The End of Fifteen Years

On my hundredth attempt to propose, I never got the words out. Serena glanced at me before looking back at her phone. Austin, just give me another six months. Nolans name lit up her screen. I smiled and walked away.

My phone buzzed. Serenas post showed white roses from Nolan. Her caption read, Some are worth the wait, others are just always there. Someone asked where her shadow was. She replied, "Him? Hes used to it."

I was used to it. Used to waiting hours, being stood up, and watching Nolan come first. I had followed her from age six to twenty-one, from chauffeurs son to shadow. I comforted her, took her blame, and drove across the city for midnight tacos. Once, I spent two weeks in the ICU after taking a beating for her; she visited for ten minutes, talking to Nolan the whole time.

I pulled out a business card Id kept for three years. Audrey Harrington, sole heiress of Harrington Group. At our first meeting, shed asked if I wanted to marry her. Id rejected her thirteen times. On the fourteenth, I called.

"Miss Harrington, does your offer still stand?"

Silence hung on the line. "Where are you?"

"Across from City Hall."

"Wait for me."

It took her exactly eight minutes.

Her white Porsche slid sideways into a parking spot, nearly clipping a dumpster in the process.

Audrey scrambled out of the car still wearing her pajamas, her hair hastily twisted up in a claw clip, and her feet shoved into slippers.

She ran all the way to me, bending over with her hands on her knees, panting hard.

"I didn't... make you wait, did I?"

I shook my head. "No. Did you bring your ID?"

"Got it."

She fished a small zippered pouch out of her pajama pocket, unzipped it to make sure everything was inside, and then stood up straight.

She looked me up and down, her brow furrowing.

"You look awful. When was the last time you slept?"

Instead of answering, I took her hand and led her inside.

The office wasn't crowded, so we took a number and sat down to wait.

Audrey sat close beside me, constantly stealing glances at me. Every time I caught her looking, she would quickly pretend to examine the digital queue screen, though the joy on her face was impossible to hide.

Seeing her like this, I spoke up. "Is there something you want to say?"

She hesitated. "Austin, are you really sure about this?"

"It... it all feels so surreal..."

"Tell me the truth, you're not just doing this to spite Serena, are you?"

I shook my head. "No. Don't overthink it."

She turned to look at me, her eyes shining. "Then why now, all of a sudden?"

"Austin, I chased you for three years and got rejected thirteen times."

"Today is the fourteenth. But this time, you're not getting away."

Soon, the clerk called our number.

When it came time for the photo, the photographer told us to smile.

I forced a tight, awkward tug of my lips.

Beside me, Audrey muttered under her breath, "That looks incredibly fake."

Then she reached over and gave my waist a sharp pinch.

I gasped at the sudden sting, and the tension in my face finally broke.

The camera clicked twice.

"Perfect, that's the one," the photographer said.

By the time we walked out of City Hall with our marriage certificate in hand, dusk was settling over the city.

Audrey carefully tucked the papers into her bag, looking thoroughly satisfied.

"Come on, let's get some dinner."

"And remember, today is our anniversary from now on!"

I smiled. "Alright."

She took a couple of steps, then stopped abruptly.

"Austin, you're mine now."

"I can't believe a Harrington had to chase you for so long. You aren't allowed to leave me, understand?"

Looking at her profile under the warm glow of the streetlamp, I suddenly remembered our first meeting.

Three years ago, the Harringtons and the Sinclairs were negotiating a partnership.

She had sat across the conference table, barely speaking the entire time.

But after the meeting, she stopped me in the hallway and handed me her card.

"Austin, I like you. Would you consider marrying me?"

I thought she was playing a prank.

After all, I was just the Sinclair family's driver's son. My monthly salary couldn't even buy one of her designer bags.

Later on, she sent me messages on every holiday. I never replied to a single one.

Sometimes in the middle of the night, I would receive slurred voice messages from her after she had too much to drink.

"Austin, what do you even see in her? What does she have that I don't?"

I had never answered.

It wasn't because I didn't want to, but because I didn't know the answer myself.

I nodded, speaking solemnly. "I know... Let's go."

Just as the engine started, my phone vibrated.

Serena's name flashed across the screen.

I glanced at it and chose not to answer.

It buzzed again, this time with a text from her:

"Austin, where are you? I'm outside the registry office. Come here."

I didn't reply. I turned off the phone entirely.

I didn't see the rest of her messages until the next morning.

Serena had sent over a dozen texts, transitioning from demands to threats, from threats to pleading, and finally to tears.

The last one was a voice note sent at two in the morning.

I didn't play it.

Audrey was sitting right across from me, enjoying her breakfast.

She took a bite of her sandwich and looked up. "Will her family make things difficult for you?"

"I don't know."

"What do you plan to do?"

"Nothing."

She set her sandwich down and stared at me. "Austin, my dad found out we got married. He's actually very happy."

She paused. "But my mom isn't."

"Why?"

"She says you aren't good enough for me."

She said it in a flat, matter-of-fact tone, as if she were relaying a piece of news that had nothing to do with her.

I put down my fork and looked at her. "What do you think?"

She smiled. "I think you aren't good enough for me either."

I was caught off guard.

"But it doesn't matter. I can always lower my standards."

With that, she stuffed the rest of her sandwich into her mouth, stood up, and clapped her hands clean.

"Let's go. We're heading to the office today. My dad wants to meet you."

I didn't move.

She turned back to look at me. "What is it?"

I looked into her eyes. "Why did you want to marry me?"

"Or rather, why do you like me?"

She stood still, thinking about it for a long moment.

"The first time I saw you, you were peeling shrimp for Serena."

