Page 64 of Ever After

“I’ll call you back,” Alex says and hangs up.

I hear music. The farther I walk, the louder it gets. This area looks familiar. I stop and look around to see where the music is coming from. It’s the bar I was at when I met Jay. I walk over and go inside and look around. The music is blaring from a live band upstage. I turn my head and look at the same spot we were at when we first met. There is no sight of him here.

I head over to the bar and take a seat. The bartender comes over and asks, “What can I make for you?”

I ask for a shot of tequila. This should help me calm down. I hear someone come out of the bathroom and I look up right away, but it’s not Jay. The bartender walks back over to me with my shot in his hand. He sets it down in front of me. “Hey, have you seen a guy around here tonight with dark brown eyes and hair, who has a prominent jaw, average height?” It’s worth a shot to ask.

“No, sorry. So many people come in and out. I wouldn’t have remembered him anyway.” I nod in understanding and give him a slight smile. I pull my card out and watch him ring me up.

The bartender walks back over and hands me back my card. “I thought it would be worth a try to ask,” I say. My phone rings. I hurry and pull it out of my bag.

“Hi.”

“You owe me,” Alex says.

“Why? What did you say?”

“Don’t ask. He’s at the beach close to his hotel.”

He must be at the beach where we went together the first night we met. It’s within walking distance of his hotel.

“Thank you. Thank you. I owe you big time.” I hang up and take my shot.

As I walk outside, I nearly run into a couple walking in. I finally make it to the beach after what seems like a lifetime. My shoes are in my hand, and I look around but I can’t see Jay. I walk a little forward, examining everyone on the beach. A few people are walking on the beach but none of them are him. I walk around and I see someone sitting in the sand, staring out at the ocean. I walk closer, making sure it’s him. Once I realize it is, I slow my steps down. I quietly walk up behind him. He must not hear me because he doesn’t move. “Jay,” I say. His body stiffens. He looks behind him and looks up at me.

“What are you doing here?” His face looks droopy. His eyes look like he hasn’t slept in weeks.

“I have something I need to tell you.”

“And you came all the way to Hawaii to tell me?” I nod. He turns away from me and looks back toward the ocean. I take a couple more steps closer to him and sit down.

“Jay,” I say. He looks over at me and then looks away. My stomach drops at the sight of him for a moment. I see the hurt in his eyes. Hurt that I caused him. I shouldn’t have come down here. I can’t stand to see him like this. Me being here is making it worse. My chest hurts. I deserve it. If this is how he felt this whole time, I wouldn’t want to talk or see me again. I stand up and walk away. Tears fill my eyes and run down my cheeks.

“Lilah,” Jay says. Turning around, I watch him get up from the sand. “What did you have to tell me?” He walks over to me. While wiping away the tears on my face, I glance up at him and he looks down at me.

“I love you.” That’s all I say. That’s all that matters to me right now. I love him and I want him to know it. Regardless if it’s too late. At least he knows. I lost my best friend. My other half. When I am with him, I feel complete. I hate myself for taking this long to come to realize that I want him. I want us.

Silence lingers between us as we stand a few inches apart from each other. I can’t hear myself breathing. I can’t hear the other people around us. The only sound I hear is the water moving up and down the shore. I don’t know what to say. I had so much to say, but now that I’m here, I can’t even think of what I wanted to say. Jay is looking away from me as I look at him. The hurt in his eyes and silence gives me the answer I need—but didn’t want—to hear. I put my head down and turn around. Jay lightly grabs my wrist to stop me from walking away. I turn back around, and I’m instantly wrapped in his arms. I drop my bag down and pull him in tighter. Tears stream down my face as I shake. I’m trying to stay quiet. After hearing my sobs, he grabs my chin and lifts my face to him. He kisses me on both cheeks and whispers, “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to hear those words?” He pulls me in closer to him. “I love you, too.”

One Year Later

“Stop fidgeting,”my mom says.

“I can’t help it. I’m nervous.” Lia comes over and hands me a glass. I reach my hand up and take it from her. “What is this?” I look down into the red Solo cup.

“Champagne. Take it or you’re going to have a heart attack soon.”

Rolling my eyes at her, I take a sip.

“You know champagne makes my face rosy.”

“Who cares? You guys are doing this in the dark. No one will see. Plus, Jay would marry you if you looked like a bum. That’s how much he loves you.”

After my spontaneous trip to win Jay back, we moved in together quickly. When I say quick, I mean quick. After Hawaii, we flew back to my house. Jay rented a U-Haul, and we packed my house up and drove back to his. We didn’t want to waste another minute being apart. I was worried about what my mom and Lia would think, but they were excited for me. They both said that nothing we have done has been by the norm and that makes us. What is normal these days anyways?

Lia took over my lease since it wasn’t up yet. She didn’t mind and could afford it after her promotion. Our living together didn’t last long, which made her a little upset. But I told her she was the one that kept telling me to give Jay a chance, so it was partially her fault. I begged her to move out there with me, but with her new position, she didn’t want to give it up yet.

“Okay, I’m all done,” my mom says.

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