When Dean arrives at the hospital, he sees me right away. His face is stricken with concern as he studies me from head to toe and then sighs when he realizes I’m fine. But whoa. I’m amazed at how fast he came here. I was just talking to him.
“What are you doing here, Anya?”
“It’s Kristoff. He’s had an accident. I can’t just leave him there, Dean, knowing I’m partly to blame.”
“How is that your fault? Is he alright?”
I nod. “He’s already awake, but he refuses to notify his parents.” Even though I know they’ll blame me, I’ll take whatever they say.
“He probably thought it would just cause a stir. His parents are at the party. Don’t worry. I’ll check on him later, so we should leave now.”
“What did Mr. Pitch say?”
“He’ll come to see you. You can explain everything later.”
I exhale a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
But Julian’s birthday, too! He could be looking for me right now. But I haven’t received a call or message from him yet, and neither has Lora.
“He’s waiting, Anya, so hurry up.”
I get into Dean’s car. He maneuvers the road speedily, turning to where we came from, that I don’t have time to breathe. I’m thinking about what I should say to Mr. Pitch and how I should thank him. I’m practicing the words in my head. But I thought Dean was taking us somewhere near the SEG Tower, but it seems this is not the case.
Dean unbuckles his seatbelt and prepares to exit the vehicle, but I come to a halt. “Wait. Here?”
“Yes. He’s arrived. Come on, come on.”
So I was right. Mr. Pitch is also an SEG executive. I get out of the car, still dazed, and follow Dean to an elevator. He presses a button to the last floor.
As the elevator car rises, I take a deep, anxious breath. I can almost hear my heartbeat through the pounding in my chest.
“How am I doing? I’m running late.”
“He’ll understand.”
I clench my sweaty fists. I’m in desperate need of a drink. “I’m nervous, Dean. I think I’m going to pass out.”
He laughs. “Relax. He doesn’t bite. He’s the most patient and compassionate man I’ve ever met.”
“Whatever you’re saying doesn’t work. He could be an archangel, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is the man who helped me and gave me a second chance at life. So meeting him is still thrilling. Um, Dean?”
“Yes?”
“I appreciate you doing this.”
“You’re very welcome. I’m just doing my job.”
“Well, it doesn’t feel that way to me. It’s as if you’re a brother. Even though we’ve only recently met, you’ve been there for me when I needed it.”
I notice the smile on his face. “Likewise, Anya.”
Dean leads me to another door after the elevator stops at our destination floor. “He’s here. Are you ready?”
I hold his arm. “Oh, another thing.”
“Yes?”
“Are you going to the party?”
“Yes, why?”
“Could you please tell Julian I will be late?” Oh my God. I called him by his first name.
He beams. “How about telling him that yourself?”
“What?”
He winks at me before finally opening the door. A gentle breeze caresses my face, and the roof deck of the building appears in front of me. I gasp.
As I walk outside, all I see is a cold, open floor. I pause. I doubt Mr. Pitch is here, or perhaps Dean is pranking me, but h e’s already gone, so the only option is to keep going.
I stride further, getting closer to the edge until I see a figure in a black suit facing Manhattan’s beautiful skyline.
I look closely at the tall figure, but the more I imagine him, the more I realize how familiar he is.
“Oh, my God,” I mumble, but he must have heard me. He pivots, but it’s as if the world spins slowly before revealing his face.
I frown deeply. “Julian?”
“Hi.”
“What…” There must be a mistake. I really need a drink right now. “I was expecting to... What are you...”
“Hey,” he says softly, approaching me and cupping my shoulders in his palms. “Breathe.”
I take a step back from him. What is going on here? I don’t want my thoughts to wander toward that possibility.
“Wait. I don’t get it. Why are you here? I had planned to meet my—”
Julian pulls me back into his arms, stopping me from talking and breathing again. He strokes circles on my back to soothe me. “We won’t talk until you’ve calmed down. Please.” Then he lets me go again, giving me room to breathe.
