Love and Be Loved – Zenosoul ft. Aaron Ridge.
"The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. And that's what you've given me. That's what I'd hoped to give you forever." – Noah, "The Notebook".
***
🌸Teresa🌸
"Aston Delaney, some hooligan is banging down the door calling your name" I hiss to Aston from the mostly empty closet. There is so much going on I can barely focus; the one good thing though is that exams are finally over and I am no longer shackled by the chains of the education system; I am not sure if the work world will be any different but God only knows how much I hate school.
"Aston!" I yell as the pounding on the door echoes through the half-empty house once again.
"I'm going to get it! Hold on, do you know how hard it is to manoeuvre through these boxes you have scattered all over the place little blue?" he asks sounding as if he is on the ground floor.
"Just don't kick any over or you and I will be having words" I shout sternly and he mumbles something that I can't make out.
Moving day is fast approaching and Aston has been as much help in packing as a toddler could've been. Every single room we start to pack up he has one of those 'oh shit I forgot we had these' moments or 'T, do you know how long I've been looking for this?'. He is so frustrating. If we had more time, perhaps I would've found it cute but we have to be out of here in two weeks and he is no help. We decided to get one of the houses in Redbeach; well, I did, Aston doesn't care, every time I ask him he says 'Little blue it's just a roof over our heads', he is such a man I do not know what to do with him.
"Are you ready?" he asks, poking his head in the closet as I'm strapping up my blue heels.
"Yes, let's go" I stand, straightening out my simple thigh-length royal blue bodycon satin dress.
"You look pretty," he says turning off the light behind me.
"I know, you do too" I smile patting his arm; he's in black loafers, a pair of black jeans, and a black dress shirt.
I feel like men are always wearing the same clothes, just in different colours; somebody should add some spice to men's fashion it's so... bland.
"Who was that person at the door?" I ask as I balance myself on his arm to walk down the stairs.
"A worker from a store a couple of towns over" he answers monotonously.
"What was he doing here?" I ask, trying to remember where I put my phone.
"He came to deliver something," he says, picking up my phone off one of the coffee tables and handing it to me.
"Uhm this late? What was it?" I ask him, picking up the key off the table.
We were supposed to be going out to celebrate our seventh anniversary, I mean we still are but we are going to Cambridge to the restaurant that Aston is to be opening by the end of the week. He wanted us to come and see if everything was good and if the food is any good. And by some coincidence the chef is only available tonight; so, I guess we're celebrating our anniversary with the whole gang this year.
"You'll see," he says ushering me out the door.
"You know I'm still upset with you" I mumble as I step over the threshold.
"For what reason T?" he asks monotonously, probably because he knows exactly where this conversation is going.
"Because they kissed and I missed it because I was getting you coffee," I say putting my hands on my hips as I wait for him to close the door. He has this weird rule, we're never to walk behind or before each other, always beside and if for some reason one of us has to walk behind the other, I should go first always.
"T you were not getting me coffee, you were learning how to pole dance" he shakes his head walking over to me.
"True but I went down there with the intention of getting you coffee but then we ran into the girls and they were so nice I just had to ask" I explain truthfully as we walk around the yard to the garage.
"Sure T, whatever you say" he murmurs putting his hands in his pockets.
"What is this and where was I when it got here," I ask pointing to the covered vehicle sandwiched between my CLS and his NSX.
"You were sleeping when it came but go ahead and pull the cover off and see what it is," he says casually, leaning against the wall.
"I was sleeping because you drugged me" I look at him pointedly before walking off.
"I gave you a piece of weed cake and you ate it although you knew what it was"
"I gave you a piece of weed cake and you ate it although you knew what it was" I mock him yanking the cover off the car.
"You did not" I half shout taking in the sight before me.
"But I did," he says smirking at me.
"Aston, I keep telling you to stop getting me things" I whine opening my arms to give him a hug.
"And why would I listen to such foolish advice?" he asks wrapping his arms around me.
"I got you a watch" I grumble into the crook of his neck.
"A G-Wagon for a watch? Sounds like a fair deal to me" he laughs lightly.
"Shut your ass up" I roll my eyes walking away from him.
"She's a beauty" I smile running my fingers along the side of the sleek black truck.
This man, this beautiful, wonderfully annoying man went out of his way to get me something that I've been wanting; something I didn't even ask him for. I just mentioned it once and he went and got it. This beautiful man, goes out of his way daily to make me happy, he doesn't disrespect me, never seems tired of me, he loves me wholeheartedly, he is always there for me; he truly is just a blessing.
How did I get so lucky?
"As are you, my love," he says opening the door for me.
***
"I thought you said you were going to let us help you pick out the wagon T" Aurora pouts opening her arms as Aston and I walk over to them.
"That was my intention mama but this one over here bought it for me" I smile as she wraps her arms around me filling my nose with the scent of her strawberry shampoo and body wash.
"Aww that's cute, happy anniversary guys" Valentina-Rosa smiles at me from her spot between Aria and Carter.
"Where is Emily?" I asked confused scanning the group.
"She's in the bathroom, Helena took her," Alia says and I sigh in relief. We went with Emily to the doctor yesterday and we found out she's having two girls. She cried so I cried and Alia cried and Aria cried and Aurora cried and Valentina-Rosa cried; the moment in the doctor's office was intimate and beautiful; it made me realize why she chose to do that instead of the traditional gender reveal.
"Hi baby mama" I smile at Emily as she walks outside from the side door the very moment we get to the side of the building.
