(2 years after graduation)
“Babe, are you sure you remembered to pack the sweets?” Adam asked me from the back of the car. He was in the middle of rummaging the car’s trunk, his head peeking out to regard me with a quirked eyebrow.
I turned to face Adam, still trying to stuff my things into my handbag.
I strolled towards him and gave the bags littering the car’s trunk a quick sweep. I spotted the red shopping bag and opened it to reveal the chocolates and lollipops I packed.
“Oh ye, of little faith,” I tutted Adam with a smile playing on my lips.
“I never doubted you for a second,” Adam declared jokingly, pulling me towards him by my waist and giving my temple a kiss.
I scoffed at his words, but the smile stayed on my lips as I grabbed a couple of the bags to help him.
There were at least 6 of them in there and they didn’t look light.
Adam was about to argue but I turned to him and gave him a hard kiss to shut him up. It was undeniably the most effective way.
When we broke apart, I gave him the look.
“Adam, you’re human. Humans have 2 hands. There are 6 bags and they weigh at least 5 kg each. I know you want to spoil me all the time but letting me carry at least 2 bags won’t kill me.” I stated, using my flawless logic to shut down any of his arguments.
Adam chuckled at my stubbornness and gave me another quick peck before relenting. He grabbed the rest of the bags before shutting the trunk and locking up the car.
“You would’ve thought that after a few years, I’d get used to your stubbornness,” Adam mused as we walked towards the entrance to three-storey house’s.
“You love it,” I grinned cheekily and stuck my tongue out in emphasis.
Adam simply smiled and held the door open for me as we walked in. The slightly muffled shrill screams of children and the smell of baby powder invaded our senses as soon as we walked through the door.
Toys were scattered on the floor and I traced Adam’s steps to make sure I didn’t step on any of them. The horde of tiny humans were running around in the backyard. A glass sliding door separated the green grass and tiled floors.
The glass doors was able to block out most of the piercing screams, saving our eardrums from destruction. I loved these kids but no one could convince me that they did not sound like banshees at times.
The house was big but it wasn’t anything extravagant. I made sure that it was as comfortable as possible without throwing money around carelessly.
There were several rooms in the house and each of the room consisted of 4 beds. I wanted to be efficient with the space that we had and still make the rooms spacious enough to not make the kids feel claustrophobic.
I followed Adam to where the kitchen was and we both set the bags down on the counter. I started opening the cabinets, taking out bowls and plates for the treats we brought for the children.
I was setting the bowls beside the bags when I saw Cole walking towards the kitchen with a beaming smile.
“Hey! I thought I saw you,” Cole greeted, walking over to us with his arms open wide.
I returned the hug he gave me before he moved away and gave Adam a man hug.
Cole found me a year after I took over my parents’ business. It was as if he got all of his marbles back together and he apologized for his mistakes.
It was hard to trust him at first, considering the things that we went through. But I figured that if he was willing to try to move on from the past, then I should give it a shot too.
He left me his contact number after apologizing. A week after his visit, I got the idea of holding a fundraising campaign to build a house for orphans. I thought that although I’ve cut all ties with him by giving him the prize money, Cole would be the perfect person to run the place.
With how he was willing to risk his life to fight for money he wasn’t even going to spend on himself, he showed me that I could trust him to do what was best for the orphaned kids I was going to house.
His mother fell in love with the children and started helping out full-time. Not long after, I got Cole and his family to move into the house to make things easier for them and so that someone could supervise the children 24/7.
Space wasn’t an issue since there were only a few kids that we were housing then, we still had several empty rooms that hasn’t been used.
A year passed since we opened the orphanage and with the 20 or so kids that were staying in the house, I’ve hired some staff to help Cole run the place.
I made adoption available to couples who were interested but I made sure to do a strict background check on all of the couples before granting them access to choose.
I only want what was best for these children. They deserved all the good the world had to offer.
“Another round of treats?” Cole asked us as he saw the big bags on the counter.
“Yep! Are the kids still playing outside?” I asked him, tending back to the bags to start preparing the food.
“Yeah, Mom and a few of the staff are watching over them. It’s lunch time soon so you came just on time.” Cole informed us as he walked over to help unraveling the insides of the bags.
“This is crazy, Case! The amount of treats that you bring seem to mount every time you come around to visit.” Cole whistled as he unpacked the brownies and settled them on a plate.
