The clear glass cases full of shimmering diamonds were starting to give me a headache. There were too many I liked, I didn’t know what one to pick out for Harmony.
“What about that one, Trey” Freddy asked, pointing to a ring on the tray the sales assistant had brought out for us.
“Oooh, she’d like that one, how much is it?” I asked the man sitting in front of us.
“This one, Sir, is approximately $770, 000” The man replied nonchalantly, even flashing us a cheery smile.
“What the…!” Freddy chocked out incredulously. “$770,000?! Are you for real? He doesn’t love her that much.”
“Freddy!” I spat back at him, whilst punching him playfully in the side. The sales assistant simply stared at us like we were a pair of lunatics.
“Trey, you’re not buying her that thing, we could buy a house for that amount of money.”
I sighed whilst giving the sales assistant an apologetic look and moving on the next tray of rings, which in value could probably free a third world country of their debt.
The minute the old man placed the next tray of rings in front of me, I spotted it. Finally, I found ‘The One’.
“That one”, I said softly, pointing to the glittering diamond on the centre of the tray.
The man carefully removed it from its place, gave it a quick polish and handed it over for me to inspect.
“This exquisite ring features a Lucida diamond, cut like no other on earth. Platinum of course…”
I stared at the ring in awe. The diamond was cut like an octagon, surrounded by smaller circular diamonds and placed on a dainty band, halfway encrusted with little diamonds on each side. It was perfect.
“Well, it sure as hell beats Leo’s ring…”
I choked out at laugh and turned to see Freddy staring down at the ring approvingly.
The sales assistant cleared his throat and I turned my attention back to him, grinning like a maniac.
“I’ll take it.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
After nearly four hours of sitting in the salon, having my nails manicured, my make-up redone, drinking champagne and god-knows-what done to my hair, my small army of professionals were finally finished.
“So Miss Lindstrom, ready to see the new and improved you?” Carlo asked excitedly. I nodded my head nervously as he spun me around in the chair. My jaw nearly dropped to the floor once I saw my reflection in the mirror. God, these people could work wonders.
My plump pink lips caught the reflection of the lights in the salon and looked utterly kissable, my complexion looked incredibly youthful, no signs at all of the tiredness which had seemed to take up residence there not hours ago. Thick lashes so long they nearly touched my brows rimmed my chocolate eyes and as for my hair… Wow. It was nearly as black as Trey’s, sleek and glossy, poofed up for some added height on the crown and falling perfectly straight down to my elbows.
“Wow, you, Carlo, are a miracle worker,” I stuttered out, still unable to tear my gaze away from the mirror.
I felt totally rejuvenated, like a brand spanking new improved model of my former self. After thanking Carlo and the rest of his team for their hard work, I paid and made a mental note to thank Freddy later; after all he’d probably have a heart attack when he got the Trey through.
When I stepped outside, it was starting to get dark. The streets were still incredibly busy though, full of people just getting off from work.
The phone in the back pocket of my jeans starting buzzing and I pulled it out to check who it was. My face instantly lit up at the name on the screen. I opened the text to see what he wanted.
-From Trey:
-Hey, Sugar! Are you busy? Could you come meet me at the park, I need to ask you something… xo
I scrunched my nose up at the text. What did he have to ask me that was so important I had to trail all the way to the park to meet him?
It was practically pitch black outside by the time I’d navigated my way to the park. Something fishy was going on; this wasn’t like Trey to haul me all the way out to some park in the evening to ask some stupid question. Yeah, he was definitely up to something.
The park was still and quiet as I walked through the entrance and continued along the path, trying to look out for Trey as I went. It was funny, to have a little lush green sanctuary like this in the middle of such hectic, cosmopolitan city. It was incredibly peaceful, tranquil even.
The stars burned away furiously in the sky as the moonlight shone down and illuminated the path along which I was walking. Every now and then I’d steal a glance at the bright, glowing embers nestled deep within night time folds of darkness.
My phone started going off in my pocket, again. I pulled it out and answered the call whilst continuing on my way through the avenues of tall trees, blowing gently in the mild breeze.
“Hello?”
<”Hey, Sugar, are you here yet?”>
“Yeah, where are you, I can’t find you?
<”Don’t worry, I’m here. Just follow the balloons.”>
I didn’t even have time to answer before Trey hung up. Follow the balloons? What the hell was he on about? This was so stupid, I was tired and hungry and I wanted to go home but Trey wants me to follow balloons? Who does he think I am, Alice in Wonderland chasing after the white rabbit? I think not.
I stopped and took a good look around my surroundings. I couldn’t spot any balloons. This had better not be some wild goose chase, because quite frankly, I wasn’t in the mood and my feet were killing me.
