THE END.
The words were written at the bottom of the last paragraph of the manuscript. "That's it? Please tell me there's a sequel!"
Stephen shook his head. "My mom has never written a sequel."
I flipped back to the title page, Evan's Heart was typed out on the front. That book might've topped Some Hearts Lie as my favorite. My opinion could've been a bit bias, though.
It was a cold December day and Stephen had come to visit for the weekend and so we could finish reading the end of Evan's Heart together instead of over facetime. Shontell finished writing it months ago, but refused to let us read it until she did a few edits.
Stephen and I were in my room (with the door opened because I valued my life and my boyfriend's), lying on my carpet. I was on my stomach and Stephen used my back as a pillow.
After the wedding Stephen and I talked non-stop. Once school started back it had been harder to keep in touch, but thankfully it was holiday season.
All the school breaks gave us the opportunity to visit each other. We'd watch those old romcom movies he liked or have Starbucks at a Barnes & Noble.
And when his friends—or The Three Stooges, as he referred to them—saw us coming out of the library once and called him a simp, Stephen pointed out that neither of them had had a girl even spit in their direction all summer. They immediately shut up.
His other friend, whose name was Devon, not Killmonger, was nice, though. So was his girlfriend, Sabrina. We all hung out—Naomi and Theo included—over Thanksgiving break.
In a few days winter break was coming to an end and we'd be separated by hundreds of miles and trigonometry once again. I wasn't looking forward to it. Like the book I just finished, I wanted more time with Stephen.
"Maybe if we ask nicely?" I suggested, shaking those thoughts from my head. "We didn't even get to see them together as an official couple."
"Are you forgetting who Avery and Evan are based on?" He asked. "We could just go out and do 'official couple' things."
He sat up and I rolled over on to my back, looking up at him. "Yeah, but your mom is way better at coming up with creative dates."
"Wow," he said, looking wounded. "Five months in and you're bored of me already."
"Well..."
His eyes narrowed and I knew I messed up. He attacked my sides with tickles and I shrieked with laughter as I tried to block his fingers. "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry."
He stopped, a smug smile on his face, his fingers threatening to attack again. "I'm sorry and..."
"I'm sorry and you're the best date planner ever."
He smiled. "And I'm gonna prove it to you tomorrow."
I propped myself up on my elbows. "What's happening tomorrow?"
"You'll see." He smirked, standing and reaching out a hand to help me up. "I should go before it gets too late."
"You can't just leave on a cliffhanger!" I pouted. My brain wasn't going to let me sleep that night.
He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer, an amused look in his eyes. "I can, actually. But I promise you will not be disappointed."
"Be honest," I narrowed my eyes up at him. "You're going home to actually plan this amazing date, aren't you?" He could be a bit competitive at times and he loved to show off.
"Nope. This thing took weeks to plan."
"Weeks?"
"Weeks." He grinned, enjoying teasing me way too much.
He leaned in for a kiss and I covered his mouth with my hand. "If I can't know about the date, you can't have my lips."
I could tell he was pouting, even with my hand covering his mouth.
"Fine," he said, his voice muffled. Then he kissed my palm and left me there to think about what he had planned for the next day.
• • •
I was showered and dressed by seven in the morning. Stephen never specified a time and he only replied to my texts with winking emojis.
Then, around nine, the doorbell rang.
"Close your eyes," Stephen said the second I opened the door.
"Why—"
"Close 'em."
I huffed, but closed my eyes. Stephen took my hand in his. Five months and he was still causing that flutter in my belly with just his touch.
He put something in my palm and told me to open my eyes.
"A bookmark?" I stared at it trying to figure out its importance. It took me way too long to realize that the illustrated girl on bookmark was actually me. I felt myself smile. "It's me."
"Wow. It only took you thirty minutes!"
"Shut up!"
He chuckled. "You ready?"
I barely had time to shout to my parents that I was leaving before Stephen took my hand and lead me to his car.
"Can I at least get a hint?" I asked once we were in the car.
"What do you think the bookmark is?"
I examined the bookmark again as he pulled out of my driveway. It was me, surrounded by books. No quotes or anything. "This means nothing to me."
He laughed at my frustrations and continued to drive.
• • •
After almost two hours in the car—thank you LA traffic—Stephen told me to open the glove compartment. Inside there was one of those eye masks people used to block out light when they slept.
"First a bookmark and now a blind fold?" I eyed the guy in the driver's seat. "What do you have planned?"
"Have you read 50 Shades of Grey?" My face must've mirrored my internal panic because he began cracking up. "It's a joke, Waverly. Put the blindfold on."
My face began to cool off. "You never know with you." I removed my glasses, replacing them with the blindfold. "You know, I'm practically blind without my glasses, so the blindfold is kinda overkill."
