The Valentines Day Proposal

by Bella Winters

  Ginger told me little as well, but I could see on her face that something was wrong. She got into the car and started the engine as Elena rolled the window up. I watched them drive away and felt a pain in my heart that was stronger than anything before this. Was I falling for her? I told myself that I wouldn’t, but the more time that we spent together, the more I knew I wanted Elena in my life. I was fucked and now alone.

  As I walked to my car, I realized that Elena might be dropping the semester due to her accident. We could pursue something slowly in that case, but she didn’t even want to try. I slid inside of the seat, starting the engine to head home. I had hoped that Elena would come with me so I could take care of her and just spend some time with her. I knew that she wasn’t calling me, but I never expected her to end things with us.

  Marie called when I was walking to my door, and I relayed what went down at Elena’s apartment. “Did something happen that was more serious than you originally thought?” Marie asked me as I walked to the back deck and sat down with a cold beer.

  “Not that I remember. It was a little sad when Elena left that night since we knew we had to hold back, but we didn’t end anything. Something happened from the accident. I just don’t know what.” I popped the lid and took a sip. “I should have made her stay. We would’ve had dinner as planned and everything would be different.”

  “Maybe and maybe not. You don’t know what is going on,” Marie told me as I stared out over the trees.

  “The thing about it is she might not be coming back to class. I didn’t get details of her injuries from Elena, but she was pretty bruised up and said that she was sore.” I shook my head. “It might have worked out that way.”

  “Give her time, Liam. She might just need some space. To me, it seemed like you two were good together,” Marie told me before bringing up dinner the following weekend. I agreed since it was tradition and I needed to hold onto something right now.

  I drank a few too many beers and woke up in the morning on the couch. My head was throbbing, and I groaned as I pushed myself up and went to the bathroom. I glanced at the messy bed that I hadn’t slept in for the last two nights and damn it if it didn’t smell like Elena in here. I had class today at noon and showered before pulling on some worn jeans and a clean button up from the closet. I looked a little worse for wear, but I knew Economics better than anything else so I could teach it in my sleep.

  I sipped strong coffee as I drove to the campus, finding a close parking space. I got out and slipped my messenger bag over my shoulder as I looked around at the students clustered together under a rare sunny sky. I didn’t see Elena, but I didn’t expect to. She was probably in bed at Ginger’s on some heavy pain meds, not thinking about school at all.

  Was she thinking about me as I was her?

  I straightened as I entered the class and jumped right into the lecture, my voice steady as I spoke. I looked tired and felt every bit of that, but I had a great schedule and would be out of here after some office time.

  I knew that I was a little slow today, but kept going with the lecture, trying not to subject the students to the mood that I was in. I breathed a sigh of relief when I was finished, and they started packing their bags. I knew the girls were looking at me as I straightened my papers, staring down so I wouldn’t see the looks on their faces. The hungry gazes hadn’t stopped since I was seeing Elena. In fact, it seemed like the attention grew and I didn’t want any temptation right now. I was feeling vulnerable, but deep down I knew that no woman would feel like Elena did.

  The room emptied, and I gathered my things to go to the office. I met up with Sarah a couple times a week to go over stuff, and she was waiting there as expected. She looked at me with a concerned expression for a moment as I walked forward to unlock the door. “Are you okay?”

  “Tired. Late night,” I told her as I led the way inside of the small room, the memories of Elena hitting me with an intensity that almost made me stop breathing. “Jesus.” I realized that I wasn’t alone and set my bag on the desk before sitting down. “So, I owe you notes from the lecture to prepare worksheets. I made you some copies, and they’re in my bag.”

  I found the stack and handed them to her as Sarah raised an eyebrow at the pile. It was sloppy since I was distracted this weekend and got to it later than normal. “Are you sure that you’re all right?” She asked again as I nodded. I couldn’t tell her what was going on. I couldn’t tell anyone, but Marie and I didn’t want to dump this on her every time an emotion hit me.

  “It was a long weekend, Sarah. That’s all,” I assured her as she quickly flipped through the papers before straightening them. She made her way back out to the campus so she could catch a class, and I ran a hand through my hair. I was a fucking mess today, and I needed some coffee or a long nap.

  CHAPTER 16

  Elena

  I rested on the couch as a talk show played through the apartment, thinking about school. I was still very sore and had a lot of trouble just moving in general, so I was still resting. I’d called the school, and they told me that they made exceptions for illness and things like accidents, so I could take a break and come back next semester if I chose to. I couldn’t miss too many classes and hope to have a chance at catching up, and the idea of walking around alone made me ache deep inside.

  Or was it because I was missing Liam?

  I hated saying those words to him at my apartment. I wanted him to bring me back to his place just to be in his arms, but I’d never be able to hold back about the baby that way. I needed time away from him. I needed to think. Ginger kept asking me if I was sure about my decision and I assured her that I was.

  She went to school but was otherwise home to take care of me. She cooked every meal and made sure that I took my medicine and slept properly. I played along though I didn’t always sleep that well. I was sore, and I kept dreaming about Liam.

