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“I doubt that… Ethan’s not the kind of guy who’d obsess over a thing like this.” A prick of disappointment settles in me, and I let it fester for a little bit before shrugging it off.
I try to enjoy the rest of lunch, and Josie has to leave first because she has to attend to a client waiting at her studio. Once she leaves, I give up on my half-eaten salad and signal for a waitress to bring my bill.
My office is only a few blocks from the restaurant, so I start the walk back.
As I’m crossing the street, suddenly, all the other pedestrians stop in the middle of the road, and they start forming a line while cops bring out traffic cones and start redirecting traffic away.
The crowd of pedestrians forms a circle, and a song starts playing out from speakers I can’t locate. A few other drivers get down from their cars too and join in the dance, while other drivers peek out of their windows and try videoing the moment.
I gasp when a stranger takes my hand and pulls me into the crowd so I can dance to the love song with him. Only then do I realize it’s a flash mob dance.
“Hey, Nelly,” a familiar voice calls and I turn to find Josie dancing by my side. Laughter spews from my cheeks as she takes my hand and swirls me in a circle too.
“What’s going on?” I ask her after a minute passes, and the dancers start walking across the street hurriedly. Josie pulls me away from the middle of the road and the cops take out the cones blocking the flow of traffic.
Once on the sidewalk, my heart’s still pounding, then Josie glances behind me. “You’ll find out soon enough,” she answers before waving me goodbye.
I spin around and Ethan’s standing behind me, a single red rose in one hand.
“Nelly,” he begins when my right hand moves to my chest. I flatten it there and hold my breath, shocked that he would go down on one knee in front of me in a street full of strangers.
Some are watching, while others have their phones out to capture every moment.
“What are you doing?” I ask, eyes searching his as he holds out the rose to me. “Ethan, there are people watching.”
“Exactly,” he answers with a smile. “I don’t care about them watching. I’m hoping the whole world hears what I’m about to say, Nelly, because it’s taken me this long to say it and I feel like a fool.”
Tears shimmer in his eyes, and it causes a tear to streak down my cheek, too.
“I love you,” Ethan confesses in the lightest tone ever, and my heart melts almost instantly.
“Ethan …”
“I know I might be a little too late. It’s taken me five years to figure it out, Nelly … Five years to figure out that you’re the one who makes me feel the most complete. I think about you every waking hour of the day. You were there in my loneliest moments years ago, and you’ve been there for the joyous moments too.”
“Almost losing you made me feel like I had no reason to live. Suddenly, the world felt empty and bleak. I can’t live like that, Nelly … Without you being mine? Really being mine? I don’t want to live like that.”
“I love you, Nelly Sinclair. I’ve been in love with you for like forever and I want you to know that no matter what you decide.”
He’s holding my right hand while my tears blur my vision. I sniff in hard to get rid of the tears, then gently tug him to his feet.
“No more running?” I ask in a shaky voice, needing to be certain that Ethan’s being real with me this time.
“I’ll never leave your side, Nelly … Never again,” he replies as he strokes my cheeks tenderly.
“I love you,” he mouths slowly, this time pacing out his words slowly.
“I’ve been in love with you for like forever, Everhart. How did it take you this long to figure it out?”
He frames my cheeks before leaning close to me. “I was scared … Scared of getting hurt again, scared of hurting you and screwing up the most important relationships in my life, but losing you is scarier, Nelly. I can’t do life without you.”
His lips inch over to mine for a kiss after that, and I put my hands on the back of his neck, parting my lips for him too. This is the moment I’ve dreamed of. A kiss with Ethan, who loves me just as much as I love him.
As we share our kiss, I hear scattered applause and cheers from the onlookers who witnessed Ethan's heartfelt confession.
When we pull apart, a smile breaks out on his lips and he slides a hand down to link our fingers. “Let’s go have lunch, Mrs. Everhart,” he says to me as we turn to walk down the street hand-in-hand.
“Already had lunch,” I reply.