“I’d like to ask you for her hand in marriage, just like I did before I proposed the first time,” I said sincerely. “I promise to spend the rest of my life making your daughter happy.”
He grinned back at me, and I was taken back to that life-changing night, over six years ago, when we stood in this very spot. “There is no other man that I would trust with my daughter as much as I trust you, Cal. You have my blessing.”
Then he pulled me into his arms and held me tightly.
Chapter 34 – Shelly
I sat at my desk, barely hearing the soft music of Hunter Hayes coming from my speakers as I drifted off into a daydream about being at the concert with Cal. The last few weeks had been amazing, and I had to admit that I was impressed by the dates he had planned so far. I was eager to see what he would pick for our final date this weekend.
I couldn’t believe that it had been eight weeks already. Eight weeks since that horrible night that changed everything about our relationship.
I still didn’t know what I was going to do. I appreciated the effort that Cal had put into winning me over, and I knew that I did still love him; I just wasn’t a hundred percent sure that I could forgive and forget what he’d done. And if I wasn’t one hundred percent, there was no way that I could spend the rest of my life with him.
It was scary to think of my life without Cal. He’d done way more for me than just keep my gas tank full and my coffee stocked. He’d always been my partner in the truest sense of the word, and being apart from him over the past few weeks had really helped me realize that. I missed the way he’d buy my favorite snacks every time he went to the store, sometimes stopping by my office and leaving them on my desk, so I’d walk in to a sweet surprise. He’s also kept a secret stash of chocolate at the shop for whenever I stopped by to see him.
I missed meeting him for lunch, and planning out special meals for us to try together. I missed hanging out with our friends, the group of us enjoying a drink or playing games together. Most of all I missed talking to him every night before I went to bed. We used to just lay in bed, talking about our hopes and dreams before drifting off to sleep.
As much as I loved Sasha and Gaby, Cal had been my best friend for the past eight years. I hated to imagine the rest of my life without him.
“Shelly?” I looked up to see Carlos hovering outside my door. Things had been pretty awkward between us since I’d turned him down, and I hoped we’d be able to move past it soon.
“Yes?” I asked with a smile, hoping to ease the tension a bit.
“Um, someone is here to see you. He asked me to come back and see if you had a minute,” Carlos replied.
“Oh, yes. Please send him back,” I responded, curious about who my visitor could be. I wasn’t expecting anyone today. “Thanks, Carlos.”
A few minutes later I grinned broadly, when Craig poked his head around the corner.
“Hey, Shel, I hope it’s okay for me to stop by,” he said sheepishly as I stood up and rounded my desk to give him a hug.
“Of course it is,” I said, genuinely happy to see him. “You can come by any time. I’m surprised to see you though,” I said with a glance to the clock on the wall. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”
“I’m on lunch. I only have a couple minutes,” he replied as I guided him to the chair in front of my desk.
We sat there for a moment, and when I realized he wasn’t going to say anything without encouragement I asked, “So … what brought you by?”
He flushed and looked down at his hands, before bringing his eyes up to meet mine.
“There’s this girl …”
“Oh goody,” I said with a grin, leaning forward on my desk and clapping my hands together. “What’s she like?”
“She’s cool. She likes poetry and art and stuff. She’s nothing like the girls that hang out at my baseball games; she couldn’t care less about that stuff.”
“What’s the problem?” I asked. Craig was a catch, and I was sure I wasn’t being biased; any girl in her right mind would be excited to catch his attention. “Have you asked her out?”
Craig ran his hands through his hair, his face baffled.
“She said no.”
I tried not to laugh at his shock over a girl telling him no, but he was beyond adorable.
“Don’t give up,” I encouraged. “You said she isn’t like other girls, so you can’t expect her to throw herself at your feet just because you asked her out. If you really want to go out with her, you may have to work a little harder.”
“How do I do that?”
