E for ... Engagement!

‘And, wait for it … wait for it … lookit here ya’ll! We’re engaged!!!’ shrieked Pia, holding up the rock on her finger. White light from the bulbs on the ceiling reflected off it, glimmering at a hundred different angles. Her eyes shone with excitement, a million dollar smile on her face. I could feel her happiness in the rise and fall of her voice, like the waves in the ocean. Her hand held on tight to mine, her affection evident in the way she looked at me and smiled.

I felt blessed, like I had won a major battle. Maybe we had. It had been an uphill battle all this while. Looking at her share snippets of the recent engagement, looking at her show around our pictures, it felt like life was good again. That maybe, just maybe, there were at least a few out there in the big bad world, people who would understand our reasons behind our decisions, who would live and let live, who would empathize with the fact that sometimes love really knows no boundaries.

As friends crowded us shouting out their congratulations, I felt free, like I could breathe again without worrying about suffocating to death. Looking at the strong woman standing beside me, it was tough to imagine that I had almost agreed to a life without her. She must have felt my gaze on her, and she turned and looked up at me, an inquisitive glance in her eyes. I just smiled at her.

She dropped to a whisper and spoke, just the way I always wanted her to, her precious words to be shared only with me.

‘I love you too, Janet.’

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