The thought of getting to see the inside of the old garage apartment again was giving me the jitters.
What actually met my eyes, though, was nothing like I was expecting and left me speechless.
Framed black and white photos that had been blown up hung all around the otherwise empty space. They were photos of Landon and me, both individually and together through the years. There was one I hadn’t seen before of the two of us at the beach in California. The walls were painted white, and he’d installed recessed lighting into the ceiling. It literally looked like an art gallery. Aside from the four walls around us, there was no trace of the dingy apartment we’d lived in all those years ago.
When I turned around to face him, he was right there, just inches from my face and holding a note that was folded into a triangle.
“The final one. Open it.”
What’s happening?
I unfolded the note to find that inside was a beautiful round diamond in the most unique setting I’d probably ever seen. The entire band was constructed of small diamonds and the sides were looped into what looked like two number eights.
“Read the note,” he said before taking the ring.
I looked down at his familiar handwriting.
Rana Banana,
I’ve asked you a lot of stupid questions over the years. Trust me, this isn’t one of them. This next one is the most important.
Landon
P.S. I love you.
Then, he got down on one knee. The lights above us were shining into his gorgeous eyes.
“Rana Saloomi…our journey back to each other was not an easy one at times, but I feel like everything that happened in my life happened so that I could end up in this very spot right now. I am so deliriously in love with you. And I’m so proud of you for facing your biggest fear this year. Your love and dedication, not only to me, but to those who are lucky enough to be loved by you inspires me every day. Thank you for loving me and for always tucking a piece of me away in your heart, even when we were on significantly different paths through the years. But especially, thank you for getting drunk and dialing me that fateful night. I will always be grateful for the fact that my baby is sloppy when she drinks a little too much. You’ll never have to drink alone again. You’ll never have to be alone again. Marry me?”
It was the easiest question I’d ever had to answer. “Yes!”
Landon placed the ring on my finger before lifting me up into the air.
We were truly home, back where it all started and now where our story would begin again.
Still holding the note, I wrapped my arms around his neck. When he put me down, I looked closer at the ring he’d chosen.
“I love the setting.”
“It’s two figure eights, one on each side. It reminded me of your dance move. The jeweler didn’t know what the hell I was talking about when I told him that, but anyway, I thought it was as unique as you are.”
We just held each other for a while then took a walk around the room to look at the photos again.
“I can’t believe what you did to this space. Now I know why you’ve been randomly disappearing on Sunday afternoons.”
“This room brought me you. Now it’s yours to do whatever you want with. We’ll have to figure out a cool use for it in the future.”
I agreed, “Something that fits us.”
“Sex dungeon, it is, then?” He winked.
We drove into the city that night to celebrate our engagement.
On our walk back from the Hibachi restaurant to the truck, we happened upon something that stopped me in my tracks as we passed a brick building.
“What’s wrong, Rana?”
I walked up to the poster hanging at the entrance to get a good look at it. Then I looked up at the neon sign that read, Life’s A Drag.
“We need to go inside,” I insisted.
“You want to see the drag queen show?”
“Yes.” I grabbed him by the arm. “Come on.”
After we paid our admission at the ticket booth, Landon went to the bar to get us a couple of drinks. I’d told him to get me something strong.
We sat through two performances. I refused to tell Landon what was happening until I was certain. When the D.J. announced the third performer, I nearly spit out my drink, because it only added to my suspicions.
“Ladies and gentlemen, our next act tonight is everyone’s favorite raven-haired beauty. Please, welcome back to the stage our resident belly dancer, Lanaaaaaaaaa.”
The sound of the percussion in the song vibrated through me. Landon was looking at me and trying to make sense of it. He followed behind as I moved through the crowd in a daze to get closer to the stage.
When I got a look at the eyes I’d spotted first on that poster—the familiar, crazy eyes—there was no longer any question. With my jaw dropped open, I turned to Landon before answering the silent question he was asking me through the troubled look on his face.
I mouthed, “It’s him.”
Lenny had apparently transformed into Lana. Everything about him was me…from the long, black wig, to the heavy eyeliner, to my exact, red, belly dancer outfit that was swiped from my closet.
Even the name was me. Lana—a combination of Lenny and Rana.
When Lenny’s eyes landed on mine, he didn’t even flinch upon noticing me—just kept on dancing to the music. His mouth curved into an amused, almost taunting smile as if he’d been waiting for this moment, for me to discover that he’d morphed into me.
I suddenly needed air. Landon chased after me as I rushed toward the door.
When Landon and I finally caught our breaths halfway down the block, we looked at each other in disbelief.
“Holy shit, Rana. All this time…he’d been studying you. He didn’t want to kill you. He just wanted to be you.”
UNCONVENTIONAL
I was probably the least traditional bride in the world.
My flowers were picked from the garden my father had grown at Landon’s and my house. My dress, while designer, was snagged from a secondhand store. And it wasn’t white; it was champagne, a lace, vintage style. I didn’t have bridesmaids, either, because close female relationships had somehow evaded me.
A lack of adult female companionship was not something I was happy about. I’d let a lot of my high school friendships fade away after the pregnancy and hadn’t developed close bonds with any women in my twenties. It didn’t help that most of my co-workers at the restaurant were old Greek men. Aside from a couple of female cousins on my father’s side that I’d see once in a blue moon, there simply weren’t many trusted females in my life, no one I considered bridesmaid material—of course, aside from the one obvious female who was missing today. There was definitely a hole in my heart without Lilith here.
So, it was just Landon’s mother, Marjorie, and me holed up in the private room reserved for the bridal party in the church. Landon was around somewhere with his father and Ace, who’d flown in from California. My groom hadn’t seen me yet, and I was trying my best to keep it that way.
Landon and I didn’t want a big wedding, but my father asked if we would get married at St. Cecilia’s. It was the least I could do for Papa, considering I’d pretty much broken all the premarital rules he’d ever set for me. I knew the church wedding would mean a lot to him. We invited about fifty people, mostly from Landon’s side—relatives and friends of his parents. There would be about ten people from my side, including my grandparents.
Marjorie adjusted the thin, floral headband atop my head. As much as I loved her, I couldn’t help wishing Lilith were here with me instead. I’d hoped that she would come today, but it didn’t look like that was in the cards. We sent her an invitation, but that might have been pushing it, considering we still hadn’t even spoken since the night she found out the truth. According to Beth, she just hadn’t been ready to face me. That was something I had to accept.
I wasn’t expecting to feel this emotional. Even thoughts of my mother were creeping in. As much as I tried not to think about the woman who abandoned us, a part of me wanted her to at least know I was getting married and to tell her about all of the things she’d missed in my life. She didn’t even know she had a granddaughter. I just couldn’t swallow my pride long enough to try to find her. That was mostly because I truly believed she didn’t care and that I would end up even more upset.