The park grew in silence as I wandered further into its depths. Only a few minutes later, at the start of an oak-wood bridge, I spotted what I supposed was the first of the balloons. I strolled over to where the large, pink, heart-shaped balloon lay bobbing around softly in the air, tied to the hand rail of the bride by a few thin strands of ribbons.
Ever so gently, I clutched on to the ribbons and pulled the balloon down to my eye level. Scrawled across the front of the balloon in thick, black marker were the words “Vuoi Sposarmi?” I whispered the phrase out loud a few times. I had no idea what language it was let alone what it meant, so I let go of the balloon and hesitantly continued walking along the bridge.
As I pulled my gaze up off the floor, I could see a whole row of balloons similar to the previous one all tied up to the edge of the bridge. What was this? I walked to the next balloon and, once again, pulled it down to read what was written on it. This one said “Veux-tu m’épouser?”
The phrase didn’t register with me, but I was definitely curious. I wanted to know what the balloons said, what it all meant. I picked up my pace and moved on to the next balloon, one after the other, reading the handwritten phrases in foreign languages.
“Vill du gifta dig med mig?”…
“Quieres casarte conmigo?”…
“Je met me trouwen?”…
I furrowed my eyebrows together in confusion as I moved on to the last balloon tied up on the end of the bridge. This was all a bunch of nonsense to me, was I supposed to know what the phrases meant?
As I approached the last balloon, I was at least able to distinguish what language the words were written in, even if I didn’t quite understand what they meant.
“Willst du mich heiraten?” I said slowly, repeating what was scribbled in bold on the balloon.
I stood there staring at the sky, as if it held the answers to all these riddles. In the back of my mind, the wheels were turning, something was clicking together and making sense, but I just couldn’t quite seem to grasp a hold of it.
“Willst du mich heiraten?” The words were repeated again, only this time, it wasn’t me speaking them.
I turned around and saw Trey standing only a few feet away from me, his magnificent cat eyes twinkling away in the moonlight, a look of hope and complete and utter sincerity adorning his beautiful face.
I cocked my head to the side, trying to say something, anything, however the words never quite formed in my throat. I was perfectl
y speechless.
Trey let out a quiet chuckle before flashing me the most amazing smile I’d ever seen. It was a smile so brilliant that it pooled my heart in heat and smothered my body in serenity.
I felt my entire body stiffen as Trey brought his hands out from behind his back, revealing yet another balloon. However, I knew instantly that this one held more significance than all the others. As if in slow motion, he turned the balloon around, bringing me face to face with the last phrase. There, written in perfect English, block capitals and all on the blown-up heart were the words “Will you marry me?”
My heart felt like it was beating at 100mph, I thought it was going to burst through my chest and go running off into the night at any minute. Trey kept his eyes glued to me as he slowly made is way over, closing the distance between us. He handed me the pink balloon as he got down on bended knee and took my hands in his. All I could do was stand there, trembling like an idiot as he spoke.
“Harmony, I can’t guarantee that we’ll live happily ever after, I can’t promise you that we will always be together, I can’t say for sure that I’ll always be able to make you happy…”
He seems to choke up a little as he pauses to take a deep breath before continuing. I just stand there, staring at him intensely, the tears already brimming in the corners of my eyes.
“After everything that’s happened, you deserve only the best… And God only knows what the future holds for us. I can’t reach out into space and pull each and every star down for you… but I’m willing to spend the rest of my life trying.”
I quickly move one hand out of his grasp and bring it to my face as I start to sob, drowning in my own overwhelming emotions.
“I can’t live without you and I don’t want to spend another day thinking that you might not be mine forever… so what do you say, will you marry me?”
All the emotions come pouring out of me at once. My hands shake uncontrollably within Trey’s, the tears come streaming down my face, my stomach twists up into knots and my heart beats away violently within my chest.
“Yes, yes of course I’ll marry you!” I manage to choke out in between sobs.
One single, lone tear falls down the side of his cheek, his eyes saying more in this moment than his voice ever could. He lets out a sigh of relief, rummaging around in his jacket pocket and pulling out a small, baby blue box. Carefully he opens it, revealing the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. I can’t help but gasp at it as he removes it from the box and slides it onto my finger. The perfect fit.
I manage to let out a little laugh as I carry on crying tears of pure happiness. Trey stands up, pulling me up into him and holding me steadily against his lithe body. Our lips meet in a passionate kiss that burns euphorically to the core of my very soul. His lips taste rich like coffee yet as sweet as sugar, our tears mixing, our chests pressed together, his fingers laced in my hair, out hearts beating rapidly in sync.
“I… love… you.” Trey stuttered out in between breaths.
I simply smiled into his red hot kisses, bathing in the afterglow of his proposal.
Trey: my lover, my soul mate, my fiancé, my best friend. The man I was going to marry and grow old with, the man who I would argue with over what color to paint the bathroom, the man who would father my children.
Trey.
I was falling in love with him all over again.
Finding Harmony Page 12