Not Scared Anymore

Chapter 32 - Stephanie

A week after their first date, Kevin arrived at Stephanie's house carrying a bag of sandwiches and old-fashioned sodas from her favourite Bagel Shoppe.

She opened the door for him, a huge grin on her face, "You know, I could seriously get used to you arriving with food all the time."

He placed it on the counter and wrapped his arms around her. It had been a stressful week, and she sighed into the peaceful feeling he surrounded her with.

"I've missed you." He turned his head to kiss her cheek, and she felt herself blush, still not used to the new demonstrations of affection between them.

"Me too. Let's eat!"

She grabbed plates from the cupboard, brought the bag of food to the couch, and turned on the first Spellmasters movie. When they finished eating, Kevin cleaned up their mess and took the dishes to the kitchen. As he settled beside her again, she curled into his side and he wrapped his arm around her. She loved the way they fit together, certain she had found her new happy place tucked safely into his side.

At some point she had fallen asleep, and woke up during the end credits. She sat up and saw Kevin smiling softly at her and lightly running his thumb along her arm. A shy smile crept to her lips.

"Sorry. I didn't realize I was so tired." She stood up from the couch and headed to the kitchen. "Do you want a snack or drink or anything?"

She was pouring herself a glass of water when the door bell rang. Startled, she looked at Kevin, who shrugged, and she went to answer it. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight before her.

"Oh my god!" She had to clutch the doorframe to keep herself upright.

"Stephanie, baby, I have made the biggest mistake of my life. I never should have let you go. I love you more than anything in this world, and I need you. I'm dying without you."

Stephanie was staring at her ex-boyfriend down on one knee in front of her, holding the biggest and gaudiest ring she had ever seen in real life. I must be dreaming of some weird parallel universe. A news crew holding balloons and a giant novelty check for a million dollars would have been less surprising.

"You wanted to marry me before, and I hope you'll still have me. Stephanie Halder, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

She felt her jaw drop and stared in horror. Every single train of thought in her brain had derailed, and she could not get any words out. The sound of a door slamming inside her house startled her back to her senses.

"What the hell are you doing here Mark?"

"I'm asking you to marry me."

"No." She started to close the door, but he put a hand out to stop it.

"No?" he sounded incredulous, like someone who had never heard the word before. That made her angry.

"Sorry, does 'Hell no' make more sense? We broke up. You moved across the country without me. We're done. What did you expect was going to happen? You look like a fool down there." He scrambled to his feet and she tried to close the door but he stopped her again.

"Can we at least talk?" Stephanie could hear the desperation in his voice, and finally noticed his appearance. He had two days worth of stubble, his shirt was wrinkled, and his hair was mussed and dull. She had seen him walk off international flights looking crisper than he did now. He looked better when he was taking the Bar exam. She couldn't help the worried feeling that crowded her brain.

"Just a sec." She turned back into the house, looking for Kevin. She couldn't see him anywhere. "Kevin?" no answer. Confused, she stepped onto the front porch and closed the screen door behind her.