Delia woke up the next morning, with the sun shining painfully bright across her face. There was a brief moment of panic as she miserably failed to remember what she’d done the night before or who’s arm was strewn haphazardly across her lower abdomen. Willing herself to calmly look at her bed companion, her heart slowed to a paced jog and her stomach settled. The all-too-familiar celtic cross on the upper bicep informed her of his identity, but as she wiggled to get out from underneath his grasp, she lost it. 

I’m naked! 

“Can you please stop freaking out?” came his groggily voice, muffled by the pillow that he’d chosen to suffocate himself. Her eyes cautiously turned to watch his back rise and fall as he took in a deep breath, his body stretching out. 

“I’m naked in bed with my best friend,” her voice cracked in the softest whisper possible. Hearing her admit to reality, it set off another wave of panic deep inside of her. 

“I don’t want to add to your panic, but we also had sex,” he revealed, turning his head. His breath caressed her left ear, sending shivers down her spine and memories rushing through her brain. Flashes of gasps, moans, desperate pleas, and glistening skin-on-skin appeared before her shut eyes. Her arm rose to drape over her eyes, willing the images to cease. Instead of causing her more panic or settling her panic, they were stirring a desire within her. She did not need to add embarrassment to her list of current emotions. 

“And it was fucking great,” he chuckled, dropping a tender peck to her shoulder, right above her collarbone. The shivers she’d so desperately tried to hide revealed themselves. Goosebumps rose all over her body, and she bit her lip. 

“Yeah, it was,” she heard herself reply. Her hand flew to shut her mouth, but it was too late. His throaty laughter vibrated against her neck as he snuggled closer to her. She could feel him against her side, firm and all man. In a quick maneuver, he found himself atop her, settled gently between her legs. 

“And you don’t need to fight it,” he mumbled, his cerulean orbs making no effort to hide his feelings. Her green, golden eyes widened in fear, excitement, and confusion. His hand reached up to gently caress a strand of hair away from her face, before cupping her cheek. “I’ve been wanting to do that for so long.” 

“Justin, what are we doing?” she questioned, biting her bottom lip to cease the trembles. His strong shoulder shrugged, but his face remained confident. 

“I’m not all too sure, but I am sure that I love this right here. I love this feeling of you and me, close together without anything between us. And, I’d love to give you all of me if you’ll give me all of you,” he spoke, vulnerability never making an appearance. Her eyes shuffled from his eyes to his lips to his eyes once again. She wanted to find any sign that this was a joke. Maybe this was his way of making her feel uncomfortable; he was always making fun of her. 

But, she found nothing. 

“You just broke up with your girlfriend of three years, Justin,” she tried to rationalize his actions. He stubbornly shook his head, took a deep, and leaned down. His soft lips touched her own, lightly to begin. Then, using his hand on her face, he drew her face closer to him, pressing their lips firmly together. Parting his lips slightly, her lips fell into the crevice of his mouth. And her heart, well her heart fell out of her chest and into his hands. 

With a mind of their own, her hands reached up and held the back of his head and his back. Her right leg wrapped around his hip, and she drew him in closer. Their proximity left no air space between their bodies. He was pressed up against her in the most intimate ways, and her body reveled in the sensations. 

“Does that bother you?” he asked, his lips snaking down the side of her face and neck. Nibbling, kissing, and caressing her skin on his journey. 

“I’m not a rebound,” she cleared her mind long enough to state her stance. 

“Never could I do that to you. Listen to me,” he raised his head, positioned himself on his elbows, and grasped her face with both hands,

“Deep in my heart, I knew for a long time that I’d fallen out of love with Jessica. And I was a fool and an asshole for dragging her for as long as I did. And I could give you a million excuses for my actions, but the truth is I was a coward. I didn’t want to be alone, and I feared that the one girl that I was completely in love with would reject me. She is the one girl that had been there for me for only a couple of years, but that I could trust with my life. She is the girl that will break me down to shreds and built me back up.” 

