The corner of his mouth tilts up proudly. “So eloquent with words.” His wicked laughter vibrates against my chest as he touches his lips to mine in a sweet, final gesture.
I wrap my legs around him and inspiration strikes. I blurt against his mouth, “Maybe you should move in here?” He pulls back and looks down at me with a distinct twinkle to his eyes. “Bruce and I have discussed it already and we both think it’s a good idea. I’ll have to warn you about Bruce Hugs, though. They can be rather intense. But it’d be nice to have you around to fix things, take him for a walkies, water the plants.”
“Water the plants?” he asks, pursing his lips to conceal a laugh.
“Yes. I think you’d do a proper job,” I state with a deadpan expression. “Vincent is such a flirt, ya know.”
“Vincent is a flirt,” he grumbles. “I think I can water your plants. And I can take care of your dog. And I can take care of these precious assets,” he purrs, reaching down and squeezing my bum. “It’s time for more.”
I reach up and touch the crinkles around his eyes affectionately all the while knowing that 11:11 has come and gone and he’s stayed right here with me…in the moment…in the present…talking about our future.
“That’s the exactly what I had in mind.”
THE RIPPLE EFFECT
Standing outside of BOLT FROM THE BLUE CAKES and looking at Vi’s excited eyes as she awaits our mystery cake box delivery is an experience in and of itself. I don’t think I ever fully realised how much she loved this place the first time she brought me here. Her blue eyes are bright and twinkling. Her feet won’t stop shifting in anticipation. And she keeps beaming back at me like this is the best day of her life.
I grin.
Bunny has no clue what’s coming.
That’s my new favourite thing about her.
Life with Vi isn’t perfect. Far from it. But with her beside me, I don’t feel broken. I feel whole. I feel loved and I feel fucking fantastic because she makes me strong enough to know I can feel. Being angry or sad or upset doesn’t feel like the end when you have that one person in your life who wants to love you through it. No questions asked. She fucking loves me. Any ripple in our relationship is a wave we ride together. Our ripples make us…us. Loving her doesn’t make me weak. In fact, I’ve never felt stronger than when I hold her in my arms.
Vi Harris makes me desperate to continue moving forward. She stirs the ripples.
And now it’s time to make a fucking splash.
The man behind the window returns with a very different type of box from the normal cardboard ones the mystery cupcakes usually come in. I imagine Vi is frowning in confusion, but I can’t see her expression…
…because I’m kneeling behind her.
She grabs the box and turns around with a puzzled look as she finds me on the ground. “Hayden?” she croaks, her mouth a strange mixture between an O and a smile.
“Vi,” I start with a sneaky smirk. “Open the box.”
She purses her lips together and with trembling hands, she strokes the lid that I’ve spent months hand-carving to make utterly perfect. It’s a baroque-style design, espresso-stained, wooden keepsake box. I carved in a round clock face with the time 11:11 engraved on the lid. Right next to it, there’s a tiny ornate genie lamp representing a wish. She swallows hard and opens the lid.
Inside are two cupcakes with a ring box nestled in between.
She smiles.
She cries.
She giggles.
She makes me the happiest fucking man on Earth and I haven’t even asked her the question yet.
“Vilma Harris, will you marry me?”
My words are simple because I’ve spent the last year of our life together never wasting a single moment. If she looks beautiful, I tell her. If I love something she makes, I tell her. If she makes me spitting mad, I tell her. And then we fight. Hard.
And then we make up. Harder.
God do we make up. Vi makes me feel everything all the time. But mostly…she makes me feel alive.
“Yes,” she answers with a squealing sigh. “God, Hayden, yes! I will so marry you.”
She falls down on top of me, knocking me off balance and taking us both down as she goes. She giggles and smashes her lips into mine while clutching the box awkwardly between us. The corner digs into my chest and the pain is noticeable, but it’s also perfect because it’s not perfect. It’s exactly how life ought to be.
“Happy birthday, Bunny,” I murmur against her eager lips.
“I officially love my birthday.” She grins and kisses me sweetly once more.
I smile up at her and reply, “It’s about time.”
THE END