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“Emma? It’s Irene. Are you okay in there?”
“Yes, Irene. Of course. I’m fine.”
“Whatcha doing?”
“Using the restroom.”
“Can I come in?”
“No.”
“Okay, well, I’m right out here if you need anything.”
“I don’t need anything.”
“But if you do, I’m right here.”
“Honestly, Irene, I’m fine. Go away.”
“I’ll just wait instead…. I’m right here. Just let me know…”
I nodded, deciding that she was one tiny notch less awful than a paparazzo. My sympathies towards her regarding the car alarm fiasco were erased. I looked at the note, preparing to read it as fast as I could. I saw that it wouldn’t take me long, since it was only three sentences long:
Dear Emma,
I love you. You’re The One. Please flush this when you’re done reading it because it’s against the rules for me to tell you this already.
Love,
Bellamy
My heart kind of stopped for a second. That’s what it felt like, anyhow. I realized I was excited. Maybe even thrilled. Having someone declare his love for you is a pretty huge deal. I had to sit back down for a second. This meant, among other things, that I was the winner of Bellamy’s Redemption. Wow.
Despite the rules, I didn’t want to flush it. And I didn’t like that he wanted me to flush it. Shouldn’t I keep something the represented such a pivotal moment? I read it again and again. Touched it. Looked at the way he signed his name. Would I have liked it better if he had signed it Dirk? Would that have meant more to me? I wasn’t sure.
Perhaps I could conceal the note in my shoe. Who would know?
“Emma?” asked Irene, knocking again. “Are you oka
y? Are you sick? Do you want me to get Bellamy?”
“No, I’ll be right there.”
“I’m going to have to come in soon. I’m worried about you.” She rattled the doorknob.
“Just give me another second,” I said.
So I did as I was told, saturating the note in water from the tap and then flushing it once it had begun to disintegrate. I could hear Irene just outside the door complaining to Luca, “What is she up to in there? Why is the toilet flushing again?”
I didn’t care any longer about Irene, though. A poster of a kangaroo that my older sister had in her bedroom when we were kids suddenly came to my mind, seeming very relevant. The kangaroo was on a diving board about to jump, hands poised like a prayer and a big smile on its face. The caption beneath it said A Smile is a Springboard to Happiness. I had never really gotten it, but now I realized that it meant that deciding to be happy was the first step in actually being happy. It was that easy!
I was done being irritated, done with my bad attitude, done obsessing over Pete, and ready to rejoin my future husband.
Chapter 30
“Ready for logrolling?” asked Bellamy.
“Hmm?” I pushed myself up in bed, realizing it was morning. I’d gone to sleep expecting him to sneak into my room in the night, but here it was, 7:00 a.m., and I was as untouched as when I’d gone to bed.
