I quickly took a glass of sweet tea to Austin who sat patiently with Charlie who was laughing at something he said, it's two in the afternoon and I have about an hour and a half left of work for the day then the rest of the weekend off, am I complaining, not at all.
We've been so busy with requests that I find myself taking home work to finish up cakes or cookies for some occasion that my customer needs it for.
This past month has been insane, and what makes matters worse, it's the middle of September and it's still burning up outside, all I want is fall so I can be happy again.
"Thanks Rae." Austin smiles.
"No problem, is everything good?"
"Yes, I'm in love with these banana nut cookies." Charlie says taking a bite out of one.
"Well I'm glad you like it. Everyone seems to have their favorites, like Austin with his peanut butter fudge brownies."
"Oh yes I love those, they make me fat but it's all worth it." He says closing his eyes and rubbing his stomach.
I laugh and shake my head at him then run my hand through my hair, "So what are you guys' plans for the day?"
"Um, going to walk around the pier maybe, then we saw a sign for a movie in the park tonight so I think we're doing that." Austin says looking at Charlie.
"Oh really? I'll be there tonight too; you guys should definitely go." I smile.
"Yeah, sounds like a fun plan, we'll be there." Charlie says nodding to Austin.
I smile then hear Sarah call me from the back kitchen, I excuse myself then go to where the shouting is, finding her with white powder all over her face, arms and hands, "What the hell happened?" I laugh.
"I opened the powdered sugar and it freaking exploded!"
I double over in laughter at the sight of her, I could practically feel the holes burning into me by her, "It's not funny."
"Oh hell yeah it is." I laugh more.
"Help me clean Rae." She says sternly.
I keep laughing but nod my head as I grab a broom then begin sweeping up what dropped on the floor, then helped Sarah try and get it out of her jeans, that she was brave enough to wear on this hot day.
"Is it time to close?" She asks once we're done cleaning the back room.
I look at my watch and realize it's three thirty, "Yeah, I better go lock the doors."
I go to the front to see Alex had already locked them and began counting her cash drawer, we finish cleaning the rest of the shop then around four we decide it's time we leave.
When I got home I let Max out to the back and left the door open just a slight so he can come in when he wanted to.
I went over to the fridge and pulled out one of Jaime's Gatorades then found a note stuck to the front of the refrigerator door,
Hey babe,
I'll be at practice, gonna be talking about another tour.
I'll meet you at the park for the movie, don't wait for me.
Love, Jaime
I nodded to no one in particular then placed the note on the counter, going upstairs and to our bedroom to lay down on the bed until I have to get ready for the movie tonight.
I hear a knock on my door then a text message notification on my phone,
Spencer: I'm here, coming in.
The next thing I heard was my front door open and the sound of her footsteps coming upstairs.
She and Tony have a spare key to our house just in case anything were to happen they can get in. Just like I have the spare to her apartment and to her car, true friends I tell you.
"Honey, I'm home!" I hear her say as she enters my room.
"Hey." I smile, my eyes closed as my body relaxes on the bed.
I feel her lay down next to me, then feel a poke on my face, "What?"
"Wake up, I'm bored."
I laugh and look at her on my side, "I'm sorry about that."
"What are you wearing tonight?"
I look up to the ceiling and think about what I have in the closet, "I don't know yet, I have an idea but I gotta go find the pieces." I reply.
"Well then you better hurry because the movie starts in two hours and you take like five to get ready."
I mock a shocked expression and hold my hand over my heart, "That's so rude coming from someone who takes ten."
"Only because it takes forever to cover up what's under this makeup." She laughs.
I get up from the bed and walk over to the closet, flipping the switch then begin to raid my drawers for the pair of shorts I had in mind, once I found them I grabbed my top from a hanger then a pair of shoes, going over to the bed.
"Where's Joyce?" I ask realizing Spencer didn't bring him.
"Oh he's with Tony, he wanted some male bonding time with him at practice today." She says with a smile.
"That's sweet, Jaime likes to take Lilah too sometimes."
"Is she with your parents right now?" She asks getting off the bed to sit in a chair that we placed across the room next to the fireplace that was built in our bedroom.
"Yeah my parents wanted time with her today, we usually switch between his parent's and mine if we're not going to be home or something." I explain.
I begin to change into my outfit for the night, I wiggle into some pink shorts that had floral designs on them, for my top I had picked out a faded maroon tank top that matched some of the designs on my shorts, it was flowy and would keep me cool outside.
My shoes were my favorite though, they were a champagne color that had glitter all over, with silk laces to tie them up. I matched my outfit with rose gold jewelry, placing a three-layer necklace around my neck, a watch and a chain bracelet, lastly my promise ring on my wedding ring finger.
I quickly went to the bathroom and let my hair out of the French braid I had it in and let all the waves fall around my face, not needing to touch it up anymore I began on my face. Simple winged eyeliner with a new coat of mascara and a matte nude lipstick.
I walked out of the room and found Spencer still sitting in the same spot fully invested in her phone, "Does this look good?" I ask spreading out my arms to show her my outfit.
