True Love Waits

When Sheffield finished singing, Evelyn couldn't wait to ask, "How are you able to sing that so nicely?"

"Practice! I wanted to get it just right for you." In order to make Debbie and Evelyn happy, he had spent many hours learning all of Debbie's songs by heart.

"Do you know all my mom's songs?" She looked at him expectantly.

Sheffield crossed his legs and played with her hand in the water. "Yeah. What do you want to hear?"

"My mom sang a song for my godmother Kasie. Do you know that one?"

"Piece of cake!" The man cleared his throat and began to sing, "That winter, the snow fell relentlessly. The night was blanketed in white. You saw me crying like a baby coming back from a hike..."

No matter which song Evelyn requested, Sheffield was able to sing it.

No wonder Debbie was so supportive of Evelyn being Sheffield's girlfriend. He cared about her. Because of his love for her, he had even learned all Debbie's songs-more than 100 altogether spread across several albums, EPs, and promotional singles. Evelyn was impressed. "How can you remember all the lyrics?"

Sheffield replied in a casual tone, "I had to memorize my grandfather's notes on traditional Chinese medicine. If I can do that, then a 3-minute song is nothing. It's also easier when you care about what you're doing."

The admiration in Evelyn's heart was obvious. She realized Sheffield and Matthew had the same ability: eidetic memory. They could remember what they read like it was a photograph in their minds they could refer to.

An hour later, Evelyn and Sheffield returned to their room.

Sheffield ordered room service. Nothing too fancy, just light dishes. Six different courses, four of them vegetables.

When they were almost done with dinner, his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and said to Evelyn, "It's Joshua. I have to take this." Evelyn nodded.

"Hey, Joshua!" He stood up from his seat, took out a cigarette and wiggled it. It was his way of telling her he was going out for a smoke. Evelyn nodded again.

After walking out of the room, he lit the cigarette. "Go ahead, I'm listening!"

"How's it going? Why didn't you call me? Or text me, or something!" Since he was one of Sheffield's best friends, Joshua heard about his friend's proposal through the grapevine. Leaning against a pillar in the corridor and smoking, Sheffield replied dejectedly, "She didn't say yes."

was

don't know. It's okay. I'll make

felt bad for his friend. "Sorry to

one rejection stop me,

admired his persistence. "Bruh, you're so in love with

"You know it!"

is the first time it finally hit me that

pulled his bathrobe closer to him from the cold. "Hey, I gotta go.

okay. I'll probably do the same after I propose to Terilynn. We'll be so busy I won't

father-in-law's approval. Let's wait till he gives

the head. Joshua saw how Carlos made things difficult for Sheffield. He knew that

up. When Sheffield returned to the bedroom, Evelyn had finished eating and was

set of clothes. "Here. Model these for me, would

It was ceremonial, a match for what Sheffield had worn earlier. "Do... I have to?" She had never worn a costume like this before. She wasn't sure

it on. I'll take you to see

to see the snow? At

Evelyn's bathrobe and helped her with

layer of her

a skirt. But when she saw how excited Sheffield was,

Evelyn dressed, he turned to look her

"What?"

want to make mad love to you." She would never know how beautiful she was, just as he never knew how handsome he was. Those outfits were

her shoulders, which made her

knew what true beauty was, why he had fallen so hard for

"You tricked me into wearing

be perfect. They'd walk in the snow for

again and held her hand as they walked

reach the door, she