Page 2 of You Had Me at Chocolate

Purple skirt led him past groups of partygoers that had spilled out into the yard toward the glow of a fire blazing from a raised metal pit. People were huddled around it, drinking and laughing and chatting as his guide elbowed her way through the circle.

“Hey, Clem, visitor for you.”

Jude took a deep, cleansing breath as he, too, elbowed his way in to find her turning, her entire body gilded in light, an orange halo emblazoning the tips of her dark, springy curls. The breath he’d taken stilled somewhere between his throat and his lungs as the impact of seeing her again after all this time walloped him straight in the center of his chest. He hadn’t seen her since he was twelve but those years fell away and, in this moment, it was like they’d never parted.

She was still short and cute, her big amber eyes still glowed despite the light behind throwing her face into shadow, her chipmunk cheeks were still rosy. But she was definitely grown-up and wearing the hell out of a pair of skinny jeans and a sparkling top that shimmered like a disco ball thanks to the dance of the fire.

The girl next door was gone. Goodbye Clem, hello Clementine.

A frown drew her brows together as she walked closer and he held his breath again until her forehead smoothed out and a smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “Oh my god, Jude?” She grinned. “Is that you?”

Finding his breath for a second time, Jude grinned also—he couldn’t help it, she still had a very pretty smile. “It is.”

She practically levitated the rest of the way and was in his arms in the blink of an eye. There was no formality or shyness as she raised herself up on her tippy toes and landed a smacker on his cheek before linking her arms around his neck and pressing her forehead into the hollow of his throat.

It felt good. So fucking good. Her body aligned with his, her curls tickling his chin, her perfume weaving around him like a spell. How long had it been since a woman had hugged him out of sheer joy? Because she’d missed him?

How long had it been since a woman had hugged him without an agenda?

“You remembered my birthday,” she said as she eased back from him, seemingly oblivious to the curious glances from every single person in the backyard.

“How could I forget? It’s a day after mine.”

“That’s right,” she said. “We’re so old now!”

“The big three-zero.” Or one hundred in jet-lag years. “It’s all downhill from here, apparently.”

“Or maybe it’s just beginning?” she suggested, a teasing twinkle sparking in the syrupy-gold of her eyes.

Jude’s heartbeat spiked. Was she thinking about their pinkie-swear pact? Warmth flushed through his system at the thought. “Here.” He presented her with the origami he’d practically crushed in his sweaty hand. “For you.”

She eased away from him as she took it, her lips gently parting as her fingertips caressed the folded wings. Glancing at him, she smiled and he swore he could see her eyes misting over. “Did you actually finally learn how to do this or did you buy it already made?”

There was still a tease in her voice but it was husky now and it wrapped around him, around them, drawing them into a warm, intimate bubble—just the two of them. The nostalgia of an idyllic yesteryear reached right inside Jude’s chest and cradled his heart. “It was all me.”

He’d found a pad of origami sheets in an airport shop on his way to Africa which had triggered a memory of Clementine. He hadn’t thought about her in a long time so he’d bought it on a whim. And there hadn’t been a lot to do at night…

The intimate mood was broken very quickly, however, by purple skirt’s belligerent, “You got her a paper crane?” She was clearly unimpressed. “That’s your birthday present?”

“No.” Jude slid his eyes sideways taking in a very disapproving glower. “There’s more.”

To prove it, he took a step back and knelt down on one knee.

A collective gasp ran around every person witnessing the unfolding events, which dragged Clem’s attention from the origami to Jude. Her smile faded.

“Clem… Clementine.” Jude’s voice almost cracked and he cleared his throat as he tried to zone out the fascinated-horrified gawkers in his peripheral vision. “At the age of twelve you made me pinkie swear that we would get married if we were both still single at thirty and—” Jude cleared his throat again. “Here we are.”

He didn’t miss her frown as he unfurled his hand to reveal the Tiffany ring box. Nor did he miss the murmur that ran around the gathering.

“Jude?” She stared at him intently. “What are you doing?”

He opened the lid to reveal the ring and this time there were gasps as the firelight did its job, reflecting on the exquisitely cut facets, making it twinkle more brilliantly than the stars overhead.

“Oh. My. God.” Purple skirt gaped as she pressed her hand to her chest.

“I’m asking you to marry me, Clementine. I know we haven’t seen each other in a long time but I think we knew even back then that we’d make a good team and I know it seems a little… crazy but, I think we should do it.” He pushed the box across the small space separating them until it was only an inch from the tips of her fingers. “What do you say?”

For long moments, she did nothing, said nothing. Nobody said or did anything. The hush that had fallen over the yard was absolute. Even the party noise from inside seemed to fade as everyone stared at Clementine and waited. Jude’s pulse, though, was loud. It raced like a train, hurtling against his sternum, rattling along his ribs, and echoing through his ears.

---