History Doesn't Repeat Itself

Chapter 27

"I kissed you, not the other way around." She says while chuckling silently. "And yeah, I remember this place. I'm the one who asked you out on a walk here after all."

I feel my cheeks tighten from the massive smile on my face. She's the one.

I could feel my body grow warmer when she loosened the tie on her hair and let her locks flow with the cold new-year winds. "So what now?"

"Secrets game. You can start." I say, folding my arms to my chest and waiting for her to open her mouth and say the weirdest shit ever. But I love her, so I always answer with even weirder shit. "Don't hold back."

She glances at me with a smile. "Sure. Why do your armpits never sweat? Your whole body smells like sweat, but your armpits don't. Why is that?"

I open my mouth and clamp it shut again. Of course.

"I'm not saying that you stink. Your sweat smells like watered-down lavender perfume.

"What?" I laugh. "You can smell that?"

"Uh-huh."

I laugh then I uncross my arms. "My armpits never sweat because. . ." I shrug. "I don't know. They just don't."

She nods in reply, waiting for me to start asking my question. "Why are you always so pretty?"

The color of her skin turns pink, and then she giggles, but she doesn't stop giggling. "Because I just am. Tell me something I don't know."

I grin. "You sure?"

She nods while laughing now.

I tilt my head. "Something that you don't know. . . what about this," I say, wrapping my hand around her waist and pulling her close to me.

I put my mouth close to her ears, and I deliver the most important question. "I'm going to ask you to marry me. And I know you'll say yes, Christy Trenton."

She stops giggling.

And I feel my knees go weak when she does.

Did I fuck up?

Oh shit.

Why. . .

I was about to let go of her waist, but I stop when I look down and see her smiling at me.

"What do you say, Christy? Will you marry me? Make me the happiest man in the world? Happier than those who said the exact same thing?" I say, hoping that I didn't sound too cocky.

She rests her tongue on her cheek. "Shouldn't you be kneeling down?"

My eyebrows arch. "Do you want me to?"

She cups my cheek. "It wouldn't make a difference, Lev. I love you. And no."

No? No to what?

"No?" I recoil back.

"No, as in you-don't-have-to-kneel-down-no. I'll be the best wife, so yes, I will."

I open my mouth, and tilt my head, "Maybe I should propose again so it sounds a little bit more. . . authentic?"

She nods, "Yes, yes. Do it."

I part my hug from her and look up at the bright moon above us. "You ready?"

She nods once more.

I take a deep breath, and I lean close to her. "I'm not going to do this again. Will you marry me? Christy T. Merrick?"

She sighs, and she let her answer roll out of her mouth. "Yes I will, Gale Levelle."

A burst of happiness hits my heart.

Looking back at the past, all those things that happened, everything wrong thing that had happened because of me. Everything that caused Christy to suffer, everyone who hurt her, and everyone who made her feel sad, all those things had led up to this very moment. To her agreeing to become my wife and spend the rest of her life with me.

I promise her that we'll grow old together. I promise her that I'll take care of her and that I'll love her until my very last breath. I promise her that I'll protect her from harm. I promise her that what happened in the past wouldn't happen to her ever again.

This is the day that I change the course of the future. The day that I will change, and fix everything, fix every problem that Christy has and will ever encounter.

Because for better or for worse, I'll be here, beside her, and I'll do my best to not let the past impact her life as much as it had for me.

History doesn't repeat itself, not if I can help it.

The end.