Taking a Stand
Enrico
I looked at Rachel, waiting for a response to my marriage proposal. Tension gripped me, and a terrible premonition made me fear a resounding "no" in response to my question. That was the deduction I made as I observed her posture and her hesitation in giving me a direct answer to what seemed like a simple question.
“There's no need for so much suspense, Rachel” I pressed, too eager. “The answer is really simple, actually. Yes or no?”
Rachel's response began with a concerning hesitation.
“I don't know how to say this, but…”
Oh no! It couldn't be true. Rachel wouldn't do this. Not now!
“You know what!?” I interrupted, losing patience and throwing my arms to the side. “I'm tired of this cat and mouse game. Tired of wasting time! Tired!”
Facing a dumbfounded Rachel, with an expression of horror and shock, I walked to the bedroom door and turned the key, locking it to provide more privacy for both of us. Then, I returned to the bed, sitting next to her and pulling her into my arms for the second time in less than twenty-four hours.
“Let's get married and take care of our son” I whispered near her mouth before attacking her lips urgently and desperately. “There's no point in denying what we feel for each other, Rachel. I love you so much, and I can't stay away from you anymore, my love.”
When I climbed those stairs, I intended to enter that room and express my feelings to Rachel as soon as she opened the door. However, seeing her so vulnerable between the sheets and noticing the fragility in her gaze when our eyes met, I hesitated to act impulsively. I couldn't leave room for doubts anymore. No more half-truths and subterfuges to punish Rachel, because I was getting hurt in this story as well.
“I love you too, Enrico” confessed Rachel, her eyes on mine, lips just inches away from mine.
“But?” I inquired.
“But we have so many things to sort out! So many things have happened…”
“We'll sort it all out together” I affirmed decisively. “What I don't accept is that we continue to be apart from each other, when the truth is that we fell in love from the very first moment... on the same night we met at that club, Rachel.”
I felt a certain uncertainty in her gaze, but the thirst of her lips impelled me to kiss her again, eager to taste her lips once more... and again... and another.
"I... love... you," I declared between kisses, each one promptly returned by Rachel. "But I don't accept any excuses from you. You're pregnant, and I want to be by your side for as long as possible. Accept it, my love, because I won't accept anything less."
I looked at Rachel attentively, waiting for her to clearly express her acceptance. Despite the desire to impose my will over hers, I knew that wouldn't be the best way to start our life together. I noticed the exact moment when her inner battle came to an end.
"I love you and I want to be with you. I want our family... I want everything you're offering me."
I couldn't say anything, I just hugged and kissed the woman I love for long and delicious minutes.
"I can't stand being away from you anymore," I confessed, gently laying her on the mattress, but not letting the weight of my body fall on hers. "The past few weeks have been torture, without you. Without being able to touch you..."
"Don't remind me of the past few weeks, Enrico," Rachel spoke in a threatening tone. "Because I can easily change my mind!"
That scared me quite a bit, but I soon understood Rachel's reference and promptly apologized for all the foolish things I had done impulsively and childishly.
"I feel ashamed for trying to get your attention in the worst possible way, because that's exactly what I've been doing all this time, Rachel. I wanted your attention on me and ended up doing things that I regret deeply now."
"It seems we've been messing things up, haven't we?" Rachel said, displaying a humorless smile on her face, which led me to reciprocate in the same way.
"Yes, we messed up."
We talked for a long time, clarifying things between us, as this was the first step towards the path we wanted to follow together. We also discussed everything that had happened that day, including Thompson's marriage proposal and the sudden appearance of my mother, whom I thought was dead for years, but it was clear that she simply wasn't interested in taking care of her son.
Rachel explained in detail how she met the man who proposed to her, sharing her suspicions about him, which sparked true anger in me against the guy.
"Let's find out what he's hiding and why he's so interested in getting close to you now," I said, quite irritated. "Because it's pretty clear that there's something behind it!"
Despite the unpleasant topic, it was wonderful to be with Rachel in that way, lying in the comfort of her bed, wrapped in the warmth of our bodies, hugging and openly talking about everything.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door just as we were in another passionate kiss. I didn't allow Rachel to interrupt until we heard Lindsay calling her more insistently. I separated our lips and went to the door to open it.
"Is something wrong, Lindsay?" I asked, concerned.
Lindsay carried a tray in her hands and, before giving any explanation, entered the room without waiting for an invitation, placing it on Rachel's lap.
"I'm not going to let the same thing happen as yesterday," she stated.
I looked at her without understanding what she meant, but Lindsay soon explained:
"You locked yourselves in this same room, and Rachel ended up not eating anything! She can't go without eating... she needs to take care of her health and the baby's."
Of course, Lindsay was right, and once again I admired her friendship with Rachel and how lucky Rachel was to have her by her side.
"I need to thank you for taking such good care of my dad and Rachel, at all times," I said with great sincerity. "We're lucky to have your friendship and care, Lindsay."
"Enrico is right," Rachel added. "I never told you this, but without your support, I don't like to imagine where I would be now or what I would be doing, Lindsay."
Lindsay looked at Rachel and then at me with a questioning expression, her face showing surprise. With a touch of humor, she spoke dramatically, putting her hand on her chest, pretending to be unwell.
"Guys! I don't feel well!" she said cheerfully. "No! I take back what I said. You guys aren't feeling well. That's it."
Lindsay's lighthearted response made us laugh, completely dispelling the seriousness that had pervaded the room. I took the opportunity to walk back to Rachel's side, sitting beside her on the bed while she continued with the still-untouched meal on the tray.
“We are not kidding, Lindsay!” Rachel complained, still smiling. “Your friendship is very important to me, and I think this is a great time to tell you that.”
“Alright!” she said, raising her hands in surrender. “From what I see, now you two have actually sorted things out, or am I imagining things?”
Lindsay continued to look back and forth between us as she spoke, and I could see that she just wanted to better understand the situation, which was understandable.
“We are fine, yes” confirmed Rachel.
I decided to be more emphatic and make our plans clear once and for all. Deep down, I didn't want to risk Rachel changing her mind for any reason.
“Rachel and I are getting married.”
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