You and me

Dedicated to InvisibleInTheLight for the amazing cover she made! Thanks!

You and Me

I’ve never felt anything so heavy in my life.

I know it’s only a three inch wide box, but it feels like I’m holding the whole world in my pocket, weighing me down and constantly pulling my and sand my thoughts back to it. Made of soft black velvet, it’s actually quite light, I can barely feel it resting against my leg. Its weight in my mind is incomparable, an ever present force at the back of my thoughts.

Sitting across from me, Becca looks delicate and feminine, as always. Her hair is pulled back in a soft ponytail, curls spilling down the side of her neck and down to her chest.  Her cheeks and lips are a soft pink, her eyes sweetly twinkling back at me. I can feel the sweat dripping down my forehead and I try to look casual as I wipe it away. I sigh, slouching into the back of my seat. I’m not good at this.

I pick at my food, not really hungry, the twisting and turning of my stomach making me feel sick. Her plate is almost empty, her delicate fingers holding the fork with a finesse I cannot manage. She looks up from her plate, meets my eyes and blushes, although she looks slightly concerned. “Are you feeling all right?” she asked, motioning towards my full plate.

“I’m just…” I trail off, biting my lip, hands wringing in my lap. I’m screaming at myself, trying to force my muscles to move casually, normally. “I’m just a little off color this week, it’s nothing,” I tell her, forcing a smile in her direction. Another bead of sweat drips down my cheek, and I wince, hoping that she doesn’t notice.

A waiter comes, dressed in black and white, taking our plates with a nod and a smile. She pats her mouth with a napkin, and I can’t help but wonder how in the world she manages not to smudge her makeup. A dessert menu is paced between us, and I let her open it and flip through, a crease between her eyebrows as she thinks. “Do you want anything?” she asks me casually, smiling. I shake my head, no longer trusting my mouth anymore.

In look around the restaurant, the small, cozy room is brown, and in the corner sits a fireplace, crackling. The whole room is quiet, people’s voices quiet and soft, the room filled with a soft buzzing. All of the tables are full, mostly with couples, talking and laughing and smiling, their happiness spreading throughout the restaurant. Round lights hang from the ceiling, casting a yellow light around the room, which I’m sure is not doing any favors to my complexion. I look down at the bulge in my pocket. What if she says no?

The waiter returns, takes her order with another smile, then removes the menu and leaves us again in silence. I shift nervously in my seat, unable to sit still, my twitches seeming painfully obvious to me. Luckily, she doesn’t seem to notice, as she begins to talk in a quiet voice about her weekend.

“I was down at the cabin again with mom and Sam,” she says, and I try to remember her brother. “The blond one?” she reminds me, and I nod, the picture of the round faced boy leaping into my mind. “It was beautiful, the weather was perfect,” She accentuates the words with her hands, fingers spreading across the table, eyes wide with the picture of somewhere else. I love the sound of her voice, the delicate way that she thinks out every word before it slips from her mouth, unlike me, where the words pour from my lips without a proper filter.

“I wish you could have been there though,” she continues, her soft hand lying across my sweaty one. “What were you doing, anyways?” she asks, not suspiciously, but with honest curiosity. The box feels heavy in my pocket again, and I look away, a proper answer of the edge of my lips.

“Just chores and things,” I say casually, my finger playing with the fork as I avoid her gaze. Thankfully, the dessert arrives then, a slab of thick chocolate cake that would have normally looked appealing, if my throat wasn’t constricted and my stomach wasn’t rolling.  

Becca dug in, and happily offered me some off of the end of her fork, but I declined, not sure if I could swallow anything. I was half hoping she would never finish her dessert, while the other half of me was praying for her to hurry up.

But soon enough the moment came, her fork lying quietly on her empty plate, as she patted her lips with a napkin, crumpling it up and setting it back down on the plate. I began to shake, debating in my mind whether the moment is now or after the bill comes, but my options are beginning to run out as the waiter comes and takes her plate away, leaving just the two of us alone. My hands slowly creep their way across my lap, reaching into my pocket, where a small velvet box is hiding. I grab it, and haul it out, hiding it in my folded hands.

Becca turns to me, looking seriously concerned. “Are you sure you’re all right?” she asks me sweetly. “You look like you’re going to be sick,” she whispers, biting her lip.

 I breathe deeply, and then stand. “I’m fine,” I say, and miraculously, my voice doesn’t tremble. I slip from the bench, the box hidden behind my back. She looks at me, confused, the couple of booths next to us staring as well. I breathe again, and then slowly slip down to one knee, pulling the box out. I can feel the blood rush to my face, and I know I must be bright red.

She screams, causing half of the restaurant to turn in our direction, clapping her hands over her face, but luckily, she is also smiling. Her eyes meet mine, and the speech I had planned before has slipped through the holes in my brain, but I don’t have time to say anything before she is up, pulling me up off of the ground and pressing her lips to my own.

When I pull away, my face is wet, her tears covering my cheeks. Around us, I hear the room filled with applause, people smiling and grinning and I can’t help but be impressed. Meeting her eyes, I whisper, “Is that a yes?” my voice comes out hoarse and whispery, but she laughs and hugs me tighter.

“One hundred times yes!” she whispers in my ear, and we’re kissing again. I take the ring out of the box, delicate emeralds bathed with silver. I slip in on her finger, and she smiles like I’ve never seen her smile before. It looks perfect on her.

Then, I drop the now empty box back into the pocket of my dress. The waiter approaches me, smiling as well. “Congratulations Miss,” he says to me. I smile, dropping a wad of bills into his hand and tell him to keep the change, before I lead my fiancée out the door and into the parking lot, the applause following us out.

“Sarah!” She cries, throwing her hands around me as soon as the door to the restaurant is closed. She turns to me with a mischievous smile. “Took you along enough,” she jokes, kissing me on the cheek.

I blush. “Was it that obvious?” I ask sheepishly. She smiles at me again and fixes the folds of my purple dress.

“Only a little,” she laughs, walking me towards the car. She holds open the door for me and I crawl in, as she hops into the driver’s side. We drive off, into the night, only one of her hands on the steering wheel, the other one entwined with mine.  

                And that was the best day of my life. At least, so far. 

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Hey guys!

This is just going to be a collection of the short stories that i've written for my creative writing class. I;ve been thinking of putting this up for a while and just haven't been bothered, but here you are! :D if anyone wants to make me a cover for this, be my guest. more short stories to come! thanks. :D Please voe, comment, and fan if you liked it! 

-purplecat