations had to be taken down the same day. I never did know who complained, though I had come to my own, seemingly accurate, conclusions.
The passages continue, noting every interaction we ever had.
“How do you remember all of this? There are exact dates,” I whisper as I get to the time I knocked over his table.
I’m pretty sure it was an accident, he writes.
But I was a dick about it because by then, that was the personality I adopted when it came to you.
It made me feel safer, knowing you’d keep your distance.
“I,” he starts, then puts a hand to his neck. “I journal. It’s lame, I know, but it helps with my anxiety.”
“So you wrote down every time we bumped into each other, every time we argued?” I continue to scan through, reaching when I broke his wizard, when he caught me. It was like electricity in my veins, touching you for the first time.
“You were on my mind a lot, Rosie. For years now.”
“And this is for…”
“So you can remember. You’re going to fall in love with me all over again once the curse is broken.
I’m going to make sure of it because I know in my gut you were made to be mine, and I was made to be yours, to take care of you, to give you a safe place to be soft.
But I also don’t want you to forget this.
To forget the first iteration of us. You won’t forget every previous moment that led to us being what we are.
What we’re going to be. I don’t know if I’ll forget, too, so I wanted us to have that, just in case.
” He rolls his lips between his teeth before giving me a small, embarrassed smile and pulling his phone out, showing me the lock screen.
It used to be a photo of a dragon, but two weeks ago it was changed to a photo of us together. Now it’s black with big, bold white letters on it. Check your notes app; don’t forget her.
“Your notes app?”
He shrugs. “I wrote myself a letter explaining. There’s a video recording, too, in case I don’t believe myself. I’m not leaving anything up to chance.” My chest swells and my eyes begin to water as I flip through more pages, seeing our story written there in black in white, in Jack’s messy scrawl.
“You wrote this,” I whisper. “When?”
“I stopped at the stationery store at… one? Maybe? Then got right to work. I finished ten minutes ago. I had an epiphany, thanks to your sister and a lemony scone.”
“Bright Idea Scones.” I continue flipping through, referencing my sister’s lemon scones that bring someone’s best ideas to the forefront of their mind.
“Why did you do this?” I ask finally. He steps closer, still not touching me, though suddenly, I want him to.
I want that familiar comfort of his calloused fingertips on my cheek, want his arms around me, holding me together.
“Because I love you, Rosemary Mayfield,” he says, whisper-soft.
“I love you, and it has nothing to do with magic or kiss bonds or a curse. It’s you.
It’s always been you. I’ve been blind, and you’ve been scared, but I’m not letting anything get in the way of something this perfect.
It would be disrespectful to the magic of love if we didn’t take this opportunity.
” He moves closer still, so we’re just inches apart.
“So finish the potion. Break the curse. And when you forget it all, this will help you remember where we left off.”
“You’re not here to stop me from finishing the potion?”
He shakes his head and smiles before stepping closer.
“I don’t want you to live with that fear over your head, even if I know down to my bones I’m going to live the rest of my life with my hand in yours.
If we have to start this from scratch, we will, but I’m going to spend all of my nights with you, your head in my lap while I play a game and you read.
You’re going to help me when I get overwhelmed with people, and I’m going to fix the heater every time it breaks.
We’re going to that club and getting drunk and chatting with everyone there.
We’re going on a holiday hayride, and when you’re too cold, you’re going to snuggle into me.
We’re going to get our happily ever after, Rosie, even if the pathway is a little windy. ”
With his words, the tears start falling in earnest, my emotions, which have been on edge, no longer able to handle this much… beauty. This love, so bright and clear, genuine and warm.
“No, no, Rosie. No tears,” he whispers, then reaches out for me. But before he touches me, his hand hesitates, unsure if that’s allowed. A full sob leaves my chest then as I move into his arms, letting him wrap me up tightly, rocking me as I cry into his chest.
It’s not sadness.
It’s not anger or disappointment or even heartbreak.
It’s a relief.
Utter and total relief from so many fronts, I don’t know how to handle this.
Relief that Jack is here.
Relief that he did whatever he thought he could to make both of us happy, to help me break the curse, but keep the memories we both value.
The alarm goes off then.
“That’s the alarm,” I whisper, my heart pounding, not wanting to leave this moment just yet. “Phillip’s potion is done.” He nods, the smallest hint of sadness reflected in his eyes.
“One more minute,” he whispers. “Let me kiss you once before we start over.” I nod, my heart pounding as he leans down. When his lips are just millimeters from mine, though, I hear it.
“This is done, right?”