Down the road of memories

Is it the look in your eyes

Noah POV

Ultimately, my day of celebration turned out in a completely different way than I initially thought. Our trip back in time wasn't limited to our outing in downtown Boston as Elle took me at my word and made reservations for my celebratory dinner at the same Italian restaurant I took her to when she came to see me 7 years ago.

We sat at the table and gave our order to the waiter. I took Elle's hand in mine before telling her :
-It's a good idea to come here. It seems like it allows me to exorcise certain ghosts.
-You've never been back to this restaurant in 7 years?
-No, I think I ran away from a lot of things. I had difficulty accepting letting go of my dreams. When you came to see me 7 years ago, I had started to imagine our life together here. It was a big sadness to be told that it will never happen.

Elle sighed before telling me :
-I remember the discussion we had that evening. How I was insecure about the major changes that were on the horizon in my life. I felt guilty telling Lee that I wanted to come to Harvard with you instead of to Berkeley with him. And I also felt guilty that I wouldn't be able to help my father and brother as much if I moved away from home.
-Do you regret not going to Berkeley or Harvard?

Elle took the time to think before answering me:
-When I look back to that period, I realize that I had no idea what I wanted. It's still hilarious when you think about it : I entered USC thinking of drawing video games and ended up going into medicine.
-It was still a 180° turn." I told her, laughing.
-And today, I am happy with my choice! I think that finally, I had to face myself, without the pressure that Lee put on me. Would I have come to the same conclusion if I came to study at Harvard? I don't know, it's a hypothetical situation.

I also took the time to think about how I felt during this time.
- I was so afraid that you would blame me one day, for not letting you make your choices for yourself. But I couldn't do anything other than push you away.
- I think I always knew that I wanted you and I to be together at all costs. I was ready to sacrifice everything for this but was it right at that moment? " she said to me, shrugging her shoulders.
-I understand, I don't know if I would have been good at supporting you on this path with my maturity at the time. I needed to grow up too, I think. But all this only showed me how much I wished that at the end of the race we could be together forever.
-Sometimes you have to lose something to realize its value. The advantage we have is that both of us still have a chance.
-Not to miss !" I said to her, placing a kiss on her hand that I hadn't let go of.

Two hours later, Elle had just paid the bill, exceptionally since it was my birthday and we were leaving the restaurant hand in hand.
-So how did you find your return in time?" Elle asked me.
-Great but I think it's not finished yet.
-For what ?
-It seems to me that 7 years ago, you told me when leaving the restaurant that you would treat me like your own human toy." I said whispering in her ear and winking at her.
-Ah, do you want to go back there?
-You mean reliving one of the best nights of my life...definitely!
-Subject to debate" she told me, putting her finger on her chin as if she were thinking. "But what I remember about that night is that you had to catch me first.

Then she stormed off towards the pedestrian bridge. I did not hesitate to pursue her. We were both laughing when I joined her on the bridge. She stopped on this bridge like 7 years ago watching the city lights reflected on the water.
-There are a few things I will always love about this city. As if there are some things that connect me to it since I came to see you here." she said to me, looking at the landscape with nostalgia.
-Probably because I never stopped loving this girl!" I said to her, caressing her cheek while taking a small box out of my pocket.

I saw Elle's eyes widen when she recognized what I had in my hand. My heart was racing as I knelt on front of her and took her left hand in mine.
-Shelly, I have told you several times since we got back together that for me you are the woman of my life. And the 6 years we spent apart did nothing to change this conviction. The best days for me are the ones that start with waking up next to you. You make me want to be better for you! With you, I feel like I can be me! I've known for a long time that I want to spend every day of my life loving you! Elle, will you marry me?

Elle held her hand over her mouth in amazement. I could see in her eyes that she wasn't expecting that. Not now, not here! But with everything we experienced 7 years ago and what was said this evening, I felt like we were coming full circle. As if we had come to the conclusion that we had become what life had in store for us individually. And now we could fully be us again.

Elle took a deep breath before saying to me :
-Yes Noah, I agreed to marry you!
-Yes!" I said before picking her up and spinning her in the air.

When I heard from Elle that she agreed to marry me, I think I have never been happier in my entire life. I put her on the floor and I took the ring that I spent 6 years looking at in the bottom of my drawer. Every Elle's birthday or Valentine's Day was a time when I allowed myself to look at it, hoping that one day I could pass it to Shelly's finger.

That night, I looked at a sleeping Elle in my arms with her left hand now displaying my engagement ring resting on my chest. In 3 weeks we will be moving together. Finally, my dreams can come true...