Heartache on The Big Screen

24 | We Can Get Married At Twenty-Five

This cannot be happening.

Cayden is not proposing to me right now and instead I'm sleeping, at home, in my comfortable bed. This is all one big mucked up dream.

But I know it's not. And that right now I'm standing in my old drama room holding a card that clearly says 'Marry Me.'

My hands are shaking and I feel tears forming in the corner of my eyes. I'm dreading the moment I have to turn around and face the boy I still love, but the boy I'm also coming to hate.

I hear footsteps and Cayden comes to a stop right behind me. He shifts and that's when I know he's fallen down onto one knee.

I can't turn around.

"Rayna?" he says softly, reaching up to touch my shoulder.

Tears are spilling out of my eyes at this point, but I have no choice but to turn around and face him. I look at him and see the nerves clearly written in his face, his hands are also uncontrollably shaking, which is making the beautiful ring shift up and down.

Cayden's eyes rake over my face to take in my expression, probably to figure out how I'm feeling right now. I'm sobbing, so when I see the confused look on Cayden's face I know that he's wondering whether I'm crying tears of happiness or sadness.

"Rayna Mitchell," he starts, taking my hands in his. He breathes a nervous sigh, mumbling words under his breath. "You have been my rock for the past three years, you are my love, my life and I can't imagine myself spending the rest of my life with anyone but you."

My sobbing gets harder.

He takes that as a good sign, holding my hands a lot more firmly, and his voice gets stronger. But what he doesn't know is that it's anything but a good sign. "I love you so, so much. You have helped me through the hardest parts in my life and with you I feel like I can accomplish anything. I know this proposal is risky seeing as the other night I told you at the start of our relationship you were a game. That's not completely true. I did see you as a game at first but when I asked you out, my feelings were—are—completely true. I love you Rayna Mitchell and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. To make a family and for me to be able to call you my wife. So, Rayna, will you marry me?"

I swear the world just stopped.

My sobbing increases, and I'm surprised Kyle hasn't stepped in to see what's wrong. But Rhylee probably told him what's happening and he's realised that I need to do this by myself which I'm grateful about.

"Cayden," I sob out. I pull my hands out of his and wipe my eyes. I breathe a couple of deep breaths which has prepared me for the next line I'm about to produce. "I can't marry you."

His face drops and my heart breaks even more. Throughout our relationship I could never stand to see Cayden upset, and now to see him not only upset, but me being the reason he is upset, it just hurts even more.

"Why not?" he asks frantically, as he gets off one knee. "Is it because we're only nineteen? Because if that's the case we can wait as long as you want. We can get married at twenty-five if you need too. But it just would be wonderful to be able to call you my fiancée and then my wife."

"It's not that, Cayden," I sigh, trying to wipe away the continuous tears pouring down my face.

"Then what is it?"

Suddenly anger boils in me. The sympathy I felt for him is now gone and now all I feel is anger coursing through my veins. The fact that he as the decency to ask why I don't want to marry him is making me furious.