Chapter 56: "A Night to Remember"

The day had been long, revealing, and tiring in its emotional sense, to the extent that Taylor had never been as drained as she was at this moment. They had spent hours discussing in a bid to try to understand all that they had discovered. Her origins, her family—none of it could be true; it was more than information she could process in one sitting. Still, Alex had been there all along, standing beside her in the tempest as if to say, ‘I am here. ’ And so it was that, as the sun began to set and the night drew in, Taylor was outside on the balcony of the apartment they shared. The skyline of the city was lit below her, and yet her soul was in a state of uproar. She hugged herself to seek at least some degree of solace in the storm. Alex followed her to the balcony, and he stood behind her without saying anything. He moved his palms on her collar bones, and she tilted her head back against him, exhaling, her voice trembling. “Are you okay?” he whispered, as if he were afraid that saying it louder might wake the dead. The day had been long, revealing, and tiring in its emotional sense to the extent that Taylor had never been as drained as she was at this moment. They had spent hours discussing in a bid to try to understand all that they had discovered. Her origins, her family—none of it could be true; it was more than information she could process in one sitting. Still, Alex had been there all along, standing beside her in the tempest as if to say, ‘I am here. ’ And so it was that, as the sun began to set and the night drew in, Taylor was outside on the balcony of the apartment they shared. The skyline of the city was lit below her, and yet her soul was in a state of uproar. She hugged herself to seek at least some degree of solace in the storm. Alex followed her to the balcony, and he stood behind her without saying anything. He moved his palms on her collar bones, and she tilted her head back against him, exhaling, her voice trembling. “Are you okay?” he whispered, as if he were afraid that saying it louder might wake the dead. Taylor only nodded, not quite sure whether what he had said was indeed true. “I don’t know,” she said quietly, and her voice was shaking. See, that’s why I got all messed up; I look around, and everything I believed about myself is upside down! He pulled her around to look at him, and his palms cupped her cheeks. “Taylor, you are still you,” he said with a lot of conviction. “It does not alter who you are—the kind, strong, loving woman that you are—it is all within you and is what I fell in love with you for.” Taylor only nodded, not quite sure whether what he had said was indeed true. “I don’t know,” she said quietly, and her voice was shaking. See, that’s why I got all messed up; I look around, and everything I believed about myself is upside down! He pulled her around to look at him, and his palms cupped her cheeks. “Taylor, you are still you,” he said with a lot of conviction. “It does not alter who you are—the kind, strong, loving woman that you are—it is all within you and is what I fell in love with you for.” She wanted to weep at his words; the look of truth in the man’s eyes was unbearable to her. “I don’t know how to do this,” she whispered, and she started to cry. “Frankly, I am in the dark concerning what is next. ” Alex tried to wipe a tear that fell from her cheek, and her thumb just gently removed it. “It is step by step,“ he said more softly. “And we do it together,” he said softly. “I’m not going anywhere, Taylor; not now, not ever.” The things that he said to her had a soothing effect on her troubled mind, and for the first time that day, she rejoiced. She embraced him tightly around the neck by putting her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Alex,” she whispered into his chest. “For everything.” He pulled her into a tight embrace and felt the warmth of his arms around her. “You don’t have to thank me,” he said gently. “And I love you, Taylor; that is as far as my reasoning goes with any of this. They got like that for a while, the rest of the world almost disappearing from view as they just cuddled. Taylor could see that the stiffness in the woman’s shoulder blades was dissipating, and instead there was a tension that she had not seen since the morning. As for anything that would come next, she was sure nothing could go wrong as long as Alex was there. At some point, Alex slightly faded away from her, his gaze all over her face. “I have an idea,” he said with a half-bow of the lips. “What is it?” she inquired, wondering what the man had come to deliver. “Let me take you away from here for some time,” he said. “You and I don’t need phones; we don’t need anything else. Let’s go to the lake; we’ll take a car and spend the night there wrapped in the starlight, okay?” The idea was quite appealing—an opportunity to free her mind from the day’s business and just be in the company of Alex. She could even see it in her mind’s eye: the tranquility of the lake; the two of them embracing each other; the rest of the world and all its troubles left far behind. “That sounds perfect,” she managed to say, and a bit of her smile that was hidden behind the storm of her emotions started to appear. Alex’s smile broadened at that. “Great. Let’s pack a bag and get going.” In less than half an hour, they gathered some basic necessities, namely warm clothes, bedding, and a couple of snacks, and