Come Back to Me

Chapter one

        "Where are you taking me? It's four o'clock in the morning" I whisper so not to wake my roommate while my boyfriend, Paul, drags me out of my room.

        His face is turned away from me but I can see the curve of a smile on his cheek. "You never did like surprises, but I promise you'll like this one. Come on, just trust me Ashley." He begs while stopping for a moment to look at me. I'm convinced by the puppy dog look on his face. I sigh but follow him out of the building and to his red jeep wrangler that I had grown to love; affectionately named Jamal because of its license plate number.

        Paul opens the door for me but I ignore his gesture and cross my arms in defiance. He lets out a deep breath, "What's wrong?"

        "I'm not getting in until you tell me where we're going." I pout. One of Paul's eyebrows lifts and he grins giving his ever so handsome face a mischievous appearance. I glare at him "Paul?" I playfully question. In seconds I'm in his arms as if he's carrying a baby. "Paul put me down!" I squeal.

        "Nope this is the only way to get you to come with me," he finally, although with great struggle on my part manages to get me into the car. He reaches around to buckle me in but when leaning out stops near my face asking for a kiss. I close my eyes and turn my face away from his. I feel like a child but its really his fault for treating me like one. "Aw, you know you can't stay mad at me."

        I look back at him with a smirk, "you sure about that?"

        "Yep," he replies then steals a quick kiss before I can protest. I glare at him but he responds with a goofy grin and I can't resist the urge to laugh. "I love you."

        His phrase sobers me up and my laughing settles into a smile, "I love you." I give him another kiss then he closes the door and jogs to the driver's side.

        As he starts the car I say, "if you really loved me you would tell me where we're going." As sweetly and innocently as possible.

        Paul laughs and grabs my hand kissing it, "nice try." He then intertwines our fingers and let's our hands rest in between us. I sigh deciding to give up the fight, he never gave in anyways.

        Despite his stubbornness I go in for one last ditch effort, "okay if you're not going to tell me then at least answer me this, have we been to this place before?" I ask, hoping to be able to ask enough questions and guess from his responses.

        He looks at me with a knowing smile, "no, we haven't. And that's all I'm saying because it doesn't give anything away. I can tell you that you won't get anything else from me, despite what you were planning."

        Dang! He knows me too well, "grrrr..."

        He laughs "did you just growl at me?"

        "Maybe. It's not like it's the first time." I shrug. "I know I'm weird."

        "Yea, you are."

        "Wow, thanks!"

        "But that's why I love you" I look away from the window to glance at him and see that he is being serious.

        "That's not why, it can't be."

        "No, Ashley I'm being serious. I love you because you're you, no matter what. You don't care what other people think you just enjoy life the way you want to. Not to mention that you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. With your gorgeous brown eyes that you call poop and your wild brown hair that you say is too hard to manage and frizzy but I think it's perfect." I blush at his compliments and he grins "I love you... Weirdness and all." I can't control myself and start laughing. He looks surprised at my outburst, "what?"

        "That was the cheesiest thing I have ever heard, like it was straight out of a movie or something."

        He frowns, "really? Too much?"

        "Yea, but it was also really cute." he grimaces at my choice of words; he always hates it when I use that word to describe him. "I mean hot, yea it was hot." I correct myself and jokingly fan my face. Paul lets out another laugh and rolls his eyes. I look around and see that we are heading up a mountain. Confused I ask if we're almost to our destination.

        "Yep, almost." I look at him and start to study his face. My eyes seem to be glued to him; his shaggy short brown hair, bright and intense blues eyes, he also hasn't shaved in a while so a hint of a shadow covered his strong jaw. He glances at me noticing my stare, "why are you looking at me like that? What cha' thinking?"

        "I was just thinking about how handsome my boyfriend is." he smiles like he knows something I don't but I ignore it and just enjoy the moment. I place my hand on his cheek moving my thumb back and forth slightly "I like it when you have scruff."

        "Yea. I think it makes me look older which I like but it also gets itchy. I'm gonna shave soon."

        "Good, I said scruff, not beard. Not like you wouldn't look good with a beard too though."

        He chuckles, "Thanks, but I don't think I'll ever let it grow out completely."

       "Well that's a relief." I joke making him chuckle again. I remove my hand from his cheek and link it with his again.

        "We're here." we turn into a clearing on the side of the cliff, and pass by a sign that says Sunset Lookout. As it dawns on me what we're doing I'm suddenly okay with Paul waking me up this early, I had never watched the sun rise before. "Just in time too, look the sun is barely peeking up over there." we get out of the car and lean against its hood.

        I look at the rising sun; it was mesmerizing I can't believe I've never seen this before it makes me want to come out every day to watch it again and again. "It's beautiful" I say and look over at Paul then gasp.

        He is down on one knee beside me holding a little blue box. "Ashley, I love you so much. I've only known you for a few years but we've become best friend since then. You're beautiful and smart, funny and the nicest person I've ever met. I can't imagine life without you; I'd probably die if I ever had to live without you. I know dramatic but also very true. Ashley Jones will you marry me" as he said the last words he opened up the box but I didn't even look at the ring, how could I when looking at his handsome face was so much better. I grabbed his face into my hands and kissed him like I never had before. When we pull away from each other Paul remarks, "dang Ashley, you've been holding out on me." making me blush. "So should I take that as a yes?"

        I gasp finally realizing that I still really hadn't answered him then laugh "of course, of course I'll marry you." he kisses me again; my heart is beating so hard it practically drowns out everything around me. All I can think about it how much I love the man in front of me.

        He pulls away and leans his forehead against mine "I love you Ashley Jones, future Mrs. Flynn." Instead of answering I just close the small distance in between our lips again.