The Meeting

The Surprise

Her face was priceless, making it worth all of the stress and worrying. She held her arms out to me, her eyes filled with tears as she realised everyone she loved was packed into this one room. I pecked her lips, burying my head into her chest.

"Do you like it? Is it too much?" I whispered.
"This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, Alex. I love it and I love you." She kissed the top of head, squeezing me a little tighter.
"There are other people here that would like to hug her too you know, Alex!" Ella giggled from the crowd.
"Ellie!!!!!" Leah shouted, a huge grin appearing on her face.
"I couldn't miss your big send off!" Ellie said as she hurried over to hug Leah. This was the first time the two of them had met again since that night at the Brits and I knew that despite speaking on FaceTime, it would settle Leah to know that Ellie still loved her, just as she did the first day they met.

Leah moved around the room, greeting everyone that had came to show her support but constantly staring over at me with a smile and then blushing when I caught her eye. I knew I still made her feel nervous, the way she made me.

When she came back over to me, I gave her an envelope, it didn't have anything written on the front of it.

"That's from my Dad." I said.

Leah opened the card and began to read it. He had told her he was proud of her, that he would look after me while she was away and that he couldn't wait to see her again when she came back. He thanked her, as he always did, for making me so happy. Leah welled up again, trying her best not to cry but with every line she failed a little bit more.

"Alex, I don't even know what to say, you have thought of every little finishing touch. I don't know what I did to deserve you." She said, cupping my face with her hands.
"You never gave up, that's what you did." I said, placing my hands on top of hers.
"And I never will." Leah placed another soft peck on my lips.

Having everyone Leah loved in the room was such a special moment for me. It was the moment that I realised that this was our life now. It was no longer Leah's life and Alex's life. It was our life and that's exactly what I wanted.

As the night drew to a close, I sat down on the sofa beside Leah. She was talking to Holly and Jacob, both of whom had exceeded themselves with their alcohol intake. I hadn't sat close enough to Leah for her liking so she grabbed my hand and pulled me towards her, I rested my head on her shoulder and my hand snaked around her neck, fingers gently stroking it as I listened to her speak.

"I don't know, I'm not really into the whole relationships thing though." I heard Holly say.
"Why not?" Leah asked.
"I don't know, I just can't see myself in one. I'm happy going it alone. Do you remember we both used to say we would be alone forever?" She recalled, laughing as she spoke.
"Yeah, I've kind of let you down haven't I?" Leah laughed.
"Yeah, you did actually!" Holly pretended to be huffing but was giggling at the same time.
"I think you just haven't found the right person yet. Before I met Alex, I was happy on my own. I think that's the best place you can be before you meet your person. That's how I knew she was the one, she made me want to make space in my life for someone else." Leah spoke, sounding more sincere than ever. She gently stroked my leg and kissed my head as she finished her sentence.
"Yeah but you and Alex are like a one in a million chance. Things like that don't happen to everyone." Holly said, through slurring words.
"Only if you never give up." Leah replied.

They talked a while longer but I zoned out after that, almost falling into a sleep on Leah's shoulder a few times but waking myself back up. The rest of the taxis pulled up, everyone said goodbye as I stood there trying to hold myself upright but with heavy eyes. The tiredness was worth it though, Leah had the best night tonight and her beaming smile from the moment she saw everyone was worth it. I would never sleep again if it meant she would be happy.

Leah locked the door and walked towards me, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing my forehead. I placed my arms around her waist and for a few minutes, we stood like that. Hearts beating at the same time, just happy to be in the company of each other.

"Let's get you to bed, all this party planning has you exhausted." Leah said as she walked me towards the bedroom.
"I know, being organised is really hard." I said, my voice croaky with tiredness.
"I know, imagine doing that like every day!" Leah laughed, she always made fun of my lack of organisation.

Leah pulled the covers back for me, placing me down onto the bed and finding my bag on the floor of the bedroom. She took out my shorts and baggy top that I had brought for bed. She gently removed my trousers, placing my feet into my shorts and pulling them up for me, then moved to my top repeating this. She was so delicate and attentive as she got me changed for bed, I think she enjoyed this. She enjoyed looking after me.

Once Leah had gotten changed, she climbed into bed beside me, I immediately moved my head onto her shoulder and kissed her cheek, drawing circles on her shoulder with the tips of my fingers. She wrapped her arms around my waist, whispering in my ear that she loved me. I don't remember much else after that, I fell asleep almost right away, safe in the arms of a girl I was now certain I wanted to marry.