“Justin…” Delia began, but the words jammed in the back of her throat. The large knot that’d formed preventing her from expressing anything. 

“I love you, Delia. And, yes, I have told you this many times in the past. Because, well, I’m not afraid to tell my friends that I love them. But, right now, in this moment, removed from all things in life, I am telling you that I am in love with you. I love every single thing about you, all the good and all the bad. I love that you love every single thing about me, all the good and the bad. And I love the want and the need to be with you, for the rest of my life,” he admitted, softly pecking her pale and trembling lips. Tears escaped her wide eyes, marking a path down the side of her face and onto the white pillow beneath her head. 

“What are you saying?” she asked, her jumbled thoughts and feelings leaving her dazed and confused. Any other human being could have seen clarity in what he’d said, but not Delia. 

“I told you yesterday that if I ever chose to marry, it’d happen when something in me snaps. And last night, with you in my arms, despite our intoxicated states, I felt it. I felt that overwhelming feeling of impatience, excitement, fear, and heart-thumping-nervousness. Delia Noelle, I want you to be my wife. I want to spend the rest of my life with the strongest, brightest, most loving, and most caring woman. I always said that I’d never find someone that would be like my mother and that’s true. But, I don’t want to marry my mother. I want to marry someone that reminds me of my mother, and yet awakens all these other emotions deep within me. I want to marry my best friend,” his eyes glistened, and his voice quivered slightly. 

“I don’t know what to say, Justin. We’ve never dated, and last night was the first time we’ve ever explored this territory,” Delia shook her head clear, and tried to be the voice of reason. 

“Delia, tell me yes. Tell me that you feel the same way, and tell me that you’ll do me the honor of being my wife,” he was close to pleading. Her eyes bore into his, and they lay there, reading the in and outs of each other’s souls. It was like time had stopped ticking and the world had stopped turning. Each held their breaths waiting for the other to speak. 

“Yes,” he read her response moreso than heard it. 

“Yes?” he questioned, breathlessly. Hearing him repeat her answer, it snapped something in her. A smile stretched across her face, and she nodded her head. Biting her bottom lip, she tried to suppress the growing smile tugging at her lips. 

“Here? You’ll marry me here? In Belle Mare?” he asked, once more, unbelievingly. 

“Yes, yes, yes! I will marry you – right here, right now,” she laughed, speaking her words louder, stronger. He laughed joyously, the corners of his eyes crinkling. Pulling her face to his, he pressed wild kisses on her mouth. His excitement transmitted through every touch from his fingertips. 

“Mom and Lynn are going to kill us!” she laughed, hugging him tightly as he buried his face in her neck. 

“They’ll live, come on! I think we have a busy day ahead of us!” Justin exclaimed, jumping up off of her. Shamelessly, he stood nude looking for his boxers from the previous night. Delia averted her eyes, and made sure the sheet was wrapped tightly around her frame. Standing up, she shuffled to her suitcase to grab some clothes. 

“I’m gonna shower and then run down to the concierge to try and figure out when and where. I’ll call you,” he spoke excitedly as he came over to her, dressed in only his boxers. Standing straight, she smiled at him. 

“Ok, umm, I don’t have a dress,” she stated, worry starting to settle in her stomach. Every detail that came along with a wedding beginning to add to her list. 

“Why don’t you take the car to Port Louis and find a dress? I’ll take care of everything here. You just worry about getting a dress, and I’ll take care of everything else. I’ll let you know what the concierge tells me,” he spoke softly, taking her face in his hands and softly pecking her lips. She nodded, a bit dazed at the reality of the situation confused her more. Her excitement was definitely clouding her mind, and she could think of nothing other than the fact that she would be marrying her best friend in a day’s time. 

He kissed her deeply one last time, before exiting the bedroom and leaving her to get ready. Smiling, she rushed into the shower. She definitely needed to hurry and rush out to find a dress. 

“Oh my, I’m getting married,” she laughed as she rinsed her hair, “ha! Mom is going to kill me!”