Sometimes the most shocking surprises are also the most beautiful surprises.
~Lori Wilhite
***
Stella was the first one to notice Zac picking at his breakfast like a child, followed by Clair. She looked at her mother asking her what was up with him silently. Clair simply shook her head.
"Hey, bro, what's wrong?"
Zac had come over for the weekend, because he apparently missed them a lot. But everyone knew who it was that he really missed. His beloved girlfriend, Savannah. It'd been three days since she'd left for India to learn the cuisine in depth. And, being the smitten boyfriend he was, he was longing to see her again. The lovestruck guy he'd become.
"Nothing really."
"You missing Savannah?"
"Yeah, just a little."
"Are you sure you're missing her just a little?"
He gave her a look. "What do you want? Stop going all lawyer on me. I hate it when you cross-question like that, especially when I don't have good arguments to put forth."
Stella thumped her hands on the table. "I knew it! So you are missing her more than you wanna admit to anyone including you, because you are so whipped."
He puffed air out. "I am, so what? Nowadays is it a bad thing to love someone too?"
Stella laughed. "I didn't say that. It's definitely not a bad thing. Actually, seeing the way you two are with each other makes me very envious of what you guys have. I adore that you love her so much. Which is why there is nothing wrong with admitting it."
"Probably," he said, shutting himself off again.
Sensing that he wasn't gonna open up, she signaled her mom to give them a little privacy. Maybe if she used the fact that he'd never been able to say no to her to her advantage, she could know the real reason why he was so dejected.
With her mom safely out of hearing range, she retried, "Look, mom's also not here now. Won't you tell me why you are so blue today?" She added a bit of puppy-dog eyes to the persuasive tone she was using—she knew puppy-dog eyes always worked.
And they did.
He exhaled and started in a low voice, "I—The day after tomorrow is 31st of July."
"Yeah, so?"
"That's the day she'd rejected me last year. I hate that day, till this date. And, I was planning to change it for the better." He looked back down at his plate that looked all too fascinating at the moment and mumbled, "I was gonna propose to her."
"What!"
"Keep it low, kiddo!" he whisper-yelled.
"Really? You were gonna propose to her? OMG, OMG, OMG. I have been waiting for this day to come for so long. I can't tell you how delighted this makes me."
"Yeah, I can relate. I was fucking thrilled too, but then, last Sunday she dropped the bomb that her India plan had gotten advanced and she was leaving on Wednesday. She looked so apologetic anyway, I didn't have the heart to tell her not to go. I mean, I knew how much that trip meant to her. She's been wanting to formally and properly learn the Indian cuisine for a really long while now. I just couldn't not encourage her to go. And now my plans are going south."
"Are you really this dumb?"
"What the hell?"
"I thought you were way more romantic than this after what you'd arranged for her on her birthday."
"The heck do you mean?"
Stella rolled her eyes. "I mean, go there and surprise her, you moron! There's nothing she's gonna love more than you unexpectedly showing up and proposing to her."
"I...didn't...think...of that," he said steadily, thinking over it.
"Of course, you didn't, you knucklehead. What are you mulling here for? Go!"
Suddenly, all of it seemed to register in his brain. He stood up all of a sudden, making the chair creak.
"Yes! I am gonna go and surprise her there. That's it."
"Do you know where she's staying?"
"Yeah. A hotel off the Mumbai International Airport—JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar."
"Good. Do you know her room number and stuff?"
"No..."
"Then how the hell are you gonna surprise her!" Her voice rose unintentionally. Her brother being dumb was exasperating.
"I don't know. I'll sit at the reception maybe?"
"Okay," she huffed, "okay. What are you gonna tell mom?"
"We'll see about that. Getting there is more important than telling mom what's up." He clicked a few times on his phone before he put it back in his pocket. "I have a flight this evening, 20-hour, to Mumbai. Will reach exactly in time for me to pop the question."
"And you have an Indian visa?"
"Yeah. I have a 5-year one."
"That's like it. Go, start packing. You'll have to leave for the airport in a few hours."
"Yeah...yeah. Going." He started towards his room and stopped short, as if suddenly realizing something. Turning around, he said, "Hey, kiddo, Savannah—she'll call one of you around eight or nine in the evening when she doesn't reach me. Just tell her that I had some urgent stuff to attend to, okay? She'll try to get info out of you, but...just handle it. Okay? Same for tomorrow evening, yeah?"
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it. She won't know a thing."
"Thanks, really. And you'll directly see her as my fiancée now."
"Yeah, that's the only reason I'm helping you out with this shit. Now be quick and get going!"
—x—
Why was Zac's phone not reachable? she thought. Was something wrong? Had he gotten into some problem? Oh God, was he unwell? He couldn't be, someone would've told her if so—no. No, they wouldn't have. They wouldn't've told her not wanting to worry her. As much as that made her love her new family, she hated them for it.
She gave up and tried Stella's number. Thankfully, she picked up on the second ring.
"Stel, Stel. Where's Zac? Is—is he okay? Why isn't he picking up his phone? He isn't sick, is he? Is it bad, whatever he's caught? Some bug or is it something else? Can you give the phone to him? I wanna speak to him." She waited no more than a beat. "Stella? Why aren't you saying anything?"