"Yes, I love it, now let's go the girls are already there." She smiles pulling me out of my room after I quickly take a hold of my phone and a pair of sunglasses.
I grab a cross body bag from the downstairs closet then let Max in, locking the back door then giving him a bone to chew on while we're out.
I follow Spencer out the door and to her car, turning up the radio that happened to be playing Blink-182 All The Small Things, my all-time favorite song.
"Always I know
You'll be at my show
Watching, waiting, commiserating
Say it ain't so,
I will not go,
Turn the lights off,
Carry me home.
Nanananananana!"
We both sing out the words, the windows to her car all rolled down so the entire city of San Diego can hear us singing horribly to our favorite song.
When we arrived I was dying of laughter from all the old songs the radio station was playing that we got to sing to, it felt good to act crazy with my best friend after so long.
We got down from the car and walked over to where people were seated, immediately I recognized everyone, all my friends including Sarah, Alex, Tori and David, other band members that I've grown to know over the years.
"Is this like a band reunion or something?" I ask Spencer.
She laughs at this, "I guess all the bands got the memo that A Walk to Remember was playing tonight."
As we walked over to where the girls sat I ran into my brother and parents, my dad holding Lilah securely in his arms.
"Hey dad." I say with confusion.
"Hey honey!" He says equally surprised.
"We thought we'd come see the movie too." He says as I reach for Lilah, taking her in my arms then place kisses all over her face.
I give Veronica and my brother a hug, then take Lilah with me to the front where the girls sat after, of course, saying hi to all my friends that came which was weird at first but apparently everyone here likes this movie just as much as I do.
The guys came in last Tony walking up first followed by Mike and Vic, each giving me a hug then sat down next to their girlfriends, I quickly leaned over to Tony who had a smile on his face as he looked at Joyce who was playing with Spencer's fingers, "Where's Jaime?"
"Oh he said he was going home to change really quick then come here, he might be a bit late." He answers.
I nod my head in agreement then lay out the blanket Spencer brought, placing Lilah on it with one of her toys my parent's brought with them, Spencer doing the same afterwards. Lilah and Joyce got along so well, we know they'll grow to be best friends forever.
Once the sun was done going down the projector turned on and displayed the words 'Thank you for coming' on the white cloth that was hung on the brick wall behind it.
The video started with an old fashioned video countdown of five, four, three, two, one before a guy showed up on the screen, he wore a black shirt with a cut off jean jacket, a piercing on this bottom lip and his brown hair styled nicely to the side.
"Hey guys this is Nick from Alternative Press, and I have an exclusive interview with the bassist of Pierce the Veil, Jaime Preciado. I'm going to be asking him a series of never before asked questions and I hope you all like it. So without further ado here we go."
I knit my eyebrows together in confusion then look around to my friends to see if they're just as confused as I am, all of them watching the video like this was totally normal.
"So Jaime, we all know you're a father, tell us what that's like." Nick asks.
"It's so surreal to me at times, as soon as I found out I was ready to meet her, and when Arianna brought her to me I felt the connection between us, she has my eyes and my dimples," I laugh as he pokes at his own dimples.
"She's beautiful just like her mom though that's for sure."
I felt my cheeks get hot as he said that, at this point I didn't care what was going on, I was just invested on everything he had to say in this interview.
"Yeah, let's talk about your girlfriend Arianna for a second, how long have you two actually been together?"
Jaime smiles then counts on his fingers making everyone laugh, "I'd say three years maybe, not including the time we were apart."
"When did you meet?"
"We met on May twenty-first, it was my mom's birthday and I desperately needed a cake in about three hours, I went to the shop she was working at because I just so happened to pass by it, I got down and went in and when I saw her I noticed she had our band shirt on. She didn't recognize me though until I took my sunglasses off then she tried to keep her cool but I saw right through it."
Everyone laughs as I roll my eyes with a smile.
"But you got her number though right?"
"Of course I did, I'm smooth like that." I cover my mouth and stifle a laugh at his response.
"Okay so let's list out your firsts." Nick says pulling out a paper with what I assume had questions on it.
"First date, where?"
"I took her to this fifties diner in a small town I knew wouldn't have too many fans, I wanted our first date to be intimate with no interruptions. It was a great idea because I ended up learning so much about her."
"First kiss?"
"That same night." Jaime laughs.
"I took her home and her best friend Spencer was there with Tony our guitar player, they were watching movies so we joined them, but she was actually the one to kiss me first. I went twenty and she went the full eighty, no in between." He laughs again, his cheeks turning red with a blush just like the one I'm sporting now.
"What made you fall in love with her?"
"To answer that question would take ages," Jaime begins.
"I think it was the way she made me feel at home anytime I'm with her, we could be lost in a city we don't know but if it's with her I'm okay, because I know that she's there. She makes me feel comfortable to be myself, for so long I had to pretend to be someone I'm not to impress people that wanted me to act a certain way, but with her she didn't care, she just wanted to see the real me."
"That's pretty deep."
"Yeah, but it's real, I fell in love with her ability to keep me level headed, her personality, and the way she can make a cloudy sky turn into sunshine just with her smile."
