Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 112

Stella bolted onto the balcony with two boxes of stewed chicken in her hands, ready to give Mitch a piece of her mind. But then, something in the sky caught her eye.

Barbara and I followed her out, and when we looked up, we saw a ton of drones in the night sky. Each one was carrying a dazzling red rose, with lights twinkling above. The drones were arranged into a neat heart-shape.

People from the nearby buildings were poking their heads out to catch this spectacle.

I live on the third floor, so I could see the community garden from my balcony. Tugging on Stella's sleeve, I asked, "That's Mitch, isn't it?"

Stella leaned over the railing to look down. Sure enough, there was Mitch, holding a big bouquet of flowers and wearing a suit, looking up at her.

"Stella, marry me!" The moment Mitch set his eyes on Stella, he immediately dropped to one knee.

Off in the distance, the figures of Neil, Russel, and Cooper were just visible in the shadows of the greenery. True friends, all of them were here to bear witness to this proposal.

Stella had been on edge these past few days, worried sick about what she would do if Mitch didn't want to marry her.

But Mitch's move was a real game-changer. He had literally flown here to propose to her.

Stella covered her mouth, her eyes welling up with tears, and then quickly ran downstairs. Barbara and I hurried to catch up.

"Stella, I'm sorry. This proposal was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I'm not familiar with this place, so I couldn't give you a grander engagement ceremony. But I promise, if you agree to marry me, I'll make it up to you with the perfect wedding once we're back home!" Mitch was still on his single knee, and he looked really sincere.

I thought Stella would give Mitch a hard time, but she just laughed, grabbed the ring box from his hand, and slipped the ring on her finger.

Looking at the huge diamond sparkling on her finger, Mitch was grinning like a goof.

"Alright. What did your parents say?" Stella asked.

Mitch patted his chest, "Don't worry. They're thrilled. They said they'd rather I marry you than waste my time with women who aren't right for me. It is because you can keep me in line!"

He seemed pretty proud of that.

I had to chuckle. Their sweet love story was both touching and enviable. I'd never been wooed that boldly before. My own wedding didn't even have a proposal ceremony.

I glanced at Neil, feeling a touch of inexplicable loss. It seemed like he'd never given me what I wanted.

And now, as he watched his friend propose, what was he thinking?

Was he regretting not proposing to me, or plotting how to make his proposal to Bonnie even better?

Probably the latter. I pushed down the pang of regret and took out my phone to snap a picture of Stella and Mitch hugging.

After the drones flew away, Mitch went upstairs with Stella. Neil and the others naturally followed. Suddenly, my cozy little two-bedroom flat was packed to the brim.

"Make yourselves at home!" As the host, I put aside past grudges and welcomed everyone warmly.

Neil and Russel settled on the couch, while Cooper took a chair across from Stella and Mitch, who were holding hands.

I got everyone coffee and went to the kitchen to grab some desserts.

At some point, Russel had followed me into the kitchen. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving the country?" he asked suddenly.

I quickly turned off the faucet and turned to face Russel.

His eyes held both confusion and a hint of sadness, "Don't you trust me?"

Cooper, seeing his good friend about to get married, looked a bit emotional. He suggested, "To celebrate Mitch's successful proposal, let's all go out for dinner!"

"Great! My treat. Russel and Cooper came here with me and haven't had dinner yet," Mitch seemed to have grown up all of a sudden, "and Neil too. I dumped all the proposal planning on you last minute. I owe you big time for helping me out!"

Stella gave me a hesitant look.

We'd been friends for many years. I knew what she was thinking.

Neil knew how to woo a woman with romance, but he'd never given me that kind of experience. It felt a bit unfair.

"Let's go!" Mitch said, pulling Stella to her feet.

No one else objected. I wasn't thrilled about the idea, but it was my best friend's engagement day. I couldn't refuse to go.

Once Stella and Mitch tie the knot, there would be more hangouts with Neil. Guess I should just suck it up and get used to it.

We all split into two cars. I drove one, with Barbara, Cooper, and Russel in tow.

Neil took the other, chauffeuring Stella and Mitch.

Upon reaching a swanky five-star hotel, Mitch booked the biggest private room. Once we were all seated, Mitch ordered a feast.

As we were waiting for the food to come in, we were just shooting the breeze. All of a sudden, Neil's phone started buzzing. I threw him a glance.

"Alright, I'll be right there to pick you up." I didn't catch what was said on the other end, but I saw Neil get up and hustle out.