“I don’t know … Pay attention to what she likes to do, maybe show up at a place that she likes to go. You said she likes poetry and art. See if there are any open mic nights, or talk to her friends and see if she likes museums. Do a little research and show her that you are interested in who she is and what she likes,” I suggested.
Craig nodded, his face breaking into a sunny smile. He looked so much like Cal at that age, it made my heart clench.
“Okay, I can do that. Thanks, Shel.”
“Anytime, really. And let me know what happens!”
He stood up, so I got up and went around the desk to pull him into a quick hug before he left.
“Hey, Shel?” he asked before walking out.
“Yeah?”
“I know that you have to make a decision that’s going to work for you, but I really hope you give Cal another shot. And if you don’t, I hope you’ll still see us as your family.”
Touched, I brought my hands up to Craig’s face and promised, “You’ll always be my family.”
Chapter 35 – Cal
“Thank you all so much for coming,” I said to the gang after the last person, Sasha of course, had arrived.
“Of course,” Gaby and Scott said simultaneously.
“What’s up?” TJ asked.
While Sasha just raised her perfectly manicured eyebrow at me.
I looked at all of them, my best friends, seated around the garage and watching me expectantly.
“As all of you know, this Saturday is date number eight. It’s my last chance to convince Shelly that she should trust me, forgive me, and continue to spend the rest of her life with me. If I fail, she is going to file for divorce. That’s a fact. Hell, she would have divorced me eight weeks ago if I hadn’t convinced her to agree to my plan. As promised, if that’s what she decides, I’ll sign the papers willingly. But … I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“What are you going to do?” Gaby asked, sadness taking over her pretty face.
“That’s why I’ve called you all here, just like I did six and a half years ago …”
“Are you serious?” This came from Sasha, by far the most cynical of the group.
I nodded and looked around the room at my friends, as what I’m asking begins to register with all of them.
Six and a half years ago, we were all seniors in high school, but even then, I knew that Shelly was the girl that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I began to plan my proposal for the night of our graduation, and I enlisted all of our friends to help me make it as special as possible.
Sasha had been in charge of dressing Shelly, because I figured she’d want to look her best for the night of her engagement. Sasha had taken her shopping for a graduation outfit, and had ensured that she looked amazing for the night that was to come.
Scott and Gaby had been in charge of turning the roof of our gymnasium into a magical place. They’d covered it in twinkling lights, flowers, and candles, and had made it more beautiful than I ever could have imagined it.
TJ had been in charge of getting Shelly to the roof of the gym, where I would be waiting, in the middle of the flowers and twinkling lights, to ask her to marry me.
I still don’t know what he’d said to get her up there; that had always been a secret between the two of them that they had refused to divulge, but the end result was still the same … On the evening o
f our graduation, I had waited in my suit and tie, breathless and nervous, for Shelly to meet me on the roof. She’d opened the door and stepped out, her eyes surveying the area in awe, before landing on me. Her smile had been wide, but puzzled, and she’d walked toward me slowly. When she’d almost reached me, I dropped to my knee and told her all of the reasons why I needed her in my life forever.
We’d cried together, and she said yes. It was the most amazing night of my life, and all of our friends had been there to help us celebrate.
“You want to recreate that night,” Scott said. “The night you proposed.
“I do,” I replied. “If that doesn’t work … Nothing will.”
“What if she says no?” Gaby asked softly, her face still wrought with worry. Out of all of our friends, she was the one who took things to heart the most. I knew, if Shelly and I divorced, she would take it the hardest out of all of our friends, and I loved her dearly for it.
“If she says no … I’ll deal with it, Gaby. I’ll have no choice. She gave me eight weeks, I can’t ask for more than that,” I answered truthfully. “I’ll never stop loving her, but I’ll have to move on with my life.”
Gaby nodded sadly, a tear running down her cheek. I walked over to her and wiped her face with my palm.
“Happy thoughts, Gabs,” I said with a smile. “I’m not going out without a fight.”