"The blurry shapes you see could give away the surprise." He took my hand and kissed my knuckles. "I know you're afraid of the dark. We're almost there."
"I am not afraid of the dark," I said defiantly. He scared me one time and then refused to let it go. "I'm afraid of people creeping around in the dark, like you were doing that night."
"Whatever you say." He was smirking, I could feel it.
A few minutes later the car came to a stop. Stephen climbed out of the car and I called out a million different questions that got zero answers.
He opened my door and took my hand. "Hint number two: You said you wanted to visit this place one day."
"I say I want to visit lots of places," I pointed out as he led me down what felt like a sidewalk.
I could hear birds and running water and voices. My brain was failing to make a connection as to where we could be.
Stephen stopped me, his hands on my shoulders as he stood behind me. "Any guesses?"
It was too quiet for an amusement park, so Disney Land was out of the question. I didn't smell food so it wasn't a restaurant. The trickling of water sounded small, like it from a fountain. What place had fountains and had something to do with bookmarks?
As soon as the answer popped in my head, I ripped off the blindfold. It wasn't crystal clear, but I still recognized the white building in front of me. The Los Angeles Central Library.
Stephen plucked my glasses from the collar of my shirt where I left them and slipped them into place on my face. His tentative smile came into focus. "So?"
Words would not have been able to express my excitement. I wrapped my arms around him hugging him tightly.
"Either you really like it or you hate it and are trying to break my neck."
I giggled, loosening my arms around his neck. "This is amazing!"
I'd wanted to visit that library after watching a video about it on YouTube, but I never found the time to make the drive.
Stephen slipped his hand in mine and lead me up the steps and into the building.
"What do you want to see first?" he asked leading to a room with a roof painted with different patterns in red, yellow, green, blue and white. It reminded me if graffiti.
The books would've been an easy answer, but there was so much art work and cultural history galleries to see.
"Okay," Stephen said, as if it were actually possible to see everything all at once.
He took charge, leading us through the huge library, effortlessly, like he'd been there multiple times before. He did say this took weeks to plan, maybe he was mapping out the place?
We walked around, looking at vintage candy wrappers and match books and a life-sized sculpture of an elephant made of shelled Walnuts. There was a doomed hall with a chandelier that had a globe in the middle and the zodiac signs around it. A mural was painted across the wall, telling a story in pastel colors.
"Alright," I said, looking away from the chandeliers with flowers and birds attached to them and faced Stephen. "This is better than any date I've read in one of your mom's books."
"You didn't think this was it, did you?" he asked, grinning as he walked away. "We have one more stop."
A grin took over my own face as I followed him. The books, how could I forget the most important part of a library?
We went to the teen section. It was decorated for winter with glittery snowflake hanging from the ceiling and blue and white garland decorating the checkout desk.
I was so focused on the display of books to read for the holidays that I didn't notice Stephen wasn't next to me anymore. When I pulled out my phone to text him, something blue flashed in my peripheral. Stephen was wearing blue, so I check the aisle the person disappeared down.
Stephen wasn't there, but three books were laid out in the middle of the path.
To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin
Now That I've Found You by Kristina Forest
I Think I Love You by Auriane Desombre
Either those books randomly feel off the shelves or Stephen was responsible. My heart lodged itself in my throat as I stared at the last book, I Think I Love You. I was on the verge of tears when I looked up and found Stephen standing before me.
He seemed nervous, his hands jammed in his pockets like he was bracing for a rejection. Just like the night of the wedding, he was opening himself up completely to me. Laying his heart out in front of me.
I covered my mouth with both hands to hold back a sob. We were in a library, after all. I didn't want to disturb anyone with my crying. But Stephen was making it impossible.
When he noticed the tears, he looked freaked out. "You're crying?" He whispered, coming closer to me. "You weren't supposed to cry."
I steadied myself the best I could before whispering back. "You can't do all this and not expect me to cry." I said, voice kinda squeaky as I held back more tears.
He glanced down at the books he laid out. Then, to me, he said, "Well, I mean it."
More tears threatened to pour from my eyes. I managed to hold them back long enough to say, "I've fantasized about a guy making grand gestures for me, but none if them even come close to this."
He smiled proudly.
I stepped closer to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and looking him in the eyes. "I love you, too," I said. Then, right there in the young adult romance section, I kissed him.
//
THE END!!!
Oh my gawd, this is my 5th completed novel like ???
Anywho, THANK YOU for sticking it out with me through Waverly's & Stephen's story (and my slow updates and breaks) I love you humans for that ❤️❤️❤️
P.S. Those three books Stephen laid out are real books you can purchase where ever books are sold #notsponsored