"Wanna take a walk with me?" Blake said, his eyes completely captivated by her. She had changed so much, but the things that were true to her had remained the same, like the way the corners of her lips curved when she smiled and the way he could read all her emotions just by looking in her eyes. And the way she played with her hair when she got nervous, just as she was doing now.
Emma swallowed hard, unable to speak, lost in his eyes. All these years hadn't dulled the feeling at all. Kandy looked at her before placing a hand on her shoulder. "She would love to," she whispered, pushing Emma forward slightly and snapping her out of her dazed state.
Emma took a moment to glare in her direction before looking back at Blake. He gestured his head toward the front door before walking away. She let out a small, shaky breath, wiping her sweaty hands down the front of her dress before following after him.
As she walked behind him, she couldn't help but admire his broad shoulders. He glanced back at her, and she shyly looked down at the ground. Blake smiled slightly, seeing that he still had an effect on her. "Come on, Em. Walk beside me."
The sound of the old nickname sent a jolt through her, but she jogged faster to catch up. She had no clue where he was taking her; she just blindly followed, just like old times.
"How have you been? You look well," he said, making an effort to lead the conversation "I've been good. My non-profit has really taken off. I'm happy to be back home," she whispered, making him smile. She must have thought he had no idea what was going on in her life these past few years. But that couldn't be farther from the truth. While she was away, Kandy and Chris would always keep him updated on her activities, and of course, he stalked her Instagram and TikTok on the regular.
She glanced up at him, biting her lip, surprised he didn't ask about how college went. Did he not care? Did he not think of her at all? Well, if he wasn't going to make a big deal of it, she wouldn't either. "And you? How have you been? Chris told me about the new shop. Congratulations."
They both seemed to be tiptoeing around the real subject. He pushed back his hair and looked up at the clouds. "It's been fine, but it was kinda boring without my number one troublemaker."
She smiled softly. So he did miss her, at least a little. They reached the pier, their feet stepping across the wood. It was empty save for the two of them, and it felt peaceful.
"You're... you're not going to ask about my college experience? If it was everything I wanted?" she couldn't help but ask. She had to know. They stopped walking and looked over the edge of the pier into the water.
His lips cracked into a grin as he looked her way while leaning against the railing. "How was it?" Even though he was asking, she could sense that he didn't really want or need to know.
She smiled widely, putting on the bravest face she could muster. "It was great. I made so many friends and had so many great experiences. It was amazing..." she said, her voice weakly breaking before she looked down into the water.
She swallowed, sniffling. Yes, she had fun while she was away and made great friends who would be with her forever, but she had missed everything here. She had missed him. Tears ran down her cheeks. She turned her head away, wiping them away. "Shit..." she whispered, frustrated by her emotions.
He watched her closely before lifting a hand. He turned her face back toward him to push the wet hair out of her eyes. "Why aren't you asking if I met someone else and fell in love? Why are you acting as if you couldn't care less if I had crazy college experiences?" she asked, meeting his eyes as his hand fell from her face. She was searching his eyes for answers.
"Because none of that matters anymore, Emma... you came back to me," he said with a genuine smile, making her laugh slightly as she wiped away a few stray tears.
She bit her lip, looking down. "You don't know. I could have a child and a husband by now." He grabbed her chin, bringing her eyes back to his. She licked her lips with anticipation. "I could always read you, Em. If you were married, you would have been wearing a ring." His hand moved to hers, his fingers running over hers.
Emma's heart was beating so hard she felt like she could hear it. "And if you had another man's child, you would have brought it to Alex's birthday for everyone to see. And I wouldn't have minded, as long as you promised I could be their father. Nothing would have kept me from being with you again, Emma. I waited for you for so long. It took so much for me not to reach out, to not drop everything just to be with you. But I wanted you to have your freedom, and you did... and you came back to me. I couldn't be happier. I wanted to grow for you, to be the man you deserved, and I think I achieved that. We've both grown a lot, but we are still the same... my feelings are still the same. It's always ever been you, Emma. Only ever you. I love you so much."
A cry broke through her throat at his words. He didn't care about anything else, only her. She couldn't believe he had waited for her for seven years. She covered her eyes with her hands, crying into them.
"I've already waited so long. We've lost so much time together, but I hope this can make up for all those years of waiting. And if you'll still have me..." He pulled her hands away from her eyes.
He was in front of her, on one knee. Her eyes widened, falling to the red velvet box in his hand before he opened the lid. Inside sat a beautiful, simple silver band with a small diamond in the middle.
"I love you, Emma Pear. From the moment I saw you, you've taken my breath away. From the very moment you said 'hello' to me, I knew you were the one. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Will you marry me?"
She fell into his arms, crying and holding him close. He smiled, wrapping his arms around her. "Yes! Yes! Blake! Oh my god, we're getting married!" she sobbed.
She pulled back a little, and he slid the ring onto her finger. It was beautiful and perfect. She grabbed the sides of his face, kissing him hard.
This was only the beginning of their story. And to think, it all just started with a simple hello.
Mia Note- OMG it's finally over I'm screaming my longest story is finally done. It was a crazy ride and I never expected it to go this far but i'm so happy with how it turned out. Thank you to everyone who read it and I'll see you guys in the next one xoxo Mia🩷
YOU ARE READING
It Started With Hello
Romance***** Emma Pear knew she wasn't the most popular girl in high school. Her nose was usually buried in a textbook, and her grades were as spotless as her reputation for always following the rules. "Nerd" was a label she'd long since embraced. Her pare...
