Three Years Later
Alice skipped up the steps of Simon's steps and knocked on the door, rocking back and forth on her heels as she waited for her brother to open the door. After only a few seconds, she checked her watch and huffed when the door didn't immediately open.
She knocked again. "Simon, hurry up! We're going to be late!"
The door swung open and the moment Alice looked at Simon's outfit, she burst out laughing.
"What's with the bowtie?" she asked, pointing at Simon's bright red bowtie that clashed with his pastel yellow dress shirt.
"What? It's not that bad, is it?" He reached for the bowtie, immediately fiddling with it as a shade of pink crept up his cheeks. "I don't have a regular tie, and I want to look nice today..."
Alice narrowed her eyes at Simon as she walked passed him to enter the house, taking in the smell of lemon cleaner the rooms always smelled of.
"Why do you want to look nice for the third year anniversary of my boyfriend's bar?" Alice asked, trying to contain a snicker.
"I don't want to look nice for Isaac," Simon corrected quickly. "I want to look nice because... well..." he rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm going to ask Elizabeth if she wants to move in with me."
Gasping, Alice covered her mouth and jumped in the air. "Oh my god! Simon! Are you serious!?"
"Yeah..." Simon mumbled at the ground but couldn't hide the small smile growing on his face. "We've been together over a year, after all, and I don't know... I really think she's the one. She's nothing like the other girls I've been with."
"Aww, Simon," Alice gushed with her hands clasped at her chest. "Well, you know that we all love her. Ah!" She hopped in the air again. "I'm so happy for you!"
"And better yet, she's worked for Isaac for over two years and thinks he's a pompous moron who looks like a sewer rat, so I don't have to worry about the whole... 'Isaac stealing my girlfriends' curse."
Alice snapped her fingers together and pointed them at Simon, clicking her tongue. "I resent that, but heeey, whatever makes you happy!"
"Nah, he seems pretty into you. I don't think I'd have to worry about it," he said, making Alice smile widely. "But it does feel nice knowing she doesn't even find him attractive."
Alice chuckled at her brother.
Over the years, Alice couldn't express the gratitude she felt towards Simon's acceptance of Isaac. Still, Simon didn't particularly like Isaac, but he tolerated their relationship.
In fact, there was even one chilly winter night where Simon had a few too many pints at Isaac's bar while waiting for Elizabeth to finish her shift. As he sat at the bar with an empty glass in front of him, he drunkenly thanked Isaac for treating Alice with so much respect and admiration and for introducing him to his new girlfriend. He even told Isaac that he wasn't that bad of a guy.
Simon continues to deny that this interaction ever happened.
"Okay, take off that bowtie, and let's go!" Alice ordered, returning to the task at hand. "The taxi is waiting!"
"Alright, one second," Simon said and turned his back to Alice, leaning his hands on the banister of the staircase as he bellowed up the stairs. "Mark! You lazy asshole, hurry up! The taxi is here!"
"Give me a minute!" Mark barked back from down the stairs.
Simon rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "God, you have no idea how great it'll feel finally kicking Mark out if Elizabeth says yes."
"I can imagine," Alice said, and when the staircase creaked, she shifted her eyes from Simon to Mark. A smug smirk crawled up her lips, as it did every time when she observed Mark's growing beer belly and receding hairline. His worn out t-shirt barely covered his stomach and he desperately needed to shave his mustache.
"Oh, hi, Mark," Alice said with a tight smile.
"Hey," he grunted back as he put on his work boots at the door. "I hope you know I'm only coming to this stupid party to pick up chicks."
"Yeah, I'm sure that's gonna work really well for you," Alice said in an overly pleasant voice. "You have Dorito dust on your shirt, by the way."
Looking down at his shirt, Mark scowled and brushed away the orange remanents.
"Alright," Simon took off the bowtie and took one last look in the circular mirror hanging on the wall before saying, "Let's go."
When the taxi pulled up to the entrance, a lineup of people had already started at the bar. Not only had Isaac developed a large community of regular customers, but he was also making the drinks extraordinarily cheap for the special event.
After stepping out of the taxi, Alice took a moment to stare at the large sign over top of the door that simply read "Isaac's" in black cursive writing. Beside the name was a cartoonish logo of a plate of spaghetti and a bottle of beer.
