Page 103 of The Fake
“We’re not there yet,” I tell her. “The only ring I can afford to buy her would have to come out of one of those cheap quarter machines.”
“She doesn’t care about the size of the ring.”
I glance down at the rock on her finger. Zeke went a little overboard, but I get it now. He wanted to make a statement about how much she meant to him. I want that, too. “Maybe I care.”
She pulls the ring from her left hand and holds it out to me. “Here.” She tries to push it into my hand. “Take it. We could trade it in and get her something else, of course.”
“Of course,” I mock like that’s the ridiculous part of this situation. I shake my head and thankfully, she puts it back on her finger.
“Glad you didn’t take it. I’d miss it.” She holds it over her heart. “But don’t let money be what stops you. When Zeke proposed, I didn’t even look at the ring until after I’d said yes. And even if it’d been made out of paper, I would have still loved it.”
Chloe and Blair return, and we watch the final half of the game. The Suns win, and we’re ready to celebrate.
We’re meeting Zeke at his apartment, so Chloe, Vanessa, and I pile into Mario’s car. Gabby is riding with Wes and Blair, giving me and Chloe the backseat to ourselves. I pull her into the middle, and she buckles but has to swing her feet to the side. It’s not roomy, but I’m completely okay with her being up in my personal space.
Vanessa reads the directions from her phone to Mario, and they go back and forth on the best routes. Zeke’s apartment is nice. One bedroom, one bath with an awesome view. He and his teammates arrive just after Gabby gets the music going.
“Nice game,” I tell him. “It’s going to be a rookie season for the record books.”
He tilts his big head to the side. “Still early.” He introduces me to his teammates Kevin O’Stark and Jason Harris.
“Nice to meet you,” O’Stark says. “I’m looking forward to seeing you out there next year.”
“Me? You mean Joel?” I tip my head to where my buddy is talking to Katrina and Chloe, using his hands with a big animated expression.
He and Zeke chuckle before he responds, “Yeah,you. You’ve got some nice handles and a good sense of the court.”
“Thank you,” I manage, shocked that this guy has seen me play.
He nods and the conversation turns to their upcoming road trip to Denver.
As much as I’m trying to enjoy college and not look too far ahead, being in Zeke’s place and seeing the life and friends he’s made since graduating makes me excited about the possibilities of the future.
I find Blair and Vanessa in the kitchen.
“Blair, do you happen to have a piece of paper and a pen?”
Vanessa rolls her eyes. “Probably varying colors and sizes.”
Blair shoots her a pretend dirty look before admitting, “She’s actually not wrong.”
She produces options and I pick one, tear out a sheet, grab a pen, and thank her.
I hole up in the bathroom for a good ten minutes. A weird place to be writing a love note to your girl, I realize. When I’m done, I pocket the pen and paper and go find Chloe. She sits on the couch between Vanessa and Katrina, but as I approach, Vanessa stands, giving me a perfect opening to take the seat next to Chloe.
“Hey,” she says with a big smile and her green eyes light up. “Where’ve you been?”
“Around.” Placing a hand on her thigh, I lean into her space.
“It’s weird to think, in a few months this could be you. Living in Phoenix, or wherever, and playing in the NBA.”
“So weird,” I agree. “Also, weird, Gabby tried to talk me into proposing to you tonight.”
Her eyes go wide, and I think she’s holding her breath. Shock and maybe excitement plays out on her face.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to. Not because I don’t want to marry you someday, but because I want to do it the right way. With a big rock.” I use my hands to give her an idea of the size—roughly the size of my head—and she laughs. “And in the perfect spot with all the right words.”
I produce the paper ring I made from the paper Blair had in her purse, take her hand, and place it on her finger. “I wrote all the things I love about you on there. Barely a blank spot on either side.”