  The dreams varied. In some, we were in Liam’s bed making love the way I never had before and likely never would again. I missed the way that he touched me and I’d wake up in tears some nights before I remembered why we were apart. I would slide my hand down over my stomach, still flat. I knew that there was a little life in there, though. I’d been to the doctor, and it was verified that I was only about one and a half months along. I was starting to feel a bit of the all-day sickness that came along with the first trimester, and Ginger kept the apartment stocked up on things to ease the discomfort. She was reading books about what to expect, making me want to cry as I watched her sometimes.

  I still wasn’t completely sure that I was going to keep the baby, but knew that I could not terminate the pregnancy. This was a life, and I hated the idea of pushing another part of Liam away. I spent a lot of time trying to fit a baby into my life with school and working, something that had fallen to the wayside since the accident. I couldn’t sit up long enough to get too much work done and was thankful that my clients were so understanding about things.

  Sometimes the idea of being a single mother made me cry myself to sleep. Liam was a wonderful man, and he’d make a great father with a woman that wasn’t forbidden. He’d love them both with all that he had, but Liam wouldn’t want it with a student that he was just sleeping with. We had no idea where this was going to go, and a baby would make it end that much faster. It was then that I’d convince myself just to give the baby to a family that was ready and to move on with my life.

  I was so conflicted.

  Ginger was a great listener, and we sat up watching movies a lot and eating the things that I craved. Since I knew I was going to carry the baby to term, there was no reason not to give in to every part of the pregnancy. She convinced me to move into the apartment since I wasn’t working too much and there was room for me, for both of us if I decided to keep the baby.

  I was better within a couple of weeks, but I’d withdrawn from school by that time. I hated doing that, but it made sense. I could figure all of this out and move forward next semester.

 
It was after I was better that Ginger took me out one evening to get a new phone and some dinner. I missed being outside and breathed in the cooling October air as we walked into a pizza place for some dinner. I looked around as we approached the counter to order, pausing when I saw Liam with Marie and another guy and girl in the back. He was drinking beer, and a couple of pies were in front of them as he laughed at something the blonde beside him said. “Elena?” Ginger asked as she turned to look at me, following my gaze to the back of the room. “Oh, sweetie. Do you want to leave?”

  “No. We live in the same city, and this is going to happen. I’m craving this pizza too much to leave.” I was only about three months now and not showing at all, so there was nothing to worry about. We walked to the counter and ordered before Ginger took her beer to a table that was away from Liam as I followed with my water. I took one more look back his way, seeing his eyes on me before I looked down and hurried to the booth. Hopefully, he’d stay back there and leave this alone.

  He looked so damn good, and my thighs ached as I sipped the ice water. Yes, I was feeling that part of pregnancy as well, even though I’d never sleep with a random guy to ease the ache. I had a hand for that, and soon there would be toys. I felt that this was just going to get worse.

  We tried to talk about something lighthearted as we waited for the pizza and garlic bread sticks but my mind was on Liam. Since I didn’t have a phone this entire time on purpose, not wanting to be the one to refuse calls, I had been free of him. I jumped as someone moved into the booth beside me and stared at Liam with wide eyes. “What are you doing?”

  “I wanted to see how you’re doing. Your phone wasn’t working,” Liam said as I looked carefully around the restaurant. “We’re not in class together. Jesus, Elena. I want to see how you are.”

  “I’m better. The soreness is going away finally, and I am getting around again. I’m not in school anymore, but I’ll pick it back up next semester.” I looked down at the table as I felt him take my hand, feeling my willpower fade as he squeezed me. “Liam. Stop.”

  “I fucking miss you,” he told me in a low voice as I closed my eyes. “I’ve been so worried, Elena.”

  “I'm all right.” I wanted him to leave because the heat from our joined hands was climbing up my arm. My body was responding in kind, and I pulled my hand away.

  “What happened to giving it a chance when we could, Elena? You wanted that as much as I did,” Liam spoke close to my ear as I closed my eyes. He slid out and left me as my mouth dropped open, trying to catch my breath.

  “Are you okay?” Ginger asked me, reaching across the table to touch my arm. I nodded, still unable to speak. “Elena, there’s still something between you two. I felt it.”

  “It can’t happen. He doesn’t want a family, Ginger.” I looked around carefully as I spoke in a low voice. There was a part of me that wanted to grab her beer and down it to numb myself, but I took a slow breath instead. “I don’t want him.”

  “Bullshit. It was all over your face, Elena. Give him a chance and tell him. Let Liam decide what he wants.” Ginger said as I shook my head. A waitress came over with our food, and I rubbed my stomach as it growled. Pizza would fix everything right now. As I piled my plate with food, I looked towards the door to see Liam walking to the exit with his group, looking at me as the blonde reached for his arm. God, how that hurt and I forced my eyes back to the half-eaten slice of pizza as the butterflies in my stomach took flight.

  This was best for all of us.

