“Okay.” Her voice cracked. “Yes.”
He stalled. “Yes?”
“Of course I will, Carmine!”
His face lit up as he smashed his lips to hers feverishly, and she laughed into his mouth, kissing him back. The outside world melted away as his hands roamed her body, his fingertips causing sparks to ignite across her skin. Knowing she was free and had a life of her own, and that despite everything she’d been in the past, he still wanted her for the future, made her insides burst into flames of passion.
* * *
It was early evening when Carmine pulled into a parking lot across from the dingy brick apartment building in the city. The old elevator vibrated as it took them to the sixth floor, and they headed down a narrow hallway to apartment sixty-seven.
Carmine reached up to knock, but the door opened before he could. Dia stood before them, wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a blue top, her hair a mixture of black and purple streaks. “Happy birthday!”
She ushered them inside, and Haven froze the moment she stepped into the front room. The walls were a cream color, the paint barely visible due to the hundreds of photographs wallpapering every inch. The apartment was decorated in colors so vibrant the large bunch of birthday balloons blended in. There were presents next to them and a small, round cake.
Gratitude and guilt battled for control. “You shouldn’t have.”
“Don’t be a buzzkill,” Dia said, pulling her over to the table. Haven sat down as Carmine leaned against the wall and gazed at her.
Dia stuck candles into the cake and lit them, stepping off to the side to belt out the birthday song. Haven stared at the flickering flames, remembering to make a wish this time.
Please, she silently pleaded. Bring my mama back to me.
Taking a deep breath, Haven blew out the candles and watched the puffs of smoke rise from the smoldering wicks. Dia pulled them out before thrusting a present at her, making her flinch.
“Sorry,” Dia said quickly. “I’m just excited for you to see it.”
Haven opened the package and pulled out a small copper box with a glass window on the top of it. Inside the window was a four-leaf clover, along with red hearts and shiny silver beading.
“It’s a reliquary box,” Dia said. “You’re supposed to store your favorite things in it.”
She smiled. “I don’t think Carmine will fit.”
“I don’t think so either,” Carmine said, chuckling. “Not even my dick would fit in that thing.”
* * *
There were more presents to open, and afterward they ate the cake. The three of them watched movies and listened to music all night, the evening feeling more like a regular day than a celebration. Haven felt ridiculous for her anxiety over it all, grateful to be able to relax with friends.
Friends. It was still surreal to her that she had people in her life she could call friends.
“So, have the two of you thought about what you’re doing next year?” Dia asked eventually. “I’m guessing you’re not going to be staying in Durante much longer.”
Haven glanced at Carmine, who just shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me. If she marries me, I’ll follow her to the gates of Hell.”
Dia had been taking a drink but choked, spraying soda all over herself. Coughing, she threw her hands into the air. “Did you say marry you?”
“Yes.”
“You proposed?” Dia jumped up and grabbed Haven’s hand. “Where’s the ring?”
Carmine groaned. “I didn’t have one.”
“Did you at least get down on one knee?” she asked. Carmine shook his head, and she smacked him on the arm. “What kind of freaking proposal is that?”
“Not a real one,” he said. “I asked if she’d marry me someday.”
“That’s even worse!” Dia tried to hit him again, but he was prepared and dodged the blow.