You Don't Know

Chapter twenty-four

- five years later -

One of my favorite songs was playing through the radio, while I was preparing dinner in our kitchen.

Collin had finished his carpenter apprenticeship and finally knew what he wanted to do after it. He had started studying architecture.
I had finished my studying of engineering too, but I didn't use my studies either. I had listened to my heart and became a writer, just like Collin had suggested. I even published that story I had written back then about Collin, without knowing it. It was my first book and everyone loved it, so I continued writing down my stories for others. To sum it up, Collin and I were both finally happy with what we were doing, and most importantly, we were happy together.

Jack should be out of prison as well, but I haven't heard of him yet. I wondered about him, but not too much, because I was happy with Collin, and I knew that Jack would be okay without me. He still had his sister and his parents, who would help him achieve whatever he needed to. Just like I had built myself a life I absolutely loved.

Two years ago, Collin proposed to me while we were in Hawaii on vacation. It was a warm summer evening, and we were walking into the sunset on an abandoned beach. Everything was perfect. Collin had bought a small silver ring and that's what I liked most about it, that it was plain. Because as he knelt down in front of me, him wearing a beautiful black suit with a tie, due to the fact that we just came from a formal event, and me wearing a summery dress with my high heels in my hands, because we were walking on sand, the ring was the last thing I cared about in that moment. I didn't even look at it until he put it on my finger. I just threw my shoes away and wrapped my arms around him as tightly as I could before I screamed "YES!!!" out into the wide world, feeling like the luckiest girl alive.

That night neither of us got any sleep. We went to a nice restaurant where we sat side by side and grinned at each other the whole time. We danced to so many songs and we went skinny-dipping in the ocean, the moonlight lingering over us and the smooth water surface.

Shortly after that, Collin had designed a house which we then had let build. We hadn't married yet, but we did move in in that house. It was a beautiful home with a protected garden, and it wasn't in the middle of the city but also not too far away. It was... perfect. From the outside it looked friendly and bright, but from the inside it was so lovely and warm. Collin had put all his heart and soul into it, and I loved it.
When our friends, Nick, Mona, Lia and Albert, came to visit us, they didn't even want to leave again.

It was peaceful and colorful but not too colorful. The ceilings were high, and the rooms were spacious. All in all, I loved it there. I could imagine a whole life with Collin living there. That's what we had planned... Maybe even with children and a dog.
I was really excited about when we would finally get married, and I could call Collin mine forever.

"Darling?" Collin interrupted my thoughts.

His voice came from outside, so I lovingly yelled back. "Yeah?"

"Come outside for a second, please."

So I followed his voice into our garden. It was already dark on this wonderful summer evening, but I found our garden brightly lit. Because Collin had put fairy lights everywhere on our hanging willow tree, where he was sitting on a picnic blanket.

I was overwhelmed by the view and wondered how he had set all that up without me noticing. But I walked over to him with my jaw dropped anyway.

While I took place in front of Collin on his picnic blanket surrounded by rose petals, I looked up at the tree. The light playing with the branches was breathtaking and the atmosphere created was giving me goosebumps in the best way imaginable.

"Why did you do it?" I finally whispered, respecting the mood, when I was able to tear my eyes away from the beautiful view again.

"Why? Don't you like it?" Collin replied almost disappointed.

"What, no! I love it. Collin, this is the best thing I've ever seen!" I replied with an enthusiastic and reassuring smile.

After Collin was convinced that I absolutely loved his doing, he put a brown box from behind his back in front of me with a cute, excited grin. He almost pulled the lit open himself, that's how excited he was. But he had to wait until I opened it.

I treated the box carefully, not knowing what expected me. I placed the lit next to the box, and only then I looked inside to see this cute, fluffy little tuft.

"Oh my God, Collin!?" I exclaimed, looking up at Collin in shock. "You remembered?" I asked excitedly, while I reached inside the box to pet the quail.

"Of course." Collin whispered back, but I wasn't even listening anymore. I was mesmerized by that little creature, that was so soft and fluffy.

After some pettings, I looked up again, into Collin's eyes filled with admiration. I returned the look, feeling the same way. I admired Collin so much, and even though I sometimes had wished that things wouldn't have happened, I was thankful for them after all, because otherwise I was afraid I never would've met Collin, and he was the best thing that ever happened to me. I loved everything about him so much and was grateful that he let me be such a big part in his life.

"I love you." Collin whispered.

"I love you." I whispered back.