“You okay, dude? You look… sick? Your throat okay?” I ask, slightly concerned that his throat might be acting up again. After him having surgery on his nodes, there is always a chance they could return someday.
He scrunches his eyebrows together and shakes his head slightly. “What? My throat? Shit, no.”
Slightly tensing, I watch his jittery movements and strange behavior. I have no idea what has him on edge, but it’s starting to freak me out. “What’s up with you?” I blurt out.
He takes a deep breath and nods. “There’s just something I gotta do.” He turns, walking away from me, and I spin, watching him march toward Tillie and Lunar, who are handing out flutes of champagne. He grabs a glass, takes a long gulp, and then taps the glass with his pick. This effectively gains everyone’s attention. It’s like he’s going to make a speech.
I glance around as we all quieten down, and I walk closer. He looks out of sorts. I think he might even be shaking.What the fuck?
“Babe, are you okay?” Lunar steps up to him, placing her hand on his arm, and suddenly, he drops to one knee, his head down, his body shaking, and his face pale white. We all gasp as Lunar grabs his hand, and we all rush closer. “Shit, Danger?” Lunar says, bending down and running her hand through his sweaty hair.
He slowly looks up as we gather around him in a circle, wondering if he’s passing out or having some medical situation we weren’t aware of, when he brings his hand up, and in it is a sparkling diamond ring. He smiles, and I stand taller, backing away to give them some space as Lunar gasps, her hand rushing from his hair to her mouth in surprise.
No wonder he was sweaty and shaking.
Bastard didn’t even tell me!
“Lunar… Annalise. From the moment I first saw you, you brought me back to life. You sparked something inside me and made me realize I wasn’t truly a man until I met you. And that’s not just because you made my cock work again.”
We all laugh, remembering the story of how Danger’s cock stopped working after Ella broke his heart. How he finally got a boner the minute he saw Lunar dancing on stage at the biker bar back in Australia.
“I wish I’d told you I loved you from the moment I knew because you deserve to be told every second how much you’re loved, and I plan to tell you for the rest of your life if you’ll let me. You’ve changedmylife in every possible way, in the very best of ways. It’s not that I can’t imagine my life without you. It’s thatIcan’thave a life withoutyou. Annalise, you’re my world, and I want it to be your world…always. Marry me?”
I glance at Lunar to see glistening tears streaming down her flushed, rosy cheeks. She’s shaking, and her bottom lip trembles. When she places out her left hand with a smile, she sniffs. “Youaremy world,” she says.
I glance over at Tillie, who’s smiling so wide. She catches my eye, and something passes through me and into my stomach.Butterflies maybe?I’m not sure what it is, and my stomach twists a little. Tillie heads over to me, and I look back at Lunar and Danger.
“So, is that a yes?” Danger asks.
Lunar nods. “That’s a fuckinghell yes,” she replies, making me chuckle. That’s such a typical Lunar response as Danger slides the ring on her finger. Then she jumps into Danger’s arms, and he grabs her dramatically, lifting her by her ass. Lunar wraps her legs around his waist before they kiss frantically while we all laugh, watching them basically dry hump each other,followed by a round of whistling, hollering, and clapping in congratulations.
Tillie moves in next to me and leans against my side. Warmth floods over me, a comfort of her being near me, but that feeling in my stomach returns and worsens. I feel almost nauseous as I watch Danger and Lunar kissing. Lunar’s hand is in the back of Danger’s hair, her ring shining brightly in the rays of the setting sun.
“You okay?” Tillie asks quietly while everyone else is still cheering around us.
Swallowing hard, I ponder that question for a moment.
Am I okay?
I’m happy Tillie is here.
I’m happy for my best friend’s engagement.
But it reminds me of when I proposed to Katie.
And that thought makes a lump catch in my throat.
“I’m okay.”
She gnaws on her bottom lip furiously but simply nods. I’m fairly certain she doesn’t believe me, but she doesn’t push, which is one more thing to add to the list of reasons why I like her so damn much.
“Pizza’s here!” Matt calls out as Oliver’s cell rings.
“You people eat, celebrate, and have fun. I have to take this and start scheduling. Once you finish your party, I should have a tour start date in mind. Enjoy yourselves.” He swipes to answer the call. “Drew, just the guy I want to hear from. Talk to me. Let’s make this happen.” He walks down the fire escape, and Matt brings up the umpteen boxes of pizza, placing them on the concrete between us all.
“Right, let’s eat,” Matt says, tearing open the pizza boxes as he drops to the floor. Nate joins him, Danger pulls Lunar between his legs, and Tillie and I slide into place beside them. Beforelong, we’re a circle on the rooftop, pizza boxes in the center like some sacred offering to hungry musicians.
“So congratulations, guys,” Tillie says with a wide smile.