She took a deep breath and nodded, giving me a watery smile.
I turned and looked at each of my friends in the eyes before asking, “Are you all in?”
“You know it, brother,” Scott said. “Gaby and I know where to go and what to get to make the roof look the same as it did that night.”
I turned to TJ.
“Yeah, man … I’ll get her there. You just let me know what time,” TJ said with a grin.
I looked at Sasha, who didn’t look convinced.
“What?” she asked. “You want me to take her shopping? What if this isn’t one of the greatest nights of her life, but rather … one of the worst? Do you really want her to remember it forever?”
“No, Sasha, I don’t expect you to help her get dressed up. I couldn’t care less what she is wearing, and you’re right, this night could go either way … Really good, or really bad. I just want you to take her out beforehand and get her something nice. Something that will make her happy, regardless of the outcome of the night. As before, I’ll give you the money … I just want you to make sure she’s happy. I know that you’re still pissed at me, I get it … But you have to know that I love her, and that I always will, regardless of the dumbass mistake that I made.”
I looked deeply into Sasha’s eyes, imploring her to believe me, knowing deep down that no matter how disappointed I’d made her, she knew that the love I felt for Shelly was the real thing.
“Okay,” Sasha said finally. “What do you want me to get her?”
“I’ve got just the thing,” I responded with a smile.
We spent the rest of the afternoon talking and hanging out. There wasn’t much to plan, since we’d already played out this event once before, but it was fun to relive the experience again.
We laughed and joked, stopping to order food and sneak a couple of drinks from the bottle that I kept in the bottom of my toolbox.
It felt great.
Great to have my friends together again, as if the past eight weeks had never happened, and our unit had never been damaged.
“Hey, Sasha,” TJ said as he brought a slice of pizza to his mouth. “I heard you went out with Little John from the bar … You must be running out of guys if that’s the case.”
Little John was a three-hundred-pound bartender with a heart of gold, and a wife who loved him dearly.
“Fuck off, TJ,” Sasha replied, her lip curled in derision. “You’re just jealous cause little Miss Melody has been sniffing around Cal instead of being infatuated with you. I guess you aren’t as great a lay as you think you are.”
I cringed at the mention of Melody and her apparent crush, but laughed at the look on TJ’s face.
“Shit,” TJ responded. “That girl is batshit crazy … But if you’re so curious about what I’m like in the sack, Sasha baby, I’d be happy to take one for the team.”
Sasha jumped to her feet at that, her red hair flying, and her cheeks splotchy with anger. No one could piss her off like TJ could.
“Take one for the team, my ass,” Sasha said, walking toward TJ with an exaggerated shake of her hips. “You know you go to bed at night and dream of me. Wishing that one day I’d take pity on you and show you what it’s like to sleep with a real woman … Not just some whore from the bar.”
“Alright, guys,” Gaby cut in, always the peacekeeper. “We get it … You’re both young, hot, and virile. How about you let it go and focus on Cal and Shelly. We need to do whatever we can to help Cal win her back.”
I smiled gratefully at Gaby, thought about having another piece of pizza, then realized that I really didn’t have much of an appetite. I was too nervous.
I prayed to God that my plan would work, and that after this Saturday, I would be back together with my wife.
I wouldn’t stop planning dates though. I’d discovered a lot over the past few weeks, and I realized that our marriage wasn’t as solid as I thought it was … Not when Shelly felt she needed my permission to do things that she wanted, and not when there were so many things that we wanted to do, but hadn’t made time for.
I promised myself that if she did take me back, that I’d be more cognizant of the little things that made her happy, and that I’d step out of my comfort zone and try new things with her. If the last few weeks had taught me anything, it was that we’d been coasting along in our little bubble, happy and satisfied, but that there was so much more out there that would bring joy to our lives. We just had to get out there and give it a shot.
