Page 96 of Old Habits
I blink, realizing the obvious. “Oh, yeah. Right…”
He moves an inch closer, daring me to take it. I hesitate before forcing myself to pick it up. My fingertips sink into the soft velvet exterior and I take a moment to experience it before opening it.
The ring sits inside. A square diamond in a band of white gold.
“I can’t believe you kept it,” I say.
“Couldn’t bring myself to take it back,” he says, shrugging once. “Never felt like mine to return anyway.”
I pinch it between two fingers and slide it free from the box. Four years its been sitting here, locked away in his sock drawer. It still looks brand new. Not a scratch or smudge on it.
“You know, Will,” I say, catching my breath, “I never got the chance to tell you this before, but… you kind of nailed it.”
He nods. “It was like a movie, honestly. Just knew it was the one the second I saw it.”
“It’s really beautiful.”
“Thanks.” He pauses. “Listen, Jovie, I’ll support you in this but I don’t like it.”
I look up at him, my insides twisting.
“When I asked you to marry me before, it meant something,” he says. “It wasn’t a whim and I sure as hell didn’t do it to please anyone else. I did it because I loved you and I wanted to make you happy. I guess if this fake engagement serves the same purpose, then go ahead, but don’t expect me to agree with it.”
My heart skips a few beats and I feel a quick rush of blood to my head as I stand up to look him in the eyes.
“Will…” My voice falls.
“What?” he asks, staring down at me.
I push onto my toes to kiss him once. His lips purse slightly out of habit, non-committal and chaste.
“I loved you, too,” I say.
Will studies my face, his eyes shifting from my lips to my cheeks. I wait, standing on needles to see how he’ll respond but he says nothing.
I feel his hand tracing down my arm, traveling slowly to my left wrist. He turns it over to reveal the ring resting in my hand.
I give it to him and he slides it onto my finger. It easily pushes over the knuckles to fit perfectly at its base. Shimmering and sparkling, just like any other ring would, but no other piece of jewelry has ever made my heart beat like this before.
Will holds my finger and stares at the ring. A sadness takes his eyes, one of wasted time and painful memories. He wanted this before. I was too stupid to admit that I did, too.
But that’s not all we lost back then.
He lays a hand beneath my chin and turns my face up as he leans in for a soft kiss. I let it wash over me, closing my eyes as his touch glides down my neck.
I part my lips, letting his tongue push inside, warm and uninhibited. He flicks the buttons free on my blouse to gain access to my skin. I let him have me, enjoying his touch as he feels beneath the blouse and over my bra.
Will leans over to cup my rear and picks me up. I shake from a dizzy spell, somehow grounded by the constant urge of his kiss as he carries me to his bed and lays me down.
I lie back on the pillows and smile as he towers over me on his strong arms.
“So…” he says, his lips hovering an inch away from mine, “I recall you mentioning something about you being compelled to do something for me…”
I flash a teasing wink. “You mean as your new fiancée?”
He kisses me. “Yes.”
I scratch my nails beneath his shirt and he lets me pull it over his head. I admire his tempting physique, feeling a deep throb take hold of me.