"I would...if you let me."
"Er—right, sorry."
"Yeah, no, it's okay. Zac's just gone to some friend's bachelor party. He's perfectly fine, kicking actually, just missing you a lot. He sits sulking all day, it's fun to watch him like that."
"Aw, my baby. Tell him I miss him too, will ya?"
She inwardly cringed at how lovey-dovey both of them were. "Yeah, yeah. But why don't you tell him yourself when he—" She bit her tongue to stop for saying any further. Mentally face-palming herself, she thought of answers she could come up with. Because nothing got past Savannah. Ever.
"When he what?"
"When he...next sees you? Yeah. When he next sees you, you tell him yourself."
"My dear, I still have a week to get back there."
"Oh yeah, right, I forgot. Sorry."
"Also, tell him to ping me when he's free, okay? Just so I know he's okay."
Shit. If Stella had the time zones right, Zac wouldn't be free until he landed in Mumbai. "Noted, ma'am."
"Thanks. Also, um, do you know who this friend is? 'Cause Zac would've told me, usually..."
Usually, Stella enjoyed nosy Savannah. However, now that she was on the receiving end of the questionnaire, she was having a hard time dealing with her would-be sister-in-law.
"No, I don't know. Really. Well, by the way, this guy from one of my electives is constantly ringing me up," she lied, to get away from Savannah's prying ways before she gave too much away and spoiled Zac's surprise. "I'll just talk to him, yeah?"
"Ooh. Okay, okay. Don't let me keep you anymore. Have fun talking to him. Bye."
"Be safe and take care. Bye."
Just as she hung up she got a text from Savannah:
P.S. – Not to disturb you, but I really like that you're giving guys the time of the day. Good going!
She simply couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips. Her future sister-in-law was something else. Zac had gotten himself a good one. Her asshat brother was a really fortunate man, she decided with a shake of her head.
—x—
Zac was extremely restless throughout the flight. He just wanted to see his girlfriend—fiancée now. It tickled him when he referred to her as her fiancée. Soon, she'd be his wife, and that thrilled him even more. He'd marry her on her birthday, Valentine's Day, he thought, make the day even more memorable for her. The thought had him smiling to himself.
Just then the flight attendant came back again, with the beverage cart. He huffed irritatedly. She didn't get the hint at all, not even a bit. She'd been trying to flirt with him all flight, and now that she'd come back with the cart, he couldn't even say anything.
Sure, she was a blonde bombshell, and the old him might've checked into a hotel and gotten a room just so he could fool around with her some. But this Zac? No. No fucking way. Mainly because he was so, so into this particular black-haired vixen.
"Can I get you anything else?"
He nearly groaned. He hadn't even pressed the call button and she was here anyway. He needed a good drink now.
"I'll take whiskey," he looked at her name tag, "Carla, whatever you have, two fingers."
"We have Jack Daniel's or Jim Beam."
"Two fingers of Jim Beam, please."
The way she eyed him when she poured the drink, he was wondering how she didn't spill it all over the trolley.
"Here you go, sir."
"Thank you," he said, returning her (fake) smile with a genuine one, barely refraining from gritting his teeth.
—x—
Zac looked around the hotel as he entered it, surveyed the ambience. This place was beautiful. A staff member approached him.
"Namaste, sir. May I help you?"
"Oh, no, no. I'm here for someone else, so can you just show me to the reception?"
"Yes, sure. This way, please."
When she reached the reception, she told another lady something in what he thought was Hindi. The other lady laughed and then turned toward him.
"Namaste. How may I help you?"
"Uh, I'm looking for my fiancée, Savannah Reece. She's staying here. Would you be able to tell me if she's here? I'm actually looking to surprise her."
"I'm so sorry, sir. But I can't disclose that information."
He smiled. "I am well aware, ma'am. I am also a hotelier. I'm just hoping you'd tell me if Savannah is there in her room or if she's still out somewhere."
"Oh!" She laughed. "If I have the person right, your fiancée, she isn't here yet."
"Black hair, sharp nose, oval-ish face, comes near my shoulder." As an afterthought, he added, "Wears shoes only."
Priya, the receptionist, seemed to pick up on the last clue very well. She laughed. "Yes, yes. I know her, Ms. Reece. She hasn't come back yet. A very fine lady she is, sir. She makes a point to talk to us whenever possible, or at least greet us, even when she's running late."
A smug smile overtook his features. He very well knew his girlfriend was fucking fine—in every way. "Oh, yes, that seems like her. I hope it's no problem if I wait for her here, in the lounge?"
"Absolutely not. Please make yourself comfortable. Can I get you something to eat or drink?"
Oh, he had plans of eating her out. As for drinks... "Uh, no, thanks."
He took a magazine to read as he situated himself on one of the couches and waited for her to come.
—x—
Savannah could feel someone watching her, but when she looked around, she saw no one.
"Savannah, are you listening to what I'm saying?" her new friend asked her. He was also a fellow student, like her, learning the minutiae of Indian cuisine.
"I'm sorry, Karan. I—What were you saying?"
