Delicate

Cherry Wine (Hozier)

Juliet's POV

As soon as Odie's white Prius pulled against the curb at the airport, I threw my luggage into the trunk, jumped into the front seat, put on my seatbelt, and demanded that she drive.

"God, Juliet," Odie mumbled, as she pulled onto the highway, heading back to the city. "I haven't seen you in a month, and now there's no hello? No 'how have you been'?"

I gave her a weak smile, trying to mask the nervousness that I felt in the pit of my stomach. "Sorry, Odie, I'm just kind of anxious, I guess."

She nodded, staring straight at the road ahead. I had already briefed her on my situation. She knew why I came back to New York. She knew about how I could not just escape from Kelly. "So what's the plan?"

"Could you drop me off at my apartment? And then I'm going to clean up a bit, put my stuff away, and get ready. And then I'm going to see her."

Within an hour, we were in the garage underneath my building and Odie was helping me grab my stuff from the trunk.

"So how are you feeling?" She asked as we were standing in the elevator.

I shuddered a bit. "Super nervous," I admitted, looking up to face her. "But really excited. This, right now, what I'm about to do, feels so right. It feels like the most natural thing in the world."

Odie smiled at me as the elevator doors opened to my floor. "Your love story with Kelly honestly belongs on like a soap opera. Or even a fanfiction website."

I laughed, dropping my luggage on the ground as I struggled to find my keys from inside my purse and unlocked my front door. As soon as I opened the door, I saw Brooke standing there. I was confused for a second because Brooke had told me that she had work today, but I quickly brushed it off. She was here to surprise me, to welcome me back.

Brooke smiled at me and moved aside, revealing Kelly standing behind her, holding a bouquet of roses. She looked so beautiful, even more beautiful than I remembered. Her gorgeous hair was curled, and she was wearing a white dress that must've been new because I'd never seen it on her before.

My jaw dropped as a thousand thoughts raced through my mind.

Kelly looked up at me and smiled, nervously. Her hands were shaking.

I looked over at Brooke who had stepped aside and motioned me to focus on Kelly. I then turned back to Odie who seemed just as shocked and confused as I was.

Finally, I turned my attention back to Kelly whose eyes were still fixated intently on me. She took a deep breath and bent down on one knee.

"Oh my God!" I heard Odie squeal from behind me, but I was speechless.

That moment seemed to last forever in between when she got on one knee and when she finally opened her mouth to speak. I watched as she slowly pulled out a stunning engagement ring from a small jewelry box in her jacket pocket.

"Juliet Mun," she began, her voice a little bit shaky. "I know that my eyes and words are so icy. I know I burn you like rum on the fire. I know my fight and fury are so fiery."

I smiled as she quoted the lines from Hozier's Cherry Wine, our favorite song to listen to as we slow danced in the kitchen.

She smiled back at me, encouraged by seeing my eyes begin to tear up. "Our love looks ugly. But it's worth it; it's divine. I'm yours." She paused, holding up the ring. "Won't you be mine?"

At that moment, I ran to her, pulling her up to her feet. I grabbed her face and kissed her more passionately than I had ever kissed anyone. Kelly's body was stiff at first, but in my arms, she relaxed and kissed me back, pulling me closer to her. Behind us, I heard sniffles from Brooke and Odie.

But in that moment, nothing else mattered. It didn't matter our past. It didn't matter the long journey it took to get back here. It didn't matter what anyone else thought.

Nothing else mattered because of the way she told me that I was hers and she was mine.

Our love was as rare and as sweet as cherry wine.