𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝, guy germaine

𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 | our always

An excerpt from For Better Or Worse: Chapter Seven - The Ring.

IT WAS A COLD night when two major aspects of our lives changed. I remember it so vividly - an October with the leaves already fallen and gone, a night with no stars, temperature easily below 45. My face was flushed for more reasons than just the weather.

The last half hour had been spent crying, the both of us participating. Opal picked up the phone, expecting nothing but good news from the doctor. It had only been a week since her blood test, and there wasn't anything too wrong with her, just a string of colds she could never kick.

Except things weren't all good. She froze up and cried, not able to say a thing. She was brought to her knees before I found out from the doctors myself. Opal had a very serious case of HIV. So serious, it was millimeters from an AIDS diagnosis.

A thousand thoughts were sprinting through my mind. How could this happen to her? What caused this? More importantly, who did this to her? Because I was going to kill them. I asked them, and they didn't know.

I glanced down at her on the floor, her legs curled up to her chest as she stared off. The love of my life, my entire world, was already in so much pain. I couldn't feel my heart beating.

Opal was my lifeline, my senses, my everything. I couldn't even think about losing her, think about her being sicker or unhappy, without feeling like I would throw up. But I knelt to her and held her close. She mattered more than anything I felt.

"So that's why you've been so sick..." I managed to speak, albeit weak. "Your immune system isn't there anymore."
It definitely wasn't the right words to say, but it was all I could think.

She kept crying, and anytime she cried my heart broke a little, but this was a whole other level.

When her brothers and Gordon came home, I had to break the news. They didn't take it well either, all reacting in their own difficult ways. It was the first time I saw Boone Jefferson cry his eyes out, and the first I saw my former coach and at that point, an almost father-in-law, cry and punch a wall.

I just held her there with my eyes closed, trying to pretend everything was alright. I could always picture our future together in my head with ease, it was something that soothed me, but it wasn't there any longer. Everything kept turning up blank no matter how much I wanted to see them - our wedding, having kids, Opal being famous.

When she passed out from crying, I carried her to the couch and made sure she was just asleep before I went outside to clear my head.

I'd probably only have a few minutes, but I needed a minute to process this for myself. I didn't know what my life would look like, living this with her. How much time would we have?

The one thing I could tell was that I needed to marry her right now. Well, as soon as possible.

Marrying Opal was far from a new thought for me. After I gave her fifty dollars the day I met her, I had been saving for a ring. I bought it around our year anniversary but was too shy to give it to her. Frankly, I was scared of what Gordon would have to say about it. He didn't want her marrying too young.

But I didn't care anymore. I wanted to marry her as soon as I could.

I made a mad dash for the glovebox of my car, where I kept the ring ever since that night. Since I was too much of a coward to ask the girl that was everything for a piece of her life to be mine.

The ring was silver, small but her hands were small. I had discreetly measured her finger with having her try on my own rings, seeing she was a five. The stone was an opal, sparkling as her namesake. It was beautiful, and it fit her.

As I came back inside, she was coming around. I threw a blanket on her, thanking Boone for putting a warm towel on her head. I held her hand so tight, watching her closely.

I didn't care that we were 16. This could be year 16 of 16 for her at worst. I needed to be with her for every moment. I needed her to get everything she wanted in life before it ran out.

She really did look young when she slept. Beautiful, but young. When she woke up, it was reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty waking up after a hundred years. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the right decision.

I passed her a glass of water, interweaving her fingers with my own. She smiled softly, her cheeks still red and eyes puffy from all the crying before. I didn't mind one bit - she was even pretty when she cried.

Then I started my little speech. What I had planned to propose to her with was much more fabricated, far less meaningful than what I ended up saying. I told her that I didn't know anything about the future, only that I wanted to be by her side for every minute, and that I wanted to give her everything she deserved.

"Will you take forever with me?" I asked.
"Yes." She answered.
I could feel hot tears on my cheeks like those on hers, sliding the ring on her finger.

I just remember telling her I would always take care of her over and over because I didn't know what else to say. I just knew her well, and I knew she would take everything on herself on her own. And no person could handle such a shocking, heavy diagnosis on their shoulders alone.

I sat up behind her, letting her lay up against my chest and rest. There were no more tears, just a small smile on her face, like she knew I had wanted this for so long. She always knew things like that.

"I want an album before a wedding." She spoke sleepily.
"Whatever you want, I'm just along for the ride." I chuckled.
"You aren't... afraid of me?"
"Why would I be afraid? You're still you... just a little sick. I just need to take better care of you."
"You still think I'm pretty?" Her voice quavered. "Be-Because I understand if you don't wanna marry me no more."
"Opal, my angel, you're beautiful. You're absolutely everything to me. This doesn't change how much I love you, how much you deserve the life you want. I can't wait to marry you."
"I just have too many questions. I thought I knew everything, I know nothing now."
"Well, you can know that I love you, and that we'll get through this together."
"I can't ask you to carry this burden with me."

I looked in her eyes, showing her how secure I was in my thoughts.

"I'm going to carry it for you."

❛ ━━･❪ ♥ ❫ ･━━ ❜

riles' honkytonk and saloon
1150 words

okay, how are we feeling the first chapter from guy's perspective?

again so sad. but seeing just how much he loves her i felt was so crucial and how much he's wanted to marry her.

guy would literally do anything to make opal happy and that's exactly what she needs and deserves. we'll see just how far he's willing to go through the rest of this book.

thank you so much for reading! comments and votes motivate me a lot so i really appreciate them :)