Page 41 of The Editor’s Choice

“Who says we have to decide? Order whatever you want from wherever you want it from. We’ll have it delivered and eat like kings tonight,” I offer, shrugging.

“No way! That would be fun,” she says, face still unsure. “We don’t have to just pick one place?” she asks for confirmation.

“No, princess. Anything your heart desires, within my power, will be yours.” The happiness returns just as my phone vibrates, threatening to pull a dark cloud over my evening with my sunshine girl. “You order. I’ll pay,” I say, pulling my card out of my back pocket, leaving my phone in place. She takes it hesitantly.

I kiss her forehead before heading for the bedroom. “Pajamas, remember?” I say, quelling the question on her face. When she returns her attention to the menus, I make my way to the bedroom and softly close the door behind me.

Do I even own pajamas? The shit I’m getting myself into for this girl. I think, shaking my head at the thought, even as the ever-present smile grows with the thought of her.

Pulling my phone from my back pocket, I unbutton my jeans and let them slide to the floor before stepping out of them. Opening the screen, I see a new text.

How can I help?

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, I shoot a text back, asking him to meet me here in a few hours. This isn’t something I want to discuss over the phone or through text. This needs to be untraceable if it has any shot at all of working.

Pulling some old pajama pants from the closet, I slip them on, along with a ratty worn-out T-shirt, before heading back to the living room to find out the damages of our movie night at home.

Except the apartment is empty. The menus are still spread out over the coffee table, but Jade is nowhere to be found. Pulling up her name in my phone, I hit call and it immediately goes to her voicemail, instantly sending waves of panic through my system.

Slipping my shoes on, I pull open the front door and run straight into her, knocking both of us back a step.

“Are you okay?” she asks, registering the panic in my face. “I had to-“ I pull her back inside and close the door before pressing into her, eliminating all space before my mouth covers hers, releasing the panic and rampant thoughts into the kiss.

After a moment of shock, she returns the kiss, fingers threading through my hair to keep me close. My hands on her hips, fingers digging into them in a punishing squeeze, my head starts to swim with desperation to be closer to her.

I bend and grip her thighs, wrapping her legs around my waist tightly. She doesn’t break contact once, lost in the high of the connection.

A knock on the door pulls us back to reality, right as her back makes contact with the couch, my body hovering barely above hers. Her face is flushed, eyes heated. Pulling her lower lip in between her teeth, she wordlessly begs me to ignore the knock as it sounds again.

“Fuck,” I say, barely above a whisper, nearly a growl. Pushing away from the couch, I’m devastated by the cold air, the warmth of her body leaving my skin.

“What do you need?” I demand through gritted teeth, opening the door to find a delivery guy with enough food to feed a small nation. Several bags in each hand, he looks up at me with nothing short of terror written across his face.

“My bad,” I apologize, schooling my features to be more polite. “I wasn’t expecting the food so quickly.” Taking the bags from him, I thank him before heading for the kitchen, amusement clear in my face now. “You really couldn’t decide, huh?” I laugh, placing the bags on the counter.

She blushes and I can’t help but wonder if it’s more from our moment being spoiled yet again or the proof of her indecision. She just shrugs, a smile plastered across her face still.

“I’m glad you ordered it all,” I say, getting the food out and organized. “Now I won’t have to go to the store for at least a week.” She pushes my arm, sending me into full blown belly laughs. She’s giggling now too, the sound soothing the gaping wound in my chest.

I wonder if this is what it feels like to be love-drunk. “Eat,” I say, getting a plate out of the cabinet for each of us.

There are burgers, fries, milkshakes, chicken strips, salads. You name it, she ordered it. If I’m being honest, I might just make this a tradition. Not having to choose is quite nice.

When our plates are piled high with the fast food, we settle in on the couch, both sitting cross-legged with plates in our laps. Handing her the remote, I dig in while the food is still hot.

Without a moment of hesitation, she searches and finds our movie of the night. Me Before You. “I haven’t seen this one before,” I say as the intro starts up on the screen.

“It’s my favorite. Besides The Notebook of course, but I wouldn’t want to pick anything too girly or romantic, ya know.” She shrugs, a sarcastic smile playing at her lips.

I give her another genuine smile before taking a bite of my burger and settling in. As the movie plays, I chase a thousand thoughts through my mind while trying to also pay attention. Mostly, I wonder what it is about this movie that really speaks to her.

As one of the main characters, Will, makes the insanely difficult decision to end his own suffering, I watch her face contort with the emotion warring inside her own head.

I’m not one to get all wrapped up in the emotions movies and books are supposed to pull from their audience, but I’ll admit, this one has my heart aching. The simple thought of being put into that situation in my own life is enough to pull at my heartstrings.

For once, I’m rooting for true love to win. And in the end, as it so often does, true love triumphs – even if that means his life is over and the love of his life has to move on with hers. In the end, both lovers acted selflessly, giving every ounce of themselves to the other, even if that meant they couldn’t be together from that point forward.

I see her swiping at her eyes as the credits begin to roll, making no attempt to cover her despair. She sighs dramatically, scrubbing her cheeks defiantly, as if that act will erase the aching in her chest.