I take a deep breath and slowly expel it, followed by another. “Okay.”
“Good?”
I nod. “Julian, are you my...”
“I am.”
My knees start to tremble. I briefly closed my eyes, unable to look at his face or comprehend. I recollect my first memories of him. From the time he was on the panels in that scholarship competition, he knew how there were only supposed to be three winners, but they chose five.
We met at a party two years later, and he told me he chose me for the scholarship and followed me to Whitlock. He was firm when he stated that I was no longer alone. He wasn’t referring to himself, Julian Sebastian, but to when he looked after me as John Pitch.
He pitched my song to Sebastian Records and showered me with everything I’d worked so hard for. Education, a roof, clothes, food, and even a car are provided so I can live comfortably. He showed me that my life has meaning. He’s been telling me he loves me since...
It’s him after all this time. All the answers and clues were right before me, but I couldn’t see them because I was blind.
Or did I just close my eyes to the possibility that I already knew deep down?
“Please look at me,” he murmurs, keeping his distance. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I still can’t believe it,” I utter, my breath catching in my throat. “I don’t know what to say.” I want to sink into the earth’s core just looking at his gorgeous face. I’m bursting at the seams with emotions.
He turns to face the city’s landscape. “Are you frightened of me? Of this?”
Am I? No way. Yes, I had chills, but they are fading away. “I’m sorry for freaking out. I’m just surprised, but it all makes sense now.”
Sighing, he slips his hands into his pocket. “I may be a thousand miles away, but I’ve always kept an eye on you, Anya. I wasn’t planning on seeing you again, but your emails are filled with hope. You went above and beyond my expectations. You gave me something to look forward to. I died when Stella betrayed me, but you saved me. I wanted to get to know you better.”
I try to relax, but I can’t.
John Pitch is my Julian. He’s been the one who has supported my education, provided everything I need, and even spoiled me, but now that he’s Julian, my boyfriend, it doesn’t feel right that my lover has given me all of these things.
I’m not sure how I’d address him as my benefactor any longer. It’s a separate thing that has become one.
“You see, I couldn’t tell you because I knew it would upset you. I couldn’t tell you because I wanted you to be mine.”
That is a terrifying truth. Yes, I thought we couldn’t be together if I didn’t know he was John Pitch first, and he knew I would. But now that I know that, I can’t imagine my life without him.
“Did you think we couldn’t be together because I knew you were John Pitch?”
“To many, I am still John Pitch. But that won’t stop me from pursuing you.”
So it’s just me. I should calm down.
I laugh softly. This truth strangely makes me happy. I’m still nervous and awkward, but I’m delighted.
His mouth forms a ghost smile. “Can you at least share what you find amusing?”
“Nothing at all. I finally met my benefactor, Julian,” I say this as if he isn’t the same person in front of me.
“You did, indeed.”
“I don’t have to wonder what he thinks of me anymore because I can just ask him, I mean you. I was always looking for his approval, and I was always striving for the top! Julian, am I a good student? Did I live up to your expectations?”
“Relax.” He chuckles. “I didn’t ask you to always be at the top of your class or get perfect grades. I just want you to have a good time in college.”
“But it’s in the scholarship handbook.”
“Please don’t take that literally. It’s only a guide. I never kicked anyone off the scholarship for failing a subject. Unless, of course, a student purposefully failed most of it and squandered the opportunity. So there’s nothing to be concerned about.”
“That’s strange to hear coming from you. You certainly sound like my benefactor.”
His eyes twinkle with glee. “You know why.”
“You’re not at all like I imagined. I assumed you were older and a meticulous, strict, or perfectionist...”
“Well, you’re not entirely wrong. It’s just that you’re an exception. Anya,” he says softly, his body turned to face me. “Do you still believe you can accept me as I am? I’ll accept whatever response you give. I can’t keep it from you anymore. I can’t keep you in the dark. Even Kristoff knows this, but I wanted it to come from me.”
