apter 112
Stella bolted onto the balcony with two boxes of stewed chicken in her hands, ready to give Mitch a piece of her mind. But then, something in the sky caught her eye
Barbara and I followed her out, and when we looked up, we saw a ton of drones in the night sky Each one was carrying a dazzling red rose, with lights twinkling above The drones were arranged into a neat heart shape
People from the nearby buildings were poking their heads out to catch this spectacle
I live on the third floor, se I could see the community garden from my balcony Tugging on Stella’s sleeve, I asked, “That’s Mitch, isn’t it?”
Stella leaned over the railing to look down Sure enough, there was Mitch, holding a big bouquet of flowers and wearing a suit, looking up at her.
“Stella, marry me! The moment Mitch set his eyes on Stella, he immediately dropped to one knee.
Off in the distance, the figures of Neil, Russel, and Cooper were just visible in the shadows of the greenery. True friends, all of them were here to bear witness to this proposal
Stella had been on edge these past few days, worried sick about what she would do if Mitch didn’t want to marry her.
But Mitch’s move was a real game–changer. He had literally flown here to propose to her.
Stella covered her mouth, her eyes welling up with tears, and then quickly ran downstairs. Barbara and I hurried to catch up
“Stella, I’m sorry. This proposal was a spur–of–the–moment decision. I’m not familiar with this place, so I couldn’t give you a grander engagement ceremony. But I promise, if you agree to marry me, I’ll make it up to you with the perfect wedding once we’re back home” Mitch was still on his single knee, and he looked really sincere.
I thought Stella would give Mitch a hard time, but she just laughed, grabbed the ring box from his hand, and slipped the ring on her finger.
Looking at the huge diamond sparkling on her finger, Mitch was grinning like a goof.
“Alright. What did your parents say?” Stella asked.
Mitch patted his chest, “Don’t worry. They’re thrilled. They said they’d rather I marry you than waste my time with women who aren’t right for me. It is because you can keep me in line!”
He seemed pretty proud of that.
I had to chuckle. Their sweet love story was both touching and enviable. I’d never been wooed that boldly before. My own wedding didn’t even have a proposal ceremony.
I glanced at Neil, feeling a touch of inexplicable loss. It seemed like he’d never given me what I wanted.
And now, as he watched his friend propose, what was he thinking?
Was he regretting not proposing to me, or plotting how to make his proposal to Bonnie even better?
Probably the latter. I pushed down the pang of regret and took out my phone to snap a picture of Stella and Mitch hugging.
After the drones flew away, Mitch went upstairs with Stella. Neil and the others naturally followed. Suddenly, my cozy little two–bedroom flat was packed
to the brim.
“Make yourselves at home!” As the host, I put aside past grudges and welcomed everyone warmly
Neil and Russel settled on the couch, while Cooper took a chair across from Stella and Mitch, who were holding hands.
I got everyone coffee and went to the kitchen to grab some desserts.
At some point, Russel had followed me into the kitchen. “Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving the country?” he asked suddenly.
I quickly turned off the faucet and turned to face Russel.
His eyes held both confusion and a hint of sadness. “Don’t you trust me?”
“No, it’s just that I find goodbyes too emotional. That’s why I didn’t tell you,” I said, feeling a bit guilty.
Russel had been so kind to me, helping me so much, and I had kept even my departure a secret from him. I hadn’t responded to any of his messages or calls recently
“Do you know how many times I went to your apartment looking for you? You didn’t answer any of my messages or calls. Were you deliberately avoiding me? Russel seemed angry
I was a bit puzzled, “But why would you want to find me? You have more important things to attend to.”
Russel asked, “What things?”
“Don’t you know that Bonnie is studying abroad? She’s here too. I’ve run into her. I think Neil came with her,” I reminded Russel, “You can’t compete with Ned like this.”
Russel was about to reply when Neil’s cold voice interrupted us. “Compete with me for what?”
My kitchen isn’t big. With both of these tall men crammed in here, it felt like the air had stopped moving.
“Nothing I don’t have many desserts, so you’ll have to compete for them, I said, holding up a tray of cookies and cakes for Neil to see
Russel gave me a long look, “Alright, got it”
Then he sidestepped Neil and went back to sit in the living room.
“Let’s go back to the living room,” I said to Neil, keeping my voice casual
1/2
10.75
In the living room, Stella and Mitch had decided to fly home by the earliest flight tomorrow morning and start planning their wedding
As I munched on a chocolate cookie, I couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of Stella, radiant with happiness. The most flirtatious girl I knew was pregnant and about to marry a man equally flirtatious
Who would have guessed that out of all our friends, they’d be the first to find their happily ever after?
Cooper, seeing his good friend about to get married, looked a bit emotional. He suggested. To celebrate Mitch’s successful proposal, let’s all go out for dinner!”
“Great! My treat Russel and Cooper came here with me and haven’t had dinner yet, Mitch seemed to have grown up all of a sudden, “and Nel too. I dumped all the proposal planning on you last minute. I owe you big time for helping me out!”
Stella gave me a hesitant look.
We’d been friends for many years. I knew what she was thinking.
Neil knew how to woo a woman with romance, but he’d never given me that kind of experience. It felt a bit unfair.
“Let’s go Mitch said, pulling Stella to her feet.
No one else objected. I wasn’t thrilled about the idea, but it was my best friend’s engagement day. I couldn’t refuse to go.
Once Stella and Mitch tie the knot, there would be more hangouts with Neil. Guess I should just suck it up and get used to it.
We all split into two cars. I drove one, with Barbara, Cooper, and Russel in tow
Neil took the other, chauffeuring Stella and Mitch.
Upon reaching a swanky five–star hotel, Mitch booked the biggest private room. Once we were all seated, Mitch ordered a feast.
As we were waiting for the food to come in, we were just shooting the breeze. All of a sudden, Neil’s phone started buzzing. I threw him a glance.
“Alright, I’ll be right there to pick you up.“I didn’t catch what was said on the other end, but I saw Neil get up and hustle out.
