Hell Without You

Chapter 13

"Clementine, I know this isn't how it's supposed to go. I'm doing this out of order – I don't even have a ring."

Another ripple, another bolt of expectation. Oh God... Was this really happening?

"But I figure seven years is long enough to wait for what I've wanted to ask you ever since I was sixteen. When we go home and start looking for a new place together, I want it to be for good. Forever. I can't stand the thought of it being anything but. I've got you back, and I want to keep you. Will you marry me?"

He squeezed her hand more tightly than ever, and she could feel his intensity, the beating of a heart he'd just laid out on the line.

His proposal was as unexpected as her sudden trip to Florida, as the Miami sunset and the dolphins leaping through the turquoise water. The shock and romance of it all twisted around her heart, squeezing and making the backs of her eyes sting. No, this wasn't the way things usually went, but it was very Donovan. Her heart skipped a beat as she met his eyes, a soft grey in the light of the setting sun. "Yes."

A light that had nothing to do with the sunset shone in his gaze. "Really?"

She'd just made her first really impulsive decision in seven years, and the thrill of it was like a high. She laughed. "As if I could say no. Donovan ... I love you. I always have, even if I've messed up – even if I haven't had the chance to show it. You know that."

"Damn it," he muttered, his expression serious. "I forgot I was supposed to get down on one knee." Abruptly, he sank down into the sand, kneeling in front of her as he continued to shelter her hand in his. "Whenever you think back, just remember it this way – like I was down here all along."

Before she could say a word, a wave crashed at her feet, swirling around her ankles and sending a heavy spray of water flying against the side of his face. He squeezed his eyes shut against it as it dampened his hair and soaked his shorts, leaving his jaw dripping.

"Well, I'm definitely going to remember this," she said, unable to stifle more laughter. "But your bandages..." She pulled on his hand. "Hurry up and stand before you get soaked again. Is your hand wet?"

He stood, looking down at his sling and bandaged hand, grimacing. "Barely. Wave mostly got my other side."

"Jesus, what I wouldn't have given to have had my phone just then," Ricardo said, patting the empty pockets of his board shorts. "I never would've let you live that picture down."

Donovan didn't say a word as he wrapped an arm around Clementine's waist, drawing her up hard against the front of his body. When his lips met hers, they tasted like sea water. She yielded to the pressure of his tongue, succumbing to a kiss that lasted for a full minute.

"There'll be a ring," he said when their lips parted. "We can look for one while we're here, if you want. Lots of jewelers in Miami."

"Don't worry about it now," she said, unable to resist glancing down at her left hand, where all her fingers were bare. "Let's just enjoy the evening." She was still glowing on the inside, and the dolphins were still jumping in and out of the waves – in that moment, she never wanted the evening to end. The past and the future were as far away as Willow Heights – there was only Donovan and their immediate happiness. It shone down on her from all around, much like the last few beams of Florida sun.

* * * * *

"I feel kind of sad that we're leaving Ricardo," Clementine said as she and Donovan walked side-by-side through the Miami International Airport. "He's such a nice guy. I hope he'll be okay with you gone."

Donovan wouldn't have made the last-second trip to Florida if his friend hadn't needed him, and although everything had turned out okay with his arrest and related troubles, the incident that had caused it would've been enough to give anyone nightmares, which apparently Ricardo already suffered from, like Donovan.