Greek (Palm South University)

“Don’t. Look at me,” he says, lowering his gaze to mine. “I’m sorry, too. I should have made you more of a priority this semester, should have listened to you when you told me you missed me and we weren’t spending enough time together. I was so focused on the fraternity, on the drama with the exec board, and then my focus shifted completely to getting a job in Baltimore. When the opportunity came up with Chandler, I just… I couldn’t see all the ways it might threaten you or upset you because I was too zeroed in on what it would mean if I landed the job. I promised you last year that I wouldn’t mess things up over this, and I meant it. But I failed you. I just hope you see that it’s always been us in my mind — even if I didn’t do things the right way.”

“You were doing it for us,” I say. “I know that now. I see it. But in the moment, I was just…”

“I know. And you had every right to be. I’m sorry I didn’t follow up on my word to you. I’m sorry I ever made you doubt that there’s anything or anyone more important to me than you.”

That makes my nose sting again, and I stifle the tears threatening to spill. “How can you say that after what I did?”

“You fucked up,” he says — simply, casually, as if I left my purse in a restaurant rather than kissed another man. “And you know what, so did I. I have. Multiple times. I mean, have you forgotten the absolute ass I made of myself in the first two years I knew you?”

I laugh a little at that.

“I don’t care about some loser in Mexico,” he says, waving his hand. “He might have got one kiss. But I want the rest of them. I want them all, every kiss from here on out, from now until the end of time.”

“So dramatic,” I tease.

“Have I ever been any other way?”

I shake my head, tentatively leaning into him. “So, you forgive me?”

“I do. And I’m sorry it took me so long. I hate that I made you sick all this time. I know you’ve been sick, because I have been, too.”

“It’s been the worst three weeks of my life,” I admit. “I thought I lost you. For real, this time.”

“Silly girl,” he says, lining my jaw with his thumb. “Were you not listening to me at Spring Break last year?”

I try to smile, but my chest is still so tight, it’s impossible to hold in place.

“Cassie McBee,” he says softly, tilting my chin until I look into his eyes. “What did I say?”

I swallow. “That I’m your now. And your forever.”

“Yes,” he says. “And that means you’re my pain in the ass and no one else’s.”

A little laugh breaks free from me at that, and before it can turn to tears, Adam pulls me in for a sweet, slow kiss.

“You know, I had a whole plan for tonight,” he confesses, and it’s then that I notice his hands trembling, his breath a little shaky. “Semi-formal has always held such significance for us. I almost fought Clay at your first one, nearly killed Grayson after he broke your heart at the second one, and came pretty close to losing you forever last year, thanks to my pride. We don’t have the best track record when it comes to them, so I was really hoping to set that straight tonight.”

“Well, I beat you to the punch,” I tease. “I just… I couldn’t go. I couldn’t get dressed up and dance and pretend I’m okay.”

“I was flying in for your graduation, too,” he adds. “Which is in three days. So we need to get you back home.”

I nod.

Adam sighs, still thumbing my jaw.

I frown, covering his shaking knuckle with my hand. “Are you okay?”

“About to shit myself, actually, thanks for asking.”

I laugh, searching his eyes, confused. “What? Why are you—ohmygod.”

My hands fly over my mouth, eyes bulging out of my head as Adam carefully lowers down onto one knee.

Distantly, I hear the collective gasp around us, traveling strangers as shocked as I am as they pull out their cell phones and watch Adam dig into his jacket pocket.

“Like I said,” he starts, freeing the box. “I had a whole plan for this. But I guess if we’ve learned anything by now, it’s that plans don’t ever work out the way we think they will. Not for us. The world loves to throw us curveballs, to test us, to throw every hurdle at us it can just to see if we’ll break.” He smiles then. “But we don’t. We won’t. We never could. Because you and me, Cassie? We’re indestructible.” A pause. “Just like diamond.”

He pops the lid open, a chorus of squeals and swoons echoing all around us. Nestled inside the cream cushion is a delicate gold band with a solitaire round diamond glimmering in the light.