All of You

Noah drives to a building at Upper East Side which I recognize as a residential building. The doorman opens the door and Liam takes my overnight bag for me. I follow him out and Noah drives the car away.

"Where are we?" I ask as Liam takes my hand and leads me inside.

He smiles at me. "This is where I live."

"But I thought we're going to dinner," I say. Liam exchanges pleasantries with the concierge before heading to the elevators. He presses the call button.

"We are," he says. The elevator arrives and he presses the button for the twelfth floor. "We've always eaten out before. I thought we could eat in this time."

"Okay," I say with a smile. "Then we can have more time together rather than stuck in traffic to come here."

He answers my smile with his own. "Exactly."

The elevator arrives at his floor and we walk down the short hallway to his front door. He unlocks it and ushers me inside. He walks around the place, switching on the lights as he goes, gradually bathing the room in soft yellow light. I walk to the living room and turn around, taking everything in.

The condo has an open floor plan, making the place looks bigger than it actually is. From where I'm standing, I can see Liam pouring out a glass of white wine in the kitchen.

"Go take a bath," he says, bringing the glass to me. "Dinner won't be ready for forty-five minutes, at least."

"Where are we ordering?" I ask.

He grins at me. "Christensen's Gourmet Kitchen."

My mind blanks; I don't recall ever hearing the name of the restaurant. Then it dawns on me. "You cook?"

"Hey, what's with the shocked expression?" he asks, looking annoyed, but I see the glint in his eyes that tells me he is joking.

"Nothing, I just," I smile at him. "I remember thinking to myself earlier that there are still a lot of things that I don't know about you. I guess this is one of them."

He grins at me. "I'm an enigma, I know."

I roll my eyes. "So, what's on the menu, champ?"

***

After dinner and the dishes done, Liam kisses me and asks, "Ready for bed?"

I laugh when he gives my hand an impatient tug as we head towards his bedroom. "Why do I get the feeling that we're not going to sleep?"

"Your womanly instinct is on point," he says. "I've never been so turned on just by looking at a woman dressed up in T-shirt and pajama shorts." He dips his head to kiss the side of my neck.

"Wait," I murmur. "I have something for you." I take out the box from my bag and hand it to him. "Happy third monthiversary," I say with a teasing smile.

"Wow, you got me something? That's nice of you," he says happily. He opens the box to reveal the watch. "Oh, this is so nice."

"You like it?" I ask.

"I love it, thank you," he says and gives me a kiss.

"Read the inscription on the back," I say and he does so. His smile widens and he looks back at me.

"I love you, baby," he says.

"I love you," I say.

He closes the box. "Actually, I got something for you, too." He puts the box on the side table and opens the drawer beneath it. My heartbeat accelerates when I see the small red box in his hand.

Oh, my God, is he going to propose to me? Right now?

He hands me the box and I look at him, down at the box and back up to him. He smiles. "Go ahead and open it. It's not a bomb."

Hell, I know it's not a bomb. But the content of the box is, in my opinion, a figurative bomb that could cause actual devastation.

Liam sees my hesitation and opens the box for me. To my surprise, there is a pair of rings inside, each a different size. I look up to him at last.

"I know it's much too early for an actual diamond ring, Jessica, so no, I'm not proposing. These," he takes out the rings and sets the box aside, "are promise rings. I know they're corny, like our monthiversaries." We share a brief laugh before he sobers. "But I really want to show my commitment to you. I cheated in my last relationship and you had been cheated on before. I promise that I will never cheat on you, that I appreciate you and that I will love you always. We might not even end up together in the end," he takes a deep breath before releasing it. "I want you to know that I cherish the time we have together."

I blink away the tears that I didn't realize have formed in my eyes. "Oh, Liam, that was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me."

"And I meant every word, Jessica," he whispers.

"Okay," I say. "I believe you."

He smiles at me and takes out the rings. He puts one on my finger and I put the bigger one on his. He picks me up and I let out a shriek in surprise. He laughs and we both tumble onto the bed.

No matter what happens, in a month or a year, who knows, at least for now I have Liam and all his love.