by S. L. Scott
With that memory lingering in my head, I look up, realizing I’m not in the right place. There’s nothing in this store that I can buy that will express how much I’m in love with her. “I know exactly what I want to give her.” I’ll give her our memory, our first meeting, that moment—back to her.
“From the heart means the most,” the lady says, backing my intuition on the matter.
“And she has mine firmly in the palm of her hands. Thank you for helping me.”
She gives me an all-knowing look, well aware I’m not going to buy anything. “Go. Let that girl know how much you love her.”
It’s strange how we fall into patterns of what we are supposed to do as opposed to maneuvering around tradition to come to our own thoughts entirely. Valentine’s is set up as buy, buy, buy, but Hayley doesn’t want something cheap and easy. She deserves mind-blowing and considerate, something as special as she is, and more. Standing in the middle of this department store, and talking with this saleslady who is losing a commission when I walk out that door, reaffirmed what I already knew. I can’t buy Hayley’s love and affection, but I can give her all of mine.
I smile, and say, “Thanks for helping me find the perfect gift.”
She lightly taps my chest, right over my heart, and replies, “You knew all along. You just needed to be reminded.”
“Yes, I did. Thank you for that.” Hayley and I were never about stuff. We run deeper than mere possessions. We may have tried to fill our lives with careers, friends, and other lovers for seven years, but we ended up exactly where we were always meant to be—together.
So today, although I had no intention of doing so, I’m going to propose to the love of my life. I’ve had the ring for a while, confident in our relationship, but I wanted the moment to be perfect and not cheesy, not over the top, and not something we aren’t. When I woke up next to Hayley this morning, I didn’t know I was going to ask her to marry me. But that’s what I want to give her—my love for a lifetime—and if I have my way, beyond that.
She’ll never expect this from me on such a predictably romantic day, and I have to admit, that makes it more fun.
Leaving the store, my mind is set on my real mission. The burden is lifted from my shoulders as soon as my feet land back on the sidewalk. I tuck my hands in my pockets to fight the chilly day, and once I get in my car, I make the call to the drama department. I finally get a hold of the right person and make all the arrangements.
Back at our apartment, I scrounge through my drawers looking for two T-shirts. They must be old and well-worn. I find a blue one with our college logo on it and another with a faded Orange Crush on the front—two of my favorites.
I kneel down to the bottom drawer, and dig under the stacks of shirts until my fingers feel the box buried in the back, and I grab it out. I’ve always been curious how much Hayley snoops through my stuff. If she has been snooping, she hasn’t admitted to finding anything, and she’s horrible at keeping secrets. That makes me smile.
After a quick text telling her where to meet me and what time to be there, I clean up to look my best.
I drive over to the university, and walk across campus. Finding the right building is easy, my memory of going here for four years still fresh in my mind. I’m greeted at the door by my contact, and say, “I appreciate you doing this for me.”
He holds his hand out as he says, “No problem. I’m a romantic.”
I want to roll my eyes, but he’s doing me the favor, so I contain my sarcastic reaction and slap the twenty onto his palm.
“Two hours tops, Buddy,” he says, wadding the bill up, and shoving it into his pocket.
“It’s Nick.”
“Whatever. Just leave the place as you found it and all will be good.”
“Thanks again.”
“Good luck,” he says, and walks down the hallway toward the offices.
I enter through the double doors on the left and walk in like I did so many years earlier. Almost seems like a lifetime ago, but really it was the start of this lifetime, the life I’m living now.
Carrying the small bag down the aisle, I count five rows from the front and seventeen seats down. A heavy breath escapes me as I sink into the chair where it all started, where we started.
I lean my head back, and close my eyes. A vision of Hayley comes back to me so clearly. She was scooting across the aisle to her seat, her braid in one hand as she played with the end, her large purse in the other. My body moved of its own accord and I was there, needing to talk to the guy following her, his eyes on her ass as she walked past him. I tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned, I nodded. “That’s my seat.”
“No way, dude. I’m sitting next to the hot chick,” he said, a smug smirk on his face.
“I know her.” I lied, but I was willing to try anything to get closer to her. “We’re friends from our hometown.”
“Lame-oh. Not falling for it. Find a different seat.”
“What will it take to get you to give up that seat?” I looked over his shoulder, and saw Hayley digging a notepad out of her purse.
“Ten bucks.”
“Seriously?” I questioned.
“Seriously.” He crossed his arms defiantly over his chest and waited.
Everyone around us had settled in and it was now or never. “Fine.” I gave him the ten and slipped past him, flopping down in the seat right next to the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.
She looked at me with a soft smile. I smiled, leaning forward, and whispered in her ear, “You’re hot. You want to go out tonight?”
She laughed, and something in that moment connected us together forever, and it wasn’t the lame pickup line.
“Hey there, handsome.”
Startled, I open my eyes while lifting my head up. Hayley is standing there in all her usual beauty, making me want to kiss her and smile, making me happy. “You’re here early.”
“I missed you.” She sits down next to me.
“Wrong seat.”