He laughed. "Let it be. I'll see you later. Tomorrow?"
"Yep, tomorrow! Bye."
"Bye."
She took out her phone and began scrolling through her messages, hoping to find something from Zac. He hadn't spoken to her for the past two days. Now, she was really worried.
In the elevator—the lift, as the Indians called it—she pressed the button for her floor, went back to checking her phone, and waited for the doors to close. At the last moment, she sensed someone entering the elevator. Usually, she wouldn't look up, but then she remembered how Karan had said it'd be highly impolite here, in India, if you didn't acknowledge someone's presence. So, she looked up, to smile, and gasped instead.
"Zac?"
His grin widened. "In the flesh."
"Oh my God!" She flung her arms around his neck. He spun her around, she pressed her face into his neck and swallowed a sob.
"How are you here? Why?" she asked when he put her down.
He shrugged, smiling. "Just 'cause I missed you, sweetheart. So much, I missed you so very much," he told her and pulled her close again. They'd been away long enough.
—x—
She looked back at him and said, "I still can't believe you're here," as she opened the door.
He walked in after her, grinning like a total maniac—his sister was right, he was smitten with his fiancée.
"So, for the real reason I'm here. Since it's the 31st already..."
"Hm?"
Walking ahead of her, he waited for her to turn around toward him completely before dropping down on one knee right there, in front of her. His heart thundered in his chest throughout.
"No way..." she gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
He cleared his throat. Once. Twice. He was nervous, what could he do?
"Savannah..." he started, like he'd practiced so many times and waited for it all to come to him. But soon he realized that he'd blanked out, totally.
He groaned. "I think I may have blanked out—a little," he said, coercing a laugh out of her. That was all it took—her brazen laugh—to know what he wanted to say to her.
"Reece, I know we haven't been together for long, but I also know that I knew you were the one for me from the moment I saw you laughing freely with my dad in the office. Though you were extremely hostile toward me all throughout, I could see your soft, gentle, caring side whenever you interacted with my family. No other woman has ever been that way around us—all of us. This might be the wrong thing to bring up here, but bear with me—it was very rare that I introduced my girlfriends to my family, but when I did, they'd always be trying hard to impress my parents, acting, behaving in a certain way that felt foreign to them. But you? You didn't give a damn what they—or I—thought about you, because you had your priorities clear. You were there to do a job, not to make an impression on any of us. And that's what got to me.
"I know you think no one saw that exchange between you and mom over breakfast that first day, but I did. I heard everything. You'd put our health before the taste of your food, you reassured mom of that, when you had no reason to. You are different, sweetheart. And you're mine. And I intend to keep it that way. I want you in my life for as long as you want to stay. And, though I know you love me, I say that because I am fully aware of our past, what I'd done to you. As am I of the things that will come about if you agree to change the social status of one of USA's most eligible bachelors. But I want you to be the only woman in my life, Reece. And I sure as fuck want to be the only man in yours. Will you let me?
"Look, I know you hate grand gestures, especially when in public. Which is why, here I am, down on one knee in the comfort of your hotel room, asking you: Will you marry me, Savannah Victoria Reece, and make me the happiest man alive on Earth?"
She burst into tears in front of him, sobs. He didn't know what to do. God knew he couldn't see her cry like that, but at the same time, he didn't want to get up from his position—he's decided he'd make the proposal like it happened in the movies.
"I—I—No one's ever done anything like this for me. Never before," she said between sobs.
"You...had...come till this point...with another...man...before?"
"No! I meant that no one's ever flown across the globe for me, just because they missed me so much. No one's ever given thought to my feelings before doing something. No one's ever waited for me for however long I made them. No one's ever looked at me like I'm the only person they can see. No one's ever made me feel this special. No one's ever made me feel what you do, Zac. It happens only with you. Yes, yes, yes!" she shouted before sobs took over again.
"Is that a yes—yes?"
She nodded. "Yes, yes, yes. I'll marry you. I'll marry you a million times, over and over."
He pushed the ring onto her finger, straightened up and put his lips on hers. Once, twice, thrice, before he said, "I can't even begin to tell you how happy you've made me today, Reece. You remember I'd promised that one day I'd surely put my engagement ring on that cute little ring finger?"
"Yeah. I do. And I am so happy you did. You're it for me, Zac. Never ever forget that."
"I won't." He kissed her again. "You're my lifeline, Reece. I can't wait to get married."
"You have anything in mind for our marriage?"
"Maybe a few things," he said evasively, thinking of his plans to make her birthday their wedding anniversary.
"I love you and I'm in love with you, Zac. I love you so, so much. Thank you for coming all the way here to meet me. I was missing you too much."
"Were you? You seemed quite cozy with that Karan guy."
She gaped at him and smacked his chest. "I knew someone was spying on us! It was you! You jerk! Also, Karan is just a friend, a really good friend. I've called him to meet us sometime too."
"Sure, no problem. Come on, now, I have some things I intend to do with you on that king-size mattress."
—x—
Timeline: Six months after they get back together, which also happened to be the last day of the gala (as a lot of you might've already figured out).
I hope you enjoyed the second In-Between. Please vote and comment if you did.
Thank you!!
Until next time...