❥𝑹𝒆𝒅 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆

Chapter 95

Valerie

Valerie Leclerc.
Mrs. Leclerc.
Madame Leclerc.
Or Señora Leclerc?
My mind exploded with different languages and the way his last name sounded. It was like honey on the tongue.

When I woke up this morning, something sparkled in the light that filtered through the curtains, the sun already warm and welcoming, even though autumn was soon fading in.
I looked down at my hands, still resting on the pillow, and there it was - the ring.

A surge of joy washed over me, and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. It felt so surreal, so unbelievable. I was going to marry Charles. My Charles.
The love of my life.

My eyes swelled with tears whenever I thought of yesterday. Proposing to me in the same park where everything once began between us, where he asked me to be his girlfriend, and now asked me to be his wife. That must've been the best, loveliest idea he has ever had.
Well, right after buying me pistachio macaroons every now and then.

I traced the little diamond with my fingertips, lost in thought. It wasn't just the ring and his proposal that made me giddy - it was everything it symbolized.
The journey we had been on, the strokes of fate we had faced, and the fact that, against all odds, always found our way back to each other.
It was like a dream I never wanted to wake up from.

"Still can't believe it, huh?" Charles' sleepy voice broke through my reverie, warm and teasing.

I turned my head to find him propped up on one elbow, his eyes shining with a mix of love and amusement. He had watched me staring at my ring with disbelief for the past five minutes.
He reached out, taking my hand and pressing a gentle kiss on my ring finger, and I couldn't help but laugh softly.

"Not even a little bit," I admitted, holding up my hand so the ring would caught the light again. "Are you sure this is real? That I'm not just dreaming?"

Charles grinned, leaning in closer until our noses almost touched. "If it's a dream, then it's one we're both having. But I'm pretty sure it's real."

He kissed me then, and for a moment, the world outside ceased to exist.
It was just us. And then a thought crept up my mind.

"Do you know what this means?" I asked, arching and eyebrow.

Charles tilted his head, playing along. "What does it mean?"

"It means your stuck with me forever now," I said, trying to keep a straight face but failing miserably.

He laughed, softly and genuinely, filling the room with warmth. "I think I can cope with that," he replied teasingly, leaning in to trail kisses from my cheek down neck. Oh, he knew exactly what he was doing.
When he lifted his head to my level again, his expression was more gentle, more serious. "No, but I mean it. You're my forever, Valerie."

A smile stole its way on my lips, my heart jumping wildly. I sat up in bed and I was just about to respond, when something else burned through my mind, making me gasp. "I haven't told Carlos yet!"

Charles' eyes widened, and he had to suppress a chuckle.

"I haven't called or texted him in a week, Charles. He knows nothing! Not that we are together again-" I took Charles' hand as if my life depended on it, "not that we're engaged."
I took a deep breath. "He will kill me."

Charles raised a confused brow, a sudden hint of worry crossing his features. "Because we're marrying?"

I shook my head. "No, because we never not talk for more than 24 hours. 48 if we had a fight over something stupid."