A wave of realization washes over me. That explains Kristoff’s strange behavior lately. He knows, and he encouraged me to talk to Julian.
“Don’t worry, he understood. He didn’t say anything to me.”
“Yes, I know he’s been tailing Dean with Kite Anderson. Dean is well aware. He was only playing along.”
“Well, to answer your question—” I inhale the fresh air, finally appreciating the atmosphere between us “—yes, I’m shocked. A lot will change, but nothing will change my feelings. It won’t change that I love you.”
“Oh, Anya.” Julian yanks me into his arms and crushes me.
“It’s still strange to think you’re Mr. Pitch. But you’re the reason I’m still breathing right now. My love for you is so strong that I can look past your eccentricities and embrace you with everything I am. Can you accept this helpless girl who relies on you, no matter how embarrassing it sounds?”
“There’s nothing embarrassing about that.” He looks me in the eyes. “You are a strong woman who has worked hard to achieve your goals. That is something I have seen. So you’re not as reliant on me as I am on you. Anya, I need you, not the other way around.”
I bury my face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. He calms me down by stroking gentle circles across my back. When I finally gather my wits, I step back from his embrace.
“Happy Birthday.” I laugh as I wipe my tears away with my fingers. “I had something ready, but I left it in Dean’s car. Sorry.”
“Really?” His eyes sparkle. “What is it?”
“It isn’t much.”
“I’m intrigued. But you have already given me the greatest gift.”
“No, I haven’t given you anything while you have given everything.”
“No, not yet.” He slips his hand into his pocket, steps back to create space, and then lowers himself to kneel.
My eyes widen as I clasp my mouth. “Julian…”
“Anya Scott,” he says, lifting a small red box covered in velvet and opening the lid to reveal a ring with a beautiful treble clef symbol and a gleaming white stone in the center. Will you allow me to continue devoting myself to you, worshiping you, caring for you, and loving you with every breath I take? Please be mine forever. At least after you graduate in a year and a half...”
Why did he stop me from crying if he’s just going to make me cry again? I nod and laugh between tears. “Yes, yes... Yes! I’m all yours.”
Julian springs up, perfectly places the ring on my finger, and pulls me back to his arm. He then clasps my head and kisses me roughly, his fingers in my hair. As our tongues lock, I respond by grabbing a fistful of his hair. He has a warm and sweet flavor. He has always enchanted and aroused me. He stops and looks at me with a gleam in his eyes, leaving me wanting.
“Let’s stop before I lose control here. Thank you for accepting me.”
I grin. “But are you sure you can hold out until graduation?”
“It’s only logical that you won’t be a student then, but preparation will take time, believe me.” He kisses my brows. “I can, therefore, wait.”
I laugh as I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his lips. “That’s great, but I don’t think I am.”
“How about we get out here?”
“Oh, the party, yeah.” Lora must be getting bored, so she’s probably looking for me right now, and...”
Oh my goodness! I gasp as I remember Kristoff. My smile begins to fade.
“What is it?”
“Julian, I...” What can I say? He just proposed to me. “I’m sorry for ruining this, and I didn’t mean to, but there’s a reason I was late tonight. Kristoff was in an accident. He’s in the hospital.”
“Yes, Dean texted me. What happened?”
I told Julian everything from the beginning, including how Kristoff discovered he was my boyfriend and how I blamed myself for the accident.
“Hey, it’s not your fault, and he knows it.”
“Yes, but I’m worried. I’m sorry for ruining this night—”
He calms me down with a small kiss on my lips. He presses his brow against mine. “Stop right there. You didn’t, okay? Come on. I’ll just greet some visitors, find my parents to tell them we’re leaving, and then we can see Kristoff together.”
“You don’t have to do that. It’s your birthday.”
“I know, but we’re in this together now.” He clasps my hand in his.