Don't You Dare

Chapter Sixteen:

"Ok, are you happy now?" Tanner looked at me. I flipped my hair out of my face, "It depends, are you gonna sing that song again?" He winked, "Do you want me to?" I grunted and hit him in the arm. "Come on, I'm ready to go home..." He scrambled to his feet, "Stay! I've got some stuff planned, just stay please." I rolled my eyes, "Whatever." I stomped over to a tree root and sat down.

He started digging in his pocket and he pulled out a ring. "Shelby I bought his for you. I don't expect you to say yes but I already know what I want..." I frowned, "Tanner your sweet and unbelievably adorable, but we are fresh out of high school...I just don't want to leave you.." He grabbed my hands, "Then don't..." he rested his forehead on mine. "Tanner..." I backed away from him, "I just, it's not like...I mean you are great, but can't we wait?" He stared straight down into my soul. I could feel his gaze making me almost burst with want.

"Maybe, we can just like...I don't think I'm ready for marriage." He seed surprised, "Marriage? I just bought you a ring! I just didn't expect you to take it, I thought it was too girly!" My entire face turned red and I sprinted behind a tree. Oh my God, how stupid am I?! I thought to myself.

I felt a hand grab mine and it instantly warmed my whole body. Tanner slid the ring onto my middle finger and wrapped me in a hug. "It's kind of cold, you think we should leave?" I cuddled into his chest, "I'd rather stay here..."

I lay in his lap and he played in my hair. A strange, but welcome silence lingered in the air. "Shelby?" he asked. I looked up at him without opening my eyes, "Yeah?" He thought a moment, "About what you said earlier, about marriage..." He sounded nervous, "Would you?" I sat up, "What do you mean?" I cocked my head. He rubbed the back of his neck, "I mean eventually? Like, do you you think you'd ever fall in love with me? I'm not trying to force you to or anything, I just wondered if maybe you would?" I laughed at him, "You sure suck under pressure..." He smiled softly, "But I can tell you no. Not eventually..." He looked hurt, "It's already happened." His face turned white. I kissed him and I felt his resistance. It didn't take him long to give in and he grabbed me by the stomach, pulling me onto him as he fell on his back. His body shivered as he moaned into me.

We lay on the bank in the cold weather, warm and toasty. I was curled into a ball asleep beside him when I felt someone shake me from my dream. "Shelby, hey, it's getting late..." I rolled over to look at him, "Huh? What?" He lifted me off the ground and packed me to his truck, "Come on, I don't want to be next on the list of people your father wants to kill." He set me down and walked around to his side, starting the engine.

"My dad actually likes you, you know." He laughed, "Yeah, right." He turned onto Tattoo road. I leaned back into the seat, sighing. "Are you ever gonna' say it?" he asked kind of innocently. "What?" I asked confused. "I said it already, it's your turn." I straightened myself up, "What the hell are you talking about?" He didn't look away from the road, "You know what I'm talking about." I thought for a second, "Uh, no I don't." I said annoyed. "Do you love me?" he stopped the truck in the middle of the road. "Tanner!" I turned around to look out of the back window, "Your gonna' get us hit!" He pressed his question, "Do you love me?" I turned around to him, searching for words. "Yeah I think so..." He stared at me, "Then say it." I furrowed my brows, "I did." He took a hand off the steering wheel, "Say it." I crossed my arms and shut my mouth. He poked at my stomach and I flinched, giggling a bit. "Say it." He repeated, tickling me some more. "No." He continually tickled me until I gave in, "Okay, okay...." I couldn't stop laughing. "I love you."

Unable to stop ourselves we launched towards each other. Becoming tangled together in the cab of the vehicle.