The Only One He Wants

Chapter 9

Gabrielle’s dream was coming true before her eyes. They were in Mauritius. A place she had only visited before during the night in her long sleep. And now all those palms, golden beaches, and five-star hotels were at her fingertips. However, the best part about it all was the man walking next to her.

Michael was her life now. He filled all the cracks and made her a new person. How could she possibly refuse his offer to travel with him when everything she wanted was just that? She didn’t regret it at all.

“Do you like it?” he asked her as they stepped on a long sandy beach with their hands intertwined.

“It’s perfect. I… I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said, listening to the waves.

There was something about Michael. He was very quiet and sweating despite the cool weather in the afternoon. That was so unusual for him.

“Wait till you see everything I have to show you,” he replied and stopped walking.

The sun was setting already, creating marvelous shades of orange and red in the sky. It was like the clouds were on fire. The breeze only made the atmosphere more relaxed, allowing Gabrielle to take a deep breath and let it out, enjoying the freshness.

Next to her, Michael coughed, so she turned to face him. He wiped his forehead with one hand and smiled at her.

“Do you know what the sky reminds me of?” he asked her and she shook her head. “Of an oven. The clouds are like small loafs of bread baking inside.”

“Exactly.” She agreed.

He trapped her hands between his two big palms, looking straight at her eyes. “My life was just like an oven before I met you, Gabrielle. I was burning from within every day. My loneliness and despair were eating me alive… I… I never thought that they’d end. And then you came…”

“Mike, I…”

“Please, let me finish. I wish to tell you everything I feel right now, but no words have been invented yet. Instead, all I can do is…” He at once kneeled before her, pulling a small red box from his pocket. “All I can do is give you this and hope that you’ll accept it as a token of my love and a promise that you’ll forever be in my heart.”

Gabrielle’s eyes filled with tears, as he slowly opened it, revealing a shiny diamante ring.

“Will you marry me, Gaby?”

All the books in the whole wide world couldn’t prepare her for that moment. A wave of mixed emotions washed over her and she could no longer control the tears. They spilled down her cheeks in torrents.

“Yes! Yes! A million times yes!” she shouted, throwing herself into his arms.

“I love you. I love you more than anything.” He spoke in her hair, kissing her shoulder and her neck.

She couldn’t compose herself no matter how hard she tried. Her whole body was shaking, even her fingers, so Michael struggled to slip on the ring. But he succeeded and they fell on the sand, laying in each other’s embrace for what felt like eternity.

***

The soft splashing of the water as it hit the shore, soothed Gabrielle’s senses. She was a new person. Reborn in her own body. A person ready to face all obstacles and jump over them. She never thought that she would feel so liberated and strong again. So loved. And all that thanks to her man.

With her eyes closed, she stood by the window hugging herself. Michael’s words were still echoing in her ears as loud and clear as the breeze outside.

“Will you marry me, Gabby?”

So simple, and yet they were powerful words that had changed her future in a blink. She saw no more darkness and loneliness before her. Now there was light, love, and joy. What did I do to deserve this? she wondered staring at the peaceful water.

Michael had rented a whole bungalow over the lagoon for them. It was like a fairytale. A small and cute house, floating above the water. For a second Gabrielle looked behind her. The double bed, feathery pillows, the Jacuzzi and bamboo ornaments, everything was so perfect that her eyes teared up for who-knew-which time since she’d accepted the proposal.

And how could she not accept it? The sight of Mike, kneeling before her with a gorgeous ring in his hands was absolutely irresistible. It was a memory she’d cherish forever.

The buzzing of her phone broke her thoughts and she hurried to the stand, fetching it.

“My dear sunshine!” she shouted in the phone cheerfully.

“Hi, mom! Happy, are we?” Alesha joked from the other side.

“More than that! Oh, sweetheart, I’m so excited! Truly!” she admitted, hearing her daughter laugh.

“He did it, didn’t he? I knew he was the one, mom. Since the moment I saw you two together,” Alesha said, happily. Oh, how well she knew her mother.

“We’re engaged!” Gabrielle uttered nevertheless. She felt the need to say it aloud. To convince herself once more that it was true.

“Yay! Francis! Michael and mom are getting married!” her daughter yelled in her ear and she chuckled. These were great times for her family and she enjoyed them to the fullest. “Congrats, mom! Francis and I wish you all the best!”

“Thank you, dears! Thank you.” Gabrielle nearly lost her voice. The emotions were catching up to her.

“Don’t cry, you hear me? From now on, only smile! You deserve it!” Alesha told her, making her even more emotional. But she bit her lip and laughed instead.

“I will, honey! I will!” She said, hoping that she sounded convincing. Apparently, she did, since Alesha sighed on the other side.

“I love you, mom!”

“I love you, too, my dear,” she said.

“Honey? You ready?” Michael’s voice reached her from outside. He’d gone to arrange something about their stay with the resort’s staff, but obviously, he was back now.

“Coming!” Gabrielle told him, hearing her daughter laugh happily.

“I hope you’re wearing the red dress, mom!” Alesha told her, teasing.

“How dare you?” Gabrielle joked, sending a kiss through the speaker. “I’ll call you, okay?”

“Okay, mom! Have the best time and don’t worry about us.”

With that, they hung up. After throwing one last look at her red dress and black heels, Gabrielle was out of the bungalow in a second and in her fiancé’s strong arms. He embraced her tightly, placing his face against her hair. She kissed his cheek softly.