Chapter Twenty
It’s about half past eleven at night. The bedroom is hot and my pajamas make me feel like I’m boiling. I’m trying to watch an episode of Friends, but the laugh track is giving me a headache. I turn off the TV and watch the starry sky through my bedroom window.
I think of Evan like I’ve been doing every day since our last conversation on my balcony.
Since I saw him with Carol at the wedding, it’s all I can think of, really, even though I know that I should be focusing on other things now.
Evan belongs to the past.
To my past—our past.
Perhaps I should’ve done things differently, perhaps I should’ve confessed my feelings for him that night on the balcony but now it’s too late.
He’s dating Carol and I’m moving to Los Angeles to start a new life.
I reach across the bed and open the drawer of my nightstand. About thirty lip balms roll around—bright yellow, the caps dark red and shiny. I grab one, open it, and inhale the cherry aroma. Even though I’m in bed, I put on the lip balm, and immediately the taste and smell make me ache for Evan.
Knock. Knock.
The knock on my door wakes me up from my reverie. Afraid that something bad might’ve happened, I jump out of bed and run to open it.
Before I have a chance to register what’s happening, Evan wraps his powerful arms around me and his lips devour mine.
He kisses me passionately and ravenously, with an eagerness that I’ve never felt before. My wildest fantasies could never even match what I’m feeling right now, what I’m living in this moment. I part my lips for him and he deepens our kiss.
He tastes absolutely divine—like warm peppermint and chapstick. I wrap my arms around his neck and tangle my fingers in his hair as we get lost in each other. He gently cradles the nape of my neck, sending tingles from my head to my toes. I sink into him and allow myself to be carried away in the moment, not caring about anything or anyone.
I don’t know what this all means but, for one single instant in time, he’s mine.
He’s mine and we’re happy.
“Don’t go … Don’t go to Los Angeles. Please … I love you so much,” he says, his hands caressing the sides of my face, his breath heavy and ragged.
“Evan…”
“Please! I’m begging you. I can’t live without you, Emmy. There’s just no way! You’ve been the best and most important part of my life since I was thirteen. If you leave now, if I never see you again, I just … won’t live anymore. My heart will stop. You must understand this. I love you and I can’t help it!” he says, his arms closing around me tighter and tighter.
“But … what are we supposed to do? We talked about this. Our friendship and—”
“There is no friendship! Can’t you see?” he says. “Emmy, we don’t even talk. By trying to save our friendship, we ended up ruining it. How long has it been since we last talked? Laughed? Played? Watched a movie together? How long?”
“I don’t know. It feels like an eternity,” I reply.
“Emmy, our friendship was the most beautiful thing in the world. But it’s time to move on. It’s time to admit just how much we love each other and that we want more. So much more!”
“What about Carol? Are you not dating her?” I ask him.
“No. Carol was a mistake and I am deeply sorry about that. I thought … after our conversation, that I could continue on with life by dating someone that was the complete opposite of you. As it turns out, that made me miserable. I don’t want anyone else, Emmy. I want you and only you!”
He kisses me again, his lips drowning my answer.
“Please … don’t go to Los Angeles. Please…”
I look into his eyes and try to steady my heart. “Los Angeles? Why would I go there? I have everything I want right here.”
His face lights up as he starts grinning from ear to ear.
“Evan, I love you. And you’re right. There’s nothing I want in this world more than you. I’m … addicted to you. If you’re not here, I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, and I can’t focus. You’re my best friend, my lover, and my partner. I’m sorry it took me this long to realize it. But I don’t want to spend another day apart. You’re my soulmate.”
He lets go of me and takes a few steps back. I watch him in surprise.
“Emmy, I have to ask you something.”
“Yes, Evan?”
“I’ve asked you this question many, many times before. But this time is the one that matters,” he says.
“I know,” I reply, understanding what he means.
My hands start to shake, and my head feels slightly dizzy as he slowly gets down on one knee in front of me.
From one of his pockets, Evan takes out a small, velvet box and opens it. I take a sharp breath as I can’t believe what I’m seeing.
A large ruby that glistens and catches the light like fire, surrounded by six small diamonds, sits on a white gold engagement ring.
“Oh, my goodness…” The immensity of the moment takes hold of me, but I try not to let my emotions get the best of me.
I want to feel this instant to its fullest—to taste it, to savor it.
Evan takes a deep breath. “Emmy, you are my past, my present and, I hope, my future. You are the one I want to build my life with and around. You are the most incredible woman I have ever met in my entire life, and I don’t want to live without you…”
Even though I try to steady myself, I cannot help it. Tears are now flowing freely down my cheeks, my emotions completely taking over.
This moment, that I never thought would come, is finally here.
“Emmy, when I was a teenager, I asked you a question. If, by the time I turned thirty, neither of us was married, would you marry me? You said yes then to our marriage pact. Will you honor that marriage pact now and be mine forever?”
My entire body is trembling and I feel a sense of warmth coming over me.
My love for this man is so intense that it seems to radiate from me.
“Yes. Evan, I said yes to our marriage pact then, and I’m saying yes now. Let’s get married!”
He lunges forward and scoops me up into his arms, swaying me around as if I’m nothing but a paper doll. I squeal and hold on tightly to his powerful shoulders, intensely happier than I have ever been in my entire life.
“This is it,” he says, grinning.
“This is it. You and me. Together, always.”
“Always.”
Evan slides the ring onto my finger. It feels heavy and cold, the large ruby glimmering like fire on my finger. And that’s when I realize…
“Is this?”
“Yes. It’s my grandmother’s ring. She knew how much you loved it. She gave it to me before she passed away because she knew you were going to be my wife.”
Tears of joy stream down my face as I stare at the ring in awe.
I lift my head and kiss him. Him. My best friend. Now, my fiancé.
Our lips collide in a fiery, passionate kiss that ignites every nerve in my body and seals our promise to each other. I can feel a wave of emotions crashing over me as he wraps his strong arms around me, lifting me effortlessly. I wrap my legs around his waist, pressing myself closer to him.
Our bodies meld together, heat radiating between us as our tongues dance in sync. I moan in pleasure, feeling the intense connection between us like never before. The world around us fades away as we lose ourselves in each other, consumed by the love and desire that has always been there, waiting to be unleashed.
I can feel his heartbeat against my chest, steady and sure. It matches the rhythm of my own heart, as if we’re finally becoming one. I bury my hands in his hair, pulling him closer as I whisper against his lips, “Happy birthday, Evan.”
He pulls back slightly, his eyes shining with love and happiness. “Thank you, Dolly,” he whispers back, his voice full of emotion. “This is the best birthday gift I could ever ask for.”