Ella shook her head as the tears spilled over. “But, but…” She didn't know what to say.
“We were going to cancel all along. I just couldn’t tell you.” Karim looked down at Ella, his eyes full of regret.
“That’s what Nadia and I were fighting about back at the apartment all those weeks ago. She agreed to call off the wedding if I didn’t tell anyone about her drinking and partying. I agreed, but she insisted that I wait until the day of the wedding to call it off.”
Ella just looked at Karim. “Why? Why wait?”
“If we canceled while we were engaged, it would be a small blip in the society pages. But if I waited until the wedding day and ditched her at the altar, that would be news. And there’s nothing that Nadia likes more than attention. She figured my canceling on the wedding day would create such a scandal that her name would stay in the news for months and years to come.”
Ella heard the words but couldn’t believe them. Karim saw the confusion on her face. “I know,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to me either, but that’s what she wanted. And in the end, I got what I wanted, too: out of the wedding.” Karim said slowly as he pulled Ella close. “All that matters is that I’m free. I’m free to be honest about how I feel about you. I don’t have to hide that anymore.”
“Your feelings for me?” Ella said, her heart pounding even heavier than before.
A booming voice came thundering across the lobby and Ella and Karim looked to see a sizable crowd of Nadia’s relatives heading straight toward them.
Karim looked at Ella and grabbed her hand. “Quick, come with me!”
He pulled her across the lobby and to an elevator. They heard the voices close in just as the elevator doors closed behind them. Karim reached in his vest pocket and pulled out a key.
“What’s that?” asked Ella, her hand still clenched to his. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Had Karim really just called off the wedding? Was she really with him right now, running from the bride’s family? Did he just say he had feelings for her?
“It’s the key to the roof,” Karim said, sticking the key into the panel on the wall of the elevator. The car rushed to the top of the building and the doors opened into a small glass vestibule. Karim pulled Ella out by the hand and the two rushed through the glass doors to the flat roof.
“What are we doing here?” Ella asked, confused and thrilled at the same time.
Karim smiled down at Ella and then pointed to the far side of the roof where a helicopter was waiting.
Ella’s eyes grew wide. “Is that for us?”
Karim smiled and brushed his hand across her cheek. “Yes,” he said as the helicopter engine roared into life and its blades began spinning. “I had Djaron bring it so that I could make my escape.”
Ella blinked and thought back. Djaron? He must have known about the plan all along. And if Nadia knew about calling off the wedding, and about Karim’s feelings for Ella, perhaps the call about the flowers was all part of the plan.
Karim watched as Ella connected the dots. “My escape with you,” he said as he took her hand in his and started to move toward the helicopter.
Ella followed Karim as he reached the helicopter and hopped in, jumping in behind him. As Karim pulled the door shut she sat back in the leather seat and looked out at her beloved city. Moments later, the helicopter lifted up and began to rise above Manhattan.
As the buildings got smaller and the chopper settled into a smooth ride, Ella turned her attention to Karim. “Where are we going?” she asked, feeling like a kid in an amusement park.
He leaned in close to her and she could feel the breath on her neck as he spoke. “Back to where it all began.”
She looked at him with questioning eyes, then smiled. “You mean Eleuthera?”
Karim nodded and wrapped his arm around her. “If that’s okay with you?”
Ella nodded as Karim continued. “I hear there’s a great little spot there to hold a wedding.”
Ella blinked slowly at him, trying to absorb what she was hearing.
“Well,” she said coyly as she smiled at his handsome face. “I just might know a good wedding planner.”
Karim’s eyes sparkled as he smiled. Then, very slowly, he leaned in and placed his lips on Ella’s. As the chopper rose higher, Ella kissed him back, letting her love for him spill over as they flew off toward paradise and to the rest of their lives together.
The End