Page 72 of The Secret Of Us

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The proposalall goes to plan. I got Violet here on time, sat her down, and made my exit so Isaac could go in. Now, I’m sitting outside the theatre door with flowers in hand, waiting for them to come out. The door opens and both are crying happy tears. They have the biggest smiles on their faces, and it makes me start to cry, too.

Isaac takes the flowers from me as Violet bends down to hug me. We squeeze each other tightly, half sobbing, half laughing, and even though she doesn’t say anything, I know how much this means to her.

She lets go of me after a few seconds, and I turn my attention to Isaac, who’s watching us with tears in his eyes and the brightest smile on his face. He’s so happy, and I’m so glad. Violet takes the flowers from him, and then he hugs me.

“Thanks for your help,” he whispers, but I feel like I should be saying those words to him.

He’s sacrificed so much for me throughout his whole life, and I have no way to repay him. There’s no words I can use to express how grateful I am for him and how happy I am that he’s living the life he’s always deserved.

Another arm wraps around my shoulders, Violet hugging Isaac and me from the side. The position is incredibly awkward, though, as I’m still sitting down while they stand, so I push them away from me so they can have their moment. Isaac holds Violet close to him, like he doesn’t want a single inch of space between them, and they both look down at me.

“You are very sneaky,” Violet says, her ring finger on full display as she twists her necklace between her fingers.

“I have been dying keeping it a secret,” I tell her, as I get up so we can leave the cinema.

We go to dinner at Violet’s favourite restaurant, and her mum is already waiting at the table when we arrive, which sets Violet off crying again. Isaac hasn’t stopped smiling, and I don’t know how his face hasn’t started hurting. I keep quiet as we eat, content to listen to them as they discuss wedding plans, and by the end of dinner, they’ve already chosen the date they want to get married—July ninth, their birthday.

Then Violet’s mum asks how school is going and what my future plans are, and I start choking on my food. Isaac slaps me on the back and passes me a glass of water, and thankfully, the conversation moves on.

What I overheard last night hasn’t left my mind. Hearing Violet talk about what she wants for her wedding makes me realise how much money they’re going to need for it. I can’t stop them from having what they want just because I’m too selfish to figure out my own life and move out.

We finish eating, Isaac winning the battle to pay against Violet’s mum, and then we head home. I haven’t checked my phone at all since leaving the cinema. When I do, most of my notifications are from the girls blowing up the group chat asking for updates. But there’s a message from Noah, too.

Noah

So when’s the wedding?

For a split second, my foolish heart stops beating when I imagine him talking about us. I want to call and tell him all about it but decide I should get ready for bed first. I quickly shower and get changed, before settling down under my mountain of blankets again.

It’s just past ten, but I know Noah will be wide awake. We both seem to have trouble sleeping. There have been a couple of nights this week where we’ve stayed on the phone well into the early hours of the morning. It’s not even that we’ve got a lot to say to each other. Most of the time, we spend in silence, but there’s a comfort in knowing he’s on the other end of the phone.

I call Noah, and he answers on the first ring.

“Hey. How was it? Did she say yes?” he asks, his voice deep and raspy like it usually is when we talk at night. I like the way it sounds more than I want to admit.

“Of course she did. There was no doubt about that.”

He lets out a small laugh, and I swear I can feel it like he’s right next to me.

“So when’s the big day?” he asks, and the delusion pops into my brain again. I focus back on the actual topic.

“They picked a date, but I don’t think it’s happening any time soon. They both said they want to save up a bit more and wait until they’re older.”

Their conversation about money runs through my mind again. I need to figure out a way to stop being a hinderance to them.

“So why did he propose now?” Noah asks.

“I don’t know, guess he just couldn’t wait any longer. At dinner, he kept calling her his wife. I counted up to twenty times before I got bored of keeping track.”

“That’s really sweet,” Noah says, and I nod even though he can’t see me. “Give them my congratulations.”

“What am I supposed to say exactly? My fake boyfriend says congrats?”

He doesn’t say anything for a second, and I regret it instantly.

“You could just say I’m your friend, Izzy,” Noah says quietly. “I’d like to think we’re at least that.”

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