Let's Play Pretend

XVI. Epilogue Part II.

*Four Years Later* 

*Matt's POV*

I knew it was her as soon as she stepped into the frozen food aisle of Daisy's Groceries. There was no mistaking it. Her hair was shorter and looked darker. She had less freckles--probably due to lack of sun--but there were still plenty of them. Her lips held the same gentle smirk that they always seemed to have. But the thing that stuck out to me most was her hat. 

A gray beanie had been covering the top of her head and the tips of her ears. It was the same beanie that I'd dropped on the floor the last time I saw her. That's when I knew that she still cared. 

Now here she is, standing next to me while I gather gifts for my parents, nieces, and nephews into my arms. Beanie still perched on her auburn hair. 

"Hurry, Matt! It's cold!" 

"No. I don't need any help. I'm just holding a huge pile of gifts. I might drop everything. But don't worry, I've got this." She rolls her eyes with a smile and takes some of the presents from me.  I watch her as she trots ahead of me, lets herself into my childhood home, and greets my mom with a big hug. 

It's Christmas Eve. Tomorrow we will drive a few hours East to see Hayden's family for Christmas Day. 

Almost exactly four years ago, Hayden and I had run into each other at a grovery store near campus. Turns out she'd been enrolled at NYU too, working on a degree in music while I worked on one in photography. If she had just let us tell each other our real names and where we were going to college, we could've saved ourselves from a whole lot of unnessecary heart ache. 

But it was okay because she was here now,  a glass of red wine pinched between her fingers as she stood in my living room talking to my oldest sister, Miriam, about something that seemed to have her particularly enthralled. 

Because of the winter hours, the sun had already gone to sleep and the moon was out to play. This was our favorite time of year, Hayden and I. It didn't matter that New York might as well be the North Pole. We liked to stroll the streets in our gloves, coats, and other wintery apparel, looking into shop windows and couting all the fake presents and santas we saw. 

I make my way around the party, getting slaps on the back from my brothers and other adult male family members. At the same time, I also had to constantly avoid knocking over or stepping on the fingers of my younger siblings as well as nieces and nephews. It's still weird to me that I'm an uncle. I'd been one for about five years now. I smile at my niece and nephew as they chase each other around the house, dodging dress-shoe-clad feet and their grandmother's scolds.

A Christmas tree stands tall and merry in the corner of the living room on top of a festive tree skirt. Presents litter the floor around the tree, boxes filled with big boys and girl toys and wrapped in seasonally appropriate wrapping paper. Couples stop to kiss beneath the mistletoe and the whole house smells like pine needles straight from the forest. I love Christmas. 

I catch Hayden laughing at something Miriam was saying. Probably one of her endless stories about her kids from her endless supply of stories about her kids. I smile as Hayden laughs so hard that it looks like she might spit red wine all over my sister's white dress. 

My mother's tinkling voice rings through the house as she calls out that Christmas dinner is ready and on the table. 

"It's ready, folks!" 

"It smells delicious, Mom," I compliment her and peck her cheek. 

"Thank you, Matthew." 

The family of at least twenty files into the dining room. All the leaves of the table have been slid into the table in order to fit everyone. The table almost filled up the whole room. I drop into a chair next to Hayden. 

"Hey!" She greets me cheerily. I kiss her lips and place my hand on her knee under the table. 

"How you holding up?" 

"Are you kidding? I love your family." 

"Really? They're so loud though."

"That's the point, Matt. Duh. All I've got is my mom, Dad, and dog." 

"Hey, I've met Bubbles. That is one great dog. And plus, you've got me now." She smiled and bumps her shoulder on mine. 

"Yeah, I know."

"Good." 

"Dig in, everyone!" Everyone picks up their forks and knives and the dining room is filled with laughter, conversation, and the clanging of metal on porcelain. 

Dinner continues and about halfway through the kids are excused to go watch Christmas specials in the den while drooling over the unwrapped, off-limits presents under the tree. 

"Dessert, anyone?" My father asks after about another half hour of mindless chatter. 

"We'll get it," Hayden offers. she takes my wrist and wrenches me out of my seat at the table. I groan but my smile lingers because she doesn't know it but she's just given me the perfect opprotunity. I follow her into the kitchen, letting the door bang shut behind me. 

"So your mom wants us to bring out the pie and ice cream. Do you think we should bring out all the ice cream that's in here or just one carton or...?" She turns back to me from the open freezer and gasps. I'm on one knee on the slightly dirty tiled floor. There's a bright red box in my hand and I'm holding it out to her. Her hand flies to her mouth in shock, just like I imagined it would. 

"Hayden...since I met you the spring break before college and your name was Charlie, you've been the thing in my life that gets me though the day. And, yeah, we fight a lot. But there's no way that I could even fathom living a single day without knowing that you love me. I love you so much that it hurts and I don't know if that's how it's supposed to feel. But I know that I can't stand not seeing you, holding you, talking with you, touching you... just being with you in any way. 

"And yeah, it's super cheesy and you're probably cringing somewhere inside. But I can't help it. I love you more than video games and bacon and beer." She laughs and tears are lingering in the corner of her gray eyes. I find that tears are in mine as well. "So...Hayden Crestt...will you marry me?" 

"Yes!" She screams. She throws her arms around my neck as I stand up and I pull her off her feet. She's crying into my shoulder and I into hers. 

"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. And have a bunch of kids who look exactly like you. And get all wrinkly and old and obnoxious," I murmur into her skin. 

"Well you're already obnoxious," she giggles. She pulls back from around my neck and kisses my mouth. I can feel her tears on my cheeks and I'm sure she can feel mine. They mix together on our skin, sharing our joy. 

"Well...let's go tell everyone," she suggests. I take her hand, slipping the ring onto her finger, then twining my fingers with hers. 

"Let's do it...Mrs. Brooks." She smiles and rolls her eyes, like she always does. 

"Let's do it."