“What?” she asks, her eyebrows rise in curiosity.
I sit up, and point to the seat on my right. “You sat here.”
“Oh, did I?” She gives me a sly smile then gets up and sits in the right chair.
“Yep, you sure did. I’ll never forget.”
Leaning over the armrest, she kisses me lightly then asks, “So why did—”
I cut off her question with a deeper kiss, one that shows her how much I missed her.
When our lips part, her breath is shaky and my heart is racing.
We feel so much, always have, but showing our true emotions intensifies with every act shared between us. Staring into each other’s eyes, the silence is a pull, drawing us near again. With our lips barely touching, I whisper, “Loving you is the only option.”
“The only. Always.”
“Always,” I repeat, and press my mouth fully against hers while weaving my fingers into her hair.
When Hayley pulls back, she slumps into her chair with a huge grin plastered on her face. Her chest is rising with each deep breath she takes in, and she giggles. “You leave me breathless every time.”
“I’d waited years to kiss you like that, so I’ll make every one of them count.”
“You say the sweetest things to me.”
“I’m making up for losing seven years to stupidity.”
“Ha! In that case …” She leans over and kisses me again, my breath becoming hers and hers mine.
When our eyes slowly open, she drops back in her seat, and I slide down in my chair, leaning my head against the back. I readjust myself, uncomfortable in these jeans from my growing affections. “Is it bad that even though I planned this that I wish we were home in bed instead?”
She brings her hand over and runs her fingertips through my hair. “I love being here again though,” she says, looking around. “It’s comforting in the memories.” She tugs lightly on my earlobe. “Bed would be nice, too.”
With the release of a big sigh, she continu
es. “I love that you brought me back here and you know what seats were ours. But I really love how ruggedly handsome you are and that you have a soft center.”
“Like an M & M?”
That makes her smile. “I do love M & M’s, but I mean more that you have this caring, romantic side to you.” She twirls her finger at me. “I like the contradiction. You, my love, are a mushy-pants.”
I sit forward, and feign offense. “Mushy-pants? No, that won’t do.” I lean on the armrest between us, prepared to lay it all out for her. “You cannot call a man mushy-pants. There’s just no coming back from that—”
“But I mean it with love.” She winks at me.
“My macho ego can’t take the hit. I spent time at a women’s department store today. That about did me in as it is, so being called mushy-pants… just no with that.”
She knows I’m teasing, and strikes back in true Hayley style. “Your macho ego gets plenty of hits that you take rather well when I’m clothes-less.”
“You mean naked?”
“Clothes-less, naked. Tomato, tamahdo.” She shrugs.
“I’ll take you however I can get you as long as it’s naked or clothes-less. Deal?”
“Deal. So what other secrets you hiding?” Her gaze shifts down to the package at my feet.
Picking it up, I hand it to her. It’s wrapped in magazine paper I found in the apartment and duct tape. I shrug because I’m a guy as if that explains the awful wrap job.
“I can’t possibly destroy the wrapping to see what’s inside. You did such a lovely job.” Her sarcasm is in full effect.
“I did a shitty job, but it’s wrapped. Now, open it.”
She rips into it, and pulls out the two T-shirts. “You gave me your used shirts as gifts?”
“Sure did.”
“Nick?” she asks with a raised eyebrow.
“Fine,” I say, explaining, “I wanted to give you stuff you liked, stuff that made you happy and feel good. I remembered that you used to wear my shirts when I wasn’t around—”
“You knew about that?”
“I only knew because I found one on your bed once like you’d just taken it off and then several other times I noticed they were missing from my drawer when I knew I had left them there.”
Holding the shirts up to her chest, she smiles. “Thank you. I wore them when I missed you. They gave me comfort. You don’t think I’m a creepster, do you?”
“No. You’re too pretty to be a creepster.”
She laughs. “I love that being a creepster is defined by attractiveness.”
“It’s not to you?”
She punches me in the arm, and I realize I thoroughly wound her up that time. I reach into the bag and pull the last piece of the plan out—the velvet jewelry box.
Her breath catches, and the T-shirts are now covering her face as she cries.
I touch her arm, pulling it down, so I can see her face again. “Man, I’ve really set you up for disappointment.”
She cracks a smile, although her face is a bit red and tears fill her eyes.
After kicking the bag out of the way, I get down on one knee while holding her hand. I take a deep breath, looking her straight in the eyes, and say, “You’re hot. You want to go out tonight?”
Her head tilts back, and she releases a most boisterous laugh, which makes me laugh too.
“I’m kidding you. What I really wanted to say is … You’re hot, and will you spend the rest of your life with me? Will you marry me, Hayley Girl?”
She throws her arms around my neck, and says, “Yes, yes. Of course.”
Realizing I still have the ring in my hand, I add, “Oops, here you go. If you don’t—”
“I’ll love it because it’s from you.” She opens the little hinged lid, and smiles, tears in her eyes sparkle from the light shining from the stage in front of us. “It’s perfect.”
“It’s a forever band.”
“Forever—just like us.”
