Back to present:
"Bartholomew."
I heard someone run and the next second Bartholomew appeared at the door:
"Yes, love of my life?
-You have too much money."
He laughed before walking up to me and surrounding me of his arms:
"Do you like that I am rich? Then I should work even harder.
-What do you mean work? You are always home.
-How could I leave when my wife is sick?"
I pinched his arm but he didn't budge:
"One, I have been completely fine for weeks. And two, stop calling me that.
-Okay, sugar."
I sighed:
"As I was saying, you don't even know what to do with your money anymore. I am sincerely touched that you buy me flowers every day but this is too much.
-What do you mean?"
I pointed to the five bouquets on the table:
"I will become allergic to pollen after this.
-But I couldn't choose which one to get... Are you mad at me?"
He looked at me with puppy eyes and despite being completely unbothered by it usually, I felt my heart ache suddenly. I was becoming weaker to him every day and I wasn't sure that it was a good thing.
"Are you mad at me, baby?"
I pinched my lips.
"Don't buy me flowers anymore.
-What do you mean? Don't you want my love anymore? Are you going to leave me like my parents did?"
I hit him on the head:
"Don't joke about these things.
-But when I talk about my painful past you always feel bad for me and touch me.
-You are so shameless.
-Do you like it?"
I hit him again:
"Stop. If you buy me flowers every day it won't be special anymore. Especially if it's five bouquets at once.
-I will do anything you say, honeycomb.
-You are getting more and more comfortable.
-Do you like it?
-No."
I pushed him away and walked out of the room. Bartholomew immediately came after me but I couldn't turn back to him, needing time for my heart to calm down.
"I was just kidding, kitten. Please don't avoid me. I will behave."
Why couldn't I ever stay mad at him? Bartholomew would take things too far, I would reprimand him, he would look at me with his puppy eyes, I would forgive him and he would start again the next day. When I said I felt like eating meat, he made a chef come to our house because he wanted me to relax. When I said that I liked the smell of apples, he hired people to mop the entire mansion with an apple scented product and wash all the clothes with an apple scented soap powder. When I said that I liked axolotls, Bartholomew bought all the stuffed toys and paintings he could find with axolotls. I couldn't take it anymore. How could I do this for three years?
He was unstoppable and unpredictable and I didn't dare say anything anymore. And it was getting worse and worse because every time I forgave him despite all my efforts. I had to find a way to canalyse him. Anything.
"I think it is time for you to go back to work."
I stopped walking and Bartholomew immediately pulled me in his embrace:
"Are you bored of me already? We are going to spend the rest of our lives together so you can't get bored already. You can't get bored of me ever.
-I would never get bored of you."
Bartholomew froze:
"What?
-I want to come to work with you.
-Wait, what did you say?"
I pinched my lips:
"You will never get bored of me? Do you love me that much?"
I felt my cheeks grow red and I turned away.
"Focus. I want to see your workplace.
-I am focused, you said that you would love me forever.
-I never said that!
-I will love you forever too."
I felt really uncomfortable and needed to run away:
"That's impossible."
I didn't really doubt him. Bartholomew had so much love for me even after three years that I didn't feel nervous at all about the future. I just wanted him to let it go and move on but Bartholomew didn't understand my sentence that way. Hearing me doubt him, Bartholomew went even more overboard:
"Did you think that I would stop loving you some day?
-No.
-I will love you for the rest of my lives.
-I know.
-Do you really believe me?
-Yes."
I felt that Bartholomew wasn't going to let go so I had to say it. I felt very uncomfortable but there was only one thing I could say that would calm him down:
"I won't let you leave me anyway.
-Really?"
I thought he finally understood and was ready for Bartholomew making fun of me for saying what I said but instead Bartholomew suddenly lifted me up and started walking towards our room.
"Where are you taking me?
-I want to show you how much I love you."
Was he going to do what I thought he was going to do? I didn't expect it to happen so suddenly and I felt my cheeks grow hot but I stopped fidgeting. I was really uncomfortable with physical touch usually but Bartholomew hugging me all the time helped me get used to him and I felt that I was ready to finally go further. It did come out of nowhere and I thought it would happen naturally and not with him suddenly kidnapping me but it wasn't bad either. What I didn't expect however was Bartholomew to put me down on a chair before searching in his sock drawer. It took him only two seconds and he came back with a picture in his hands that he handed to me.
"What is it?"
I frowned before taking it and when I saw the picture I froze.
"Is that me?"
There were two children in the picture. One of them was frowning with his arms crossed and the other had a huge smile. They looked about 5 years old but there was no mistaking it. The one smiling was clearly me and after looking at the picture for a few more seconds I realized that the other child was none other than Bartholomew. Why did he have this? And why was he showing me this now?
"Didn't you say that we met a few years ago?"
I started panicking. Did Bartholomew lie to me? He was the only person I trusted here so I couldn't take him lying to me. Seeing me confused, Bartholomew kneeled down in front of me before grabbing my ankles with a smile:
"You didn't know even before you lost your memories."
I looked back at the picture, completely lost.
"Why are you showing me this now?
-I wanted to show you how much I love you. You have no idea how long I have been waiting for you, kitten."
There was something weird in Bartholomew's eyes and for some reason I couldn't ask anything. I just looked at him and smiled before touching his cheek. Feeling my hand, Bartholomew closed his eyes and put his hand on mine before rubbing his face against my palm.
"I can't live without you, Aed. My only dream is to marry you."
I chuckled:
"I thought you were supposed to give me the best proposal ever.
-I will but I can't wait anymore. Every second you spend without a ring on your finger drives me crazy. I love you so much."
I cupped his face and let go of the picture. I didn't care what this man was hiding from me. It wasn't important at all at this point. He loved me with all his heart and I didn't want to spend a second without him either.
"I love you too."