“I-I can’t believe you bought it.” I’m gasping for air.
He holds the ring up between us. “I knew I’d be asking you to be my wife from the very second you walked into that hotel room and back into my life. And when I saw your face that night looking at this ring, I just knew – I knew it belonged on your finger, and I’ve been waiting for the right moment ever since to ask you. I know now is not the most romantic, or perfect time to propose.” He glances around at our dim concrete surroundings. “But now is the only time I have before I lose you for good. So I’ll ask you again…” He pulls in a deep breath. “Trudy Bennett, I love you beyond any lyrics I could ever write, or any words I could ever say. I always have, and I always will. Marry me?”
I stare at him, speechless.
My best friend. My lover. My life.
And he is my life. He always has been, even through our years apart.
Jake is all I think of, all I see when I look into my future. And tries as I might to fight being with him for fear of his life, of getting hurt by it, it simply hurts more to be without him. I see that now.
Eventually, I would have followed my heart back to him, because he is my everything.
Jake once said on stage that Jonny was the mighty in their storm, and now I see that Jake is my mighty storm. He’s broken and complex, and no one knows him like I do, or ever will. He needs me.
He’s my storm to calm. And I’m going to spend the rest of my life doing just that.
“Say something, Tru, please, you’re killing me here.” His voice is painted with nerves, his chest rising and falling heavily. “Just say anything but no – don’t say no – just tell me what I need to do for you to say yes and I’ll do it. Because I can’t spend another second without you.”
I reach my hand up and touch his face, smoothing my fingers over his skin, trying to erase his fears, and the lost look in his eyes, the one which only I can see.
Then I smile.
“You don’t need to do anything. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
His face breaks into the biggest smile I’ve ever seen, mirroring my own. Complete adoration in his eyes reserved only for me.
“You will?”
“I will.”
I hold my left hand up to him and halting my breath, I watch as he takes my hand and slides the ring over my knuckle, setting it to rest on my finger.
The diamond is huge against my hand.
Keeping my hand in his, Jake lifts it to his mouth and kisses the ring on my finger. Then I can’t contain my bubbling happiness any longer, and it bursts out of me in full technicolor glory and I’m grabbing his face kissing him hard, smothering him with the absolute pure love I feel for him.
“I love you so much,” he says against my lips. “I’ll never let you down again, baby. I swear. I’ll make you so happy.”
“I know,” I breathe. “I know.”
“Um…?” I hear a voice from behind Jake, and moving my mouth from his, I glance past him to see Tom here grinning at us both.
Jakes turns, taking me with him, unwilling to let me go just yet.
“What?” he says irritably to Tom.
“Well Romeo, we were just wondering if there’s any chance of you making an appearance back on stage at any point tonight? Because there are twenty thousand seriously pissed off fans out there,” he thumbs over his shoulder, “who can’t figure why the fuck you just bolted off stage like a crazy person mid-way through a song – and apparently my singing just isn’t cutting, so I’m envisaging a fuckin’ riot any minute if you don’t get your sorry ass back out on stage.”
Laughing at Tom, I slide my hands into Jake’s back pockets. “You better go finish your show.” I smile up at him.
He looks down at me reluctant.
“They paid good money to hear you sing, baby. You owe then that encore. I’ll be here waiting when you’re done. I’m not going anywhere. Remember, I promised. I’m yours now, forever.” I slide my hand out of his pocket, lifting my ring up to him.
“Forever,” he echoes, brushing my hair off my face, he kisses my lips again. “Come on then, let’s go give these people what they paid to see.”
He’s about to move when I ask him, “Are you still going to sing Hurt?”
I don’t want him to. I want him to leave that song behind now. I want us both to start afresh.
Jake rests his hands either side of my neck, touching my face with his thumbs, he tilts his head to the side. I see the flicker of memory and humour in his eyes as he shakes his head, no. “I’m thinking maybe I need a new title song, and I was thinking … I dunno.” He pushes his lip together in thought, his brow creasing. “What about … I Can’t Get No Satisfaction?”
I grin, feeling that familiar pull and heat in my belly, remembering just exactly what we did that night after all our talking was done.
“Hmm.” I scrunch my face up in thought. “Well, I’ll have to see what I can do about that.”