The Pact(107)

People in the bar gasp. Someone lets out a giddy squeal (Penny, probably).

But Stephanie isn’t shocked. There’s a single tear rolling down her cheek and she has one hand to her chest but she doesn’t seem surprised. I guess she knows me better than I think. Or maybe she’s feeling sorry for me. Not many men would propose on crutches.

I keep my eyes glued to her, trying to convey everything that isn’t coming out of my mouth. “I have been your best friend for nine years. I want to be your whole world for ninety more. You are everything I could ever want – a friend, a lover, family – wrapped up in one fantastically hot package.” I grin at her and she blushes. “I’ve learned so much with you all this time and I want to learn more. I want to grow with you, evolve with you, laugh with you, and please you, until I’m old and grey, until I can’t speak or hear, until the only thing I can do is love. That’s the one thing that will never end – my love for you.”

The insides of my nose grow hot and through blurred vision I present the ring, holding it out for her. It’s platinum, with a big honking diamond framed by tiny black ones – beautiful but edgy, just like her.

She whimpers a little at the sight of it, a little “Oh my god,” escapes her lips and she’s starting to shake.

I clear my throat, determined to stay strong. “Stephanie Robson, baby blue, my best friend and the woman with my heart. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” I take a moment to compose myself. “Will you marry me?”

The whole room seems to collectively hold its breath along with me.

It feels like a fucking eternity.

She stares at me, the ring, then me again. Seconds tick by. You can practically hear people across the room swallowing.

I feel like I might just die. My heart is prepared to plummet.

But then she laughs. Loud. A wide, gorgeous grin spreads across her face.

“Yes!” she cries out. “Yes, yes, yes!”

My heart is bursting out of my chest. I am almost too overjoyed to slip the ring on her finger but somehow I manage to get it on. It’s only then, that her sleeve slips up a bit and I see that she’s wearing the bracelet I had gotten her for Christmas. She must have still opened it, still loved it. She still loves me.

I couldn’t be happier. She gently throws her arms around me, laughing, crying, holding me tight. It hurts my chest a little but I don’t care. Beside us, Owen slips out of the booth, grumbling, and takes off. Suddenly corks are flying across the room and people are cheering and gathering around us.

But I only see her. I’ve always only seen her.

I carefully grab her face in my hands. “I love you,” I tell her fervently. “I love you, I love you, I love you. I never stopped.”

“And I’ve barely even started,” she says back. “Thank you for coming back to me.”

I pull her into me and kiss her forehead. “Thank you for saying yes. To the pact. To this. To me. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. You know, I can’t wait to play nurse to you again.” She kisses me on the lips, soft, sweet, wet with tears. I kiss her back, lost in it, in her, in joy.

Suddenly James and Penny are standing beside us with four glasses of champagne.

“I know we toasted to this almost five years ago,” James says, beaming at us. “But let’s do it again.”

I straighten up and give him a heartfelt nod as I take the glass from him. Even though our friendship has been tested and is no longer the same, I’m confident we can survive it and possibly come out of it better. Maybe that’s what all friendships need to do – evolve, adapt and change. Just like life.

The four of us raise our glasses in the air.

“To Steph and Linden,” Penny says.

“To friendship,” says Stephanie.

“To love,” says James.

“To us.”





EPILOGUE

31

STEPHANIE



You know how they say it’s bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding? Well, I think it’s good luck if they fuck each other before the wedding. But, you know, with blindfolds, so it’s not actually breaking the rules.

Okay, that was actually all Linden’s idea but I’m obviously game for it. That’s why I’m standing outside of the downstairs coatroom at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Tiburon, in my wedding dress and with a blindfold in one hand.

I knock on the door and wait, nervously looking around to see if any wayward guests have spotted me. The ceremony is starting pretty soon but this was one of those things we promised to do. We pinky swore on it the other day, and I know we don’t break those with each other.