"You look pretty" she smiles at me resting her hand on top of her stomach.
"Stop" I smile -perhaps a little too widely- over at her.
"Come, this way," Aston says ushering us around the side of the building as if we are a mob of unruly children.
He had insisted on having a 'name reveal' simply because it would be 'fun' and the place is his so I don't think any of us could've told him not to.
When we get in front of the building the first thing I notice is the black cloth thrown over what appears to be a neon sign. Aston motions to one of his employees and the young man pulls on a string that causes the black cloth to fall off the neon sign down the glass walls revealing the name of the restaurant. For the second time tonight my heart speeds up, fluttering so fast there is nothing I can do to calm it down and tears threaten to prick my eyes.
'Aoki's' is written in cursive with a little tree beside it spreading over the top of the door.
"Aston..." I start but he shakes his head cutting me off.
"You're an ugly crier T so if you cry, I'm gonna leave," he says in a stern voice but the smirk on his face assures me that he's mostly joking.
You really are an ugly crier.
I know.
"After you," he says opening the glass door for me.
The flashing lights of the phones from the group of traitors I call friends -because based on the fact that rather than being surprised by the name on the neon sign, they seem more satisfied with the look of astonishment on my face, I'm sure they knew- is not enough to bring me out of this shock.
One of them could have told me, that way I would have been prepared and I would've had something to say to Aston but I don't have anything besides 'thank you' and that certainly is not enough; he dedicated an entire restaurant to me. I still haven't even thanked him for the truck; this man is too much and as much as he is, I am happy that I have him in my life.
"Aston this is beautiful" I breathe out as I walk inside the restaurant.
The inside is not big but it isn't too small either; about twenty or so white quartz tables sit on the pink quartz floor -a shade of pink matching the potted cherry blossom trees lining the four glass walls- some surrounded by white chairs and the others by white bar stools. There is a small white bar not too far from the tables, a white door beside it leading to the kitchen -I'm assuming-.
The whole thing is a white space; a little white café with just a splash of cherry blossom, the exact way I had explained to him all those months ago. I did not even know he was listening but yet here it is right before my eyes and under my feet and he dedicated it all to me.
"I know you hate surprises but I promise this is the last one," he says as I turn around.
I almost trip over my own feet when I see him down on one knee before me.
"Teresa Aiko you are the most stubborn person I know but you are also by far the best thing that has happened to me yet. I can't say that I knew you were the one for me the moment we met because we were all but toddlers; but as I grew and as I started to understand the world more, I realized that you were the one I wanted to spend every waking moment of my life with for the rest of my life. I belong to you and I would be nothing without you; I can't imagine living a day without having your hand to hold. So, would you little blue, give me the honour of calling you my wife, forever?"
My vision clouds with adoration, admiration, and love when he opens the small velvet box in the palm of his hand revealing my nana's oval shape, marquise cut diamond cluster ring. That's why he had gone to see my parents, to get their consent, to ask for the ring. He planned to propose in a time when I was giving him every single reason to leave me for three consecutive years.
He loves me enough to want me on my good days and my bad days but even more so on my worst days. Even with every reason I have given him to see that he could have better, he still thinks that I am enough. He loves me enough to want me to be his wife, to come home to me every day after work, enough to want me forever in this uncertain world. He loves me enough to see in me what I cannot see for myself.
He loves me more than I convinced myself that he did, he loves me more than I have words to explain, and for that and so many other reasons I am grateful to have a place in his heart.
"I would be honoured to call you my husband forever and every time after that," I tell him wiping the lone tear from my cheek.
"I love you" he murmurs as he sweeps me off my feet into his arms. His lips claim mine in a passionate kiss, this is not like any kiss we've ever shared before. He's sending a message through this kiss, he's promising something -forever I think- and I think if he wasn't holding me upright my knees would have given out, that's how intense the kiss was.
"And I love you" I laugh lowly when we pull away. A chorus of cheers and whistles breaks out behind us as he slides the ring over my left ring finger.
A perfect fit; I must sleep like log.
"Congrats guys, I'm so happy for you," Aria says setting forward and wrapping her arms around us; the rest follow suit and if I didn't stop them, they would've started making wedding plans on the spot.
"Come on, let's go eat; I can't allow you guys to starve my nieces to death" I smile pulling away from Aurora.
"Good to know you guys care about me" Emily grumbles rolling her eyes.
"Oh, baby no, once you pop those babies out God bless the attention you'll get from us," Alia says looping her hand through her arm.
"You mean God bless the amount of times she'll see the babies; the first thing I'm buying her is a breast pump because I'm stealing both babies," Valentina-Rosa says from behind us.
"As if Kyle is going to allow that" Aurora laughs shaking her head.
"Kyle is easy to buy out, he won't be a problem" I assure her.
"I heard that" he bellows from behind me.
"I don't care" I smile though he can't see me.
The rest of the conversation is lost on me as I think back to what happened just minutes ago.
I'm engaged,
To be married,
To the love of my life.
I wonder how soon I can start planning the wedding.
I can hardly wait to start referring to him as my husband and to myself as his wife.
How long does it take to plan a wedding?
*********************************************
a/n: This chapter was kinda cute; it really was Aston giving Teresa everything she wanted for me. But him going out of his way to get her grandmother's ring took the cake.
Don't be a silent reader, tell me what you thought about the chapter.
Thank you so much for reading.
Oh, and by the way, I hope you listened to the song because it's really really good.
Bye now.