The Contest

Chapter 27

I sat in my room, thinking about what I was going to do. I was leaving. A long silence followed, where my stomach felt hollow. I sat there thinking of how my life was going to move on after all that had happened. There was a knock on my door. As I opened it, a blonde haired green eyed Peter Pan was looking me in the eyes.
"You're leaving?" Evander asked.
"How did you know?" I asked.
"Harmonia knew. She told me." He said.
"Oh." He looked me in the eyes, cupping my face with his hand.
"I'm gonna miss you so much." He said.
"I'll miss you too Love." I replied. I felt small pang in my heart saying that word. It was something Archer called me.
'He gave you up Amberlyn.' I reminded myself.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"I will be." I answered, looking into his eyes. They shone with intense care. Intense love. I thought about something. "Evander?" I asked.
"Yes?"
"The last time my room was ransacked, the ring, your ring...was stolen." I said. "I'm so sorry, I can't believe I was so stupid as to let it fall into the wrong hands." I moaned.
"Don't be sorry." He said, putting his hand into his pocket. "I actually found it outside of Taylor's room, and picked it up just so I could do this." He said, pulling the ring out of his pocket. "I didn't do this the right way last time. I wrote you a letter, and honestly how stupid could I be? Being personal is what a proposal is about. So," He said, getting down on one knee, "Will you, Amberlyn Baylock, make me the luckiest man in the world, and marry me?" He asked. I smiled.
"Evander Lister...Yes. I will marry you." I answered, although my words didn't feel right. He slipped the ring on my finger, stood, and kissed me. All the wrong I had felt went away. I felt fluttery butterflies in my stomach, and as he kissed me, my body melted into his.
"You really need to stop doing that." I muttered after the kiss had ended.
"What? I can't kiss my fiancé?" He asked. I smiled slightly, looking down.
"I guess you can." I said. He chuckled.
"I have to go. I just have one question." He said.
"And that is?" I asked.
"Do you want to get married before your family leaves?" He asked. I stepped back. Worries flooded my head.
"What?" I asked, startled.
"Well I was just thinking...your parents are here, you'd be living up here anyways. Why not do it now?" He asked.
"I just came out of something that was like a relationship." I said.
"With thirty one other girls." Evander muttered.
"I still liked Archer!" I exclaimed, looking at him.
"Amberlyn...do you love me?" He asked.
"Yes." I answered, almost immediately.
"Then why won't you act like it?" He asked. I turned.
"Because it will hurt." I said.
"What will?" Evander asked.
"To receive from someone else the same love and attention that I crave so much from someone else, but not even that. To see him giving that same love and attention that I want from him to someone else over and over again. To know that he's fully capable to show that kind of love, but he just didn't choose me, and he will never choose me."
"Ber..."
"I think that's what's going to hurt the most." I said.
"Ber, no matter what, I'm going to love you. I just wish the same from you." He said.
"I do love you Evander. I love you so much. I'm just not sure how I can do this." I said.
"So you don't want to get married." He said.
"Not now." I said.
"I see." He said.
"Listen Evander, you said you would always be there for me, but you've been here as long as I have, and every time I was sitting alone in my room, crying for someone to hug me and comfort me, you were often the cause of my tears. So when you said you'd always be there for me, did you forget that you can't protect me from yourself? So if you can't, what happens when we're married? Living together and I'm sobbing because of our first fight? What happens then? I don't want that to happen. Evander I'm 17. I'm not ready to get married." I said.
"You were just in the Contest to marry the Prince, and now you're telling me you're not ready to get married?" He asked.
"I was always going to leave. I always knew I wasn't going to win. I was just here to make things fair." I said.
"Amberlyn did you really think Archer didn't love you the minute you walked into this building? You were chosen for a reason. Archer got to pick his contestants himself. He thought you were beautiful, and I don't blame him."
"Evander..."
"Listen Ber, I love you. That's it. I love you more than anything, and I want you to love me back. If you don't...I don't know..." he said, not finishing his sentence.
"Evander I do love you, I said that already."
"So do you want to marry me or not!?" He yelled at me. I backed up, startled. Once he saw my face he softened. "Ber, I'm sorry." I didn't answered, but turned my head away.
"Amberlyn Lister..." I muttered.
"What?" He asked, hearing my voice.
"Amberlyn Lister. That would be my name."
"Unless you want to take yours." He said.
"I don't want the mistakes of my father to stick with me because of his name. No matter who I marry I'm taking their name." I said. Evander chuckled. "Besides, I kind of like it." I said.
"So a maybe then?" He asked.
"We can remain engaged. I'm just not ready to get married so soon." I said. He pulled me into a hug.
"I understand Ber. I love you so much." He said.
"Mhm." I mumbled back. He looked into my eyes, and kissed me gently. His green hat fell off his head onto the floor, but neither of us cared. I felt somewhat safe in his arms. Like nothing could bother me. He pulled away.
"I think Tink likes me." He said.
"What? Tink?" I asked, surprised. I began to giggle.
"Hey! It's not that surprising!" He pouted. I fell onto my bed it a huge fit of giggles, and he sat next to me. He tickled my stomach gently, and I burst into laughter.
"Stop stop stop!" I cried, laughing.
"Amberlyn? Are you okay?" Someone asked, coming through the door. It was Tink. She saw the two of us on the bed, and bit her bottom lip.
"Oh. Sorry." She said, and left the room quickly. Evander muttered a few illegible words which I only could believe were a slew of curse words.
"She looked so upset." I muttered, standing up and smoothing my dress down.
"Should we go talk to her?" Evander asked, standing up next to me.
"We should. Come on." I said, and we left my room.

~~~

Reaching Tink's room, I knocked gently on the door.
"Who is it?" Tink asked, and I heard a few sniffles which she had failed at trying to conceal.
"It's Amberlyn."
"And Evander." Evander chimed in.
"Can we come in?" I asked.
"I'd rather be left alone, but thanks." She said.
"Please Tink? I want to talk to you." Evander said. There was silence for a moment. All of a sudden the door opened. Her eyes were glassy, and her blue dress was tear stained.
"Tink..." I muttered, looking at her.
"What do you want?" She asked, looking up at both of us.
"To talk. I understand you're upset." I said.
"I'm just fine." She muttered.
"You're not." Evander said. She glared up at him, the glare lasting less than a second.
"I said I'm fine." She said, looking down at the floor.
"Tink...we're engaged." I said. Her head flew up.
"H-how!?" She exclaimed.
"Archer eliminated me. He said I should go home with my family."
"So you got engaged within the last twenty minutes?! That's a terrible idea! Don't you realize you're probably surrounding yourself with love from someone else to forget about the love you have FOR someone else?" She asked.
"I think you're jealous." I said calmly.
"I think you're an idiot!" She screamed at me, and slammed her door. There was a short silence before Evander spoke.
"Well that didn't go at all as planned." He said.
"She'll cool down." I said.
"You're right." There was another pause. "Ber?" He asked. I looked up at him quizzically.
"Yes?" I asked.
"I-is any of that true?" He asked. "What Tink said about surrounding yourself with love from someone else t-to forget about your love for Archer?" He asked.
"Of course not." I replied, taking his hand. He smiled, but secretly I knew Tink was right. I loved Archer, and Evander could never know that.