It was definitely Isaac's bar.
Alice led Simon and Mark passed the line of people, giving a nod to the bouncer who let the three of them bypass the crowd.
There were perks of dating the owner of the bar.
When they walked inside, Alice was marveled by the number of people who already filled the bar. Nearly every seat was taken and the chatter inside drowned out the booming music. Stepping on her tippy toes, she tried to spot any of her friends in the sea of people.
"There's Elizabeth!" Simon shouted and turned to Alice. "I'll talk to you later. Wish me luck?"
"Good luck, Simon," Alice said and pulled him in for a hug. "I'm so happy for you. I know she'll be thrilled."
"Thanks," he said before pulling away from the embrace and rushing towards the petite girl with short brown hair and almond shaped eyes behind the bar. The way her face lit up when she spotted Simon warmed Alice's heart and she found herself taking a moment to thank life for finally handing Simon a good girl for him.
"I'm gonna go over there and hit up that chick," Mark said, interrupting Alice's fuzzy moment. She raised an eyebrow and frowned at him.
"You do that," she said flatly and watched Mark scurry towards a busty blonde standing by herself, sipping on a martini. When Mark held out his hand to introduce himself, the blonde stared at his hand before turning his back on him. Frowning, he rubbed the back of his neck and pivoted towards the next girl standing two feet over. She took one glance at him and walked away.
Alice laughed out loud before rolling her eyes and walking around the bar in search of her friends. Isaac loved the former bar so much, he kept the same wooden interior design. The only major difference was that he redid all the tables and chairs so they looked glossy, rather than permanently dusty and tattered.
"Oi, Alice! There you are!"
Alice spun on her heel at the sound of Blaise's voice shouting overtop of the music. Blaise walked with his arm intertwined through Emily's, guiding her as she waddled towards Alice, her hand placed on her oversized stomach.
"Oh my gosh, Emily, you are the cutest pregnant woman ever!" Alice gushed, rushing over to Emily, beaming at Emily's baby belly.
"Oh, ha-ha, stop humoring me," Emily said, folding her arms so they rested on her stomach. "I'm a whale and I know it."
"You're not a whale, you're the mother of my unborn daughter," Blaise said, resting his hand on Emily's back, whispering loud enough into her ear that Alice could hear. "And my incredibly sexy wife."
Emily looked up to Blaise and pouted her lips. "I love you for lying to me."
"It's not a lie, I swear!" Blaise said. "Doesn't she look great, Alice?"
"You look as beautiful and as radiant as a supermodel," Alice said, smiling widely at Emily, who rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, okay," she said. "I hope you know I'm dragging you both to my yoga classes every day for a year once this baby pops out. I can't believe I have two months left of this... it's torture!"
"Let's enjoy it while we can," Blaise said. "Once that baby is out, we'll be saying goodbye to sleep."
"Yeah, but at least I can have a damn glass of wine to get me through the day," she said and Alice and Blaise laughed.
"Two more months, honey," Blaise said, "then I'll buy you the biggest bottle of wine they've got."
"Good," Emily said and pecked Blaise on the cheek. "Have you seen Isaac yet? He was wondering where you are."
"No, I haven't seen him yet," Alice said, once again standing on her toes to find him. "Where was he?"
"Well, I've got to go use the washroom for the thousandth time tonight. Blaise, take her to Isaac," she said before crossing her fingers. "Here's hoping I can fit into the stall!"
Blaise grabbed Alice's wrist and dragged her through the people until they spotted Isaac sitting at a table of guests, laughing merrily with them as if he was best friends with all of them. When he saw Alice walk towards him, he perked up even higher and lept off his seat.
"Thanks so much for coming, guys," Isaac said to the table of young twenty-year-olds. "Tell your waitress the next round is on me!"
The table applauded Isaac as he waltzed up to Alice, immediately wrapping his arm around her shoulder and lowering his lips to hers for a quick kiss.
Even though it had been over three years, she still felt the same giddy surge that flowed through her every time their lips touched. He rested his forehead on hers and said, "I'm so glad you're here. This turn out is incredible."
"I know, holy crap!" Alice said with wide eyes as she scanned the entire bar. "I can't believe how crazy it is already. Did you see the lineup out the door?"
