“Russell, what are you saying? Is he… is he telling me the truth?”
Evans exhales, darting his eyes away from her. “We met earlier and then I understood what MacKenzie was talking about. I found you on this bridge half an hour later. I’m sorry, but you should be with Oliver. I’m sorry that I’m not him.”
India looks at me again and hides her face in her palms. I embrace her, my arms pulling her closer. Russell looks at me with a slim smile. He finally understands that she was never his, that she never let go of her feelings for me.
“Thank you. I do love her and I’ll never let her out of my sight again.”
He nods, walking away, leaving us as the rain keeps pouring down. I feel her pounding heart and then take her face into my palms.
“You’re my shining star, India, and I love you.”
Then I kiss her.
Thunder crashes and she wraps herself around my waist whispering, “I love you too.”
Epilogue
India
“Are you sure that we have the best seats?” I ask Dora, looking down at the stadium. It’s Oliver’s first match after the summer break and he has been talking about this since I can’t remember.
“Of course, look at the view. Besides, from now on you’re going to be treated like a VIP. After all, you’re going out with Morgan,” Dora points out, giving me her cheeky smile. I roll my eyes and we sit down.
Oliver and I had a great summer. I still can’t believe that we are together when I look at him appearing on the field. In the beginning I thought the past would continue wrecking our relationship. For the first couple of nights, the nightmare from the bridge kept turning my insides out and I kept waking up covered with sweat, afraid that he faked all his feelings for me. I don’t even remember how I got to Taunton Bridge that night. After I ran away from Oliver, I was walking without any sense of direction. Sharp, unexpected pain streamed down to my bones, crushing my heart. I’d thought that I knew him, that he wasn’t capable of hurting me again.
We’ve seen MacKenzie and Sam only once during the beginning of the year. Oliver kept saying through the summer that karma always comes back, and he was right about that. He teamed up with some other guys to bring Sam down. From what I found out later on, it wasn’t the first time that Sam used fake cash to pay for stuff. There were other incidences on campus. People were saying that the police found a couple thousand pounds in his house, and that he was also selling illegal tickets online. He was arrested for fraud, and in order to save his skin he told the police that MacKenzie was involved. She was stupid enough to keep all the fake money. MacKenzie’s fingerprints were all over the cash. From what we found out, these weren’t the only notes in her possession. She arrived in Braxton with a few hundred pounds, like she had done nothing wrong. MacKenzie was studying law, and this year was supposed to be her final one. She was also arrested on the spot and probably charged later on. No one knew what happened to her after that, but we didn’t have to worry about her, because she never came back. Also, her law career was over before it even began.
Oliver was right; I didn’t even understand why she hated me so much. I was so blinded by that message that I wasn’t willing to listen. I just had to run away.
Mum was glad that I finally settled, and only last week Oliver moved in with me. I had forgiven him once and for all. We both have forgotten the past and moved forward, cherishing each other.
I look at the field, while Dora is texting. The whole Uni has been waiting for the first game of the season, and I don’t get what the holdup is. Players are looking eager to start and the crowd is cheering. Even Russell is playing today. We haven’t spoken since the academic year began, but I know that he is seeing someone else. He is a decent guy and I hope he is happy without me.
“What’s going on down there? Why aren’t they starting?” Dora asks, while some guy in a suit walks to the middle, shaking hands with the referee.
“I don’t know. Maybe someone wants to announce something,” I mutter.
Oliver is standing next to Jacob. He had been acting really strange yesterday. I think he was really nervous before this match. Normally he is chilled and confident.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention for a moment? We have a young man here that wants to say a few words.”
Then, out of nowhere, the guy passes the microphone to Oliver. Dora’s jaw drops, and I’m totally confused and baffled. Oliver grins and runs towards the barriers, jumping to the tribune. I see in slow motion how he moves swiftly between seats, hurrying to me. People are turning their heads towards him, and as he reaches me, my heart starts pounding with abnormal speed.
“Oliver, what the hell are you doing?” I hiss, staring at him.
He sends a wink to Dora and goes down on one knee. Right then I think I’m ready to pass out in front of the all the people that are staring at us right now.
“India, we haven’t been together for a while, but only a few months ago we found the way to each other again.”
Keep it together, keep it together, you silly girl.
“India, will you marry me?”
Constant heat surges through me and I stare at his glowing eyes, unable to catch my breath. The whole stadium goes silent and he is waiting. Is he serious? Is he really asking me to marry him? Dora is squeezing my arm so hard that I think she is cutting my circulation. The silence seems like it goes on forever.
“Yes, oh, my God… yes,” I reply with a barely audible voice to the microphone. From then on I think I’ve gone deaf, because the whole stadium roars with excitement. I’m lost in the loud screams and being kissed by Oliver, who sweeps me into his arms. Dora is screaming, then starts crying. Oliver’s whacky grin makes me the happiest person on this planet.
This time it’s all about me, but tomorrow our future will be all about us—and only us.
The end
Acknowledgment
I would like to thank my beta readers, Toni and Mihaela Florentina. Without them this book would have not been as enjoyable as it is now. Toni for her long analytical review and for all the points that helped to make Oliver more likeable and Mihaela for suggestive feedback about India and her pain that brought the story to the next level.
Thank you ladies!
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Other books by Joanna Mazurkiewicz:
Beautiful Pain (Contemporary romance)
When the clock strikes (Paranormal Personnel Saga # 0.5)
£6.19 per Witching hour (Paranormal Personnel Saga #1)
Past the Witching hour (Paranormal Personnel Saga #2)
Half Past the Witching hour (Paranormal Personnel Saga #3)
The Whispers of the Sprite (The Whispers Series #1) (Currently free)
The Dark Night Whispers (The Whispers Series #2)
Her Secret Whispers (The Whispers Series #3)
My Last Whispers (The Whispers Series #4)
The Whispers Series, book 1,2,3
All about you (Love & Hate series #1)
All about me (Love & Hate series #2)
All About Me Page 24