10
The elevator dinged to a stop on the first floor, and there Ophelia was, on her way to pick up a package.
The moment Ophelia stepped in, I let go of Nick’s hand.
In front of most people, I was fine.
But with Ophelia, it felt awkward and like I’d somehow stolen her brother’s heart, and that whole situation was just weird. Luckily, Nick just gave me a quiet look before smoothly changing the subject and pulling Ophelia into a different conversation.
I chimed in here and there but mostly let them carry the conversation.
At some point, Ophelia elbowed Nick out of the way, eager to show me some gossip on her phone.
That’s when Nick suddenly said, “Ophelia.”
“What?” she snapped, clearly annoyed.
Nick smirked. “How did you know I just dropped a few dozen dollars today?”
Ophelia looked at him like he’d grown a second head. “What are you talking about?”
I felt a pit in my stomach as memories of Nick “accidentally” letting a marriage license slip from his fingers and flutter to the floor came to my mind. Before I could find a way to stop him, Nick had already picked it out, holding it under the elevator’s light, making sure Ophelia got a good look.
I buried my face in my hands.
“Oh my God!” Ophelia screeched. “You two are married?!?”
The elevator jolted to a stop, and the doors slid open to reveal Nick’s parents, who were just about to head out.
The five of us stood there, staring at each other like we’d all just witnessed a UFO landing.
Finally, Nick’s sweet–natured mom broke the silence. “Who got married?”
An hour later, Nick’s parents were practically dragging him to my parents‘ house to apologize for his rash decision.
They started off by expressing regret for Nick jumping the gun, then let him take over.
Nick launched into this heartfelt speech about how much he cared for me, listed off his assets, and even offered to sign a prenup.
At one point, he swore that if he ever cheated, he’d walk away with nothing and, in a not–so–subtle dig at Andrew, added that he’d spend the rest of his life fighting impotence.
My parents were on the fence, concerned that Nick was still too boyish, too immature.
But Ophelia spun it as Nick’s ‘innocence, a trait common in people dedicated to research.
Trusting the integrity of Nick’s family and the fact that they’d known him for years, my parents finally relented.
Since we were already married, there wasn’t much else to do but start planning the wedding.
I said, “No need. I’d rather travel for our wedding.”
It wasn’t that I was scarred by the idea of a big ceremony. But trying something new sounded kind of exciting.
Nick simply nodded, agreeing without hesitation.
Later, I found out that to get the time off from his lab, Nick had to agree to be an older researcher’s assistant for six whole months.
The day we left was bright and sunny.
Nick kept saying how beautiful the sunrise would be when we reached our destination.
In the passenger seat, half–asleep, I felt Nick turn up the heat in the car and gently toss a jacket over me.
Just before I drifted off, I heard him ask softly, “Do you ever regret it?”
Regret? Maybe. But I knew one thing for sure. I’d never lack the courage to start over.
