Chapter 82
82
Lars
When I was about to leave my hotel room the next morning, I put my regular phone in the room safe. I could only take the burner to Italy.
When I opened the door to the safe, I stared at the box for the ring.
I didn’t want to leave it…
But I didn’t want to take it, either. Mostly because I didn’t want to lose it… but also because I still had a bad taste in my mouth from the day before.
However, I was afraid to leave it. And not because a cleaning maid might steal it.
No… it was something verging on the superstitious.
Like something awful would happen.
No matter how angry I was with Rachel, I still believed in us.
I believed in our future together.
The ring symbolized that, and I didn’t want to leave it behind.
So I shoved it in my pocket right before I closed the safe and walked out.
I stopped at the front desk, informed them I would be away on business, and pre-paid for three weeks.
Then I called an Uber for the airport.
By the time I got through security at Heathrow, I realized that carrying the ring everywhere was going to be a pain in the ass. When I put it through the X-ray machine and waited for it to come out the other side, I had a mini panic attack that someone was going to steal it.
The box itself was a problem – bulky and tight in my pants pocket. Plus, I had no idea if leaving it in the house at Lake Como was safe.
I mean, I assumed it was…
But I’d also assumed I would be engaged before I left for Italy.
I was trying to figure out what to do when I passed a gift shop and saw the perfect solution.
A bunch of silver chains were on display near the register – nothing expensive. I realized one of them would be perfect for carrying the ring: I could wear it around my neck and never have to worry about it being lost or stolen.
I quickly paid for a necklace, unclasped it, and slipped the chain through the ring. Then I put it around my neck and fastened it back together.
Perfect.
The metal was cold at first, but after a few seconds, it warmed up and I barely noticed it. Even when I did – if the necklace shifted and the ring moved against my skin – it was a comforting presence.
A reminder of what I had waiting for me when I came home.
I shoved the ring box into my carry-on bag and boarded my flight, finally feeling better about what had happened yesterday…
And the unfinished business I had when I got home.
I would ask Rachel to marry me as soon as I returned. I didn’t know how we would get around her distrust of my job, but I knew we would figure it out.
Before the plane took off, I wished to God I could have texted her. I even considered breaking the rules and calling her from the burner.
But I stopped myself.
I told myself I wouldn’t be gone that long.
Three weeks was nothing.
Little did I know.