Page 149 of All Too Well
“You’ll get around it or over it or on top of it.” We both laugh and she nudges me. “Seriously, if he doesn’t see how amazing you are, then he doesn’t deserve you, and you come back here.”
“I think he knows. I just think he’s scared.”
The sky opened up when I was three blocks from my apartment, soaking my cardboard box with the contents of my desk, and I look like a drowned rat.
Seriously, today went from being sort of amazing to ending in a crazy mess.
Lachlan didn’t answer my calls or texts, and I want to at least tell him about meeting my boss. I plan to just show up tomorrow with a suitcase and be like,I’m not leaving until you stop being stupid.
That’s the best plan I’ve got.
My bad luck changes a little when a neighbor is holding the door open.
“Thank you.”
He smiles. “No problem. It’s really coming down out there.”
I nod. “It is.”
I make my way up the stairs, my hair and clothes sticking to me, and I do thank God I wore black and not a white shirt today. When I get to the top of the stairs, I put the soaked box down, brush my soppy wet hair back, and fish for my keys.
“Do you need help with that?”
The voice causes my breath to catch. I lift my eyes and see Lachlan crouching beside me with a smile on his face and flowers in his hands.
“Lachlan? What are you doing here?”
“Let me help you and I’ll explain.”
My heart is pounding, and I’m one of those stupid people on television who look dumbstruck and can’t speak. “Here, these are for you.”
I take the most gorgeous bouquet of roses I’ve ever seen. “Wow.”
“They’re called Juliet roses.”
“Well, they’re stunning. You came here to bring me flowers?” I ask. I’m hoping that he came here to bring me home, but I tamper that hope down.
“Come on, we’ll talk inside.” He grabs my box of stuff from the office, and we head to my apartment. My nerves are going bananas, and it takes me three tries to get the key in the lock.
Lachlan brings the box inside after I open the door. He looks around, taking in my mismatch of an apartment. Nothing goes together, and yet somehow it seems like it all belongs. One of the articles I wrote about was how fun antique shopping can be, which required me to spend a lot of time doing it.
In the end, I learned it actually was fun.
However, he’s not here about antiquing or my apartment.
I go to speak, my mouth open, and he steps forward, talking first. “I need to say something.”
I close my mouth and nod.
Lachlan steps toward me. “I was stupid.”
This is off to a good start. “Yes, you were, but what exactly are you talking about?”
“I thought that if I made the hard decision for you, that it would hurt us both less. You wouldn’t regret leaving a job, a city, and a life you love. I thought if I took away the choice, and I bore the brunt of it, then you’d be happy, and you wouldn’t hate me. In my head, it made perfect sense, but then I spent the last few days without you, wishing I wasn’t so stupid and didn’t push you away.”
I cross my arms over my soaking-wet chest and nod. “I guess that’s not working out so well?”
He laughs and comes closer. “It’s not. You see, I love you, Ainsley MacKinley. I love you more than I have ever thought possible. I’m not asking you to choose me, because I choose you. If that means I have to move to this city to have you, then so be it. If it means I’m on a flight every weekend or taking a train or driving. No matter what, I’ll do it.”
