Letting Love In-Ch29

Chapter 29:
I smiled into his chest. I pulled away and looked up at him. “It’s downstairs” he said. I ran out of his room and down to his living room. I sat on the couch and folded my legs Indian style. He came down the stairs and took a small box and a bigger box out of the hallway closet. “Of course you hid it in the one place I didn’t look” I said. “You looked for these?” he asked, seeming astounded. “Nah, I’m just kidding” I said laughing. He came down and sat across from me on the ottoman.
He handed me the bigger box. I peeled off the red bow and stuck it on his shirt, like a little kid. He laughed at me and shook his head. I took off the paper and opened the box. There was a picture of us in a silver frame. It was one after a winning game, he had his arm around my shoulder and I had my hands on his chest. We were both laughing at something and had huge smiles on our faces. I thanked him and told him that was my favorite picture of us. I looked at the corner of the frame. “You bring ultimate happiness into my life” was engraved in cursive letters. I joked with him saying that hockey was his main lover. “Well if you think that, then I won’t give you this” he said shaking the small box. “I was just kidding!” I said.
His face got serious and stroked the top of the box. “Kay, this is really important to me” he said looking down. He opened the box and there was a white gold ring with three small diamonds in the center. “I know this sounds bad, but this is my first year of professional hockey. I don’t really want to anything right now. I mean I’m only 18. But Kay, I’m in love with you, and I want to give you this to promise you that one day I want you to be mine. All mine; I don’t want to share you with anyone. And I … I don’t know, but this is for you.” I had tears in my eyes as he slipped the ring onto my finger. He looked up at me and wiped away the tear that was rolling down my cheek.
“Sid… I love you too” he kissed me on the lips and I could feel him smile. I put my head on his shoulder, and thanked God for the best man in the world. After I composed myself, I looked back at him. “Come on, let’s go to bed” he said standing up. “I can wait until the morning for my present” I smiled and followed him up the stairs.
I settled into his chest, my head tucked under his chin, with his hands around my waist. I looked at the ring on my hand. “Not today, not this year, but soon enough” I said to myself. I hugged him in closer, and quickly drifted off to sleep.
*******
I woke up and he wasn’t there. I didn’t hear the shower running, and when I put my hand over where he was it was cold. Then I heard something fall downstairs. I put on a sweatshirt and sleepily walked down to his kitchen. “Merry Christmas” I said taking a seat at the island. “Well good morning, and Merry Christmas to you too” he said, leaned over and kissed my nose. I wrinkled it up and looked around the kitchen. He placed a plate of french toast with strawberries and a scrambled egg in front of me. “Thank you” I said, and began to eat. He soon sat down across from me and ate as well.
When I was done I pushed my plate in front of me. He had been watching me pick at something on the shirt I was wearing and he piped up. “Now it’s time for my present” he said. I told him alright and walked over to his pantry. I took out a box of whole grain cereal where my present was hiding. “Are you kidding me?” he said looking at me. “Nope. I know you only eat sugary cereal for breakfast and that you wouldn’t touch this, so I figured hey why not.” He laughed at me as I took out an envelope.
I put the envelope on the counter and slid it towards him. He opened it and took out two plane tickets. “These are to Nova Scotia” he said aloud. “I know” I said looking at him. “I thought I’d make it up to your parents by coming home with you for a while this summer.” “No way” he said, “I thought you didn’t like my parents?” “Well Sid, I was really immature with that whole situation, and I didn’t really know they were coming down the other day. I had a whole plan to call your mom and tell her I wanted to come home with her and stuff to really impress her, but when she was here I freaked out. That’s why I was upset. But now that I look back, I think I owe it to them to show them the real me.” He stretched his arms towards me and I walked over and held onto him tight.
“I love you” he said into my ear, and then my cousins came running into the kitchen.