Zac tapped his drum sticks on the coffee table. Rat-a-tat-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat! Only one thing was on his mind: going back to the arcade at Quincy Market and playing some more of that role playing game that Abby had shown him. Abby . . . , he made a face at the thought of her name, then pushed the thought of her out of his mind.
His brothers were both gone, and his mother was out with Mrs. Anderson. It was almost seven p.m. Isaac was out with Marilla, and Zac had no idea where Taylor was. He had been gone since nine that morning and was very secretive about where he would be and what he would be doing. Taylor had been acting just plain weird in general the past few days. Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-r-r-r-r-r-tat! Zac tossed his sticks aside and stood up. No one else is here . . . no better time to go to the arcade than now, he thought. He grabbed his jacket and shoved his room key in his pocket, then walked out of the room.
Taylor rang the doorbell at Mrs. Anderson's house. The car was gone from the carport, but he was crossing his fingers that Andrea was still there. He held a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a huge stuffed teddy bear in the other. Slowly, the door opened, and Taylor quickly hid the flowers and the bear behind his back. Andrea peeked out from behind the door.
"Taylor!" she exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here?" She had on her pajamas, with her hair pulled back into a bun, and her glasses on. She held a book in her hand. No makeup, or anything, but he still thought it was the most beautiful she had ever looked. She shoved a bookmark into the book and took her glasses off.
"Not much. I just wanted to see you. I missed you," he said bashfully. "And I wanted to give you these." He pulled the flowers and the teddy bear out from behind his back and handed them to her. She gasped, then smiled a big grin.
"They're beautiful!" she said, smelling the flowers. "Come in! Let me put these in water." He followed her into the house, closing the door behind himself. She went into the kitchen and placed the flowers in a vase with some water. Taylor came up behind her, putting his arms around her waist. He kissed her on the neck.
"I'm here alone, you know," Andrea stated. Taylor raised his eyebrows up and down.
"Is that a fact or an invitation?" Taylor asked. She turned to face him, kissing him on the lips gently.
"Both," she said. "And thanks for the flowers and the teddy bear. I love them." She kissed him more deeply this time.
"You're welcome," he whispered. They kissed again. Then he picked her up, cradling her in his arms, and carried her upstairs.
Marilla walked into the pub, smoothing the wrinkles in her dress out. It was dark, except for one table that had two lit candles on it. And behind the table stood Isaac, dressed in a suit, holding a rose. She began to smile.
"Hey, you," he said, as she walked up. He handed her a single red rose.
"Hey," she said. She kissed him on the cheek, then smelled the flower. "It's beautiful. Thanks."
"Don't say thanks quite yet. There's still more I have up my sleeve," Isaac said, smiling playfully. "Sit down, and I will get the waiter to bring us our food." He pulled a chair out, and she sat down. Then he disappeared into the back. He returned, carrying two plates. He set one of them down in front of her, and set one down at the other place. Then he sat down. "Enjoy." She looked down at the plate. Chicken parmigiana with angel hair pasta.
"You didn't have to go to all this trouble," Marilla said, taking a bite of the chicken.
"Yes, I did. I owe you for being so understanding about the whole Aisleagh thing. Plus, you deserve it. I love you so much," Isaac said. "But there is still more."
"More? What more could you do?" she asked. The spotlight on the stage turned on, and there sat Juliana Hatfield on a stool with a guitar. Marilla gasped.
"Hi, you must be Marilla," Juliana said. Marilla nodded. "Well, you're a very lucky girl. Isaac must be pretty in love with you to go to all this fuss to set everything up. He's been running around like a mad man all day. But, anyway . . . Marilla . . . this is to you from Isaac." She began to sing.
"Deep in the night, I think on a time . . . All was right . . . Here in the star gaze, I see in your face . . . All is not right . . ."
Marilla's eyes began to fill with tears as Juliana continued to sing. Isaac squeezed her hand. Marilla honestly loved him more at that moment than she had ever loved him in the entire time she'd known him.
