Page 102 of Secrets (The Sins Trilogy 2)
“Oh my God!” she screeches into my ear. “When? Where? Tell me everything! And when’s the engagement party? I need to go shopping. We need to go shopping!”
A sob spills from between my clenched teeth. I cover my mouth to contain the sound, but it’s no use. Keeping my head down, I rush to the bathroom and lock myself in a stall.
“What’s wrong?” Yuna asks. “Are you crying?”
“I couldn’t accept.”
“What? You told him no?”
I start to shake my head, then realize she can’t see me. “Not exactly. I sort of left it in limbo.” It was awful to see the aching hope in his eyes, knowing I shouldn’t—couldn’t—say yes. I took the coward’s way out and covered my face and cried because I knew if I didn’t, I would say yes like a greedy child. But at the end, my silence hurt him as much as an outright rejection. It was in his pained gaze all weekend long. Him watching me, tragic and tormented.
“Why not? Talk to me. Stop crying like the world just ended. Did he screw up?”
“No.” I sob harder. “It was the most perfect proposal. I was in my Tweety shirt and looked awful, but it didn’t matter. He proposed anyway, in our bedroom.”
“Um.” She sounds hesitant. “When did this happen?”
“On Friday. He…he says he loves me.”
“Of course he loves you. I’ve never seen a man who loves a woman more. Look, I’m coming over to pick you up right now. I should be there by five. You and I are going to have a talk and a lot of good drinks to sort this out, okay?”
I want to tell her it’ll never be okay. Or that she doesn’t have to bother. But at the same time, I need somebody, and Yuna feels like the safest person for that. “Okay.”
