Be Together for One More Night

The feel of the fluffy carpet was still unfamiliar as we stepped into my bedroom. Downstairs, my mother was slumped over the kitchen counter, a new bruise to decorate her cheekbone, another bottle of wine consumed. The house was quiet now she was passed out and Brian had gone out, taking the car with him.

"What do you want to know?" Kyle asked, hesitating in the door way as I settled myself down on my bed, my back leaning against the cream painted wall behind me.

"Everything and anything. The tiny insignificant things, the huge life changing moments, every smell, taste, sight. I have a feeling you were the person who knew me best, so I figured you could help me with this," I said.

He sighed and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I don't know, Isla. I mean, we didn't exactly end on good terms, did we?"

"That's the beauty of this Kyle, I can't remember how we ended, got together and everything in between. So none of that matters."

He stepped into the room and closed the door quietly, walking over to the bed and sitting down beside me, clasping his hands in his lap and chewing his lip, waiting for further questioning.

I leaned over to the bedside table and picked up the heavy photo frame, holding it in one hand and studying it. We were both wearing huge smiles, my arms were wrapped around his scrawny waist, his were around my shoulders, our eyes held a glint of happiness and neither of us looked like we wanted to let go. "When was this?" I asked, handing him the frame.

He smiled and a look of recognition crossed his features. "Last summer, at some family party. You were so nervous about going. My mom couldn't stop smiling at you, jumping around, completely on edge. Everyone loved you, of course they did. We'd only been together a month or so then."

"We look happy."

"We were."

"We still could be."

He looked up at me and handed the frame back to me. "Is there anything else you want to know?" He looked awkward. Scared even.

"Why don't you want to know me anymore?"

"Isla," he hesitated, pulling his speech together. I was ready for the rejection that was about to hit me. I was going to be alone. Left to find all of this out for myself. "I know you. Inside and out. I can't take advantage of you like this. Pretend everything is fine, when it's clearly not."

"Then tell me, what was the mistake, the one you made."

"What?"

"Mistake. You said you fucked up, at the hospital. Tell me what it was."

He sighed heavily and held his head in his hands, closing his eyelids. "I asked you to marry me."

Marriage? That was his mistake? That certainly wasn't a mistake. If I loved him, why didn't I say yes? Why wasn't I wearing a ring on my finger?

"And you said no. Which is understandable. I know it was a stupid move," he concluded, standing up and walking towards my bedroom door quickly. "I have to go. Look, if you need anymore help, call me, okay?"

I nodded, watching him open the door and step into the hall, closing it quietly behind him.

"Yes, Kyle. I'll marry you," I whispered, feeling tears sting the back of my eyes.