Chapter 36 – Shelly
I didn’t catch on at first … Not when Sasha came by early Saturday morning to take me shopping at Kohl’s. Not when she offered to buy me a Keurig, so I’d always have the perfect cup of coffee seconds away. Not when she went through my closet to help me pick out the perfect outfit for my final date with Cal. And not when she hugged me tightly, with tears in her eyes, and told me to keep an open mind, and do what came naturally.
No … I just thought she was as emotional as I was, knowing that this was my final date with Cal.
I caught on when TJ showed up at my door instead of Cal, looking handsome as sin, with a smile just as devilish.
“What are you doing here?” I asked when I opened the door.
“Cal’s been injured at the gym playing basketball and he’s been calling for you. We have to hurry.” He said the words in an over-exaggerated tone of worry, unlike the night of my proposal, when I’d believed him whole-heartedly and had gone racing past him toward the gym.
I stood there and looked at him, my heart both conflicted and buoyant at the same time.
“Really?” I asked, silently asking him to confirm what I thought he was saying.
“Really,” TJ said with a small smile, offering his arm to me.
I looked from his face to his arm, then back again.
Cal was going to propose.
Just like he had the night of our high school graduation.
Should I go … and possibly break his heart?
Or should I leave him there, embarrassed in front of our friends, and save myself the emotional turmoil that would come from going?
I took TJ’s arm and let him lead me to his car.
We drove to the high school in silence, the events of my last proposal replaying in my head. It had been so romantic, and so unexpected. Everyone had said that our love would never last, that we were too young, but Cal and I hadn’t cared. We’d believed, one hundred percent, that our love was true, and that it would last forever.
When we arrived at the school, TJ walked me up the stairs and to the roof of the gymnasium, then stepped to the side as I opened the
door.
I was taken back to that night … It looked exactly the same. Lights strung up and twinkling, flowers spread around the roof, filling the night with their beautiful fragrance, and candles flickering in the wind. In the center of it all stood Cal, handsome and proud in his suit, his hair blowing in the breeze, a giant smile on his face. This time, his smile was tinged with worry, but he looked even more handsome than he had that night, six years ago.
I walked slowly toward him, my maxi skirt swaying a bit with every movement, and I stopped a few feet in front of him.
He stepped forward and took my hands in his, squeezing them gently before he began to speak. “Shelly, I know that what I did was unforgiveable, and I won’t blame you if you can’t see past it and continue on in this marriage with me. I don’t know if I’d be able to stand the thought of you being with another man. Honestly … it would kill me, so I get it. I’m betting on the fact that you’re a better person than me. You just are … I’m also betting on our love. Shelly, we have both known since the moment we met that what we have is special, and most people are never lucky enough to find a love like ours. I have never wanted another woman the way that I want you, and when I woke up and realized what I’d done, I wanted to die. I knew that it would rip us a part, but I couldn’t keep it from you, Shelly. I couldn’t lie to you, not about something as important as that, even though I knew you would hate me for it. And you did … I saw it on your face, and felt it in your rejection … You hated me for it.”
Cal closed his eyes and squeezed my hands again before taking a deep breath and continuing, “Thank you for giving me these last eight weeks. You didn’t have to. You could have served me with divorce papers right then and there, and you would have been totally justified. Thank you for giving me a chance to prove my love to you. I learned a lot over the past eight weeks, not just how much I love you, and always will, but that our marriage wasn’t as perfect as I thought it was. Shelly, I never want you to feel like you have to ask me permission to do what you want … I’m your partner, and I want you to view me that way. I want you to feel comfortable enough in your own skin to tell me what you want, and I’ll do the same for you. I want to spend the rest of my life learning about you. I want to be surprised by you, and I want to keep trying new things together. We have tried more new things over the past eight weeks than in the six years of our relationship. I want to keep exploring with you, and finding out what we like and don’t like. More than anything, I want to be allowed back into your life, every day, and every night. I want you back, Shelly, now and forever, and I want to spend the rest of my life, proving how much I love and cherish you.”