Something Beautiful (HIATUS)

- Prologue -

I stood very still, my arms wrapped around my torso as a growing fear washed over me, one that my probing would make Aaron change his mind about me ― that I had effectively chased him away.

Idiot! You've only been in love with the guy since you were eight. Way to screw up your one shot, genius.

But that was, of course, ridiculous to think. I wasn't in love with Aaron Arsane; I just happened to think of him every day, follow him with my eyes whenever we were in the same room, and doodle my name conjoined with his with a plus sign inside of a heart all over the margins of my journal. It was puppy love, girlish infatuation―a hobby, really. It had no substance.

Rooted to the concrete by the weight of my dread, I waited for Aaron's explanation.

He took a deep breath, running his long fingers through his hair, forgetting it was full of product from our date. Making a puckered face, he pulled his hand away and crossed his arms, looking anxious and...ashamed?

"Your dad, Kris..." Aaron's voice was tinged with guilt. "He may be a preacher, but he can be kinda scary. Every guy in Sageview knows his rules. Ray Cagle and Owen Webb even tried to put the fear of God in me when they heard I was going to talk to him."

I adjusted my stance, puzzled. "Ray and Owen?" Both boys were in our youth group, and attended Sageview High with us, too. They'd jumped through the same hoops to date me as Aaron had. Well, besides the fact that they first asked me out, only for me to inform them I couldn't give an answer until they asked my dad for permission themselves. Neither boy had been happy about it, but they'd asked him anyway ― and neither of them had taken me out a second time.

Aaron rolled his shoulders, staring past my head into the trees that lined the sidewalks up and down my street. "You'd think you were the only girl in the world whose dad makes guys ask for permission to take his daughter out of the house." He gave me a small smile. "It was stupid of me, and I see that now, but for several years, I let it intimidate me. Until..." He dipped his chin and met my eyes through his lowered lashes for a frozen moment. "I realized my interest in you wasn't going away. I decided it was time to buck up and do something about it, so that's what I did."

A trickle of warmth worked its way from my chest into my other extremities.

"I talked to my dad, and he arranged for me to meet with your dad after church in his office."

"You met with him? In person? All this time I thought you just called him!"

Aaron shrugged, the action bordering on shy. "It seemed more respectful to meet―and it wasn't too terrible. He asked me a bunch of questions, like a job interview, but he was nice. Then he told me he'd think about it. I had to wait a whole week to hear his answer. That was the worst part. But..." He scratched the toe of his shoe against the sidewalk, then slowly raised his face to mine. "I knew what I wanted, and now that I'm here, with you, I'd do it all again. I will do it again. For next weekend. That's the rule, right?"

Blood was rushing in my ears like a torrent of water, but I managed to nod.

"Good. I'll stop by the church to see him tomorrow."

"You won't wait until Sunday after the service?" My voice sounded far away.

"I...don't think I can wait that long."

My lips fell apart, the air between us becoming so charged with electricity that my nerves vibrated with it.

"C'mon. It's almost your curfew," Aaron said softly.

Once we reached the bottom steps of the porch, I felt a knot forming in the pit of my stomach. We ascended side by side, taking our time, until the top step; I spun to stand in front of Aaron, my feet firmly planted on the porch, with him still on the last stair. His hands were in his pockets as he stared up at me in part surprise, part curiosity.