Page 87 of I Could Have Missed This
“Well, now that my studies are over, I don’t really have any plans. I think I’ll stay a while… figure some stuff out,” he says, smiling at the thought.
“Well, we’re happy to have you here,” I tell him before saying goodbye. I head over to Kai, Elijah, Cat and Daisy, who are all eating cake.
“This cake is amazing,” Daisy tells me, bits of frosting on her lips. Elijah puts a hand on my shoulder.
“Do you think you can manage the place while Kai and I are away?” He asks.
“I think we’ll be okay. I’m so jealous. I’ve always wanted to see Amsterdam,” I tell them. They’ve had this trip booked for months, long before we knew the bookshop was going to be reopening today. I’m so happy things are going well for them.
“We’d love to stay and party, but our plane leaves in a few hours. We’re going to have to go soon, unfortunately,” he explains.
“I hope you both enjoy yourselves, and send me pictures!” I tell them.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be spamming you,” Kai laughs.
“I’ll be muting you both,” Cat tells them with a kind smile.
“How’s the surf shop going?” I ask Kai. The surf shop reopened not too long ago as well. I’m glad things worked out for everyone. For a minute there, we all thought it was going to shutdown until an anonymous donation from someone in America got them over their go-fund-me goal. Kai and I have an idea of who it could be.
“It’s going well. Harry keeps trying to get me in for a shift, but I haven’t had a chance yet.” Elijah laughs and turns to Kai.
“Not like you need the money anyway, Mr por?—”
“Shut up, we’re in public!” Kai laughs as he hides his face.
In the corner of my eye, I notice Teddy moving through the crowd. We all move up as Teddy starts hitting a glass with the bottom of a knife.
“Can I have your attention, please?” Teddy asks the room. The sound of the room quiets in anticipation. “I just wanted to thank you all for coming to the reopening of our bookshop,” he begins, a thunderous roar erupts from the crowd. It echoes off the walls and can probably be heard from miles away.
“When tragedy struck all those months ago, we thought that was the end. We never expected the overwhelming support from everyone in the community. I want to thank Charlotte Thorne for the very generous donation towards rebuilding the bookshop back to its former glory. And for everyone who donated to the go-fund me. You have no idea how much it means to me, and everyone who works here as well,” Teddy says as the room erupts with applause. I join in and smile. I still can’t believe the gorgeous man speaking to us all is my boyfriend.
“When I started the Rainbow bookshop, I wanted to create somewhere people could go to escape. To get lost in a world unknown. Books are special that way. They let you live a life that isn’t yours, but they can remind you of your own life in funny ways. They can make you laugh, give you advice, or distract you from your problems. I wanted to create a place that provided that for my queer siblings. No matter who you are or what your real life is like, I wanted to create a place that felt like home. And with this reopening, I want to welcome you all home again.”More applause fills the room, and Teddy smiles as he pauses his speech. As it dies down, Teddy looks at me and smiles.
“I also want to thank one more person. Noah, can you come up here for a second?” He asks, causing me to freeze. Kai is behind me, nudging me to go up. There are so many people, and I feel the palms of my hands begin to sweat. But I’ll do it scared.
“Noah came here looking for a job and a fresh start. He’s the strongest, most compassionate person I know. And I’m lucky to call him my boyfriend. He supported me throughout this whole ordeal, and this wouldn’t feel like home without him,” he says, smiling widely. I laugh nervously, trying to avoid everyone’s gaze. They clap, and I can’t help but feel proud of how far I’ve come. Who would have thought this was where I would be now? I’m happy, I have a job I love, an amazing boyfriend (who I love with all my heart), and I have friends I would die for. This is all I ever wanted and more.
“And now, I want to ask you something,” He says, turning to me. He grabs a piece of paper from the table beside us.
“Will you be the official co-owner of The Rainbow Bookshop?” He asks, handing me a contract of ownership. Our names are listed, with a signature underneath his, and a blank line underneath mine. Without a shadow of a doubt, I know the answer.
“Of course!” I say, going in for a hug. Everyone applauds, and I can’t help but kiss him in front of everyone. Kissing him never gets old.
He hands me a pen, and I sign the contract. I can’t stop smiling!
“I love you,” Teddy whispers in my ear.
“I love you too,” I whisper back, my heart feels whole.
My heart skips a beat at the realisation that if I had ended my life that night on the roof, I could have missed all of this.
I never thought that this silly little project I started during the pandemic would grow into this amalgamation of everything I am as a person. My life has shaped this novel more than any I’ll write after this. This story is deeply personal to me, which is why it was so hard to let it go. But if you’re reading this, that means I finally let it out into the world. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I want to thank my family for their support and love - your encouragement means the world to me. I especially want to thank my brother Ryan, who has been my biggest supporter ever since I told him I was writing a novel… well, one I wasactuallygoing to finish. I’m grateful that we got to collaborate on a project together. I don’t think this novel would feel complete without your illustrations.
A huge thank you to my friends. I would have gone insane writing this without your much-needed distraction. Thank you for your love and support with this novel. When wefinallywent on that trip to Cornwall, that was myI Could Have Missed Thismoment.
Thank you to my therapist, Kirsty Fotheringham, for helping me work through the trauma that shaped this novel. Yourguidance made it possible for me to tell this story and to let it out into the world.
I also want to thank my formatter, Brady Moller, my cover artist, Nskvsky, and my beta readers for their invaluable help.
And thankyou,whoever you are, for reading my novel. It means more than words can say.
