-Louis-
"Chop, chop" I clapped my hands, entering Chelsea's room "lets go, let's go"
"Just wait a second, Lou" she replied, running her straightener through her hair
"You look perfect already. No need to fiddle with your hair some more" I retort, giving her a kiss
"Well that's sweet, but I'm almost finished"
"I'm going to grab a drink. Don't be too long, ok?" I give her arm a light squeeze and walk to the kitchen. I grabbed a coke and popped the lid
"Why are you in such a rush?" My mom asked me, grabbing a drink from the fridge as well
"I want to get to the gardens just when the sun is setting" I reveal "I want the sky to be perfect when we get there"
"You still have a but if time before sunset"
"We are going to dinner first"
"Oh" she replied "well I hope you beat the rain"
"It's supposed to rain?" I groan
"Yeah" she nodded "downpour. You may not want to risk it"
"We leave tomorrow. We have to go today. Chels said she really wanted to see the gardens. She's not afraid of a little rain anyway"
"Ok, I'm ready" Chelsea approached us, slinging her purse over her shoulder
I downed the rest of my coke before tossing into the trash bin
---
We arrived at the Zest Grill and ordered two steak skillets.
At the last minute, I went completely out of my comfort zone. I grabbed Chelsea's hand and said a quick prayer over our meal that had yet to arrive
The smile on her face afterwards said it all.
Our food arrived, dragging a trail of steam along with it. You could hear the sizzle of the skillet as the waiter drew nearer to the table.
It tasted just as good as it smelled. As Chelsea began eating, I noticed her fingernails changed colors from yesterday
"You do your nails?" I ask, pointing my fork to her dainty fingers, then began digging at my food again
"Oh" Chelsea turned her hand so she could see her nails "yeah. I bought the color the other day when I went shopping with Lottie. I'm surprised you noticed"
"Of course I noticed. I notice everything about you, love"
Chelsea let a smirk dance across her face "well aren't you just bring mr. romantic tonight"
I shrugged me shoulders, cracking a smile "I try"
"Not usually" she laughed, wiping the edges of her mouth with a napkin "but I like it when you try. It's cute"
"You're cute" I smirked "remember that time you called me a hero?" I a surprise myself with the question
Chelsea sat back in her chair, her eyes looking above, trying to trigger the memory
"Ohhhh" she slowly began nodding her head "yeah. When you walked me to my car, right?"
"Right. You know, I've never-not even for one second- forgotten those words you spoke"
She cocked her head slightly, trying to understand
"I think that was a defining point in me making the decision that I liked you"
"You had to make a decision to like me?" Chelsea's face read slightly angry, but her expression also held a hint if curiosity
"Yeah. I tried to convince myself that I didn't like you. I told myself it was because you were boring and just absolutely not my type-"
Mid sentence, Chelsea folded her arms across her chest, giving me a look. You know, that look
"Is this supposed to be making me feel loved right now, because it's not"
"No, no, let me finish" i shook my head, trying to regain my thoughts "I told myself that, because deep down, I knew you were to good for me. I thought there was no way you and I could end up together."
Chelsea's expression softened
"Well we did" she smiled
"And there's nothing in this world that I'm more grateful for"
-Chelsea-
Louis showered me with compliments and kind words throughout dinner and during the trip to the gardens. Not that he isn't ever sweet, but my mind raced with possibilities as to why he's being particularly cheesy today. Is he sick? Is he moving back to Doncastor?
Lou hooked his arm through mine and led me to the entrance of the garden
We walked on the stone path, admiring the exuberant display of flowers, bushes, hedges, and everything else greenery.
"So beautiful" I said, taking a deep breath of the ever-so- fresh air
Louis nodded, before stopping and taking both of my hands
"This past year has been crazy" he began "we started out hating each other, then things got better, then things got worse. But that was all worth it because of where we are now"
I felt my cheeks warming. I glanced down at the ground before locking my glance with Louis' once again
"I know it's cliche, but you are by far, without a doubt, the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart" his British voice rang. His hands stayed intwined with mine
Suddenly, I felt my cheek get wet. I winced as another drop of water landed on my face
"No" Louis said firmly, looking to the sky "I'm finishing this"
"Finishing what?" I ask, wiping my cheek dry
"My speech" he states, grabbing my hand again
"Okay" he took a deep breath has the rain began to pick up. "I never want to worry about losing you, or worrying that some other guy is going to steal you away from me. Because you and I both know they'll be interested"
I let out a small laugh
I could feel my hair begin to soak, and everyone else who were visiting the gardens rushed inside, or into their cars. but I didn't care about the rain. Louis words were like medicine to the soul, and I was going to soak every last bit of it up
"You, Chelsea, have changed my life. And I don't want to live without you"
He reached into his coat pocket, revealing a small box
"Don't worry" he said, before I could panic "it's not an engagement ring" he chuckled softy, wiping his face from the rain "I know we aren't ready to get married."
He opened the small black box. A ring with a small diamond perched on the top set in the box
"Louis it's beautiful" I covered my mouth in shock
"It's a promise ring" he smiled, taking it out if the box
"A long time ago you said that I was playing a game. That what I was doing with you was apart of my players game." He said as the the sky began to crack with lightening "I want you to know that that part if my life is over. I love you. And love is not a game"
He gave me the ring, letting me see it up close
On the inside of the ring were the engraved words 'The game ends here'
I covered my mouth for the second time as tears threatened to spill onto my already wet cheeks. This notion of romance and love melted my heart and made me realize again, how lucky I am to have this special, wonderful man in my life
"That's where I went the other day. To get it engraved" he had to raise his voice substantially to be heard over the rain
"Louis I don't know what to say" I shook my head repeatedly
"A kiss would suffice" he smirked, gripping the ring and sliding on my finger
He pulled me in close as the rain roared around us. The sky shook with thunder. Our lips met, magnifying the moment. water dumped from the sky, the drops of rain ran down the sides of our faces. our clothing now drenched.
Louis pulled away and pressed our foreheads together, letting the sweet words escape his lips
"The game ends here, and the rest of our lives, together, starts now"
-----
And that's all folks! I hope you guys enjoyed this book! It was super fun to write. All of your comments were a joy to read and made me laugh more than they probably should have! Thank you so much for all of your support.
In other news, the first chapter of my new Harry Styles AU 'if you let me in' is now up! I just published it, and would love for you to check it out. It's a totally different type of writing and story and I think you guys will like it.
Thanks again lovelys!
-kendyll
xx