He’ll be your friend when you have no one to talk to. He’ll be your anchor when you feel as if you’re floating away. He’ll make you smile.
My gosh, will you smile.
That’s the superpower he gives to this world. He creates millions of smiles in a society built on struggles and fears. He cherishes every single person, every single life, and he makes it impossible to not fall head-over-heels in love with him.
By the end of our time together, I am a victim of his powers. I fall, and I fall with ease and confidence, because I know at the end of the day, no matter what, he will catch me.
In his arms, I am safe.
In his arms, I am loved.
And in his arms, I love.
I am overwhelming in love with this superhero of mine.
Connor Roe is many things: a powerful businessman, a from rags-to-riches Cinderella story, and a force to be reckon with in the real estate world. Yet the best thing that he is?
Love.
Connor Roe is love.
Anyone who crosses paths with his love, will never be the same again. I know I won’t.
Connor smiles as he takes another sip of his coffee.
And I cannot help but smile back as I take a sip of my own.
-AW, Senior Editor
She loved me.
The article was submitted after I walked away from her, and still, she loved me.
Loves me.
Present tense.
After reading said article, I took a trip that I knew I had to take. I couldn’t go home and crawl into a bed where Aaliyah hadn’t been any longer. I needed help from someone bigger than me, bigger than the doctors, bigger than life.
“Hi there,” I breathed out lowering myself, down in front of Grant’s tombstone. “I know we’ve only met briefly, but I know how much you mean to Aaliyah, so I figured I should give this conversation a go. Um, she’s not doing too well, Grant,” I said, sniffling as the words left my mouth. Speaking them out loud made it even more real that Aaliyah was suffering. “Our girl’s not in good shape. And I’m fucking terrified. She doesn’t want me near her. She doesn’t want anything to do with me, and I can’t blame her. I knew how much it hurt her to have people walk away, and I was a coward the moment things got hard. The moment things were tough, I was a chickenshit. I can’t take that back, and I can’t change the way I behaved but, you gotta believe me, Grant. I’m sorry for what I did.”
I brushed my thumb against the bridge of my nose. “And I know you don’t own me any favors, and I give you the right to hate me as much as she hates me. But here I am…because I need your help. You’re the closest thing to a father figure that Aaliyah has, so I am here to ask you something very important. You see, once this is over, once Aaliyah comes out on the other side of this, I’m going to ask her to be my wife. I have no doubt that she’s the woman I want beside me for the rest of our time on this planet. No matter how long that might be. Which means, I need her to come out of this, Grant. Even if she hates me for a while, I’m not quitting on this, I’m not quitting on us. I’m staying. Do you hear me? Even when I’m scared, I’m staying.
“So, I need your help. I know you probably miss her, but I need you to hold off for a bit, okay? This is me asking you permission for her hand in marriage. I want to marry her, Grant, so I’m begging you, please…” I took a deep breath as I kneeled down in prayer. I placed my hand against the engraved stone and whispered as the winds brushed against my skin, as tears fell down my eyes, as every part of me began to tremble in fear. “Please Grant…Please…” I cleared my throat and softly said, “Please don’t take her yet.”
After I finished my conversation with Grant, I headed to my car, where Luis was waiting to drive me home.
“You okay, Connor?” he asked me.
“No,” I replied.
I’d never be okay if she wasn’t.
Before he could reply, my phone began ringing and Damian’s name flashed on the screen. Within seconds I answered. “Hey, what’s up?”
“You need to get back to the hospital, Connor. Fast.”
I swore Luis could’ve driven faster, but he did the best he could. My mind couldn’t stop the panic from what was happening to Aaliyah. Damian sounded nervous on the phone. Had things become worse? Was she slipping away? Was I losing her?
Please, don’t let me lose her. Not like this. Not now.
I darted out of the backseat of the car, straight toward the hospital building without even closing the door behind me. I couldn’t waste a second more not knowing about Aaliyah’s condition.
The second I hit the lobby, Damian was waiting for me. He stood up from a chair and walked in my direction.
“What is it? What’s happening? Is she okay? Is she…” I swallowed hard as tears burned at the back of my eyes. “Did she…?”
Die? Was she gone? Fuck, I couldn’t breathe. If she was gone…if she was longer…
“Dude. Calm down. Relax.” Damian placed his hands against my shoulders and locked his dark eyes with mine. Then the corner of his mouth twitch and it turned up into a grin.
