A knock on the door brought me out of my pity party. It was probably Rebecca. She was exactly on time. That was a good sign already. Even though the apartment was a mess, I had changed into a nice pair of jeans and tank top. A potential roommate might forgive a little bit of a slob, but not if I was gross. Besides, I always felt better when I took time making myself look good. This was one of those instances that even a nice outfit couldn't seem to fix, though. I took a deep breath. I suddenly wanted to cry again. Hopefully I could hold it together while talking to a stranger.
I opened the door. Rory. I immediately tried to slam it in his face, but he put his hand out to stop it.
"Can I come in?" He was holding a bouquet of beautiful flowers in his other hand. He held them out to me.
I had demonized him in my head so much after I had kicked him out that I had almost forgotten how handsome he was. "I'm busy, Rory. I'm interviewing new roommates."
"So lots of people answered your ad?"
"Just one. But she sounds great. She should be here any minute. So, I can't really talk right now."
"Just one? I guess it's just me then."
"What? No. Her name's Rebecca."
"Yup." He pushed past me and walked into our apartment.
Come on! "Please don't tell me that you're Rebecca?"
"Yeah. That would be me."
"So you have a girly middle name too?"
He laughed. "No, I made it up so you'd let me in."
"I don't want you here." I was surprised by how much I was keeping it together. Just a half hour ago I was sobbing and stuffing my face with ice cream.
"Keira, I didn't cheat on you."
"Then what were you doing?"
"This isn't how I wanted this to happen. I made reservations at a really nice restaurant last night. And I was willing to buy tickets to anywhere you wanted to go. But if you want to do this right here, then fine, we'll just do this right here."
"Talking in a restaurant or in Italy won't make a difference, Rory. I don't think I can forgive you."
"Actually it would have made a difference. But you love making everything difficult. You have this way of crawling under my skin. And even when I'm mad at you, I can't seem to stop thinking about you."
"I can't stop thinking about you either." I let the words slip out before I realized what I was saying. It was the truth, though. And I couldn't seem to think straight when he was staring at me like he was. He had a way of making me feel like I was the only thing that mattered in his whole life.
He put the flowers down on the kitchen counter. "I was scared, okay?"
"Scared? Scared of what?"
"You." He scratched the back of his neck. "Of the way I feel about you, I mean. That's why I went on that date on Friday night. I was scared of taking the next step with you. But that was ridiculous. I mean, we were already living together. Making you my girlfriend didn't even seem like that big of a step. It just seemed right."
"And that's why you went on a date with Tiffany two nights ago too? Because you're still scared of how you feel about me?" I wanted to understand where he was coming from. I wanted him to make me understand why he had done it. It almost seemed like it was somehow my fault. Like I drove him into the arms of another woman.
"No. This is coming out wrong." He scratched the back of his neck again. "I didn't go on a date with Tiffany. Keira, I would never cheat on you. I'm never going to cheat on you. I'm sorry that I hurt you before. I'm not going to hurt you anymore."
He still wasn't telling me what I needed to know. "Rory..."
He put his hand on my elbow. "You're really cute when you're upset. Please, just let me get this off of my chest."
I missed his hands on me. "Okay."
"When we were fighting the other night, everything just suddenly clicked. When you asked me if you make me happy. That's all that matters right? I've never been happier. You're it for me, Keira." He put his other hand on my cheek. "And I thought that I'd be scared of making the next step with you too. But I'm not. The only thing I'm scared of is losing you. And when we make this official, that's it. You're the one. And I want to make that step. I'm in love with you. I'm so in love with you, Keira."
Oh my God. I put my hand over my mouth.
"I don't want another roommate ever again. I want to fall asleep every night with you by my side. And I only want to wake up next to you."
"Rory..."
"And I know I'd be happiest with you by my side for the rest of my life. Keira, I want you to be my roommate forever." He got down on one knee and pulled a box out of his pocket.
I wiped away the tears that had started to fall from my eyes. "But Tiffany?"
"She works at a jewelry store. Her friend Jamie, who I only met yesterday, found the ring I was looking for." He opened up the box.
It was beautiful. It was elegant and sophisticated, and not over the top or garish. It was exactly what I would have picked out.
"Connor and Jackson were with me the whole time. I told them they couldn't talk to you because I knew they'd blab. Neither one of them is any good at keeping secrets. And I called Emily to find out your ring size. I swore her to secrecy too."
"Why didn't you just tell me? I shot you in the...Rory, I'm so sorry." I put my hands on both sides of his face. "I'm so, so sorry."
He laughed. "I didn't have the ring yet. And I wanted to propose at a nice restaurant. Or somewhere exotic. Or just anywhere you've ever wanted to go. But maybe this was the best place. My life changed forever when I first knocked on your door. That is, if you say yes." He smiled up at me. That charming smile that made me fall so hard for him in the first place.
I knelt down in front of him, holding his face in my hands. "Rory, I thought you..."
"I know." He kissed my palm. "But I didn't."
"Rory, we barely know each other."
"I know you, Keira." He kissed my other palm. "I know every inch of you." He kissed my forehead. "And I love every inch of you." He kissed me softly on the lips.
I put my arms behind his neck. "I love you so much."
"Then marry me." He pulled the ring out of the box. "I should have known you'd make this hard too. I know I'm a mess. I know that I need..."
"You're not a mess. Rory, you're perfect. I think everything about you is perfect. And you're definitely perfect for me."
"You're killing me. Say yes, Keira."
"Yes. Of course, yes!"
He leaned down and kissed me. It was soft, yet passionate at the same time. He grabbed my hand and slowly slid the ring onto my finger.
"Rory, it's beautiful."
He stood up and lifted me in his arms, twirling me around in a circle. I couldn't help but giggle. I didn't think I had ever been so happy. As he lowered me down, my torso slid against his. He kept his arms wrapped tightly around me as I looked up at him.
"I thought you never wanted to get married?"
"I don't think I had any idea what I wanted until I met you." He kissed me again.