Billionaires Bundle
By: Flora FerrariAt least it seemed like people had moved on after Christmas. I ended up graduating like I planned, and then Joshua and I made plans to move to New York. We’ve been here for almost three, four months now, and I’m loving it. I got a job at a marketing firm as an assistant, which is the least glamorous part of my life right now, but I’ve been taking classes in just about everything. I realized that my life up until now has been too sheltered, that I’ve followed a path set down for my by someone else for too long. So to find what I wanted to do, I’ve been trying out everything. Zumba, meditation, Japanese, singing… Some I’ve stuck with, and some I dropped. I’m still not quite sure what I’m going to do, but at least I’m finding out now.
I dig through the stacks, pulling out my thumb drive with all of my drafts still on them. The ones that I never finished, because I never knew what love was. When I came back from break, I tried to open one of them up, see if anything happened. I wrote what I thought was a pretty good story, but there were problems, lots of problems. It turns out that reading books is not the same as writing them, and that’s coming from Natasha, who’s always super encouraging. I tried a few more times, but by the end, it was pretty clear: I’m not meant to be a writer.
It took a hell of a long time to come to terms with it. Joshua tried to help, but I knew the truth deep down in my heart. It hasn’t stopped sucking though. I tuck the thumb drive back under everything else. I keep some of the pictures so I can frame it up, but everything else I decide can just stay in my closet. It’s too much to deal with at the moment.
Then I get up and head straight for the kitchen. Joshua’s just pulling something out of the oven, setting the pot on the stove to cool. I come up behind him and wrap my arms around him, putting my head on his strong back for comfort. That’s when I look over and notice that there’s a romantic dinner set out, complete with rose petals across the table.
“Is there something going on?” I ask, pulling back. “It’s not our anniversary, is it?”
Joshua turns around, a big smile on his face.
“It’s not, don’t worry,” he says. “But one year ago, we met. Back then I was so surprised to see someone else in one of my favorite spots in town. It was actually the place where I first came up with Blake Thrasher. That sent me on this path in life, and I didn’t know it then, but seeing you set me on yet another.”
He holds my hand in both of his. I’m still not getting it, at least, not until he slowly gets down on one knee. And then my eyes widen in surprise.
“I wanted to wait until after dinner, but it’s killing me not to know. Leah, you’re everything to me. I want to be a part of your life, and you a part of mine. Will you marry me?”
He pulls out a ring with a gorgeous solitaire. He’s smiling so big, the affection in his eyes so strong, that I fall to my knees too.
“Oh Joshua, yes! Yes!” I tell him, laughing.
He pulls out the ring and slides it onto my finger. And in that moment, even though I might have lost my dream, I found another one.
*****