  It was in bed at home that I reached for my new phone. It had been charging for several hours, and I powered it on. There were a few missed calls and texts, but I zeroed in on the ones from Liam. The voice mails were those of a man breaking apart, and I cried as I listened to them. The texts ranged from every emotion that he felt; desperate, worried, angry, and loving. He didn’t say it, but I heard it in his words and I curled up on my side to sob quietly into my pillow. He wanted me, not a family within a matter of months. There would already be so much to explain to people, and a baby would make that so much worse. He was a well-liked teacher on the campus, and I couldn’t ruin that for him. He’d worked for that long before meeting me.

  Besides, he seemed to have the blonde in his life. She was pretty, closer to his age, and there would be no gossip or scandal involved with them. They could live a comfortable life.

  My stomach clenched at the idea of him touching another woman, and I whimpered. I had to stop this for the baby’s sake, and I moved to run to the bathroom attached to the bedroom, emptying my stomach of the contents inside. This happened more than I cared to think about, but it was better than being unable to move due to sore muscles. I could work through it.

  I was getting some money from the other driver’s insurance for a car, but it wasn’t too much. There was also a battle between them and the lawyer that I hired after I became completely intimidated by the process. I didn’t want a lot, just enough to cover my large hospital bills and perhaps enough to make up for the money that I lost in recovery. Ginger offered to help me with a car when the time came since she had a generous trust fund, but I wanted to do it on my own.

  I leaned back against the wall and took a deep breath.

  My parents had sent some money to me after we spoke a few times. They didn’t know about the baby since I was going to hide that for as long as I could. Mom would never understand the circumstances behind this baby and I would just see that look of disappointment in Dad’s eyes that I always tried to avoid. I could make up a short, casual relationship or a one-night stand but the reaction would be the same. I would look like a careless girl that didn’t have any thought about her future.

  Mom was married for three years when she had me, and while they weren’t great parents, they did their job. I rinsed out my mouth with water and made my way back to bed, imagining how different this life would be for the baby if I kept it.

  If I kept it.

  I traced my stomach and thought about the little piece of Liam and me that was growing inside of me, and the idea of losing it forever pulled at my heart. I could keep him in my life this way, even though it would be so hard.

  Ginger would help me. She would be the best aunt a kid could ever want. My parents might come around. I thought about the time that I met his sister and knew that she would be a wonderful part of their life, but that would mean telling Liam. He did deserve to know, but I wanted it to be a time when he didn’t feel like he had to be there for me.

  I drifted off into a dream where we were together, and Liam knew everything. We were going to be a family, and he was so happy.

  CHAPTER 17

  Liam

  My night was ruined once I saw Elena in the pizza place. Hell, my life was ruined before that so why would seeing her make any difference? I was having a decent time with Marie and her new boyfriend Keith, whom I liked. He’d brought his sister along and the dark look I shot Marie made her flush as Olivia moved closer to me in the booth.

  On paper, she was great. She was closer to my age, gorgeous, and someone that everyone would welcome me with. Olivia seemed nice enough through the meal, and her body moved closer to me throughout the night. I was laughing at something she said and well into my second beer when I looked towards the counter. Ginger and Elena were walking towards a booth, and I stared silently as she glanced my way before looking away.

  The bruises were gone, and she looked beautiful, but I saw the stress on her face. I saw sadness, and my feet ached to move to comfort her. I’d called and sent her countless texts over the last few weeks with no response. I knew that her phone was broken, but she had to replace it, right? There would be people trying to talk to her apart from me.

  I managed to stay at the table for ten torturous minutes before I excused myself to run to the bathroom. Marie watched me, knowing that something was up and Olivia looked at me like she was going to miss me. Miss me? We just met, and I knew what she wanted from the way her hand was all over my thigh.

&nb
sp; I walked towards the front of the restaurant and found their small booth as Ginger stared at me with wide eyes. I wasted no time in scooting into the booth beside a shocked Elena. Her face was pained as she looked at me and I wanted to know what the fuck made her look this way. She was okay and recovered from the accident so what else was wrong? Did she need anything?

  My voice came out hushed and angry instead of the compassion that was filling my heart. Elena looked around the restaurant, and I saw the paranoia in her face, cursing silently. I didn’t give a fuck who saw us here, and I reached for her hand under the table as she said something about feeling better and not being in school anymore. The heat between us burned as it climbed over my skin and my cock hardened. Fuck if I didn’t want her but I pushed that away and told her how much I missed her. I sounded so angry.

  She flushed as I held onto her and I could see that my touch was affecting her. God, I was throbbing now, and I wanted to wrap my arms around her and just hold her. I wanted to rip her away from this table and bring her home to my bed, where we could talk all of this out.

  “I’m fine.” That was all that Elena said even though I could tell she was feeling so much more. When she pulled her hand away, I felt lost inside. I reminded her of our conversation at my house that last night as she froze and closed her eyes.

  Fuck this. Elena wasn’t hearing me, and I didn’t want to be this close to her if I couldn’t have Elena in my arms. I slid out of the booth and walked towards the bathroom where I could release the demons and focus on my night. Fuck, I was so charged up with now, and I closed the door to a stall hard, locking it before I walked towards the toilet. I dropped my pants and took myself into my hand, stroking hard as I replayed the feel of her hand in mine.