I laughed lightly while Adam rolled his eyes. “You have no idea, man. She almost bought the whole bakery today. I think she’s got it in her head that these kids have blackholes as stomachs.” Adam told Cole, making him turn to me with a look that told me he thought I’ve lost it.
“Oh stop it! They love the treats, I’m just being a good sister to all of them by ensuring their happiness,” I reasoned.
Cole snorted, “At this rate, you’ll be a goddess in their eyes and they’ll start worshipping the ground you walk on.”
Adam shook his head as he started arranging the cookies onto an empty plate. I shrugged at Cole and tipped the bags of chocolate and sweets into 20 bowls, making sure that I was giving them a reasonable amount.
Of course they weren't not supposed to eat all of the sweets we brought at once. It was simply delightful to see their eyes light up whenever they catch a glimpse of how many treats they were given.
After everything was ready, we stored the remaining food into the fridge and carried the bowls and plates on trays into the backyard.
I offered Lionett a smile as she waved at us from the picnic table.
The second that the kids saw us walk through the glass doors with trays of sweets, they dropped everything and ran towards us.
“Casey!” Ollie screamed as the boy bounded up towards me and tripped into my arms.
“I missed you, little guy!” I squealed, hugging him tight and swinging him around. His feet swayed and he giggled excitedly.
We’ve had Oliver with us since he was a year old and he was the first child that we took in. I immediately grew a soft spot for the little boy.
He reminded me so much of Pio as he grows older. It made my heart swell looking at all their bright smiles, knowing that I contributed to their happiness.
I put Ollie down as the others started to eye the treats like small hungry cubs.
“Okay kids! You know the rules, everyone gets the same amount so don’t take others’ sweets!” Cole’s mom called out before nodding at Adam, so he could start distributing the bowls.
They all swarmed around Adam as he tried to keep up with their grasping hands. Watching him with the kids has never failed to make me swoon.
I took a seat beside Cole’s mother as I watched my boyfriend entertain the children that stuck around even after he didn’t have any bowls of sweets left.
“How’ve you been doing, darling?”
I turned to Cole’s mother with a smile, “I’ve been great, Lionett. How are your kids doing?”
Deep down I was mostly curious of how Cole’s disabled brother was doing. I’ve learnt that his name was Ryan.
A couple of months after I gave the money to Cole, he split the money to meet all of his siblings’ needs, including Ryan’s. He got professional help for Ryan and occasionally, Cole would tell me about his progress.
I’ve successfully avoided Ryan at all cost even after he moved into this house, scared that I’d trigger a trauma in him.
“The kids are great! I honestly cannot thank you enough for taking them in, sweetheart. You have no idea how much weight you’ve taken off my shoulders by covering their needs.” Lionett gushed as she took my hands in hers and squeezed it lightly.
I could see how grateful she was and I couldn't help but tear up a little.
After knowing that Cole split the money to get Ryan some professional help, I listed his adopted siblings in the list of the orphans staying in the house to be able to cover their financial needs and gave Cole some bonus pays here and there.
Lionett was wrong, I did know how much weight I’ve lifted off her shoulders; because I was the one who put them there.
To that day, the guilt of what I did to her son hadn’t left me and Cole never allowed me to fess up to Lionett. I never questioned why and simply assumed it was probably to prevent her from asking questions that we’d rather forget the answers to.
“And how’s Ryan?” I pried further when I noticed she didn’t mention him.
“He’s doing better every day, darling,” Lionett assured patting my hand lightly.
“I’m glad to hear that,” I tried to mask how affected I was with the good news by mustering a small smile and holding the tears at bay.
Adam and I spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around and spending time with the kids. After helping the Lionett with dinner, Adam and I bid our goodbyes to everyone.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?” Cole asked again as he walked us to the door.
I gave him a smile as we stepped onto the porch.
“We’re sure, Cole.” I declined as I gave him a brief hug. “We have plans somewhere else in a bit so we’ve gotta get going.” I explained further as Adam gave Cole a nod.
We didn’t have any specific plans, but Adam went with my lead. I didn’t want to take up any food that’s supposed to be for the kids’ food.
“Alright, visit again soon! The kids miss you guys,” Cole waved as Adam and I started walking to the car.
“We will!” Adam called out over his shoulder as he unlocked the car.
As we pulled out of the driveway, I turned to Adam and asked, “So what would you like to eat?”
He eyed me knowingly as I smiled at him.
“What about we do something different tonight?” He asked me as he pulled up at a nearby McDonald’s drive-thru.
