The ProposalCHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHTAlexa’s POVThere was something odd about the air today. I couldn't quite put my finger on it yet, but it was oddly cheerful, like a calm but blissful energy had popped up into the atmosphere all of a sudden. It started with my mom. She was humming in the kitchen at six in the morning. Yes, humming. It totally caught me off guard because my mom didn’t hum. She lectured, reminded, cooked, and occasionally danced and made out with my dad in the living room when her favorite country jam played. But this? This kind of sunshine-on-toast energy was suspicious. So I decided to inquire. When I asked what the occasion was, she just smiled at me with that peculiar twinkle in her eye and said, “Aren’t we allowed to be happy once in a while, darling?”That was clie number two. Mom was never vague about anything, unless there was a surprise. I wracked my brain for something, but nothing came up. I narrowed my eyes and sipped my tea. Something was off, and s
The Final-PT3CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVENDevon’s POVIf someone had told me three years ago that I’d one day be hunting for an engagement ring in the middle of finals season, sandwiched between term papers and sleepless nights, I’d have laughed them off.But here I was. Neck-deep in textbooks, group projects, and career fairs, but yet none of it, not a single deadline or scholarship form had mattered. Well, it almost did matter, but not more than her.Alexa.She’s in my every thought. When I woke up, when I slept, when I even stared blankly at a spreadsheet pretending to care about I was reading in the moment. Every breath I took without her felt slightly misplaced. Not incomplete. Just… off.The distance between us had made yearn for her than I previously had. I hadn't even realized that that was even possible. Until now. And that’s how I knew. I needed to man up and take the next step in our relationship.It was time.It started with a break. A short one, nothing more than three days
The final-pt2CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIXAlexa’s POVIt’s been six days.Six days of staring at my phone until my eyes blurred. Six days of pretending I was okay while my insides twisted themselves into knots. Six days of silence so loud it roared in my head when I tried to sleep.And now I was pacing.My room was a total mess. My hairbrushes were on the floor, the laundry half done and the tea was already cold, sitting untouched on my desk. And there was my phone wallpaper, Devon hugging me tightly as he kissed me on the cheek, celebrating our second anniversary. It was before he had left for his final semester of the year. I unlocked my phone, and there it was. The tragedy of my relationship.The picture that was haunting me everytime I looked at it . Her arm looped around Devon like she belonged there. Him, smiling, relaxed, like there was nothing wrong going on. Not a trace of guilt on his face. And I...I looked like a fool. Felt like one as well. The phone rang in my hand and I answ
The finalCHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVEAlexa’s POV~Three years later~Time sure does fly, and you don't even noticed it until you take a pause, look back and reflect. And these had been three long, unpredictable, messy, but wonderful years.Sometimes, I couldn't believe how far we had come, or how much we had grown. Other times, I felt like every second was a slow drizzle against my skin. Constant, cold, but unrelenting.But alas, after our finals were out, we had to make our decisions, ones that were certainly going to change the trajectory of our lives. And, I decided that college wasn't just for me. So I didn't go. It wasn’t because I couldn’t. I just… didn’t want to. Facing my parents had gone much more smoothly than I had expected, especially my dad. I had expected him to object, and demand that I at least show up for community college, but he had only asked if I was sure. After confirming that I was, that was the end of it. I was so happy that they were both there to support me in e
Back to normalCHAPTER SEVENTY-FOURAlexa’s POVIt had only been three weeks since I left Devon’s quiet coastal town behind, but it felt like an entire lifetime had passed. The second I stepped off the plane and onto the familiar pavement of my hometown, a strange kind of stillness filled my chest. This was where everything had spiraled, and where I had been pieced back together. A chill ran down my back, but I shook off the memories. Those events would surely be a part of me, but I wasn't going make them govern the rest of my life. I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of city smog mixed with blooming jacarandas. The skyline was the same, the buildings unchanged, the chatter of the streets familiar. Ha. I actually missed this place. The cab dropped me off right at my door step and I climbed the stairs slowly. My key turned in the lock with a soft click, and as I stepped inside, everything welcomed me. The familiar old scent, that I had grown up with, the slight creak in the fl
Happy and FreeCHAPTER SEVENTY-THREEAlexa’s POVFor the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn’t afraid. And I felt like I could finally breathe. Free. And safe. I wasn’t looking over my shoulder. I wasn’t running from shadows, from memories, from the cold echo of fear that had made a home inside my bones. I was just… here.With him. Happy in a while. The feeling was addicting. Dinner was awkward. There’s no sugar-coating that. Devon’s mom had done her best, considering the table was covered with food. Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy that smelled like home. It was really delicious, but I still fumbled my fork a few times, too aware of everyone’s eyes on me.But no one treated me like a ghost. Not anymore.His mother smiled gently. His father made small talk about the garden, and even if there was still a cloud of tension hanging over us all, there was a warmth too. An effort. That was enough. It was only the beginning. Harry, on the other hand, grinned like a cat tha