Chapter 109

The One With A Proposal

(That No One Expects)

NATE

Arielle and I slept for fourteen hours last night.

Fourteen hours.

Let that sink in.

After fucking three times—and making her cum about nine times within an hour—it’s safe to say, we both were so fucking exhausted that we slept like nobody’s business. It was worth it, of course, but it’s just an amusing thing to think about.

I mean, this is why people go on vacation, right?

Today was the day that everyone is leaving. Arielle and I had decided to stay an extra night, since we’re off to Anguilla tomorrow. I think the rest of the group is pretty much done with being away from home, but for me—other than missing Storm—Arielle is my home.

I was homesick for six long months. For the first time since, I finally feel a sense of peace. Anywhere she goes, anywhere she is, is where I want to be.

I don’t give a fuck about anything else.

Arielle has been gone since breakfast. It’s been about a half hour that she’s been off with Chase somewhere, but I don’t want to bother them so I’ve been slowly beginning to pack up my own shit.

It isn’t until roughly ten minutes later when Arielle finally enters my room and calls out for my attention. I follow her to her room, curious what’s going on. I immediately get the vibe that somethings up.

“Can you give me a hand?”

“‘Course.”

“Chase is proposing to Zara,” she explains.

“What?” I chuckle, honestly thinking she’s joking. However, when she smacks me across the chest, I quickly realize she isn’t lying.

“I’m serious.”

“Chase?” I question. “Speed racer? He’s proposing?”

Before me?

“Yes!” She grabs a bucket of flower petals—where she got them from, I have no idea, but I can only assume Chase gave them to her—and hands it to me. “He asked me to spread these on the beach. He wants a little pathway with a heart at the end.”

A feeling washes over me—as if someone has encapsulated jealousy in a syringe and injected it into my veins. As it travels along throughout the nooks and crannies of my body, it settles like acid.

I don’t like the feeling, it feels toxic to be envious.

I shake it off. I’m genuinely happy for Chase and Zara, of course I am. I can’t help the thoughts that swirl in my head—reminders that this should be Arielle and I. I had plans to propose something like a year ago. I don’t care to do the actual math because I know it’ll only upset me more, but I know it’s been at minimum a full year.

I swallow the feelings, shoving them into the depths of my chest, aware of the fact that they’re selfish and unwarranted.

“When’s he doing this?” I ask, taking the bucket from her. I glance down at it, white petals filled to the brim, and then lift my gaze to meet hers.

“We have like, a half hour.” She informs me, grabbing her phone. “He also asked me to take photo and video. Do you have your phone?”

Tapping my cell, which rests in my pocket, “I do.”

“C’mon, I’ll show you where he’s doing it.” With a wave of her hand, she leads me out the doors by the pool and towards the ocean.

My bare feet sink into the sand when we hit it and I question, “How long’s he been planning this?”

“I have no idea,” she confesses. “He literally just told me about it this morning.”

“I guess I didn’t realize he was that serious about her.”

“I know,” she chuckles. “He’s never been the settle down type, but I guess she’s the one.”

Eventually, she leads me to this area right below a massive cliff, “Right here.”

She informs me of how everything is supposed to go down and then the two of us begin carefully laying the petals down as he’s requested.

As we finish placing the flowers in the formation Chase wanted, I take a step back to appreciate our work and immediately laugh. “Looks a bit like a giant dick.”

She swats at me for the second time today, “Shush. This is what he wanted. Don’t ruin it.”

I can’t help it though, it honest to fuck looks like a giant set of balls and a dick, it’s only missing the head. There’s no way I can’t say something to him about this, right? I mean, while he was planning this, how’d he miss a giant cock?

When Arielle suddenly grabs my arm and curses, I glance across the beach, noticing two bodies walking towards us. She begins to run, but I grip her wrist, forcing her to stop. “If you run, she’ll notice somethings up. Walk slowly, like we’re any other couple on the beach.”

She leads me up a small hill and points to the ground. “Do you want to film or take photos?”

“Photos,” I admit.

“Head up a hill a bit more so you can get better angles. I’ll stay here and film.”

Before I leave, I grip her chin, pressing a lingering kiss to her mouth.

I position myself higher on the incline, laying my chest to the ground. By the time I’ve managed to be ready for them, they’re approaching the trail of petals that Arielle and I left.

I snap tons of photos, ensuring that I have too many. I’d rather have way more pictures than needed because then Zara can pick and choose through them. If I didn’t have enough, I’d feel fucking awful.

Chase leads her to the heart and then sinks to one knee. Continuing to capture the moment, I peer over at Arielle, studying her reaction to what she’s observing. She has a big smile on her face, her eyes appearing a bit watery at the edges.

It only makes me so much more excited for when this’ll be our moment. I haven’t decided exactly how I’ll do it yet, but I can’t fucking wait for it.

I’ve already managed to find another ring. Something vastly more meaningful than the one that Ezra stole and never returned.

The last ring I’d had custom made had an engraving in it. It wasn’t anything special, it simply had Love forever, Nate written inside. Otherwise, it wasn’t anything necessarily fancy.

I should thank Ezra because I’m very pleased with the new ring.

Zara must say yes because Chase slips the ring on Zara’s finger—but not before dropping it in the sand, in typical Chase fashion—and then I watch as they embrace and share a kiss. Arielle hoots and hollers, standing to her feet.