Legends

EPILOGUE: The tailgate, blue pickup truck

-----------------------2020----------------------------

Three months after their arrangement to start as friends, Elena realized they couldn't be friends. A month later she had given him her second first kiss. Two more months later she had left her parents' house to live with Asher

She watched him sitting next to her on the tailgate of his pickup. He had driven them to 'their place' on the other side of the lake while explaining about the truck. He didn't want another red one, he said, because it reminded him too much about Elena. That was why he had bought a blue one. Now that all was good between them, he planned on painting it red, but Elena told him not to. She liked the blue, and she wasn't afraid anymore to face her past mistakes.

The biggest mistake she had made was leaving Asher for five years.

He turned to her while the wind blew in her blonde curls, then he gave her a gorgeous smile. She returned it, feeling her heart skip a beat.

"When we were younger," she said, taking his hand in hers, "this was the future I imagined for us. But then I thought I had lost it."

"Things have changed," Asher sighed. "But here we are."

She chuckled, then leaned closer and gave him a kiss on his lips. It felt good doing that, especially after having missed it for five years.

Asher suddenly pulled back and grinned at her.

"What is it?" she asked, and chuckled at his expression.

"Elena," he said, his tone serious. He looked down at his hands and Elena watched him reach inside his pocket. When his hand came out, he was holding a small black box. She gasped. It was such a typical box that she didn't need to watch him open it to see what was inside. Yet when he opened it, she gasped again.

A beautiful silver ring was glimmering in the dim glow of the street lights.

"If I could, I would go down on one knee and ask you my very important question, but I hope this will do." He hopped off the tailgate and stood right in the front of her, the ring in between them. "Elena, will you do me the greatest honor and marry me?"

With her hand in front of her mouth, she barely could speak. Somehow she managed to ask: "really?"

"Yes," Asher said while nodding enthusiastically.

Wrapping her arms around him, Elena pressed her lips on his and kissed him more passionate than she ever had before. Her happiness couldn't stop her until Asher pulled back and grinned.

"You're supposed to say yes," he told her.

"Yes!" she said, almost shouting it. Before she could kiss him again, he moved away from her and took the ring out of the box. Very easily, he slipped it over her finger and squeezed her hand.

"How about a wedding right here?" he asked with a wink.

Elena nodded. "So that the people can look at us saying our vows with the lake in the background."

He grinned, then nodded. And before she could say another word, his lips were on hers again. He only released them to murmur: "I love you."

"I love you more," she told him.

Asher shook his head. "Not possible."

Elena grinned and winked. "Watch me."