"No! It's not even eight o'clock and there's a lineup?" Isaac asked, his eyes shimmering with glee.
"Don't let it get to your head too much," Blaise said, wagging a stern finger in Isaac's face. As though he couldn't keep up the charade for another second, his face cracked into a smile and he lowered his hand to shake Isaac's. "Just kidding, mate. Congratulations. You've really nailed it."
"Thanks," he said, grinning proudly at his accomplishments. "So, how was work today?"
Blaise and Alice exchanged shifty glances.
"Oh, you know..." Alice started. "Our new boss continues to nag Blaise and I about our productivity, but he knows that without us and our app, his company would probably crumble. We're his biggest profit!"
"And it's not even that we aren't productive," Blaise piped up. "We just know how to have a good time while we're working. It's like laughter is foreign to him!"
"No one replaces you, that's for sure," Alice said, resting her head on his chest and looking at Isaac through her eyelashes.
"Well, I thought that was obvious." Isaac winked at Alice before receiving a playful shove on the chest from her.
Alice looked across the bar and squealed when she spotted Simon picking Elizabeth off the ground in a tight embrace and spinning her in a circle. "Ah! Simon's asking Elizabeth to move in with him, and it looks like it went well!"
"Holy, good for him," Isaac said. "And to think, they never would have met if it weren't for me."
"When are you two going to move in with each other?" Blaise asked, pointing his two fingers at them. "I mean, in the time that you've been dating, Emily and I got married and are having a baby, Simon's moving in with his girlfriend, and Mark's gained a hundred pounds. Isn't it time you guys start thinking about making the next step? Or does everything need to be snail pace with you?"
Isaac rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but Alice interrupted him before he could talk.
"Why does it matter where we live? I practically live there already, it's just nice having my own house to escape to when Isaac gets a little too neurotic."
"Hey!" Isaac said, scrunching his nose at Alice.
"Just being honest." She shrugged.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Isaac said. "Hey, I've gotta prepare for my speech that's right away. Have fun guys! All your drinks are free!"
"Cheers to that!" Blaise said and grabbed two pint glasses of mystery beer off the passing waitress, handing on to Alice. "M'lady."
"Why thank you," Alice said and took a seat at a table that was in view of the bathroom so Emily could spot them easily when she returned.
"So..." Blaise tapped his fingers on the table watching Alice huff and roll her eyes.
"Yes, Blaise?"
"Why do you sound so displeased by me simply starting a conversation?"
"Because I know you, and I know that whenever you start a sentence with "So..." you're probably going to ask me some deep question about my life."
"Bloody hell, we spend too much time together," he said and Alice laughed. "Okay, you're right. I'm just wondering, does it bother you at all that you know... you and Isaac aren't really... moving forward? I'm surprised he hasn't even mentioned proposing yet..."
She shrugged her shoulders and traced the lip of her pint with her finger. "I dunno... I guess it would be nice, but overall I'm just happy being with him. Besides, we've got all the time in the world to worry about marriage, and mortgages, and shared bank accounts. We're young, and I know he loves me, so... what's the rush?"
"I guess so," he said. "And you're not lying right now?"
"Nope," she said confidently. "I trust that whenever Isaac is ready to move forward, he will. Besides, we've both been so busy for work, I have a hard time imagining planning a wedding in the middle of everything. Yours and Emily's was stressful enough."
"Hey, whatever floats your boat," Blaise said. "I'm really happy with how everything has ended up. I feel like everything is falling into place so naturally."
"Well, I'd say we deserve it after all of our hard work," Alice said and raised her glass. "Cheers, to our years of friendship and many more to come."
"Cheers!"
"I fit into the bathroom stall!" Emily cheered as she returned to the table.
"I knew you could do it," Alice giggled and pulled out a seat for Emily.
Emily picked up a menu off the table. "Do you think cheese fries are good for the baby?"
"I think cheese fries are great for the baby," Blaise said, smiling fondly at Emily.
The night carried on with the same amount of enthusiasm and excitement. Everyone laughed happily with each other, hugs were present throughout the entire bar, and even the elderly patrons were having a great time socializing with the younger crowd. The atmosphere was amazing, and it was safe to say that Isaac had truly succeeded in running an amazing establishment.