“Forever,” I say, sealing it with a kiss.
The End.
The original novella, Morning Glory, is now available.
http://tinyurl.com/hj75rtt
Chapter Six
A Prior Engagement
William Ryder and Everleigh Wright have met in a college course they are both taking in New York City. He’s asked to spend time with her after class. This is their date and what follows.
It was a simple ferry ride, but Everleigh hadn’t been on one since she was a small child. She loved that William had suggested something unique, something opposite from her normal routine.
They found an empty place against the railing, and William didn’t waste time. “Do you work?”
“No.”
He noticed she didn’t apologize for that fact or seem embarrassed which meant it wasn’t necessary for her to have a job. She must come from money.
It was her turn to ask the questions. “What do you like to do for fun?”
“Um … I like to read, but I guess you already figured that out from my major. I read at home, parks, bookstores, coffee shops. I enjoy writing, too.”
“I read at the park the other day. It was blissful.” Her face glowed, remembering her two stolen hours there.
“Sometimes you reveal the most interesting things. You read at the park the other day as if it’s the first time you’ve ever done it. You grew up in Manhattan, but don’t seem that familiar with it.”
“I know a lot about the city. I’ve worked with charities and galleries, hospitals, and different leagues here.”
“But I have a feeling you live in a bubble of sorts.” He saw the light disappear from her eyes so quickly that he adjusted his statement not wanting to hurt her feelings. “I don’t mean to be rude. I think the best way to get to know a city is to experience it, not just study, or talk about it.”
“Honestly,” she said, folding her hands together on the table in front of her. “I would love to experience it more than I have. Today was a good start.” She looked into his eyes and maybe it was the bravado from the comfort she was feeling, but she held his stare without blushing and without blinking.
William leaned closer to her ear, and whispered, “I would love to experience it with you and today was a great start.” The ferry docked.
Knowing their time was limited, her expression softened and she tilted her head wanting the moment to last.
He gave her the most heart-stopping smile, and asked, “Do you still have some time?”
She licked her lips as a distraction, looking away from his piercing eyes. Peeking at her watch, she calculated the time in her head then sighed. “I need to get going.”
William tried not to let his disappointment show, but he had trouble hiding his feelings. She didn’t like seeing him sad, but she knew their day together had to end.
Walking to the center of Battery Park, they stopped. When she turned to face him, he lifted her bag off his shoulder and placed it onto hers. He stood so close and reacting on instinct, her hands went to his chest and stayed there as if they had known each other longer than they had. With both of their hearts racing, she said, “You gave me an amazing day. I wish I could return the favor and give you the same.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself, Evie. My day was amazing because I got to spend it with you.” He brought her small frame to him and hugged her while burying his face into her hair. He inhaled before pulling away to ask, “I have two more places I’d like to show you. One is my favorite café near the university. It’s called Pizzeria La Cucina. Have you been there?”
“No, it sounds yummy though. I haven’t had pizza in such a long time.”
“I live off pizza and theirs is the best.”
“And the other place?” She loved that he had thought this through.
“The other takes place at night. We can do both.”
Although she knew there was nothing right in accepting his proposal, she was convinced there was nothing wrong in it either. People are selfish.
Love is the most selfish emotion one can feel, she believed. Love—is that what she was feeling? No, but traces of it were blooming deep inside her heart already.
Her pause gave William too much time to overthink and his doubts started to get away from him. He wanted to give her everything, show her everything. I mean, love is the most unselfish emotion one can feel. Is that what he was doing? Was he trying to show her his love, to give her his love?
“Yes.”
“What?” he asked, breaking from his inner love monologue.
“Yes, we can do that one night. When?”
“How about next Monday?”
She flipped through her calendar in her mind, wanting to make this work. “What time?”
“I work Monday afternoon, but I could meet you at eight?”
“All right, eight then. I’ll see you Friday in class.” She took a few steps away from him heading east, but stopped and said, “Thanks again … for everything.”
He waved back to her with a huge smile on his face.
* * *
As she made the final block to her building, she straightened her skirt. She pulled her hair tie out and replaced it with a stiff headband from her bag, trying to look appropriate and presentable.
When William arrived home, he flicked on his small lamp and tossed his bag to the floor. He didn’t want to shower because every now and then, he got the faintest whiff of Evie from their embrace and he liked it.
William worked a long shift on Thursday, but still managed to fit some studying in over a hot bowl o’noodles. In the morning, after a quick breakfast of cereal, he left earlier than usual, anxious to get to class.
By his second class, he sat in his chair with his knee bouncing with nervous anticipation until Evie walked into the auditorium. She started up the steps before looking up and their eyes met. She eased down the aisle and sat right next to him. His knee stopped bouncing as his insides calmed.
“Hi,” she said, feeling a little sassy.
“Hi. Looking forward to Lang’s lecture today?”
“Yes. Most definitely!” she said, sarcasm lacing her tone. “Our finals are in two weeks. Are you ready? Highlighted all you can highlight in that textbook of yours?” She laughed out loud, causing a few of the surrounding students to look over.