Ella bites her lip before meeting my eyes.
“So,” she says. “What do you think?” She clasps, unclasps her hands. “Are you busy this morning? There’s still something I want to show you—something I’ve been working on for the last few—”
I take her in my arms and she laughs, breathlessly, just until she meets my eyes. Her smile is soon replaced by a look—a softness in her expression that likely mirrors my own. I can still feel the outline of that little velvet box against my leg; I’ve been carrying it with me everywhere, too afraid to leave it behind, too afraid to lose hope.
“I love you,” I whisper.
When I kiss her I breathe her in, inhaling the scent of her skin as I draw my hands down her back, pulling her tighter. Her response is immediate; her small hands move up my chest to claim my face, holding me close as she deepens the kiss, standing on tiptoe as she slowly twines her arms around my neck.
The pilot light in my body catches fire.
I break away reluctantly, and only because I remember we have an audience. Still, I press my forehead to hers, keeping her close.
I’m smiling again. Like a common idiot.
“Okay, well, that took a gross turn.”
“Is it over yet?” Kenji asks. “I had to close my eyes.”
“I don’t know. I think it might be over, but if I were you I’d keep my eyes shut for another minute just in case—”
“Can you two keep your commentary to yourselves?” I say, pivoting to face them. “Is it so impossible for you to just be happy for—”
The words die in my throat.
Winston and Kenji are both bright-eyed and beaming, the two of them failing to fight back enormous smiles.
“Congratulations, man,” Kenji says softly.
His sincerity is so unexpected it strikes me before I’ve had a chance to armor myself, and the consequences leave me reeling.
An unfamiliar, overwhelming heat erupts in my head, in my chest, pricking the whites of my eyes.
Ella takes my hand.
I can’t help but study Kenji’s face; I’m astonished by the kindness there, the happiness he does nothing to hide. It becomes more obvious by the moment that he’s played a larger role in executing Ella’s plans than I might’ve suspected, and I experience the truth then—feel it clearly, for the first time—the realization like a physical jolt.
Kenji genuinely wants me to be happy.
“Thank you,” I say to him.
He smiles, but it’s only a flicker of movement. Everything else is in his expression, in the tight nod he gives me by way of response.
“Anytime,” he says quietly.
There’s a beat of silence, broken only by the sound of Winston sniffing.
“All right, okay, that was a really beautiful moment, but you guys need to knock it off before I start crying,” he says, laughing even as he tugs off his glasses to rub at his eyes. “Besides, we still have a shit ton of work to do.”
“Work,” I say, searching the sky for the sun. “Of course.” It can’t be much later than eight in the morning, but I’m usually at my desk much earlier. “I’ll need to make a quick stop at the command center. How long do you think we’ll be gone today? I have to reschedule some calls. There are time-sensitive materials I’m supposed to deliver today, and if I—”
“Not that kind of work,” Kenji says, a strange smile on his face. “You don’t need to worry about that today. It’s all been taken care of.”
“Taken care of?” I frown. “How?”
“Juliette already notified everyone last night. Obviously we can’t check out of work completely, but we’ve divvied up today’s responsibilities. We’re all going to take shifts.” He hesitates. “Not you, two, obviously. Both your schedules have been cleared for the day.”
Somehow, this is a greater surprise than everything else.
If our schedules have been cleared, that means today wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment decision. It means things didn’t just serendipitously align in time to make it happen.
This was orchestrated. Premeditated.
“I don’t think I understand,” I say slowly. “As much as I appreciate the time off, this shouldn’t take much more than an hour. We only need an officiant and a couple of witnesses. Ella doesn’t even have a dress. Nouria said there was no time to make food, or a cake, or even to spare people to help set up, so it won’t—”
Ella squeezes my hand, and I meet her eyes.