She was so proud of him.
The lengths he made over the years was incredible. Although he would always adore his beer, no longer did Isaac rely on pharmaceuticals or binge drinking to cope with his anxiety. Genuine happiness shined through him. Even during the most stressful times, he still managed to remain cool and level headed.
Therapy worked wonders for him. Shortly after quitting Hanes Pharmaceuticals, he began seeing a psychologist weekly. Eventually, he slowly weaned himself down to an appointment every two weeks, to only monthly visits. He had become so insightful, Alice found herself turning to him more and more for own specific rant-sessions, and he gave such great advice, he joked that soon he would have to start charging her by the hour.
She negotiated that sexual favors could be exchanged instead and Isaac was more than happy about the agreement.
Although he was ashamed to admit it, he even took a handful of yoga classes from Emily, and he couldn't deny that it was a much healthier outlet than popping Xanax.
Emily was quite pleased about that.
"Attention, everyone!" Every person in the bar shifted their glance to Isaac, who was standing on top of the bar, holding his arms up high to grab everyone's attention. "I wanted to take this moment to thank every single one of you for joining me in celebrating the past three most amazing years of my life!"
The bar exploded in cheers and applause, and Isaac held his own beer out before taking a swig.
"Not only have you all helped make this business a success, I've also made some really great friends with a lot of you," Isaac said. "If you haven't come said hello yet, don't be shy! I'd love to meet you!"
Alice laughed at a cute young girl who couldn't have been older than nineteen blush frantically when her young friend nudged her shoulder. Isaac still had a little fan club, even if he wasn't known for being a rich CEO.
"But there's one person, in particular, I really want to thank." Isaac took a deep breath before turning on his heel to face Alice. "My absolutely gorgeous girlfriend, Alice Black!"
Alice felt her whole body turn crimson and she lowered her head as the entire bar cheered and gawked at her. Emily wooped loudly in Alice's ear, louder than any drunk person in the bar.
"Come up here for a second, Alice," Isaac said once the applause died down a bit.
Alice shook her head and mimed "No" with her hands, feeling her body heat up under all the eyes watching her.
"Come on, Alice," Blaise nudged her shoulder. "Get up there!"
"No, no, it's fine. I can hear from here!"
"Alice, come on," Isaac said. "If you don't come up here I'm going to make Blaise carry you up here."
Alice tried to groan, but laughter escaped instead and she found herself getting shoved off her chair by Emily. Reluctantly sighing, but beaming from the unexpected grand gesture, she made her way up to the ground.
Isaac bent his knees and lowered his arm to help Alice up the bar. When she stood in front of the crowd of people, she felt her legs wobble and she was thankful Isaac didn't let go of her hand.
"This is Alice and she changed my life," Isaac said loudly to the room. "If it weren't for this woman, I would still be living a life I loathed because I didn't ever believe there were any other options."
Alice squeezed his hand and smiled widely, trying to hold back the tears she could feel creeping up her throat. Even though she and Isaac were publically dating, it was still surreal for him to say something so romantic in front of so many people.
"She's stood by my side for so many years; Motivating me, challenging me in ways she doesn't even know, helped me discover parts of myself I didn't know existed... she's without a doubt the love of my life. So, I think it would safe to say that it would be really stupid if I didn't do this..."
Alice tilted her neck and narrowed her eyes at Isaac when he let go of her hand... and slowly move it to the pocket of his suit.
"Wh-what would be stupid?" Alice asked and Isaac's lips curled to the side and he gave her a quick wink.
With his hand still fumbling around in his pocket, he slowly lowered his left knee.
Alice gasped and threw her hands up to her head. "No fucking way!"
That made Isaac and the rest of the people in the bar laugh, but she could hardly notice due to the somersaulting in her stomach as she lowered her hazelnut eyes to Isaac's. The blue in his eyes danced with eagerness as he grabbed her hand delicately.
Was this really happening?
"Alice, you're the single greatest thing that has ever happened to me..." he said. "Will you... will you continue making me the happiest man on the planet by saying yes to this next question?"
Tears bubbled through Alice's eyes and she covered her mouth with her free hand, unable to speak, nodding her head.