I didn’t question him as soon as I saw the look on his face. He’s probably got something up his sleeve.
We placed our orders and took it from the next window before driving away.
Adam parked near a park before getting out and opening my door for me.
There weren’t many people in the park tonight since it was pretty late. The only people loitering around were couples.
He took my hand and guided us to the park where we settled on a bench. We opened up the brown paper bag and started eating.
I took a bite from my burger and laid my head on Adam’s shoulder while I chewed.
This man knew me so well. I’d choose this over dinner in a fancy restaurant any day. Pigging out on fast food in a park, where there was no one to judge you for your lack of table etiquette.
After finishing our food, we threw away our trash and proceeded to stroll and wander around the park. There was only a few lampposts but the sky was clear and the moon gave adequate lighting for us to see properly.
“Do you remember the time that we first met?” Adam asked me as we walked hand in hand.
“Yeah. God, looking back at it, it was kind of cliché. The nerd caught the attention of the attractive guy, yadda yadda yadda. You were very clingy too,” I teased him with a cheeky smile.
Adam rolled his eyes at me but his lips pulled into a smile.
“Well, I remember it quite differently,” Adam said. I hummed along before I realized what he said and came to an abrupt stop.
“What?” I voiced, barely audible, turning around to look at him.
He had asked me a few times of how we met. He knew that his memory loss was still a touchy subject to me so he’d never played a prank on me that involved pretending to remembered something from the past.
“I remember, Case.” He murmured as he looked at me, hand holding mine. He tucked my hair behind my ear and looked into my eyes with such an intense gaze that made my knees weak.
“W-when? How? What?” I sputtered out with wide eyes as I searched his face for signs that he was lying.
“You wore a grey hoodie that looked extremely worn out with a pair of jeans. You were seating by the window and you were the only one sitting alone.” I stopped breathing.
He remembered.
He even remembered the clothes I wore.
I didn’t doubt that he got all of it right because I remembered using that hoodie almost every day and loving that seat for its view.
“I remembered that you didn’t even bat an eye at me. Hell, you didn’t even raise your head to look at me when the teacher introduced me to the class.” Adam chuckled a little before continuing.
“I remembered thinking that maybe you were just hostile towards everyone and that made them hate you. I don’t think I could’ve been more wrong in my life.” He shook his head.
“I remembered how intrigued I was at how sarcastic and closed off you were. The first time we talked, I thought you were hilarious and I started to wonder why you were always alone.” Adam continued softly, his hand cupping my left cheek and I instinctively leaned into it. Tears were starting to fill my eyes as I listened to him speak.
“When I saw you getting hit and bullied, I felt like I should protect you.” A twinkle in his eyes made me laugh lightly knowing that he was probably found it funny that he wanted to protect a street fighter.
“I love your independency and your stubbornness when it comes to what you believe is right; your protective nature over someone who’s weaker than you; your love for ice cream; your sarcasm, your wit, and so much more.” He said.
I could feel my conscience swooning and I was tempted to let myself drop to the ground from how weak my knees felt under me.
“You’re so incredibly amazing that you managed to make me fall in love with you all over again; not once, but twice.”
“And tonight, I want to make sure that I have the rest of my life to make you as happy as you make me; to make you fall in love with me as hard as I’ve fallen for you.”
An inaudible gasp rolled out of me. I caught myself before I could stumble and land on my butt when Adam let go of me and went down on one knee.
Holy. Shit.
Adam took out a small black velvet box and opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring.
Oh my Lord.
“Cassandra Johnson, you’ve made my life one hell of a roller coaster ride ever since I first met you and I absolutely love it. So, Case, will you make me the happiest man alive by being my wife?”
I nodded so fast that everything became blurry; but that might have been the unshed tears gathering in my eyes.
I let Adam slip the ring onto my finger before launching myself into his arms. I let him hold me upright because only God knew how weak my legs felt at that moment.
“Took you long enough,” I whispered into his neck as I sniffled.
Adam’s chuckle caused his chest to slightly vibrate. The sound of it warmed me all over as I kept my tight hold around him.
He pulled away, still keeping a hold on me before leaning down to let our lips collide. I buried my hands in his hair as we continued to kiss. I could taste my tears as I tried to show him how much I love him through the kiss.
We finally parted to catch our breath and I savored the numb tingling feeling on my lips. I laid my forehead against his and closed my eyes. This man would be the death of me.
“I love you, Case.”
I opened my eyes, instantly getting lost in his dark green orbs that has never failed to suck me in.
