Page 27 of #Beautiful

A bigger smile graces my lips. “She’s more than I think I can put into words. True, faithful, compassionate. She’s the strongest person I know, even when she doesn’t realize it, and loves so hard it’s got to be painful for her at times.”

Justina puts her elbows on the counter frame, resting her chin in her hands as she stares at me with a small smile and twinkle in her eye while I describe my girlfriend. When she stands tall again, she holds a finger up and pulls a small set of keys from her pocket. Unlocking the case, she bends down and plucks a ring from its place in the case, relocking it before standing up and holding it so I can inspect it.

No wonder my dad used her for Mom’s ring. This woman is a magician.

The ring she’s holding has a solitary diamond in the center. A circle of smaller yellow diamonds circle it. One either side, attached to the band, are two heart-shaped sapphires. I can’t help but just stare at it, the way it glistens in the lighting.

“A unique engagement ring for those most unique of hearts,” she says softly.

I nod and lift my eyes to hers, smiling from ear to ear.

Chapter 23 - Lena

It’s after nine in the morning, and I’m still hiding in Declan’s room. I woke up around eight, took a shower and changed, and then got back in bed. I’ve laid here thinking about yesterday, trying to figure out where the heck I went wrong. Not only am I angry with myself, I’m embarrassed for having an episode I couldn’t control in front of Declan’s parents. It’s not how I wanted to start the Christmas holiday at all, especially in front of them.

A soft knock at the door makes me sit up, pulling the blankets around my waist. “Come in.”

The door inches open, and Darcy sticks her head in with a smile, pushing it wide enough to enter, two cups of steaming coffee in her hands. “Hey, thought you might like come coffee this morning.” Coming over to the bed, she carefully hands me one, and then sets the other on Declan’s nightstand. Climbing in the bed opposite me so we’re facing each other, she sits with her legs crossed under her and reaches over to grab her coffee.

“Thanks, Darc,” I say before taking a sip.

“You gonna hide up here until next semester?”

“I’m thinking about it,” I say with irritation in my voice.

“Lena, you don’t have to feel weird because you had a moment. Mom’s in recovery from the same shit, so it’s not like my parents haven’t dealt with it before.”

My eyes widen in surprise, and my mouth drops open a bit. “Wait . . . what?”

Darcy nods as she sips her coffee. “Yeah. She told me about it when I was in high school. One of the girls I was friends with freshman year had bumilia, and she was trying to get the rest of our friend group to do it, too. I went to my mom because, yeah, it just didn’t sit right with me. This was before I’d started to rebel against all things in life, of course.” Darcy gives me a funny grin and sips her coffee again. “It’s a long story, but to make it short, she’d just had us, Dad had a hot secretary that liked him, and Mom’s self-esteem went downhill, and she developed an eating disorder trying to be as hot as the other woman. Of course, Dad didn’t notice the other bitch even flirted until some shit happened and he fired her, but the point is, they both know what you’re going through firsthand, so stop hiding in Declan’s room. We miss your face already.”

I chuckle and sigh. Leave it to Darcy not to mince words now that we’re home. I still can’t believe this girl went from being my enemy two years ago to one of my best friends. The world really does work in mysterious ways. “Or we can pile in your brother’s bed since he left and didn’t wake me, turn Vampire Diaries on his big screen, and when he gets back, make him cook brunch and bring it up here.”

Darcy sets her coffee back on the nightstand and flings herself to the top of the bed, yanking the covers back and crawling under them as she grabs Declan’s remote off the nightstand. “I am so down with this idea. He makes really goo bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches. I say we force him to make those.”

“Ohh,” I say excitedly smacking her arm, “and hash browns. I could really go for some hash browns with onions and diced ham, oh, and green peppers.”

“What are we making with green peppers?” Declan comes through the door and stops short, glancing between me and Darcy. “And why are you two holed up in my bed?”

“You are making bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches,” Darcy says pointing the remote at him, “and hash browns with diced ham, onions, and green peppers. Lena and I are commandeering your television to binge The Vampire Diaries . . . again.”

Declan’s browns pull together, and he tilts his head to the side like a puppy. “And I got volunteered for chef duty how?”

“Because you make good breakfast?” I say, winking at him.

Declan comes around the bed after throwing his keys and wallet on the dresser and leans down to kiss me. “You’re lucky I love you, otherwise Darcy’d be cooking her own damn breakfast.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Darcy says rolling her eyes. “Lucky us. Now make with the food, loverboy.”

Declan shakes his head, kisses me again, and heads right back out the door. I can’t stop from smiling after him. He acts like my episode last night didn’t even happen, and he’s been like this since the hospital. Every time, he just holds me, let’s me cry, and the next day there’s no lecture, no weird stares, or uncomfortable tension between us. He just goes about the day like nothing happened.

I appreciate that more than he knows.

My stomach growls, and Darcy gives me a side eye, both of us cracking up a second later as she starts episode one of season one. We’ve binged this show at least half a dozen times in the last year and a half. She’s Team Damon, I’m Team Stefan— neither of us is a fan of Elena’s character. We had a heated debate once over who should have starred in the female lead. Darcy says Bonnie. I say Caroline. Either one would’ve been better.

Darcy and I sit back, snuggle down in the blankets, and engross ourselves with the drama of Mystic Falls. By the time Declan brings the food up on a big tray, we’ve decided that if this was real life, Darcy’d be a mean human, I’d be a witch, and Declan the vampire. It’s definitely a thought that makes us both laugh. Declan sets the tray in the middle of the bed after Dacry and I sit up. He’s made the sandwiches, hash browns, and oatmeal, and brought us eat a glass of orange juice.

He’s never made me breakfast in bed, but it’s something I wouldn’t mind getting used to. I need to make an effort to do something nice like this for him more often. Instead of cramming on the bed with us, he pulls his desk chair over to my side of the bed and sits in it.

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