Page 119 of The One I Love
I narrow my eyes at her. “Mona’s. Want to come? Maybe tell me why you’re running back in like you snuck out of the house and now you’re trying to sneak back in?”
“I wasn’t sneaking back in. Well, I was, but not because I was doing something bad. I’ve been told to give you this.”
Mariah hands me a piece of paper, and I don’t even have it undone when I start crying.
One night, long ago, a boy kissed a girl because he thought it would be the biggest regret of his life if he didn’t. Meet him at that place so he doesn’t have to live with another regret.
Chapter 37
Shane
“Where is she?”
I don’t know how many times I’ve walked back and forth along the front porch of Simon’s childhood home, but I know it’s enough times that I can see my footprints.
“Easy,” Simon says as he glides back and forth on the porch swing. “It will take her a few minutes to get here.”
I stop and look over to him. “Why are you still out here?”
“Because!” he says. “I’ve been in this with you since the beginning. Since she was Mary. Do you think I’m about to miss this part? If you do, then you have another thing coming. Plus, these are my decorations. All of those streamers and balloons? Mine. Plus, this is my house.”
“Simon, it’s not your house anymore. Get in here with everyone else.”
The scolding is from Mrs. Banks, and I might be nervous as hell right now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t laugh at the situation. It reminds me of how she used to yell at him when we were kids.
“Come on, Mom,” Simon whines.
“Why do you insist on being the way you are? An instigator. That’s what you are.” She holds the door open while making eye contact with me. “I’m sorry, Shane. I really tried with this one, but he gets it from his daddy.”
“I know, Mrs. Banks,” I say. “Thank you again for letting me do this.”
She waives me off. “Anything for you boys. And our Amelia.”
The sound of a car turning into the long driveway of the Banks house puts me on alert, and I hear Mrs. Banks hiss at Simon again to get inside before she comes out after him.
“Don’t fuck this up,” he says to me as he passes by. “Iwillpunch you.”
I don’t say anything to Simon as I take in a breath, but don’t let it out, as I watch Amelia’s car come up the driveway. And if I’m not mistaken, I see Mariah trying to hide in the front seat.
When Oliver said I needed to unpropose, I thought he was crazy. It made zero sense.
Then I thought about it. When was the last time we were happy? And my mind kept going back to Florida. On the motorcycle. Looking at the sunset. We were talking about our future. About a wedding. About forever.
But it was because we wanted it. Just us. Just like Amelia reminded me it should be. Not outside forces making us do something. Not me thinking I could suggest something into existence because it would fix a problem.
Unproposing is perfect. As Oliver explained, it’s the best way for Amelia to know I’m doing my best to not only undo the action, but to reverse time. And what better place to reverse time than to go to the place when I first knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I loved her.
Here goes everything…
“Let me guess, Oliver’s back home?”
“Why do you ask that?”
We take a few steps toward each other. “Because only Oliver Price would have given you the idea to tell me to come here. And to decorate.”
I shake my head. “The note was his idea. The decorations were Simon. But coming here? That was all me.”
“Cunningham. You are a softie.”
