“Are you … are you crying?” Taya’s jaw might as well be on the floor when I turn to her.
I sniffle and wipe my tears. “Shut up.”
“I’m going to miss you guys so fucking much.” Amelie tackles us, pulling us all into a group hug.
“She’s crying, you’re cursing, everything is changing already!” Taya cries out but hugs us viciously.
When she lets me go, I see Callum shuffling his feet, broken off from the group. I go to him, pulling him in a hug and instantly feeling a sense of completeness wash over me.
“You ready for our next chapter?” I gulp, more tears surfacing.
Talcott has been the setting for major moments in our relationship. We came here bright-eyed freshmen, ready to be out from under our parents’ roofs. Then we moved in with all of our friends, but our love couldn’t save us from all the other issues we had. Fast forward through a year and a half of breakups, growth, learning, and lots of therapy for me, and Callum and I are in the best place we’ve ever been relationship-wise.
“Couldn’t be more ready,” he whispers back, kissing my cheek and then inhaling me.
As the boat cuts through the water, my best friends and I sip on champagne, laugh at ridiculous memories, and celebrate the love that only roommates like this can experience.
36
BEVAN
“Whoa, where are you going?”
Callum is in fitted jeans that mold to his ass, a fresh Henley T-shirt and he’s even gelled his hair.
“I promised Robert I’d make it to the teacher happy hour tonight.” He slows down as he passes the kitchen, but not much.
“Are you serious?” My jaw sets, clicking as I grind my molars together.
“Um, yeah? What, I can’t get a drink with my coworkers? Don’t tell me you’re jealous. I don’t want to fight over this.”
Amelie sighs from where she’s sitting at the kitchen table, and I know our roommates have been waiting for the other shoe to drop and for us to get in a blowout fight.
“You’re really going to go to the teacher happy hour rather than my business honoree ceremony?” My heart drops and I feel sick.
I’ve been getting ready for the ceremony for the past two hours, and it’s a really big deal. I’m being awarded the top honor tonight, which comes with a scholarship for law school. Of course, my mother isn’t making the drive, and my one ticket was going to go to Callum. I told him about it weeks ago, but apparently, he forgot. Now, it looks like he’s blowing me off to go get drunk with a bunch of people he’ll never see again.
“Oh, shit, baby, I’m sorry! You know me, I’m scatter-brained. I forgot. When Robert asked if I could come to drinks …”
He always used to avoid going to ceremonies with me, even back in high school. I think they made him feel less than, because the academic world wasn’t where he thrived. Callum used to hate when the guys I was in class or societies with would look at him like my idiot boyfriend who didn’t belong.
“This isn’t because I’m being honored and you’re not, is it?” I toss out, unable to help the barb.
Callum’s face grows dark. “Don’t even start. I forgot, okay? That doesn’t mean I’m jealous or want to take away from your accomplishments. I will go upstairs, change, and come with you. It’s as simple as that.”
“No, please, don’t let me keep you from your drunk tank.” I hold up my hands.
I’m being unreasonable, I know that. But my ego is bruised that he forgot this. It’s a big deal to me, and I wanted him to be just as excited. Part of me is picking this fight, I know, because we have been so good. Because I’ve also been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because despite my therapy, not every day is going to be perfect.
“Bevan, stop this. I love you. I’m coming to your ceremony, and I’m very proud of you. I’m an idiot boyfriend and forgot, because of everything else that’s been going on. But you don’t need to put on your bitch face or cause a fight, because this is a non-issue. I love you.”
He’s making so much sense, and still I need to justify why I’m acting the way I am.
“Therapy isn’t going to un-bitch me. Yes, I’m working through my issues. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop being the skeptical realist that I’ve always been. It doesn’t mean I won’t approach almost every situation as a pessimist, because it’s just my nature. When you’ve been molded that way your entire life, it’s not going away. So if you think I’m going to be Amelie by the time my therapy sessions are done, it’s just not going to happen.”
I fold my arms over my chest, looking away from him. I have to bite my lip to keep from crying, because if he says he doesn’t want this version of me, I’ll lose it.
Gently, Callum reaches over to uncross my arms, and then takes both of my hands in his. “Look at me.”
Shaking my head stubbornly, I keep looking the other way.
“Look at me, baby.” He uses my nickname to make me melt, and of course, it works.
Finally turning to him, I see the most earnest expression on his face.
“You think I want some timid girl who is nice and kind to everyone? Hell no. I fell for you because of how tough and opinionated you are. I love your bitchy side, and I love that I’m one of the only people you show your soft side to. I love that I can count on you to call out the bullshit people pull, and you’re never afraid of being viewed in any kind of way. I want you to go to therapy so that you can heal the issues that make you lash out and feel like you’re not enough. Because you are. I want you to feel secure and loved, and truly know that from inside yourself. It doesn’t mean I want you to stop yelling at people who don’t return their carts at the grocery store, because those people are assholes.”
And just like that, he has me back. The fog lifts and my anger dissipates, allowing me to return to the person I’ve been working on so much for the last year.
I wipe a few tears and lean into his shoulder. “It’s true, they really are assholes. Somewhere, someone is smiting them for being that fucking lazy.”
Then, before I can really grasp what’s happening, Callum is getting down on one knee. He pulls a black velvet box from his pocket, and I can’t breathe anymore.
“Oh my God!” Amelie squeaks from the table.
I think I hear the scraping of chair legs against the floor, meaning she probably ran to go gather all of our roommates up to witness this.
Earnest dark brown eyes meet mine, and Callum takes my hand with his free one.
“I’ve been wanting to do this for a week. I’ve been carrying the ring around like a maniac, waiting for the perfect moment. But it figures I’d ask in the middle of one of our fights, because that’s just how we roll. You drive me crazy, baby, in the best and worst ways possible. I crave you like food, like water, I can’t live without you. I want to go wherever you go, no matter how hard things get. I will always protect you, I swear to love you unconditionally, and though we might be young, I’ve been waiting years to make you my wife. So please, won’t you be? Marry me, baby?”