"Thank god," he said. "Alice... will you marry me?"
Without hesitation, she dropped to her own knees and threw her arms around Isaac, sobbing as she nodded her head vigorously. She grabbed his face and planted her lips upon his as she continued to bob her head up and down. Emily and Blaise had made their way to the front of the crowd. Blaise's fist was in the air cheering and Emily blubbered
Finally, she broke away, "I can't believe this - you - I had no idea!"
"I've been planning it for a while," he said and winked. "So is that a yes, then?"
"Yes, of course, it's a yes, you idiot!"
"Wanna see the ring?"
"Oh my god, I forgot there's even a ring," Alice said in between heavy breaths and waving her hands to dry her eyes. "Yes, I want to see it!"
He pulled out a small velvet black box and opened it to reveal the most beautiful ring she had ever seen in her life. An elegant rose gold band with an oval diamond perching on top stared back at her, making her cry even more as Isaac slipped it on her finger.
He stood up and pulled her up to her feet to grab her waist. Resting his forehead on hers, he stared deeply and passionately into her eyes and whispered quietly enough that no one could hear, "I love you so much, Alice Black."
"I love you too, Isaac Hanes."
She turned her neck to look at the audience, quickly spotting Simon who was applauding with the rest of the people. When he made eye contact with her, he gave her a thumbs up, and her heart soared with unconditional love from her brother's approval. Beside Simon was Mark, who looked revolted and bitter with his arms crossed and forehead scrunched up. That felt pretty good.
"Oh my god, you bitch, get down here so I can see that ring!" Emily screeched from the crowd and Alice turned to Isaac to quickly kiss him one last time before rushing to show off her new ring.
"Thank you, everyone, for joining me for what is the happiest day of my life," Isaac called out the bar. "This round is on me!"
Isaac slid off the bar to join his new fiancee and two friends on the ground. Blaise didn't bother trying to hide the tears that glistened in the corners of his eyes.
"What the hell, you prat!? You should probably keep your best man informed!"
"I just wanted it to be a surprise for everyone," Isaac said, smirking. "Probably feeling pretty silly for nagging us about moving in together now, huh?"
"Well, sort of, but now I really think you should move in together," he said, tapping his chin with his finger. "Married with separate houses is a little strange."
"Well, what do you say?" Isaac looked down at Alice. "Wanna move in with me?"
"Hmm... let me think about it..." Alice giggled, resting her chin on her fist as if in deep thought. "Yeah, I think I could probably arrange that."
"There you go," Isaac said to Blaise. "Happy?"
"You're such a prick," Blaise laughed but pulled Isaac in for a one-armed hug. "So happy for you, mate."
"Thanks, man."
Emily continued bawling her eyes out and threw her arms around Alice's neck, openly weeping into Alice's shoulder until it was wet. "Why'd you have to do this when I'm pregnant and hormonal? I'm never going to stop crying! I...I just love you both so much. E...even you, Isaac."
"We love you too, Em," Alice said, patting her friend's platinum blonde hair.
"So, what do you guys say a round of shots for old times sakes?" Blaise said and received a glare from Emily's bloodshot eyes. "Erm, well, three shots and a chocolate milkshake?"
The rest of the night was a euphoric blur. After the shots, Alice didn't even drink any more alcohol. She was simply intoxicated from emotions as dozens of people waltzed up to congratulate her. It was the most surreal night of her life.
She truly had everything she ever wanted.
An amazing fiancee who she loved more than she ever thought possible, two fantastic best friends, a healthy relationship with her brother, and she continued to thrive at her career.
After the last drunk person stumbled out the bar and Isaac locked up the door, he looped his fingers through hers and guided her down the sidewalk.
"So, what do you want to do for our first night as an engaged couple?" he asked.
"Oh, I've got a few ideas," she said, wiggling her eyebrows.
"And what are those?"
"Balcony sex?"
He squeezed her hand tightly and kissed the top of her head. "And this is why I love you."
A man walked by them and stopped them in the middle of the sidewalk and held out a dollar. "Hi, sorry to bother you. Do either of you have a cigarette I could buy off you?"
"Sorry," Alice quickly said with a wide smile. "We don't smoke."
That time, she wasn't even lying to herself.
Everything had fallen into place.
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