Page 96 of Plight
Sitting down at the base of our lemon tree, I rotated one of the yellow fruits in my hand just as the back door opened and Elliot stepped out to join me, his hands behind his back, his posture sheepish.
“You all right?” he asked, squatting down in front of me.
“Yeah, of course.” I tossed the lemon and caught it. “Your sister is harmless. She means well in a not so well kinda way.”
“Tell me about it. Still, I want to apologise for her taking aim like that.”
“You don’t need to apologise, Lots. She was right.”
He nodded and moved to sit on his arse, pulling out from behind his back a box of Cheezels.
I laughed and snatched them from him. “First dibs!”
“Cheat.”
“That’s not cheating. You snooze you lose.”
“Technically, you snooze you sleep, and when you sleep, your body rejuvenates. That’s far from losing.”
Shaking my head, I opened the box and split the foil bag, the waft of cheese hitting my nose. “Mm … yum. They smell so good. Why do they always smell so good?”
“Artificial flavourings.”
My head tilted and my eyebrow rose.
“What? Truth.” He reached into the box and stole the first one while his glittering eyes distracted me.
I whacked his arm. “Hey! I had first dibs.”
“At my heart, yes. At this Cheezel, no.”
Heat flushed my face, my heart beating a song and dance at his words. I swallowed and looked down at the lemon, not knowing what to say.
“Do you want it?” he asked, waving it in front of me.
I tried to snatch it but he was too quick. “You’re so mean.”
“I’ll tell ya what. You can have it, but you have to do one thing.” My eyes met his, and he leaned in closer. “Marry me.”
“What?”
Elliot took my hand in his, his soft fingers gently caressing mine. “Marry me. Say yes just like you did twenty-two years ago.”
Tears pricked my eyes, the sense to hold onto my niche strong. “I don’t know, Lots. I've learned the hard way that some people just aren’t worth the fight, no matter how tempting their bullshit promises may seem.”
He lifted my chin, his eyes magnetising mine. “I’m worth it. You’re worth it. And that’s no bullshit promise.”
My God he was right. We were more than worth it.
Gasping, I sniffed and blinked back my tears. “Okay.”
“Okay?” he asked, his grip on my hand tightening.
I nodded. “YES! Yes, I’ll marry you. Now give me the Cheezel.”
His shaky fingers slid the cheese ring onto my finger before he pulled me onto his lap and dipped me for a kiss, his lips crashing down on mine, butterflies — not real ones — once again exploding within me. In that moment, I let go of my niche, let it slip away with the breeze, bidding old fear farewell and welcoming new fear. Fear of marriage, living together, commitment … children. Children? Oh shit! And what about Dudley?
The sound of cheering and a window being pounded on, snapped me from my new fear. I looked in the direction of the house, finding our families standing at the kitchen window, Mum and Helen crying and embracing, Laura pointing to herself and nodding, and Samuel’s little hands constantly slapping the glass.
