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Emily
To the bathroom I went when I woke up that next morning. I might have awakened Benjamin in the process when I fell out of bed trying to crawl over him when there had been no point. I was just so out it. I groaned as I clutched the toilet and waited for my stomach to empty itself, only nothing came, and I was stuck with the realization that I wasn’t going to throw up. My stomach churned like I would though, and the pounding in my skull told me it was going to be a very long morning.
I was hung over.
I survived a night drinking.
“So… Feel like doing that again?” Benjamin stood by the door rubbing his eyes with a sleepy smile.
“Ugh,” was my response.
I got drunk, and I had no need to do it again anytime soon. I wasn’t on the verge of becoming an alcoholic. I was okay. Years of silent fear and a knotted stomach, I could finally put it to rest along with my lonely childhood.
I had a sober father now. An amazing guy who happened to be my best friend. And a mom who put effort into getting to know me more now than she ever did when I was little.
Speaking of Dad, I lifted my head and caught Benjamin studying me. “What time is it? I need to shower and become a person before Dad gets here. You know he’s gonna come help even though we told him he didn’t have to.” He was still staring. “What?” I asked.
“Nothing.” It didn’t look like nothing by the way he was staring. He turned away. “Get in the shower. I’ll bag up our mess from last night and take it down in case your dad does show up.”
I peeled off my clothes and twisted my hair in a clip. I got in the shower once the water was nice and hot. As I lathered myself with a loofah, I slowly came back to life and started thinking about the night before.
Those nachos were so good last night.
So was riding Benjamin. I smiled as I dipped my face underneath the stream of water, making sure not to get my hair wet.
I was a chatterbox last night. I bet I could recall at least a hundred different questions I had asked him ranging from the solar system to the mole on the side of his neck.
I wanna have your babies.
I dropped my loofah and made the mistake of opening my eyes. “Shit.” I blinked and pulled my eyes out of the hot water, then I covered my mouth when I put together the rest of the night.
I wanna marry you first though.
The last of the night right before I drifted to sleep was the most important part of all.
It doesn’t count when you say it right now because you’re drunk, but if you remember in the morning… And still want to, then tell me, and I’ll take over from there.
You better remember this conversation in the morning.
Now I was in a rush, turning off the water and opening the shower curtain as I dashed out of the bathroom with just a towel.
“Benjamin!” I yelled just as I stepped into the bedroom. Everything was packed up and ready to go for the move so when Benjamin stood next to the window holding a tiny box, jumping a mile when I caught him by surprise and dropped the box, I knew his heart was hammering just as much as mine. I saw him clear as day.
I slowed at the door, gripping my towel as I entered. “What is that?” I watched as he quickly bent down and picked up the black box, tucking it into his back pocket.
“What?” He scratched his neck and looked the other way. “Nothing.”
“You said to tell you if I remember,” I rushed out, and he looked up quickly. “I remember.”
“Then…”
“Yeah, the sooner, the better.” I took a step, then he came toward me.
“Truthfully…” His voice was low as he pulled the box back out. “I’ve wanted to do this probably since the moment you became mine, but I thought that you’d rather wait until we were together longer…” He opened the ring box, and a tear slid down my cheek as I caught sight of my ring. “I love you, Emily. There’s no one I’d rather spend my life with than my best friend. Marry me.”
I let him slip the ring on my finger before I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I love you.”
“Ready for the rest of our lives?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Should I pound on my chest now?” he asked, and I laughed.
“I wouldn’t get mad if you did.”