“I love you too.”
After I’ve got a grip on myself, Adam suggested that we continue our night walk and head to the town square since the weather was perfect.
Adam had his arm slung across my shoulders as we neared town square. The place was buzzing with life and chatter, filled with some music and distant car horns if you listen carefully.
When we got to the center of the place, the huge billboards towered over us and one billboard caught my eye.
My hand unconsciously flew to my mouth when I saw the big screen. My face along with little Ollie’s, Cole’s 3 step-siblings and the other kids were on it. It was a candid picture of us and we all had an ear to ear grin plastered on our faces.
The billboard was promoting the fundraising campaign that I held every 3 months. I had seen similar pictures in magazines and newspapers, but this was huge.
I felt Adam squeeze my shoulder lightly and pulled me closer to him as tears filled my eyes once again. I continued to stare at the billboard as my mind rewound the memory I had of Bryant.
~ Flashback ~
I was sitting on the couch, telling Bryant how Dom confessed that he likes me more than just a friend.
“I don’t even know why he would like me in that way. I’m not special; I’m just plain Casey. I’m not as beautiful as those other girls in school and I don’t have the charm, so why me?” I muttered to myself, feeling a bit dumbfounded.
In a flash, Bryant was kneeling before me, giving me a stern look.
“Hey, what did I tell you about beauty and people?”
I looked away after catching a glimpse of how serious he looked, knowing that he hated it when I start hating on myself.
“Beauty lies on the inside,” I recited, having heard him say it a thousand times before.
“-where the heart is,” he finished, smiling softly and placing two fingers right above where my heart was.
“But do I really have that too? I mean, seriously. I have murderous and such vengeful thoughts towards those girls at school. Do I even have a pure heart?” I asked him, voicing my deepest fear.
Maybe I wasn’t as innocent as Bryant thought, maybe I was a closet psychopath.
My vision started to get blurry as I questioned my own innocence.
“That only proves that you are human because that's just how we are. We all have our demons but it’s our choice to listen to them or fight them. And you, little sis, are the strongest fighter and the most beautiful girl I have ever met,” Bryant stated. The sincerity in his voice was as clear as day.
“You go through every day with a smile on your face even when life’s beating you down and that smile reflects the beauty inside. You have the knack to help people even if they’re potential
criminals on the run,” Bryant frowned towards the end of his sentence and I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous he’s being.
“I don’t know if your heart is as pure as it can be, Case, but all I know is that you’ve got a big one in there. When we’re older, I’ll be running around the streets like a madman pointing at billboards with your face on them, screaming ‘that’s my sister’ proudly at by-passers.”
I teared up at the memory, feeling the tears stream down my cheeks as I held in a sob. My only regret was not being able to achieve this sooner. I knew I was incredible lucky and blessed to be able to get this far in life, to have achieved so much and have the ability to give back to society, but I still felt a familiar knot forming in my stomach when I realized that I was late.
I knew it was a bit unrealistic to hold it against my past self but I still couldn’t help but wished I had been able to achieve this dream sooner so that my brother could’ve been there to share this moment with me then.
But as I was having these thoughts, I felt something touch me deeply and I looked up at the sky, wondering if what they said about the stars being the souls of people who had passed away is true.
Was that Bryant I felt?
Was he telling me that he was here with me? That he isn’t missing this moment?
I couldn’t recall whatever religious teaching I have been raised to believe in but at that moment, everything went out the window. I just knew that right then and there, believing that my brother was there with me, in spirit, brought me a tremendous amount of comfort that I wouldn’t ever trade for anything else.
It was as if he was saying, “Don’t worry, little sis. I’m seeing this too. Nothing you did was too late. Everything happens in their own time and that time is the perfect time. You did great.”
I was well aware that all this might have been an illusion that was conjured up by my own conscience to soothe the regret and guilt I was feeling but just the thought that Bryant might actually be seeing all this, be present to witness all this, in whatever form, was enough to bring tears to my eyes.
The knot in my stomach unfurled and I felt a wave of serenity.
He had always believed in me. He had never doubted that I was going to be someone great and do good in this world.
I stared at the stars despite my doubts, not knowing where else to look.
“I did it, Bry,” I whispered into the air. The noise around me faded as I leaned into Adam’s chest and stared at the billboard. I felt content as tears continued to escape my eyes. I made no move to wipe them and let myself feel loved for once.
I hope you’re watching from up there. I hope you’re proud of me.