Page 103 of The Story of Us
Eloise peeked inside the bag. “Are you trying to art therapy me?”
“I’ve been art therapy-ing myself,” he said shyly.
Nate had given her a sketchbook, an envelope and a bound document filled with printed pages of crisp white paper. She opened the envelope first, expecting another note, which there was, but a gift card shaped like an airplane fell out. With shaking hands, she placed the voucher on the picnic mat and read what Nate had written.
I thought you might like to practice flying and if you want company, I could come with you.
She tapped her fingers on her lips. Nate knew her so well. And like always, he was right there, offering to help with something that scared her. Logically, she’d made her peace with flying. What had happened to her grandfather was nothing more than an accident, but she wasn’t going to lie. Planes still made her stomach feel squiffy and her pulse race. If Nate was next to her, her pulse would be racing for a totally different reason.
“You can take anyone you want with you. It doesn’t have to be me.”
The flush on his cheeks and the way he fidgeted with his beanie made her smile before she picked up the sketchbook.
Her fingers traced the page where her office was depicted, sunlight streaming through the big window, the lavender field in the distance. The last page was a self-portrait of Nate. He was in the Nate Space, his hair snarled around his face, glasses on, mouth quirked up into the soft smile that was her favourite. Echo was snuggled up next to him, but beside him was the empty spot where Eloise usually sat. Underneath it, he’d written‘the Eloise Space’and damn if her heart didn’t start gluing itself back together when she read that.
Her attention shifted to the bound document. Written on the front wasThe Story of Us. She flipped to the next page, and the dedication stole her breath.
For Eloise—When I was stuck and didn’t know what to do next, you suggested I write something just for me. Turns out, I wrote this for both of us.
“Is this your secret project?” Her hands clutched the pages lightly like they were precious and could disappear at any second.
“It is. But it’s so much more than just words on a page. It’s all my hopes and dreams for the future. One I’d like to share with you, if you’ll have me.” This time his eyes didn’t leave hers. “But you don’t have to answer now. I know this is a lot. Take whatever time you need because I’ll wait forever and answer any questions you have.”
“I …” She didn’t know what to say.
Nate stood and brushed his hands against his jeans. “I’ll give you some privacy, but whatever happens, I’ll always treasure the time we spent together. All the mistakes were mine.”
* * *
This was definitelybad bridesmaid behaviour.
But neither Charlie nor Sera had baulked when Eloise had explained that she couldn’t make the final wedding rehearsal. She brushed past her desk and made her way over to the comfy armchair in the corner of her office. Reading Nate’s manuscript at KPs felt like kismet. This place had been a safe space for her for as long as she could remember, and she hoped it always would be. It was also where she and Nate had first become friends.
When she was ready, she opened the manuscript and began reading.
She only made it two paragraphs in before her eyes teared up. It wasn’t at all like his other books, but it was clearly Nate’s work. His voice was there on the page, and she imagined him murmuring the words he’d written into her ear.
33
Giving speeches had never been Nate’s jam. As he stood and made his way to the lectern, looking out at the guests clustered around more tables than he could count, his palms sweated and his pulse spiked.
But he would do it. For Charlie and Sera, and Eloise.
Actions, not words,he reminded himself.
He’d try not to mention that she’d committed the worst of all wedding faux pas because, holy shit, Eloise had absolutely upstaged the bride. Her hair was twisted up elegantly, and jewels hung from her ears, shimmering when they caught the light. God, he wanted to dance with her, hold her close. There hadn’t been any real time to talk to her after the ceremony or during the pictures. Not for the kind of conversation they needed to have.
Teddy, who had somehow managed to wrangle being the MC, introduced Nate and polite applause rippled through the cavernous room. From the corner of his eye, Nate noticed a few people nudge each other and hold their phones up ready to record his speech.
He took a deep breath, relaxing when he spotted his parents, Raff, Owen and Alice sitting at a table in the middle of the room. In a flash, it was like he was back in the tunnel waiting to run out onto the field, remembering to ignore the crowd and focus on what was important. Back then, it had been football, but today, it was showing up for the people he loved and for himself. Nate went through the motions, complimenting the bridesmaids, explaining how long he’d known Charlie and told a few anecdotes about some of the mischief they’d got into as teens and younger men. His voice faltered when he shared how much it meant to be standing next to his best friend on such a wonderful occasion.
The next bit was the hardest. But he’d made a promise to himself to be brave.
“I thought a lot about what I wanted to say today. About Charlie and Sera as a couple but there’s only one thing that matters. Every day they wake up and choose each other. That’s it. It doesn’t matter what life throws at them because they’ve got someone to celebrate all their wins with but, more importantly, someone to stay by their side when things are tough or maybe it’s time to try something new or even when they get a little bit lost.” Nate took a deep breath. “Today they’ve promised to always fight for each other and their shared and individual dreams. I think that’s the bravest thing a person could ever do.”
Nate raised his glass and asked everyone to stand. “To Charlie and Sera.” He looked at Eloise. “May we all be as brave as they are. Cheers.”
He took a long sip of his champagne and returned to his seat.