"Everyone at the table was drinking and talking, but you just sat there peeling shrimp. You accumulated a whole plate of shells, but you didn't eat a single one."

"Serena complained you were too slow, and then she dumped the entire plate of peeled shrimp into Nolan's bowl..."

"You didn't say a word. You just wiped your hands, perfectly calm, showing no anger at all."

She looked at me, her expression softening. "I remember thinking, that man is so pitiful."

My chest tightened slightly. "And then?"

She laughed. "And then I realized you're actually incredibly handsome."

"A handsome, pitiful guy... I wanted to bring you home."

I laughed too.

It was the first genuine smile I had cracked in the last three months.

Before we even reached the Harrington Group headquarters, Serena's call came through.

I answered it. Her voice was raspy, sounding as though she had been crying.

"Austin, what is wrong with you?"

"Why aren't you replying to my texts? Why aren't you picking up my calls? Are you with that Audrey Harrington girl?"

"Yes," I replied, making no effort to hide it.

The line went silent for a few seconds before her voice suddenly spiked with emotion.

"Austin, don't you dare forget that you promised to marry me."

I replied in a flat, even tone. "I promised ninety-nine times, and you rejected me a hundred times."

"On the hundredth time, before I could even speak, you pushed me away."

She scrambled to explain herself. "I didn't reject you! I just asked you to wait!"

"Just give me six months. Six months is all I need."

"Nolan's mother is terribly ill, and her only wish is to see us get married... You're a man, Austin. Can't you show a little compassion instead of letting your petty anger dictate your actions?"

I let out a soft, weary laugh. "Sure. Go ahead. I understand..."

"But... I hope you can understand me too."

I hung up the phone.

Audrey kept her eyes on the road, saying nothing.

But she reached over, placed her hand on my knee, and gave it a gentle, reassuring pat.

When we arrived at the Harrington estate, Serena's mother, Eleanor Sinclair, called me.

"Austin, get over to our house immediately. Serena needs to talk to you."

Her voice was cold, carrying the familiar tone of someone commanding a servant.

"Mrs. Sinclair, there is nothing left for us to talk about."

"What is that tone?" her voice flared, rising in pitch. "Have you forgotten whose food you ate while growing up?"

"Mrs. Sinclair, I haven't forgotten."

"If you haven't forgotten, then get your self over here! Serena has been crying all night, do you have any idea?"

I was silent for a moment.

"She is crying because she feels she has lost face, not because she actually misses me..."

"Mrs. Sinclair, if she truly cared about me, she had fifteen years of opportunities."

"Two years ago on her birthday, I told her I wanted to marry her. She told me to wait."

"Last year on her birthday, I told her I wanted to marry her. She said she wasn't ready."

"This year, before I could even ask, she told me to wait another six months."

"Enough!" Eleanor cut me off.

"I don't care about your complaints. You will come back right now, apologize to Serena, and we will put this matter behind us."

Without another word, I hung up the phone.

Audrey walked out of the kitchen carrying two glasses of water and handed one to me.

"Who was that?"

"Serena's mother."

"Making things difficult for you?"

"Yes."

She sat down opposite me and took a sip of her water.

"Austin, if you want to go back, you can leave right now."

"I won't use our marriage license to hold you back or cause a scene. I can pretend this was all just an impulsive mistake... after all, you did reject me thirteen times."

She said it with an easy, casual air, but I could see her fingers trembling against the glass.

I reached out and took her hand in mine.

"I'm not going back, and I am never leaving you."

She looked up at me, and I felt my eyes grow slightly warm.

"I spent fifteen years chasing Serena. I'm exhausted, and it's time to stop."

"You spent three years chasing me. Now, it's my turn to do the pursuing."

Her eyes welled with tears. "Are you serious?"

"Completely."

She didn't speak, but she squeezed my hand with all the strength she had.

My phone buzzed again. It was a text from Serena.

"Austin, let's go look at wedding dresses tomorrow. Just the two of us."

I didn't reply, and another message arrived shortly after.

"I agree to marry you. Let's get everything scheduled, okay?"

I turned off my phone.

Pulling Audrey into my arms, I closed my eyes and breathed in her warmth.

It was a sense of absolute security that Serena had never once given me.

The next day, I didn't show up.

Serena waited at the bridal shop all morning. She called repeatedly, but I didn't answer, and her texts went ignored.

Around noon, she posted a new update on her feed: "Some people forget their promises the moment they turn around. Thank goodness Nolan is always reliable, ready to show up whenever I call."

The attached photo showed Nolan wearing a sleek suit, standing in front of a mirror and smiling at the camera.

I knew exactly what she was doing. She was trying to reel me back in.

After all, this tactic had worked without fail every single time before today.

In the comments, someone asked: "Wheres your shadow?"

She replied: "Who knows, maybe he ran off with some other woman... Just kidding, he wouldn't dare."

I stared at those three words.

"He wouldn't dare."

My eyes stung, not out of regret for my fifteen years of devotion, but because I felt a profound sorrow for the pathetic person I used to be.

Audrey came out of the kitchen, carrying a plate of sliced fruit, and set it on the coffee table.

"What are you looking at?"

I handed the phone to her.

She glanced at it, said nothing, and picked up a slice of apple, holding it out to me.

"Eat some fruit."

I turned my head away to quickly wipe at my eyes before turning back to take the apple.

That night, Serena got drunk.

When she finally called me, it was already one in the morning.

"Austin... are you really abandoning me?"

Her voice was slurred, thick with tears.

I remained silent, so she continued.

"Come back... please... I want to see you right now..."

My throat felt dry. "Serena, you've had too much to drink."

"I haven't... I just want to ask you one thing..."

"If I say I will marry you right now, will you still take me?"