We didn’t go back to my sister’s house that night.
After Marcus put the ring on my finger, neither of us wanted the evening to end. He drove us to a quiet hotel on the edge of the city. The whole ride, his hand stayed on my thigh. Every few minutes he would glance at me like he still couldn’t believe I had said yes.
When we got to the room, he closed the door behind us and just looked at me.
“You’re really going to marry me,” he said.
I held up my hand so the ring caught the light. “Looks like it.”
He walked over, took my face in both hands, and kissed me. Soft at first. Then deeper. I kissed him back with everything I had been holding in for months.
Clothes started coming off slowly this time. No rush. No fear of being caught. Just us.
Marcus pulled my dress over my head and let it
