I Do

She was only going to get under someone to get over Ethan after she felt like she had done the whole mourning ritual and done it right. What she didn’t know was that Dani was growing increasingly worried about her. For the first few days, Josie wouldn’t even look at Dani let alone speak to her. It had been four long days before Josie finally spoke to her roommate.

“I’m sorry about the silent treatment,” Josie said as she stood in the kitchen. “But what you said was shitty. I loved Ethan and I still do but hearing those words from someone so close to me was devastating.”

Dani was not sure what she was supposed to say after that.

“I’m sorry, I was wrong,” she said in a soft voice and Josie nodded before she went back to her room carrying a tub of ice cream with her.

Dani had been observing her habits and she was growing more and more worried about her roommate and best friend. That was how she made the decision to go see Ethan. Evidently, her apology did little for her relationship with her best friend and she could not help but feel the need to make things right.

                                                            *****

Dani and Ethan met at one of his franchise coffee shops. It was actually the same coffee shop he had seen Josie in after her interview.

“Dani, hi. Nice to see you again,” Ethan said when Dani got to his table.

“Nice to see you too.”

“Is everything okay? Is Josie okay?” he asked when she sat down.

“Well, no… I don’t think she is. She spends her days sleeping and binge-watching TV. Her diet is mostly ice cream….” Dani shook her head. “I have never seen her like this.”

Ethan exhaled loudly and shook his head.

“Do you know what happened?” he asked and Dani looked at him, surprised.

“You don’t know?” she asked and Ethan shook his head.

“No. I keep on wondering what I did wrong…”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Dani pointed out. “Your ex did.”

“Who? Ann?”

Dani nodded and then went ahead to tell him of the fateful bridal salon visit. Ethan was sitting silently after she was done filling him in. It was all he could do not to lose it.

“Is she home right now?” he asked and Dani nodded.

“Yeah, she is probably getting ready to make her lunch order, that is if she has not already done it,” she said in a soft voice.

Ethan nodded.

“Thanks, Dani,” he said as he put a few bills on the table before he quickly rushed out.

                                                            *****

Josie grabbed a twenty-dollar bill from her purse when she heard her doorbell. She ran to the door and opened it but instead of a delivery man, Ethan was standing at her doorstep. For a minute there, she felt like the whole world had stood completely still. Of all the people she would have expected to ring her doorbell, she sure as hell never expected it to be Ethan Beckett. Ethan Beckett holding a gift bag and a big bouquet of flowers.

“Hi,” he said in a soft voice.

“Hi.”

“I have never seen you in sweatpants before,” he said, smiling.

She shrugged.

“They pair well with bumming around and ice cream.”

Ethan nodded.

“These are for you,” he said as he gave her the flowers.

Josie reluctantly took the flowers and inhaled deeply.

“You remembered,” she said in a soft voice and he nodded.

“Of course, I did. You are one of the only people I know who prefer lilies over roses.”

A smile played on her lips as she smelled the bouquet in her hands.

“May I come in?” he asked making her look up.

Josie took some time before she stepped aside for him to walk into the apartment. He looked around the apartment when he walked in.

“Nice place,” he said and she forced a smile.

“Thank you. Can I get you anything?” she asked as she walked to the kitchen.

“Just water if you don’t mind.”

She put the flowers in a vase before she walked back to the living room with two bottles of water.

“Thanks,” Ethan said when she gave him one bottle.

“Please, have a seat,” she said as she sat down.

“Thank you. This is for you.” He placed the bag he was holding on the coffee table and Josie looked at it.

“What’s in there?” she asked.

“Something to say I’m sorry.”

Josie shrugged.

“What for?” she asked.

“For… everything especially for the things my ex said to you.”

Josie raised an eyebrow at him.

“What? What do you mean? Who have you been talking to?”

Ethan shrugged.

“Dani came to see me,” he admitted. “She told me what happened that day you went to Ann’s bridal salon and the fight you two had.”

Josie bit her lower lip.

“I don’t know what to say… It was all too much and it made me put things in perspective.”

Ethan nodded.

“I understand. I still maintain that you should have talked to me.”

“If you are here to take me through an ‘I Told You So’ lecture, I am not hearing it. I still have two seasons of Billions to catch up on.”

Ethan sighed.

“That is not what I am doing. I promise you.”

Josie opened her bottle of water and took a long sip.

“Tell me this, do you still have feelings for me?” he asked and she looked at him, surprised that he would even ask that.

“Of course, I do. I love you… I am in love with you,” she said and Ethan nodded.

“And I love you too. I never stopped.”

Josie put her bottle down and looked at him.

“Why are you bringing this up? It is not something I want to get into…”

“I am saying that because I need you to know that anyone who is against you, is also against me.” He took her hand in his. “I don’t care if we come from different worlds. All that matters is that you completed my world when you came into my life and now without you, I feel like I am missing a huge part of me. A part I need back.”

She started to say something before she choked up.

“I’m sorry… I never meant to hurt you,” she said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Ethan leaned in and gently wiped off the tear using his thumb.

“Let’s not talk about the past, okay? Let’s just focus on the future because I still want to marry you.”

She smiled.

“I still want to marry you too.”