Resist Me Not

34

Eric caressed his fingers up and down my bare arm as we laid there in our bed, spent. My head resting on his shoulder.

I don't know what came over me, to allow us to go as far as we did. But it was something Eric always knew how to do. For as long as I could remember, whenever I would consider leaving him, he would pull some romantic move, which would end with us tangled in each other's arms.

But this time I couldn't stay. I had a new apartment I was moving into on Sunday. And I was actually more excited about that than I thought. To have my very own place for the first time in my life. No parents, no roommates, no boyfriends or fiances. Just me. It was going to be scary and liberating all at the same time.

"How did your dad take the news when you told him the wedding was off?" Eric asked casually, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I skated my fingers aimlessly across his bare chest. "I haven't actually said anything to my parents yet. I was working on getting some of the deposits back first."

"Wait. You haven't told your parents?" Eric sat up, making me shift over to my pillow. "That's great!"

I sat up too, pulling the sheet with me, to keep my naked body shielded. "It is?"

Eric grinned charmingly, and quickly dashed out of bed, almost tripping over my suitcases that were moved to the floor. I watched as he threw on a pair of boxers and left the room to go out to the living area. He almost instantly returned, with a familiar ring box in hand.

Instead of getting back in bed, he went to the other side, closer to me. He knelt down, his bare knee resting on the laminate wood floor.

"Eric, what are you doing?" My face flushed as he opened the box, presenting the same ring. Not my backup ring, but the family heirloom one. There it sat sparkling at me with its large round cut diamond in the middle and oval cut smaller diamonds on both sides, resembling a flower.

I could tell Eric was nervous, probably even more nervous than the first time he proposed to me. "Victoria Rae Ashcroft. After feeling what it's like to lose you, for even just a short time, I know my life would be a disaster without you in it. Since you've been gone, I couldn't do anything right. Now I know, more than ever before, that I've been focused on the wrong dream. All this time, I should have been devoted to loving you more, the way you want and deserve. So please will you do me the honor, and accept this ring once more, and become Victoria Rae Walton?"

I was crying, but I didn't know if I was crying because the proposal was so sweet, loving, and sincere, or because now I felt more confused than ever. I smiled through my tears at him, and instead of saying yes right away, I asked, "But what about everything that's happened?"

He moved to sit on the edge of the bed, still holding the box with the ring inside. "I forgive you completely."

"Really? Just like that?" I wiped away my tears and looked at him feeling uncertain.

He sighed and nodded. "I talked to Ryan about it, and he confirmed it was all him and that he left you no choice but to continue sleeping with him; otherwise, you'd lose your job."

"He said that? Wait. When did you talk to Ryan?" Then I pieced the puzzle together myself. "Is that where you got that bruise on your jaw? And where he got the black eye and cut lip?"

"Yes," he admitted bashfully.

"But he said that he got that breaking up a bar fight," I said more to myself than to Eric.

"I told him not to say anything. I didn't think it was worth stirring up more trouble, especially if you and I were over. But now that this," he said, taking my hand in his. "Has happened, I know that we aren't over. So please, don't leave me hanging here. Will you please accept this ring and become my wife?"