A ring

As Julie stared at Alvin, it felt like the pain was tightly squeezing her heart and had claimed her body for its own.

Then she felt grief took over her system like her soul had been swept away and her emotions were strangling her whole.

"What is he doing here?" Julie asked with her eyes glowing with rage.

"That's my replacement." Jackson casually said since no one else wanted to answer.

"No, he's not."

"What are you saying?"

As Julie's sight swayed away from Alvin and settled on Jackson, she narrowed her eyes and firmly said, "If he's working here, then I quit."

Staring at Julie in dismay, Jackson's lips curved into an O shape. Then he awkwardly stared at Steven then Alvin, and said, "Well, this is my cue to leave."

"Me too!" Julie angrily intoned.

Then she turned away and headed for her office while furiously muttering beneath her breath.

"Do you know her?" Steven asked while questionably staring at Alvin.

As he whipped a sweat from his brow, Alvin stiffly smiled at Steven, and said, "Julie is my ex."

His world suddenly crashed down on him when Steven heard those words, and without any hesitation, he ran off, going in the direction of Julie's office.

"Nah, stay right there. I think it's clear to all of us that she doesn't like you or want to see your face. Just don't take another step." Jackson firmly said when he saw Alvin trying to follow Steven.

Hearing the coldness in Jackson's tone, Alvin's entire body jerked to a standstill unexpectedly and his limbs went numb.

"Knock, knock," Steven mumbled as he walked into Julie's office.

Ignoring his presence, Julie grabbed a box from the top corner of the shelf. Then she walked to the desk and started stuffing everything on it into the box.

"What are you doing?" Steven asked with a look of concern in his eyes.

"What does it look like I am doing?" Julie shouted as she glanced at him before focusing on packing.

The color disappeared from Steven's face, and for a moment, he stood still as he tried to understand what was happening. Then he finally snapped out of it, walked over to Julie, grabbed her hand, and turned her around.

"What's going on?" Steven asked, gazing deep into her eyes.

"Isn't it clear? I am leaving?" Julie shouted while struggling to break free from his grip.

"Why!"

"Because!"

The rest of her words got stuck in her head as Julie broke down in tear. Her knees felt weak beneath her, and she was about to drop to the floor, Steven caught her in his arms, and hugged onto her.

"Why are my past and my present meeting each other?" Julie mumbled while hesitating to wrap her hands around Steven.

Yet he kept holding onto her as the cracks in her voice ripped through his heart.

"What did he do to you, Julie?" Steven mumbled as his palms gently stroked her back.

"H-he to-ok…" Julie stuttered before grabbing onto Steven's shirt tightly and sobbing bitterly.

"It's okay. You don't have to if you don't want to."

"He took all of my firsts. It meant everything to me! But for him... for him, it was just a bet. Taking my first kiss was a bet! My first relationship was just a bet! And my… my first intercourse was nothing but a joke to him and his friends!"

The room fell silent, causing Julie's soft sobbing sound to be the only disturbance.

After a second, Julie felt Steven's hands slip from around her, and when she stared up at him, his eyes had become clouded with rage.

"Steve," Julie mumbled in concern.

"I am going to kill him!" Steven calmly said, and yet the anger in his voice made it clear that he meant every word that he had said.

At this point, his pulse was racing, his muscles grew tense, and his body temperature rose as he felt his blood boiling.

"Steven stop…" Julie cried when he hastily turned away from her.

Yet, he kept walking with his hands in a tight fist and Julie screamed in tears, "Steven, please don't. Please, I am begging you."

"Why! Tell me why shouldn't I beat the crap out of that douchebag!" Steven screamed as he turned around to face Julie.

"Because you may get hurt, okay! I don't care what happens to him, but I do when it comes to you! I don't want you getting hurt because of me!"

"How can you still worry about hurting me when I am the one who has hurt you the most?"

"Because that's what people do when they love someone."

For what felt like hours, Steven stood there staring at Julie with remorse in his eyes and pain in his expression.

As she gazed at him, Julie could tell that he was on the break of crying, and her heart completely melted.

"I am not that jerk," Steven mumbled.

"I know," Julie whispered.

"I wasn't with you because I wanted to use you and dump you."

"I understand that."

"Julie, you are not just the woman in my life. You are the person that I felt deep in love with and I still am. You are my missing piece, and without you, I feel incomplete."

"Really…"

"Yeah. You are my person, and the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"What?"

Time seemed to stop for a moment as Julie's eyes widened and tears rolled down her cheeks while she stared at Steven's serious expression.

Then he got down on one knee, gazed up at her teary face, gently held her hand, and softly said, "Will you marry me, Julie Harper?"

It was like the world suddenly disappeared and they were the only two people in the universe. A smile then surfaced on Julie's lips as she choked back her cry and aggressively sniffed back her tears.

"Yes," Julie whispered.

However, her eyes got even wider when Steven pulled out a ring from his pocket, and said, "My conversation with Jackson the other day made me realize that I needed to have this on me the next time I talk with you because he coldly made me understand what I have been doing wrong."

Then he slipped the crystal diamond ring on her finger before standing to his feet, and without giving Julie the chance to react, Steven pulled her into his arm, placed his hands around her waist, and his lips gently rested against hers as he passionately kissed her.

"I feel like a guard dog. When will those two get done talking?" Jackson mumbled beneath his breath as he coldly stared at Alvin.

"Jackson? Why are you still here?" Julie called out as she walked hands in hands with Steven.

For a brief while, Jackson glanced at the ring on Julie's finger, faintly smiled, and thought, "Making sure that your ex stays put while you get back together with my bro. And I guess it worked out just great."

The moment Alvin saw Julie, he rushed over to her. But the mad look in Jackson's eyes made him stop five feet away from her.

"Julie, what the guys and I did to you was wrong, and I am so sorry. I should have never started out our relationship as a bet and a joke between us boys." Alvin nervously said, avoiding eye contact with Jackson.

"Really?" Julie asked, feeling even more disgusted, hearing those words from him.

"Yes! And I want you to know that you are important to me. I realized that the day I broke up with you in the cafeteria. I am so sorry for not telling you sorry after everything that I put you through and for what I did."

"Was winning a twenty dollars bet worth ruining a girl's dignity and self-esteem?"

"No, it wasn't. I am so, so sorry."

Her face bore no emotions as Julie took four steps towards Alvin, and before he could get the chance to dodge, her vicious slap landed against his left cheek.

"I forgive you. It's just that I wanted to do this so badly that day, but I was too scared to do it. Let's call this even." Julie calmly said with no remorse in her tone.

The room got quiet for a second as Jackson, Ben, and Steven watched in total shock.

"Oh, and you are fire." Steven slyly said while coldly gazing at Alvin.

Feeling the weight of shame, Alvin casually placed his hands into his pocket, slightly nodded his head, and walked away.

"Ben, I don't think I going to be leaving after all. Could you please carry my things back?" Jackson said.

Steven and Julie were completely stunned as they stared at him in disbelief.

Then he gaze at Steven, smiled, and said, "Congratulations to you two love birds."