Page 99 of Angel

“It’s all right,” she said, her teeth already chattering.

Wrapped together in my coat, we shuffled behind the small, elevated roof. The tiny structure blocked the wind, giving us a bit of a reprieve.

“Wow,” Paige said.

I followed her gaze to the view of lit up Manhattan. Green and purple, the color choices of the Empire State building for the night, added a special touch to the picture.

“It’s beautiful,” she sighed. “I missed it, you know. Even just for a few days. As great as Christmas was, I’m still happy to be home.”

I tightened my arms around her stomach and pressed my face into the top of her head. “I know the feeling.”

Shouting came from down on the street below.

“Hey!” Paige said, breaking free of my embrace to spin around and face me. “I almost forgot. We should go back down for Midnight.”

“Unless you want your kiss up here.”

She eyed me, her pupils just visible in the dim light. “Maybe. It depends. What else is in it for me? Just a kiss?”

I shoved my hand into my pocket and felt for the little box there. Keeping my eyes on Paige’s face so I wouldn’t miss a second of her reaction, I pulled the box out and opened it.

The whites of her eyes popped in the gray light. “That’s not what I was thinking,” she breathed, sounding like she was in shock.

A little bit of panic got to me. “It’s not?”

“No, I was thinking second base or something.”

I laughed, trying to lighten the mood, but that was all nerves. It came out sounding dry. It turned out the moment of proposing to someone was more nerve wracking than I would have thought.

“Will it do?”

If she’d just give me an answer, I could breathe a little easier.

Someone began shouting out an open window across the street. “Ten!” came their cry into the night.

The person’s friends joined in. “Nine!” the group yelled altogether.

Paige licked her lips. “I… I.”

“Eight! …Seven! … Six!”

“Paige?” I asked. The way she had frozen made me nervous a panic attack might be on the horizon.

“Five!…Four!”

“Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!” Paige shrieked. “What, are you kidding me?”

“Three! …Two!”

She flew into my arms. The joy that filled me up couldn’t be contained. I lifted her off her feet and spun her around.

“One! Happy New Year!”

The block erupted in shrieks, hoots, and whistles. The noise went on and on, a never-ending stream of jubilation.

I pressed my lips against Paige’s and kissed her with everything I had.

And I never stopped.

THE END