I’m immediately intrigued, because I love surprises. “What sort of surprise?”
“That,” he answers, taking my hand and turning to lead me toward the exit, “would be telling.”
About an hour later, we run from the car to the building, the snow coming down hard and heavy, the sidewalk absolutely piled with the stuff.
“I hope you left the heat on in your place,” I huff from next to him.
“Of course I did,” he answers, throwing open the door and letting me go in first. “I know winter isn’t your preference.”
“You’re worth freezing my ass off.” I playfully punch him, and he catches my hand and kisses my knuckles, his tongue darting out to taste my skin. I almost melt right there on the spot, like a popsicle on the Fourth of July, but I settle for just groaning aloud and trying to eat him up with my eyes.
Because, you know, being in public and all that.
I want him more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. And at that thought, I hustle him toward the elevator. To the place where it all started.
Once we’re inside it, and the door closes behind us, he whirls on me and pulls me in, kissing me and drinking in everything he can get of me. I can feel the warmth of him even through the layers of clothes we have on, and I groan deep in my throat. By the way, I still get the shivers every time I feel his mouth on mine.
Does the distance contribute to it?
Maybe. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and all that. Don’t get me wrong, being apart is hard but also incredible. In a weird way, it’s teaching us how to be together, to strengthen our connection. It feels like we’ve really fallen into a lifestyle over the past few months—almost domestic, as strange as it sounds. But my little heart wants to hang its hat. It wants to make Griff its home.
“We should talk,” he says against my lips and drags himself away and hits the freeze button on the elevator.
And at that, I start to panic. Because elevator. Stuck. Fear of dropping. Fear of enclosed places.
“Don’t worry, we’re not going to be here long. There’s something you should know,” he says. I give him a confused look but do everything I can to get myself to relax. He closes the space between us, our breaths mingling. “At times I catch myself smiling for no reason and I realize I’m thinking of you.” He kisses me deeply and whispers, “I love you.” He brushes his lips against mine again, then says, “It’s been about you since I met you.”
My heart leaps in my chest. A wave of this foreign feeling I’d never even fathomed comes over me. I can’t remember the exact moment I fell in love with Griff, but it’s a feeling I’ve carried inside me for the last few months. I never thought someone would capture my heart as he has. It’s exciting, confusing, scary—all placed in a big box.
I’ve been processing it all, trying to come to terms with it, questioning if a certain amount of time should go by before I express what’s in my heart. Should it be when we’re alone together? When we’re having a romantic night? When we’re having fun together so that we can keep it casual?
That’s the thing about life, as much as we want to plan, it has a way of surprising us.
I drag my fingers through his hair, a smile on my lips. I’m happy. Everything I am feeling is amplified by a thousand. It’s like I’m struck by lightning and I’m reduced to a puddle. “I love you. I’m in love with you.”
He brushes his mouth across mine again and my bones melt. Then he drops to his knee and pulls out a small dark blue velvet box from his pocket.
“Chelsea,” he says, cupping the box in front of him, “my almost hook up in Vegas.”
Memories of the first time we met by the pool in Vegas flash before me. Meeting him was fate; forgiving him for what he said, a choice. And falling in love was bound to happen. He’s the one who paints my world.
“Since that night, I’ve never stopped thinking about you,” Griff continues. “We were right here when I realized what a big mistake I’d made. We were right here when I realized how much I wanted you. And since then, I’ve realized that I’m crazy about you.”
“I think about you a lot, all the time actually,” I confess, my voice thick with emotion. Every cell in my body is telling me that he’s my happily ever after. “In the morning, at night, in the middle of my day. It’s you. It’s always you.”
“Every time I look at you, I see the rest of my life in front of me. I want to be your home. I want to be your favorite place to go when you have a bad day or a good day.” He flips the box open and holds it up. “Being distant from you is not my forte, so let’s go for a world tour together. You'll see the wonders of the world, and I'll see the wonder of my world…you.”
“Griff…”
“Be my wife, Chelsea. Say you’ll marry me. You can still travel the world, and I’ll join you as much as I can. And when I can’t be with you, I want you to know no matter where you go, I’ll be here when you return.”
My eyes go wide as I look from the ring—at least three karats, square cut—to him, and then back again. And then up to him once more, my mouth open in an O of surprise. Then, in a second that passes so quickly, I don’t even feel it, I come back to life. I drop to my knees beside him and take his face in my hands, planting a chaste kiss on his lips.
“Yes,” I whisper against his lips. “A thousand times, yes.”
I throw myself at him, my arms going around his neck. Griff presses a button on the elevator, and soon we’re moving again. And then we’re kissing and laughing. All thoughts of the world vanish, and every cell in my body is exploding with happiness. Just being near him lights me up inside, gives me a serenity I never knew without him being close.
Somewhere, in the recess of my mind, I hear my phone dinging, announcing a notification. But I don’t care. Social media couldn’t be farther from my mind. Griff is what’s here, now. And I know one thing; I’m about to dive into the abyss—and I want him with me.
I want him with me for the rest of my life. Longer, if we can manage it. I never, ever want him to let me go.
Later that night, when he takes me over the edge with him, into that spot that’s both dark and filled with blinding light, I run with him, high on life, love, and the shape of his body. Knowing that no matter what happens in the future, we’ll face it together, hand-in-hand, and never again let the other go. Because side by side or miles apart, he’ll be in my heart. Because wherever he is, that’s my home.
THE END