Bailey checked the clock. She was running late. Levi would be at her door at any minute and when she wasn’t on time, he’d watch her silently, his lips in a straight line. It drove her nuts, so she picked up the pace. She dashed across the room in search of his latest gift. The blue box was still sitting on the coffee table. She pulled out the diamond earrings and put them on.
Bailey spent three blissful months dating both Jaxon and Levi. She went out with each of them twice a week and used the other three days to get things done. It was an ideal arrangement. Jaxon took her kayaking. She capsized three times and he had to fish her out the water like a drowned rat. Afterwards, they cuddled by the fire just laughing about it. Levi flew her first class to New York to see her favorite musical after he caught her humming a few bars of Satisfied.
But the clock was ticking, and soon she’d have to pick one of them over the other and she was no closer to deciding than she was when she first met them. They were both amazing men that met everything she asked for in different measure. She even tried to prioritize the things she wanted, and still they came out tied.
She could sense the rising tension in the men, both gentle prodding to figure out if they were the one she’d chosen. She knew no matter which one she picked, she was going to break someone’s heart. It was an impossible choice and she felt like a monster for not making it sooner and forcing two people to endure the kind of uncertainty she herself could never stand.
She heard a knock at the door as she putting on her shoes. “Coming,” she said hopping towards the door. She smoothed down her skirt and opened the door.
Levi stood there looking dashing in his suit, which he wore as though it was a second skin. He gave her an appraising look that made her blush. “Nice,” he said with a nod. “Are you ready?”
Levi wouldn’t tell her where they were going, only that it was formal. But she never knew what to expect with him, for all she knew it could be a formal event in the south of France.
“Yes. Though for what, I do not know.”
As they walked towards the elevator, he put his hand against the small of her back and guided her to the stairwell.
She gave him a confused look as they took the stairs up to the roof of the building. The occasional teenager hung up there to sneak some weed, but other than that, there wasn’t much there.
When the door opened, she gasped. The roof of her building had been transformed. Flowers covered every visible surface, and lights hung from post to post, circling a table that was already set. It was a scene out of a fairytale and he’d brought it to life. “It’s lovely, but why?”
He gave her a sad smile. “You know why.”
Because she’d have to pick soon, and if she didn’t choose him, this was their goodbye. She could feel her heart breaking in her chest at the thought. She couldn’t imagine how he must feel.
Soft music played in the background. It took her a moment to realize it was a violin rendition of her favorite song. He must have had it custom recorded because she couldn’t imagine many violinists were N’Sync fans.
He pulled out her chair and she took a seat. Then he took the cover off the tray in front of her and she had to bite back laughter because it was her favorite food. The most elegant bowl of mac-n-cheese ever crafted. She could only imagine the poor five-star chef tasked with this job.
When he uncovered his meal, she figured he’d be eating something a bit fancier, but no, he was having the same thing she was having.
They sipped their wine and ate mac-n-cheese off hundred dollar plates and just talked. They talked about work, their friends, the best cheese to noodle ratio for perfect mac-n-cheese. Spending time with him had become easy.
After they ate, he took her by the hand and pulled her close. They danced cheek to cheek on rose petals surrounded by fairy lights. She held him close and didn’t want to let go.
He pulled back so that he could look into her eyes. “When I was little, I asked my mother how she knew she loved my father. He was a difficult man who did not seem easy to love. She told me that she knew she loved him because she cared more about his happiness than her own. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what that meant, but now I do. I would slay dragons for you. If you wanted the moon, I’d find a way to pluck it from the sky and lay it at your feet.” He took a gold chain out of his pocket, a bear pendant hanging at the end of it. “I want you to have this.”
She took a step back, her eyes were misty. “I can’t. I haven’t chosen yet.”
He closed the space between them and unclasped the chain. “It doesn’t matter. No matter what you decide, I’m yours. There is no helping that. So this is yours.” He clasped the chain around her neck and then he kissed her.
He kissed her like a man taking his last sip of water before being forced to cross the desert. She melted against him, returning his kiss. Her hands slipped under his shirt, caressing his firm chest. He kissed a trail across her cheek and down to her neck. He unzipped her dress in a single fluid movement leaving it hanging from her arms.
As if hit with a bucket of water, she stopped. “Wait. We can’t,” she said as she tried to close her dress again.
“So it isn’t me,” he stated softly.
“No, that’s not it. I really haven’t decided. It’s just that I haven’t…with him…so if I…with you, then I feel like that would be deciding for me.” How easy it would have been to forget herself. To let him take her right there on the rooftop, on a bed of rose petals under the night sky. She would have never imagined herself mourning having two dreamy men in love with her. But as time ticked down, that’s exactly how she felt.
Levi helped her zip her dress back up and hugged her tightly. Wish her face pressed against his chest he told her. “Don’t worry. I understand.”