Julie's PoV
Finally I was free of those annoying casts and could itch to my heart's content! Well for at least a minute before Luke would stop me, pointing out I might cause a rash. We were currently laying face down, naked on a bench as two girls worked away on massaging our backs, it felt heavenly. I still had a few scars but all the bruises had faded away and my body was full of life now, no longer a skeleton form. We had decided to stay in Hawaii for a month to soak up rays, surf and relax. Surfing definitely wasn't my cup of tea but scuba diving, now that was my thing. I thoroughly enjoyed swimming in the warm water watching the little fishies go about their lives below me among the beautiful coral formations. It was especially amazing to see turtles up close and stingrays. You name it, we did it. We went whale watching, checked out some amazing sunsets, toured around the island, checked out some amazing sights, the volcano and local Luau as they danced, performed fire tricks and fed us. The whole experience had been amazing and sadly we were due to leave in a week's time.
It felt so good to be out in the fresh air, in the sunlight and cared for again. I tried not to dwell on the past but my nightmares frequently reminded me that what had happened to me, did in fact happen. I had a few triggers here and there, certain sounds or raised voices but thankfully Luke had picked up on them immediately and told everyone not to do that again. The only one that couldn't be fixed was the sound of a door opening but I was getting better at remembering to breathe and that I was safe. I had spent many nights waking up with Luke by my side, having to revisit the horrors of the past three years. We had found talking about it, regardless of how horrific it had been, helped. I wanted to talk to a professional as I was worried that I might be giving Luke nightmares and he promised he would set me up with one when we settled back into our house. For now though, he insisted on getting me to talk to him.
We had finally been given a day to ourselves, after Alex, Reggie and Carlos had run out of ideas of what to do as a group. So they had opted for sunbathing while me and Luke had opted for a massage before walking down the beach together to collect shells. We never took them off the beach since we couldn't take them on the plane but they were fun to collect and then build a sandcastle together. We would build towers then decorate them with our collection of shells.
The girl who was massaging my back suddenly stopped and said goodbye which meant our time was up. Once I heard the door close behind us, I got up to start getting dressed and had to hide my giggle. Luke looked like he had just woken up with his hair sticking up in crazy directions.
"That good aye?" I asked, smirking at him.
He just nodded and started pulling on some clothes. After we were both dressed, I helped smooth out his hair then pulled him in the direction of the coffee shop after we had paid up. I purchased two lattes and we started sipping them as we slowly walked down the beach together. The sun was setting, which in turn set the water alight with light sparkling in all directions. It looked magical, something out of a fairy tale and was amazing to watch. In the distance we could see dolphins splashing around, enjoying the last rays of sunlight.
"Jules?" whispered Luke. He had stopped to wrap me in his arms from behind.
"Yes?" I replied leaning into his chest, grateful that we had finished our coffees earlier. Being encased in his arms like this was my favorite cuddle, it felt safe and loving. Suddenly he let go of me, stepped to the side and turned me so we faced each other pulling my hands into his.
"Julie, I have loved you since the day we met, since you looked me in the eyes, since the first time I heard your stuttering terrified voice. Your soul is nothing but good and the things that were done to you, you never deserved. Without you, I become a shell of the man that I should be, your the reason I get up in the morning, the reason I breathe, the reason I sleep. I wish I could move heaven and earth to take away our past, to take away those lost years, to start over as fifteen year olds, happy, free and safe but I can't. So I'm wondering if you would do me the great honor of looking to the future with me, together as the broken pieces that we are". Luke suddenly sank to one knee and pulled out a small box opening it with his other hand before grabbing my free hand again.
"Julie, would you do me the honor of marrying me?" he asked with a single tear streaming down his face and a big warm smile.
"Yes!" I said excitedly. I suddenly was encased in his arms and swung around in a circle before being kissed passionately. Luke took a moment to slide the ring onto my finger then after putting the box in his pocket again, cupped my face and pulled me in for another passionate kiss. The scene had to look romantic with the sunset as the backdrop but I was lost in the moment.
Suddenly we heard cheering and wolf whistles from a distance and realized we had an audience. Alex, Reggie and Carlos must have known and seen the whole event as they came up hugging both of us and congratulating us.
"How did you guys know?" I questioned Alex.
"Oh he had this planned weeks ago and asked us to give you guys today for him to pop the question. He said to be here around sunset so we were hiding behind that wall for the past half an hour waiting. Gotta admit, that was epic and I'm glad he gave us a heads up as Reggie took some amazing photos for a wedding album for later" said Alex as he pulled me in for another hug.
After all the hugging was out of the way, we made our way to an outdoor restaurant to sit and eat. I couldn't stop looking at the ring as we waited for our food, it was huge and beautiful.
"Julie, are you awake?" asked Alex, bringing me out of my musings.
"Oh sorry, yes?" I replied.
"I was asking if you had any idea of what you would want for your wedding?" he asked. I looked around and realized that Reggie, Carlos and Luke were missing, probably had gone to use the washroom or something which meant me and Alex could talk like girls for a minute or two.
"Honestly, everyone I care about is already here, the only other person I think Luke would want is Bobby. I never thought I would live to get married so I never really made any plans like other girls. Honestly, we could get married right now on the beach and I would be happy" I said.
"I was hoping you would say that! Luke thank god gave me a heads up weeks ago that he wanted to pop the question so I already did some digging, you could get married here if you wanted and I already have a perfect simple dress if that is what you want. Or we can go shopping and go all out in a big fancy dress too" he said excitedly.
"No you know me, let's do a simple wedding on the beach, simple dress, no heels or shoes" I said.
"Done, I actually had already envisioned this knowing your taste. I'll confirm with a few people about catering, cake, documents, decorations, rings and such, what date? We have around a week left"
"Well we could surprise Luke, pick a date and not tell him, let's be honest he won't go for a guys night anyways without me so since he surprised me with the proposal, why not surprise him back by doing a sunset wedding in a few days if you think that's enough time, you just need to convince him to dress up a little at the last minute"
"Oh that's easy, alright here they come, act natural and we'll talk later" he whispered before changing the subject to waxing hair off of legs. I pulled Luke down to snuggle into his arm and went back to staring at the beautiful rock on my finger while food was served. A few days and I will be his wife, forever.
