As soon as he had finished eating, Anthony whispered to Meredith, to ask if they could have a brief discussion by the reflecting pool. He checked his watch—a quarter to nine.
At last, she arrived.
“It’s a pity that we missed the full moon about four nights ago,” she remarked. “But at least we’re making up for it now.”
“How are you feeling? Any better?”
She gave a halfhearted shrug. “I think so. It’s very difficult to say at the moment.”
Anthony opened his arms in the way of offering her a hug. She accepted. He held her close and breathed in the flowery scent of her hair.
“Meredith, I really thought I was going to lose you today. Not just because of Colin, but even before that dreadful ordeal. I know that finding out about the ninety days really hurt you. I am sorry. But I’m here now, and I beg you, please let me clarify some points and answer any of the questions you may have.”
Meredith laid her head on his chest, “All right.”
* * *
The longer Anthony’s detailed explanation went on, the more that Meredith finally understood. Yes, she could now see how the ninety days were, in fact, a gift.
Anthony pulled away and gently lifted her chin. “And I’m not sure if I have already mentioned this, but as it turns out, today is the ninetieth day. And I am as sure as ever that I made the right decision. What about you, Meredith?”
Meredith gingerly placed a hand on his chest. She met his eyes and considered his question. She spotted the bruises on his neck and remembered that the bruises on her forehead were definitely still quite visible. And yet, he looked at her the same way he always had. It was as though when she was with him, the bruises, the aches, the pain, all of it disappeared.
“I couldn’t agree more, Anthony.”
Slowly, he pulled her into a kiss, one that was sweet enough to erase all memory of the hardship that they had endured today. And when it was over, he released her from both his arms and pulled out a slender velvet jewelry box from his pocket.
“This is actually the special order that I had commissioned from Ian.” He lifted the lid. “What do you think?”
Meredith wished he had chosen a different question for the truth was that shecouldn’tthink. The pendant was shaped exactly like the stars from the atlas he had given to her. The sapphires glistened in the moonlight, set in a golden metal outline suspended from a gold chain.
“Anthony… I… This…” she choked, “This is far too much.”
In response, Anthony shook his head, apparently, he too was having trouble getting his words out. After a beat, he said, “Never. Nothing will ever be too much for you, Meredith. I had it commissioned because I wanted to express how much I love you.”
Unable to hold back any longer, Meredith fell to the ground sobbing. Anthony instantly followed suit.
“Meredith, are you all right?”
She nodded through her tears; the growing lump in her throat proving increasingly insurmountable.
“Mere, it’s all right.” He pulled her close to him once more, “It’s all right. You don’t have to say anything right away. I just needed to tell you all of this. It’s just that I couldn’t bear the thought of going another day without fully expressing this to you.”
He removed the necklace from its box and placed it around her neck. “There,” he smiled. “Oh, please don’t cry anymore, Mere. Otherwise you’ll get me started, too.”
Meredith laughed.
I don’t want to cry!I just can’t help it!
He offered her a handkerchief, which she gratefully used to dab her tears. With her vision significantly clearer, she took a closer look at the pendant.
“Anthony, for how long do stars last?”
“Forever, I think.” He gazed heavenward. “It’s such a shame that we have such a cloudy sky tonight. Otherwise we would be able to hold your pendant up and compare it to all of the stars that we have claimed.”
Meredith closed her hand around the pendant.
“And you still want to go see them?”
