Twenty-one #2
Bray bounces around me in a circle, throwing out pretend jabs my way, each time calling out, “KO!”
It’s starting to annoy me. I can feel myself getting worked up. He notices the change in my mood.
Stopping in front of me suddenly, he says, “Good. Now that you really want to hit me, give me all you got.”
That’s what I do. I punch, or at least I try to land punch after punch to his face, his torso. Each and every time, he blocks with what seems like little effort. It’s pissing me off more that I can’t actually land a punch on him.
I don’t give up though. I keep trying to punch him for what seems like hours, my arms burning. I can feel the sweat rolling down my back. But as I continue punching, I feel like a weight is being lifted off me. Who would have thought this would be so cathartic?
I don’t notice as the door opens, and I don’t stop trying to land a punch as Zac’s voice booms across the room.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Bray stops blocking and slightly turns towards Zac. That’s when I see my opportunity and I swing my right arm out, landing a punch on his face. Where? I could not tell you, but I definitely felt the contact.
You can’t miss the dramatic yell from Bray, “Ah, goddammit, Lyssa! You fucking punched me!” He holds his hand up to his face, covering his left eye.
Oh god, I stop in place. The high feeling of making contact and landing a punch turns into a feeling of dread. I think I hurt him. I can’t believe I actually punched him. Sure, I really wanted to land a hit on him, but I didn’t want to hurt him.
“I’m so sorry, Bray. I… I didn’t mean to. I just got carried away.” I try to explain myself. At the same time, I try to not let the tears fall that are threatening to come loose.
Zac wraps me in his arms. “Sunshine, he’s fine.
He’s being dramatic. Don’t worry about him.”
Wiggling out of his arms, I don’t miss Zac’s scowl as I reach up and pull Bray’s hand away from his face, a gasp leaving my mouth. Holy shit, the skin around his left eye is red. Zac stands behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist before he starts laughing.
“It’s not funny, Zac. I hurt him. I hit your brother. Oh god, I’m so, so sorry, Bray. Let me get you some ice.”
Zac tightens his grip around me as I try to move away.
“Babe, he’s fine. You probably bruised his ego more than anything else.”
Bray tilts his head, examining Zac. “You know, there was a time you would have stuck up for me if I got sucker-punched,” he says, pointing at him.
Meanwhile, Zac continues to laugh as he pulls me out of the room, calling out, “Be thankful it was her that landed that punch, because if she didn’t, I was already planning to.
Don’t teach my girl how to fight, dammit.
What the hell were you thinking? She could have gotten hurt.
” I can feel Zac getting worked up as he stops and turns back to Bray.
“She asked me to. What was I meant to do?” “Say no,” Zac says.
“Yeah, how’s that work out for you? Saying no to her?” Bray asks and then adds, “When you figure out how to do that, let me in on the fucking secret. It might just save my life one of these days.”
I pull on Zac’s hand, tugging him towards the door. “Come on, I need a shower. And he needs to ice his face.”
I’m slowly pulled from my sleep and my hot AF dream I was having about a sex god, a sex god who is currently peppering my neck with kisses.
“Mmm.” Rolling over, I face him and open my eyes. “I was having the best dream,” I tell him. “I was naked, you were naked, and it was good.”
I can feel his body shake as he laughs. “How about I make that dream a reality?” he asks as his hand slowly makes its way up my shirt to cup my right breast.
Lifting my hand up, I cup his face. “I’m all for…
” My words die off as something shiny reflects off my left hand.
Something freaking big and shiny! Sitting up suddenly, I look around the room frantically, realising I am, in fact, in Zac’s bed in his penthouse and not in a hotel in Vegas somewhere.
I hold up my left hand. Yep, it’s still there.
Sitting on my ring finger is probably the biggest princess-cut diamond I’ve ever freaking seen.
I’m speechless. I don’t know how this got here.
Oh my god, did Zac propose and I’ve forgotten the whole thing? How could that even happen? I remember going to bed last night. I remember having a shower with Zac, a very long and rewarding shower. What I don’t remember is getting a ring put on my finger.
“Babe, you okay?” Zac asks, sitting up next to me.
Am I okay? Is he freaking serious right now? Does he not see this rock sitting on my finger? Oh shit, maybe I’m hallucinating. I must be. I’ve finally lost the plot.
“Umm, Zac, honey, do you see anything on my hand? Anything at all?” I ask, my voice a little quiet and unsure.
Zac grabs my hand and pulls it close to his face, turning my hand from front to back and inspecting it.
“Well, I can see you’ve still got five fingers, clear skin, no signs of a rash.
” Turning my hand back over so the diamond is facing him, he adds, “Other than that three-carat diamond on your finger, I don’t see anything else.
What am I supposed to be looking for?” Still holding my hand, he looks up at my face.
“Umm, Zac, how exactly did that diamond come to be on my finger?” I ask, still staring at the huge rock.
“I put it there of course,” he replies. That’s it, no other explanation.
“Okay, but I think you forgot the part where you ask me a very big question before you put a rock on my finger?”
Zac raises my hand and kisses just under where the rock sits. “I didn’t forget. I was waiting for you to wake up. I thought I’d get a better answer when you’re conscious and all.”
“Mmhmm.” I continue to stare at the ring. Zac grabs my face, tilting my chin up so I’m looking at him.
“Sunshine. Alyssa. I was going to do this differently, more romantically, but I couldn’t wait.
I love that the first thing I see in the morning when I wake up is your beautiful face.
I love that that’s also the last thing I see before I close my eyes at night.
I love how you have brought so much light and joy into my otherwise dark and dim world.
“The word love doesn’t even begin to describe what I feel for you.
I don’t think there is a word to describe it.
It’s like you are a part of me. When I’m not with you, it’s like I’m short of oxygen.
I would love nothing more than to wake up with you in my arms every morning for the rest of my life, to spend the rest of my life loving you the way you deserve to be loved. Alyssa Summers, will you marry me?”
The tears are running down my face uncontrollably. No one has ever loved me like Zac loves me. As I’m processing everything he just said to me, I can hear Ella and Bray squealing down the hall.
“Babe, I don’t want to rush you to answer or anything. You can take all the time you need to think about it. But we have about two minutes before that door is busted open.”
Laughing, I lean in to kiss him. “I don’t need any time, Zac, yes. Yes. Yes. Of course I will marry you!”
I barely get the words out as Zac pins me down to the bed and rolls on top of me, kissing the ever-loving hell out of me.
Our moment is broken when Bray barges through the room and jumps on the bed. Jumping up and down, he screams, “Mum, dad, it’s Christmas. Get up, get up, get up!” I don’t know how the bed is not giving out with how much he is jumping around.
“Argh, make him stop, Zac, please,” Ella grumbles from the end of the bed.
Zac rolls off me, pulling me up while kicking at Bray’s legs. Bray stops jumping. Landing on the end of the bed, he sits down.
“Come on. Why aren’t you up already? It’s Christmas!” he yells.
It’s then that I really look at him and see the shiner on his face. He has a black eye. I gave him a black eye. Shit. Sitting up, I move across the bed and reach my hand up to touch his face.
“Oh my gosh, Bray, I can’t believe I gave you a black eye.”
Before my hand reaches his face, he snags my wrist, holding my hand still.
“What the fuck? Lyssa, do you know there is a rock on your finger?” he asks.
This makes Ella look up and squeal, “Ah, yes, yes! I’m finally getting a sister!” She is jumping around and then suddenly stops. “Wait, you said yes, right?”