Married and Bright

"But what?" I say, pressing him for more.

"Angel..." He swallows. "You want me to tell you the truth?"

I nod. "I only want the truth. I would've thought you knew that."

"When you suggested this, coming home to your grandma's..."

I smile. "You were the one who suggested it, Andrew."

"Right. Well, it's been pretty much my fantasy since the day we met."

I take him in. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's been two years that I've been wanting you, dreaming of something like this. That first kiss we had last night, it's been playing in my mind since the day I first saw you. I bought that engagement ring for you over a year ago. You know how crazy that is?"

I step back, confused. "What do you mean? You bought that for me before..."

He runs a hand over his jaw. "Yeah, it sounds fucking crazy. I know that. Like I'm some damn creep. I'm not. I just..." He sits down on the bed, running a hand over his hair. "Look, I've been in love with you for two years. That's the fucking truth. You can think I'm insane or whatever. I just... Angel, you're the only girl for me. I was at an antique store a year ago in the city and I saw that ring and I thought how beautiful it was. And I know how you’re always talking about old-fashioned things, about your grandma, how you love one-of-a-kind jewelry. And I thought a girl like that would like an antique ring. And I thought..." He shrugs. "I thought how pretty it would look on your hand."

Tears fill my eyes. His words have me floored. I'm awestruck and amazed and the tears spill down my cheeks. I step toward him, looking at the ring. "It is perfect," I say. "I mean, it's literally the most beautiful diamond in the whole damn world. It's more perfect than anything I could have picked out for myself."

"Do you want me to go?" he asks. "I'll leave. I've probably terrified you and crossed all kinds of lines. This idea, coming here as your fake fiancé, it was probably wrong of me to suggest because it wasn't just some game to me. I liked the idea because I wanted to fulfill that fantasy. Being your fiancé wasn't some make-believe thing for me. I wanted it to last. I wanted to put that ring on your finger because I wanted to see what it might be like."

“And what is it like?" I ask him, stepping closer to him. So close, right between his knees. I look down at him, running my hands through his hair. He looks up at me. He's so stunned at the intimacy I offer.

"How does it feel?" he says. "It feels like I've been given more than a Christmas wish. It feels like all my dreams have come true. Allister – the way he spoke to you broke my heart, Angel. I hated it happening to the girl I love. But getting to sweep you home and rescuing you from that situation and then seeing you today with your grandma, the idea of taking you home to my family, who have heard way too much about you over the last two years, who have been begging me to finally get up the nerve and ask you out… I told them I was bringing you home and..."

"You told them about me?" I ask, my words catching. "You told them you were bringing the girl you loved home for Christmas?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry if I crossed the line, I just..."

"Andrew, you really love me?"

He nods. "I do. I really fucking do."

At that, I crawl into his lap and I press his back down on the mattress. And I straddle that man like he is mine to conquer, like he is mine forever. "Why didn't you say something two years ago?" I ask him.

He wraps his arms around me, tangled up in one another, rolling on that bed. His arms tight around my back, lying on our sides. The room is dark. The moonlight is all the light we have, our eyes on one another.

"I was scared of saying what I wanted, because what if you told me you didn't want me back? It was easier to live with the idea of you than the possibility of not having you at all, Angel."

"That's the most beautifully heartbreaking thing I've ever heard in my whole life, Andrew."

"I'm a coward," he says.

"Don't say that," I tell him.

"Well, I feel like a fool," he tells me.

"Don't say that, either."

"What am I supposed to say?" he asks. "I just laid it all out there, and now I'm waiting for you to tell me something in return."

I lick my lips, my heart pounding against his. I choose my words carefully. "Andrew, I love you, too."