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VALENTINA WAS AT Freddie and Mary's flat one evening, with Brian and John too. Their partners were absent this time though. And Roger was running late, which was typical. Since Valentina had told the others about what had happened between herself and Roger, they had agreed that it was okay to hang out as a group again.
They were all lounged on the sofa's with glasses of wine, and even champagne, and it seemed as though they were celebrating something, however that was not the case. It did seem as if the others knew of something that Valentina didn't, with glances they would share every now and again, but she brushed it off. The dynamic in the group was undoubtedly different after all that had happened between the couple, but it was repairing.
Eventually, Roger arrived. "Sorry I'm late, traffic and that" he mumbled as he entered the room. Valentina looked up and gave him a smile, which he returned.
"How are you?" He asked, sitting down next to her after greeting the others. His arm found its way around her waist loosely, and she smiled at the gesture.
She nodded, "well, actually. Yourself?" he returned the question.
"Yeah, I'm alright" he sounded a little flustered, but okay.
After the group had chatted and drank for a while, records playing quietly in the background, Roger gave Freddie a glance and a nod which Valentina didn't notice. She was too busy in conversation with Brian about the fact that she was considering going vegetarian.
Freddie stood up and went to change the record, and on came Elvis Presleys smooth vocals, sounding through the fairly large living room. She realised it was Can't Help Falling in Love, one of her favourite love songs.
The gang continued to chat, but soon Valentina was stopped of her conversation with Brian as Roger tapped her on the shoulder. "Mind if I steal you for a minute?" he asked, running a hand through his hair, and glancing around for a moment.
"Of course" she replied then turned to Brian, "catch you in a minute" she smiled. Brian nodded and returned the smile.
Roger stood up, leading her over to the other end of the room, away from the group of their friends. "What's up?" she asked, nervous that he was going to bring up something about their relationship.
"I just wanted to tell you something.." Roger trailed off, sounding rather nervous. He seemed off, she had never seen him this fidgety before. She wandered what had gotten into him.
"Go ahead.." she urged, frowning slightly.
He paused for a moment, before clearing his throat and beginning to talk quietly. "Valentina, I can't live without you. I spent the past few months as a shell of my former self, because I just couldn't be happy without you. And.. I know this might seem out of the blue, or a big step to take, because you know, you wanted to rebuild our relationship slowly... but I need to let you know how much you mean to me. It doesn't mean we have to rush into things at all, I just really wanted to show you how committed I am to making this right" Roger spoke, his eyes boring into hers. Her heart was in her mouth, because she knew was he was about to do.
She realised when she reached into his pocket, that everyone else was watching them. He pulled out a box, and knelt down on one knee in front of her. Valentina's eyes filled with tears and she brought her hands up to her mouth. Her heart thumped so loudly in her chest that she was convinced even the others on the opposite side of the room could hear it.
Roger opened the box to reveal one of the most beautiful shiny rings she had ever seen. The diamond was small, and teardrop shaped, and it was placed on a simple thin golden band. She wondered how much he had spent on this marvellous piece of jewellery. "So, Valentina Angelina Quinn, will you make me the luckiest man in the entire world, and marry me?" Roger asked, nervously smiling up at her.
She paused for a second. This wasn't 'going slow' at all and it made her nervous, but she couldn't possibly deny it. She loved him. And if he was willing to make this gesture to her to prove it, he had to be serious this time. She nodded, "yes" she grinned, and Roger immediately stood up and wrapped her in his arms, spinning her round. They could hear the others applauding and whooping, but it seemed so far away. There was only Roger in this moment.
"Thank you. I love you" Roger whispered into her neck, placing kisses there.
"I love you too" she smiled as she pulled back and looked at him, as he went to place the beautiful piece on her ring finger.
She admired it for a few seconds, it fit perfectly. "It's so gorgeous" she smiled, "thank you Rog."
"Well, a gorgeous woman deserves a gorgeous ring" he stated, making her grin. "And I mean what I said, we don't have to rush into wedding planning and living together again just because I did this. I just wanted you to know how much I mean this, I am going to treat you right this time" he held her hands in his as he looked at her.
"I know. I do still want to keep rebuilding what we have, and it does have to be slow. But, you mean a lot to me, and I can't wait to be your wife one day" she smiled up at him.
He took her face in his hands and kissed her with passion, and she savoured the moment, as it would be one of the most special in her entire lifetime. After they had shared their moment together, they made their way over to their friends, who congratulated them and opened more bottles of champagne, toasting to the couple. "Congratulations darling! I knew he would turn it around for you, he's head over heels" Freddie spoke quietly as he embraced her in a tight hug. She just nodded, her eyes glossy.
Valentina felt happier than she had in months, and she would never have believed that she would end up with Roger, and that he would one day be her husband. She knew that giving him a second chance was the best decision she had ever made. All the heartache was gone, and now all that was left was pure, true love.
a u t h o r s n o t e ! y'all😭 this is the last proper chapter of the book, but i've double updated and posted the epilogue too as i didnt want to keep you waiting. i have had the ending of this planned since the beginning of the book, and there was never any doubt that it was going to end with their engagement. i know it all moved very fast towards the end, but this is how i wanted it to be. i really really hope you all are happy with this ending, because that's all i want.
