Through the Mirror || Phantom of the Opera (Completed)

Chapter 24

Half an hour later, the doctor had come in, run his tests, and instructed Martin to rest, saying that if he continued improving steadily, he could soon be moved from the ICU to a regular hospital room.
He was very weak, and Marianna could tell he was still in pain, but other than that, he remained his old self. He joked around with her as if nothing had happened, but even so, she could tell there was something bothering him. Maybe not even something related to the accident. And soon enough, when there was a lull in their conversation, he spoke up.
"Alright, that's it. I can't do it anymore." He said, forcing himself to sit up.
"What? What can't you do anymore? Is something wrong?" Marianna asked, a thousand thoughts of what could be wrong flooding her mind.
"No, nothing's wrong, there's just... there's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time now. And I've waited long enough. This accident taught me that life's too short to wait. I mean, I could've died yesterday and you'd have never known what I'm about to tell you. And I don't want to risk that again. So I'm done waiting."
Marianna could feel the color rushing to her cheeks and her heart threatened to jump out of her chest. Could he really be saying what she thought he was about to say?
"Mari... I love you. I've always loved you, from day one. You remember... When Sir Webber brought me to Denver with him when he came to bring your contract. We ate lunch with him and your agent. You had your hair curled and you were wearing that pink outfit with the flowers that I've seen you wear at least a dozen time since then."
Marianna was blushing furiously, and she looked down at the ground, trying to hide the huge smile that had appeared on her face.
"I didn't eat a bite that day. Not at the lunch, not later that day, not at all. I couldn't take my mind off you. Which is why I added you on facebook as soon as I got back to my hotel. Remember?"
She nodded, laughing quietly and blinking back tears that threatened to spill over from his beautiful words.
"Of course, I didn't even know you then. Not really. But the more I got to know you, the more I loved you. And especially these last few weeks in Paris, since we've been spending more time together."
He slowly reached out his right hand as far as he could with how sore it was, and she took it in both of hers.
"Remember our first date? We went to that restaurant where you refused to admit you didn't speak French and then almost made yourself sick trying Erik's snails." He paused to laugh quietly, and tried to push the thought of Erik out of his mind, for he feared Erik might stand in the way of his purpose for Marianna. "And then we went out for ice cream and talked about our past careers. That was the day I knew without a doubt. I had known all along, but that was the day that I was completely sure. That was the day I knew I was hopelessly in love with you and there was no turning back."
Marianna had finally begun to cry now, but the smile on her face told Martin they were tears of joy. He weakly reached his hand up to wipe one of those tears away, and he smiled softly.
"And you know... I never expected to fall in love. I've always been the type to just go out on a few dates, have a good time for a while, and the move on, never have any intentions for the future, you know? But then when I met you, it changed all of that. I've known since I met you that I wanted a future with you. And I know now more than ever."
He sat up more, until he was eye level with her. How beautiful those big, brown eyes were, he thought. He could've sat that way and stared at them for hours until he'd completely gotten lost in them if he let himself. But he had a purpose. He had something to say, and there'd be time to study those eyes later. Lots of time, he hoped...
"Now, when I planned this moment in my head, this wasn't exactly the location I imagined, and I don't even have the ring yet, but-"
He was interrupted by Marianna letting out a quiet gasp and brining her hands to her mouth. Had he really just said 'ring?'
"Let me finish," he responded playfully. "I don't have the ring yet, but there's no telling how long I'll be in this hospital and to be completely honest I don't think I can stand to wait a moment longer. So I hope you won't mind if our moment isn't quite as grand as I would've liked."
He took a deep breath and once again took her hand in his. "Marianna Harper, will you marry me?"
Marianna smiled through the tears that had been flowing steadily for the past few minutes. She could hardly contain her surprise... Or her joy.
"You know, if you'd asked me that a week ago I honestly don't know what I would've said," she began, speaking softly. "For the past few weeks I've been torn, because my feelings for you have been growing so much, but there was also Erik. I cared for you both and I simply couldn't figure out who I loved as a friend and who I truly loved."
Martin looked anxious, and she knew she was worrying him. So she grinned and placed her free hand onto his left one, being gentle since the arm was still broken. "But last night, I finally figured it out. Almost losing you was enough for me to know. Erik will always be a dear friend... But my heart belongs to you. And my answer is yes. To be your wife is the greatest pleasure I can possibly imagine."
And then she opened her arms and gave him the gentlest hug she could, being careful not to hurt him, and they just sat that way, in each other's arms, for what felt like hours. She wished she could've frozen time and stayed that way forever. And then she couldn't help but smile as she realized...
They actually had a forever. And it was just beginning.