Page 78 of Red Queen
“I hope we don’t have to.” I really don’t understand how one person can fall in love so deeply. How can they crave another person’s presence so much, to see them, to feel them? It almost hurts now. “I’ll go take a shower. See you tomorrow, then?”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” We hang up, and I head to the bathroom for a quick shower.
After I finish, it doesn’t take me long to fall into a deep slumber.
—
Next morning, I hear a knock on the front door.
“Room service!” A voice calls out, and I get out of bed to open it.
“Room service? I didn’t even—” As I open the door, Lana jumps into my arms, her smile reaching the rooftop.
“Bestie!” She almost screams, deafening me for a second. “I have plans. You ready?”
“Do I seem like it? I basically just woke up.”
“Okay, Miss Grumpy, get dressed because we’re going to the beach.” I groan, but she starts to pull me toward the closet.
“Lana, I’d really rather just stay here and wait for Teo.”
“What’s with you today?” She eyes me skeptically.
“I didn’t sleep well. I fell asleep easily, but then I kept waking up. I was having some existential thoughts, like a winner.” She looks at me with a confused expression.
“Alright, suck it up. Come on. Put on this cute outfit.” I roll my eyes but I do as she says. I know she won’t let me go until I obey her.
When she finishes getting me ready for the beach, we head outside.
“Isn’t this a little bit too much makeup for the beach?” I ask, frowning. I like light makeup.
“Babe, you look fabulous. Stop complaining.”
As we’re getting closer to the beach, I see people sunbathing, some swimming, and there’s even a dog playing with kids. It’s not crowded and it has a beautiful view. As the sand reaches my toes, I spot a big red heart in the distance.
“Oh, look! I think someone’s getting proposed today! That’s so cute.” I melt at the sight. It might seem a bit too much, but the fact that it’s on a beautiful beach with really not many people around is just perfect.
“Yeah. It is.” She’s grinning from ear to ear. We love seeing people in love.
“Lucky her.” As we get closer, I spot a path with—most probably—rose petals that leads to the guy standing at the end in front of the giant heart. “Maybe someday.”
Lana laughs, and I look at her frowning, muttering a ‘what’ question. “Oh, I don’t know, it just looks an awful lot like yourdream proposal.” She’s right! Someone has just as a good taste as me. Nice job.
Wait a damn minute. Now that I inspect it from closer, that guy… Is that Mateo? I let out a scream and look at Lana, who nudges me toward him. I run into his arms, and he kisses me deeply while holding me close. It takes a minute until we break the kiss, almost panting.
“Hi.” He gives me the cutest smile I’ve ever seen on this Earth. “This is for you. Happy birthday.” He gives me the bouquet, which is a mix of white lilies and red roses. My two favorites. I lean forward to hug him, but he gets down on one knee, pulls a little black box out of his pocket, and tears start to swell up in my eyes.
“Mateo…” I don’t even know what to say. I just stand there trying not to say anything stupid.
“Rosa. This is the place where we met, when you spilled your water on me back then in a hotel. I didn’t know that a couple drops of water would change my life forever. It hasn’t even been a year since then, and it might seem soon, but I won’t get any younger. You are the love of my life, the only one I want.” His voice cracks, and he opens the box.
I can’t even begin to describe how perfect the ring is. It’s not extravagant, just simple and beautiful. The rock in the middle is red, and I know he chose that because that’s his color. He made it personal.
“I want to make you happy. I want to be there for you, not just as a friend but also as your husband. I want to give you everything. And I promise you that I’ll love you until my very last breath. Rosalia Dawson, will you marry me?”
I nod my head vigorously, and I can only whisper a small ‘yes’ between sobs. He pulls the ring on my finger and lifts me up into his arms. He spins around, kissing and laughing while doing so. This is the best day of my life.
I’m going to marry my best friend. The one I thought I’d never really get along with. The one I didn't even anticipate meeting. I'm at a loss for words.
“I love you, amor,” I say after he puts me down and rests his forehead on mine.
“I love you too, cariño.”
