Picture Perfect - Page 183

The seconds tick by, each one louder than the last in my ears. I imagine Princess at her desk, probably scribbling notes with that furrowed brow of concentration she gets when she’s trying to absorb every detail. I wonder if she can feel that something’s different today, if there’s some cosmic pull urging her to hurry back home.

“Come on, Princess,” I whisper, as if my words could somehow reach her, speed her steps.

The clock mocks me, the minute hand inching forward with excruciating slowness. I’ve faced down evil and stared into the eyes of my father when he was deep into the bottle—nothing should scare me. But the thought of what’s coming next? It’s got me terrified in a way that fighting never did.

This isn’t just about me. It’s about us—about the promise I’ve made to myself and the question that burns a hole in my pocket. I close my eyes for a moment, letting the scent of roses and candle wax fill my senses. When I open them again, the clock has mercy on me. Five minutes.

“Five minutes,” I repeat, and my voice sounds steadier now. Princess’s close; I can almost feel her presence at the edge of my awareness. The butterflies in my stomach are a whirlwind, but I stand firm. Because no matter how nervous I am, there’s one thing I’m sure of—I want this. I want her. And in five minutes, I’ll be one step closer to forever.

I pace the length of our open living room, the hardwood floors creaking under the weight of my anticipation. Each step is a reminder of the year that has passed—a year of my Princess filling our lives with light, challenging the darkness that once threatened to consume us all.

“Saint, man, you’re gonna wear a path into the floor,” Dre’s voice cuts through my reverie, his tone light but not without concern.

I stop and run a hand through my dark curls, letting out a shaky breath. “It’s just… it’s been a year, Dre,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. The walls seem to close in, heavy with the weight of memories.

“Hey, I know,” Dre replies, leaning back against the couch, the tattoos on his arms shifting with his movement. “A year of this crazy, beautiful mess we’re in.”

I nod, my gaze dropping to the floor. A year of tangled sheets and whispered secrets, of shared laughter and silent tears. The day I presented the idea of us—an unconventional unity—I promised her a year. One year with no strings attached, where she could walk away if it was too much, if we were too much. My heart clenches at the thought.

We hadn’t talked about it since. And, I knew that the original deal was struck before she fell in love with us, with me. But, I don’t know what she wants for the future, not for sure. I mean, I know she wants to celebrate this, us. We’re just waiting for the winter break to take a long anniversary trip.

“Did you ever think it would actually work?” Chess asks from his perch by the window, his hazel eyes probing mine.

“Hope, maybe. Think? I don’t know.” I admit, shrugging. We never talked about it after that day, never discussed what might happen when the year ended. And now here we are, surrounded by the evidence of our shared life, yet uncertain of its continuity.

“Look at us, though,” Chess continues, gesturing around the room adorned with remnants of our collective existence. “We made it work for a year. That’s gotta mean something.”

“Means everything,” I agree, the knot in my chest loosening slightly. But as much as we’ve spent the year wrapped up in each other, the future—their future, our future—is a mystery I’m desperate to solve.

“Whatever happens, she’s changed us, Saint. For the better,” Dre says, his blue eyes intense. He’s right; Princess has woven herself into the fabric of who we are, individually and together. It’s terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

“Changed us, yeah,” I echo, feeling the truth of his words deep in my bones. I glance at the clock again—only moments now until she walks through that door. Until I ask for more than a year, for a forever that’s as unpredictable as it is coveted.

“Then let’s show her that. Whatever she decides, let’s just… make tonight about love,” Chess suggests, his usual mischievous grin softening into something more sincere.

“Love,” I repeat, the word feeling like a vow on my lips. It’s time to face the future, whatever it may hold.

I tap my foot, a rapid staccato against the floorboards. The clock is an enemy, moving too slow then too fast, mocking me with its steady tick-tock. My eyes dart toward the digital numbers, willing them to speed up.

“Bro, if you check the time one more time, I’m gonna tape your eyes shut,” Dre threatens from across the room, his ice blue eyes glinting with humor beneath the fall of his blond hair.

“Seriously, Saint, you’re more jittery than Chess on his third espresso shot,” he adds, chuckling as Chess shoots him a mock scowl from where he’s sprawled on the couch.

“Easy for you to say,” I grumble, running a hand through my dark curls. “You’re not the one about to—”

“About to what? Make the grandest romantic gesture ever?” Chess cuts in, sitting up straighter with excitement gleaming in his hazel eyes. “Because that’s all you’re doing, man.”

“Grand” feels like an understatement. This isn’t just a gesture; it’s my heart laid bare, a plea for a future with Addy, our Princess. She’s everything—our anchor, our storm, our peace. And suddenly, ten minutes feels like a lifetime and a blink all at once.

“Addy loves you, you know. Loves us,” Chess says softly, the teasing tone gone now, replaced by the warmth I’ve come to rely on from my brothers-in-arms.

“Doesn’t mean she’ll want to—” I start to object, but Chess cuts me off again.

“Saint, she’s as much in this as we are. She’s not going anywhere.”

His reassurance sinks into my bones, steadying the tremor of nerves that threaten to rattle me apart. I need to believe him, believe that what we have is stronger than the sum of our pasts, stronger than the fear clawing at my insides.

Dre nods in agreement, his scars and tattoos a visible testament to battles fought and won. “He’s right. You’ve got nothing to worry about. You’re offering her something real. Something none of us ever thought we’d have.”