Chapter 19 – Belinda
I got back to the house and I was furious. How could I have been so stupid? This was never about love. It never is with men. I’m just a stupid needy girl. I can’t believe I put myself out there like that. Making myself so vulnerable that I believed them.
For a while, I just sat on the couch crying. How could I continue to be a part of this community now? I’ve been so humiliated. I had to leave. Start some place fresh. But the thought of moving to a new city where I knew no one was daunting. And the entire process could take months. Why did this have to happen?
The doorbell rang, shaking me out of my daze. This had to be the guys. I could just pretend I wasn’t here. The bell rang again. Should I call the cops? That seems extreme. No. I would face them. I got up and opened the door, prepared to scream at them.
“Hello,” said the delivery guy sheepishly. “Are you Belinda? These roses are for you?”
The delivery guy was holding a massive bouquet of roses, obviously from the guys. I thought about rejected them, but they were very nice. Plus, I’m sure they were already paid for, so why waste them? I signed for them and brought them into the house. But there was no note.
“This is ridiculous,” I said to myself. “This has to be from the guys. Why would they send me this with no note. It’s dumb. I should call them.”
Then I realized, that was the plan.
“Ah, ha!” I said aloud. “Nice try, Theo!”
The doorbell rang a few minutes later. Pathetic. They were trying to buy me back with gifts. I marched to the door. This time, I’d refuse the gift. Let them waste their money.
When I opened the door, it wasn’t another delivery guy or a limo driver, it was the guys. They were all well-dressed. I went to slam the door in their face.
“Hold on, Belinda,” insisted Franklin. “Let us explain.”
“The bet was never about you being a thing,” said Miles. “We were just trying to challenge each other to win your heart.”
“Look at it from our perspective,” suggested Theo. “We didn’t honestly know if this could work. We’re in uncharted territory here.”
“I didn’t like it!” I said tearfully. “It made me feel like nothing to you!”
“We treasure you, Belinda,” assured Franklin. “We wouldn’t have done all this unless we did. Miles and I have money, Theo is a charmer--- We can have any women we want. This is about you.”
“We love you, Belinda,” said Miles. “We all fit. We compliment each other’s weaknesses, remember? It doesn’t mean we’re perfect.”
“My sister--- That’s my fault,” said Theo. “I didn’t stop to explain things to her. If I had, this never would’ve happened.”
“How can I trust that it won’t?” I cried. “You did this once, you could do it again.”
“We’re not perfect,” said Franklin. “But for us, you are. I love you. We all do.”
“It’s true,” agreed Theo. “We all love you.”
The boys all pulled out identical ring boxes and got down on one knee. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
“Look, we know we haven’t been together long,” smiled Franklin. “Aw, hell, I’m no good at this.”
“Things move fast, but as you know, I like that. We like that,” said Miles.
“Marry us, Belinda,” said Theo. “You’ll make us all very happy. There’s no one else in the world for us than you. Really. Would you do us the honor?”
They opened the boxes. Inside were three gorgeous rings.
“A jeweler friend of mine made this, custom just for you,” explained Franklin.
“You put them all on and they form one ring,” said Miles.
“It makes an eternity symbol across the bands,” said Theo. “Clever, huh?”
Suddenly, my heart was full again. All relationships had bumps in the road, but the guys were serious and in love. I knew that now. There was only one response.
“Yes!” I said excitedly. “Yes, of course!”
They put the rings on me one at a time. The eternity band was just as Theo said. It was also encrusted with a lot of diamonds! My God! It must’ve cost a fortune.
“This is quite a ring!” I exclaimed.
“You’re worth it, baby!” smiled Franklin.
I kissed Franklin, then Miles and then Theo. I wish I could kiss them all at the same time. I was so overwhelmed with emotion, I started to cry.
“Sorry,” I said. “I can’t believe what I was thinking just a few moments ago. I almost threw this all away over a stupid misunderstanding.”
“We’re all human,” said Theo. “We’ll probably have misunderstandings in the future.”
“True, but I know now to keep calm,” I said. “I know now that you three truly love me. And I love you. C’mon, let’s go inside. I think it’s time to celebrate.”
“What did you have in mind?” said Franklin impishly.
“Oh, I think you know,” I smiled.