by Heather Gean
Don’t worry, Ashley, I thought, I’ll take all the blame. I’d never expected his easy way out to involve pinning it all on me. I sighed.
Van roused himself from his half-sleep. He smiled at me as he stretched himself fully awake. “Hey,” he offered as he rolled onto his side.
“Hi.” I mirrored his position. Masses of silk still encompassed me, and they rustled as I shifted closer to Van.
“Here’s the thing, Rainy,” he began. He seemed to be formulating a big speech then he sighed. “I love you. You make me happy. I enjoy being with you. It’s really very simple. I don’t know why we’ve been making it so difficult.”
I smiled at him and reached over to toy with his fingers.
“And I know we can’t ever get married—Well, considering the shit storm you started, maybe one day we will--”
I laughed and shook my head at him. “I’ve had enough wedding to last a lifetime,” I assured him. “Plus, you have to get divorced first.”
He rolled his eyes and laughed as if he’d forgotten about that tidbit. He laced his fingers all the way through mine. My emotions began to weigh me down and I sighed again. Van kissed the knuckles of the hand he held. When coming to my ring finger, he studied the diamond engagement ring on it, and after giving me a long stare, removed it and placed it on the bed between us. He kissed the bare finger with a growing grin.
“It’s all over now,” he said to me.
I smiled back at him. “Oh, but it’s only just begun.”
We spent the afternoon ordering room service and talking. That hotel suite became our sanctuary, and we shut out the chaos I’d created and reveled in our romance until the next morning. I lay in bed with the cool sheets across me, staring at the ceiling, anxious about the day. Van shuffled to life beside me, rolling over to plant kisses on my shoulder. I toyed with the edge of the blanket.
“Do I have to go?” I asked. I winced and groaned. “Can’t we just stay in here forever?”
Van laughed and cuddled close to me. “There are better places to be,” he said into my hair.
“Oh yeah? Like where?” I knew I sounded skeptical.
“Like Mexico.”
“Mexico?” I said.
“In case you’ve forgotten, you’ve got honeymoon tickets to cash in on, love, and no husband to ruin the trip.”
I laughed. “You’re saying we should go to Mexico?”
“Why the hell not?”
With Mexico in mind, I quickly got my affairs in order, making sure that Sasha could pick Ringo up from the kennel and keep him for the week. I left my parents a courtesy voicemail explaining that I was leaving the country. I packed up my suitcases and arranged for a cab to meet us outside the hotel.
Van and I trailed behind hotel security as we made our exit. Things had died down considerably since the last time I’d seen the lobby. Before I could make it to the glass doors, Van caught me by the hand to drag me over to the fountain.
“What are we doing?” I asked. “Our luggage is leaving us.”
He smiled at my impatience and dug into his jeans’ pocket. He produced my engagement ring and held it out to me. I laughed.
“What do you want me to do with that?”
The fountain gurgled beside us.
“Make a wish.”
I took the ring from him and held it in my hand, grinning and thinking. After I had chosen my wish, I tossed the ring into the fountain and took Van by the hand. We followed our luggage out to the cab. Van held the door open for me.
“What did you wish for?” he asked.
I kissed him on the sidewalk, took the time to wrap myself up in his embrace and linger in the warm feeling. Passersby glanced our way, and for once, it didn’t matter who saw. I put my hand on his chest and looked up at him as he smiled at me.
“For forever,” I replied.
“Forever?” he asked with a laugh. “How about right now?”
“Right now?”
“And tomorrow, and the next day, and--”
“How is that any different from forever?” I demanded with a smile. I slid into the cab as he shook his head at me. He settled in and laced his hand through mine.
“Til death do us part?” he asked.
I sighed with relief, glad that my own personal government hell was closer to being over. I looked at the guy sitting next to me and felt overwhelmed with happiness. Was this true love? I couldn’t be sure, but it was something amazing I could never understand or explain; the term was of no importance. I squeezed Van’s hand and succumbed to the giddy feeling in my chest.
“I do.”
About the Author
Heather Gean resides in Memphis, TN where she received her BA in creative writing and her MA in literature from the University of Memphis. She spends too much time reading, writing, and studying fiction. She believes in the power of that thing called love. She enjoys yoga, sushi, and indie rock and roll.
Photo courtesy of Megan Harris