hit the road. This was a drive in the evening, and there was little movement inside the car—only the sound of the car’s engine and every now and then the sound of the trees swaying in the wind. Taylor leaned her head against the window, and although she was thinking about the present events and what was going on today, she couldn’t help but think of the man sitting next to her. When they reached the lake, Taylor could see that she had finally found her moment of calmness. There was no one in the vicinity; the water was still, with the stars of the night sky mirrored in it. Alex pulled to a stop near the seacoast, got out of the car, and they both stepped on the sand. It was a good time for them to admire the beauty of the night. “Come on,” Alex said, smilingly holding her hand and moving her to a place close to the water. They unpacked some food and a blanket and laid down; the climate at night was not so cold. The sky was cloudless at night, with stars shining brightly as if they were strung on a black cloth. Taylor got closer to him, and she laid her head on his shoulder. “Oh, this is just perfect,” she whispered almost to herself, and you could hear the happiness in her voice. He placed an arm around her and positioned her nearer to him. “I’m glad,” he said softly. “Sometimes, you have to calm down after all the things that have transpired.” They sat in comfortable silence for a while as they enjoyed the feeling of having peace from whatever was going on. It was dark and still, with only the sound of the water splashing on the sand and occasionally the sound of crickets in the background. Taylor said that all her worries disappeared, and she only felt a warm and serene feeling she had not experienced for a very long time. The night went on, and Taylor started to get sleepy. The heat of Alex’s body makes her very comfortable. However, as she was almost dozing off, she felt Alex stir beside her, his movements slow and deliberate. “Taylor,” he whispered, the sound of his voice making her come back from the land of sleep. “Oh!” she said softly, rubbing her eyes open to look at him. “I have a question that has been on my mind for a while now,” he began, then changed the tone to “we need to talk.” “Come on,” Alex said, smilingly holding her hand and moving her to a place close to the water. They unpacked some food and a blanket and laid down; the climate at night was not so cold. The sky was cloudless at night, with stars shining brightly as if they were strung on a black cloth. Taylor got closer to him, and she laid her head on his shoulder. “Oh, this is just perfect,” she whispered almost to herself, and you could hear the happiness in her voice. He placed an arm around her and positioned her nearer to him. “I’m glad,” he said softly. “Sometimes, you have to calm down after all the things that have transpired.” They sat in comfortable silence for a while as they enjoyed the feeling of having peace from whatever was going on. It was dark and still, with only the sound of the water splashing on the sand and occasionally the sound of crickets in the background. Taylor said that all her worries disappeared, and she only felt a warm and serene feeling she had not experienced for a very long time. The night went by, and Taylor started to get sleepy. The heat of Alex’s body makes her very comfortable. However, as she was almost dozing off, she felt Alex stir beside her, his movements slow and deliberate. “Taylor,” he whispered, the sound of his voice making her come back from the land of sleep. “Oh!” she said softly, rubbing her eyes open to look at him. “I have a question that has been on my mind for a while now,” he began, then changed the tone to “we need to talk.” Her heart skipped a beat at the change in his voice. “What is it?” she asked, her curiosity piqued. Alex took a deep breath, his eyes locking on hers with an intensity that made her breath catch in her throat. “Taylor, I know we’ve been through a lot, and I know that today has been overwhelming. But through it all, one thing has become crystal clear to me.” “What’s that?” She whispered, her heart pounding in her chest. He took her hands in his, his gaze never wavering. “I love you, Taylor. More than I ever thought possible. And I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Taylor’s breath hitched, her heart soaring at his words. “Alex…” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvety box. The sight of it made her gasp, her hand flying to her mouth in shock. “Taylor, will you marry me?” He asked, his voice filled with hope and love. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the man she loved—the man who had been her rock through everything. Without hesitation, she nodded, her voice thick with emotion. “Yes, Alex. Yes, I’ll marry you.” A wide grin spread across his face as he slipped the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit, sparkling in the moonlight like the stars above. Taylor couldn’t stop the tears from falling as she threw her arms around him, holding him tightly as she whispered, “I love you, Alex. So much.” He held her just as tightly, his own emotions threatening to overwhelm him. “I love you too, Taylor. More than anything.” And as they sat there, wrapped in each other’s arms, Taylor knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, they would face them together. Because they had found something rare, something beautiful—and she was never letting it go.