I felt tears fill the brim of my eyelids, trying to hold them down was possibly the hardest thing ever.
"Have you ever written her songs?"
"Oh yeah, I can make a whole album of just the songs I've written for her." Jaime chuckles.
"And I understand that you're actually going to play one of the recent songs you made for her tonight right?"
Jaime nods his head, "Yes, if you don't mind."
"Not at all bro, take it away."
Jaime gets handed an acoustic guitar, he places it on his lap and tunes it a bit before starting to strum,
"Oh no,
this couldn't be more unexpected
And I can tell you I've been moving in so slow.
Don't let it throw you off too far
Cause I'll be running right behind you."
In an instant as he begins to sing what I assume is the chorus, a montage of our pictures began to float on the screen.
"Could this be out of line?
(Could this be out of line?)
To say you're the only one breaking me down like this
You're the only one I would take a shot on
Keep me hanging on so contagiously."
There were pictures of us when we first started dating, the one when we dressed up as Mickey and Minnie for Halloween. The one we took when we were cleaning the kitchen to our old townhome, I had the camera showing the nice bubble beard I made him while I had bubbles in my hair, and my favorite being a photo someone took of me laying in the hospital bed with him when he was in the coma.
My arm was wrapped around his waist and my head buried in his side, I don't know who took this picture but I loved it, even though it was only a reminder of what had happened, you can see our love in it, the fact that we were in this together even in sickness.
"Oohhh,
when I'm around you I'm predictable
Cause I believe in loving you at first sight
I know it's crazy but I'm hoping to,
To take a hold of you.
Could this be out of line?
(Could this be out of line?)
To say you're the only one breaking me down like this
You're the only one I would take a shot on
Keep me hanging on so contagiously."
The next to come on the screen were short videos taken of Jaime and I, my favorite one being of us in the car driving, we were both dancing and singing to whatever was playing on the radio but from what I could catch on the lip reading it looked like we were singing to Trouble by Taylor Swift.
My cheeks were hurting too much from the constant smiling but I couldn't bring myself to stop.
"Oh you're everything I wanted,
Come to think of it, I'm aching.
On account of my transgression.
Will you welcome this confession?"
The pictures and videos ended and the camera went back onto Jaime playing his guitar, he stopped strumming and looked down at the guitar while tapping on it lightly, only the sound of his voice coming though the speakers.
"Could this be out of line?
(Could this be out of line?)
To say you're the only one breaking me down like this
You're the only one I would take a shot on
Keep me hanging on so contagiously."
The began strumming again, his eyes shutting as he strummed the guitar expertly.
"Could this be out of line?
(Could this be out of line?)
To say you're the only one breaking me down like this
You're the only one I would take a shot on
Keep me hanging on so contagiously."
As he strummed the last note I realized why those words seemed so familiar, it was on the necklace I bought him for Christmas years ago, the engraved tag that said "You keep me hanging on so contagiously."
A few seconds later Nick came back on the screen and sat down on his stool, "That was really good, I got chills."
"Thanks." Jaime chuckles.
"What were the things that inspired you to write this besides it being for your girlfriend?"
"Well she had this necklace made for me," He begins pulling out the necklace from inside his shirt.
"She gave it to me years ago on our first Christmas, I was having a hard time when we were apart and absent mindedly began writing a song for her, I went through the box of things she gave me and when I saw the necklace it pretty much helped write the chorus and finish the song."
"That's rad, and this is the first time she's hearing it right?"
"Yeah she's been bugging me to hear it but I wanted her to wait for today."
"What's so special about today?"
Jaime looks down at his hands, my heart wanting to know the answer as well.
"Well because I'm not sure if you knew but a few months ago I was admitted into the hospital after a very serious car accident, I ended up being in a coma for about a month and a half. The entire time I was there, she never left my side."
"Whoa." Nick says white wide eyes.
"Yeah, she'd shower there and eat whatever the nurses or our friends would take her. The hospital room became her living quarters for the entire time I was in there."
"That's love man." Nick comments.
"When I was in the coma and began to wake up it was her voice that pulled me out, and the second I opened my eyes it was her that I saw. And at that moment I knew that I wasn't going to let her go ever again."
At this point I had tears streaming down my face, my heart was in my throat and I felt like my tummy would explode with all the butterflies that were swarming around.
"Not only is she my girlfriend but she's the mother of my daughter and firstly my best friend, she knows everything about me and I know everything about her. She keeps me at the edge of my seat and I don't think I've ever felt so happy in my entire life, I travel the world with a band doing what I love everyday but none of that compares to the way I feel when I'm with her."
I see Spencer get up from next to me and then pull on my arm, "Come on." She whispers.
I get up and follow her to the empty section of grass right in front of the screen, I look up at Jaime's face as he takes a deep breath and looks back down at his lap.
"Today is special because after all these years of going through what we've been through I feel like its time I..." And then the screen turned off.
My heart began to race, not knowing what he was going to say made me nervous.
I turn to the side and see Jaime come around the corner, a smile on his face from cheek to cheek, once he gets closer he places his warm hand on my cheek.
"I feel like it's time I ask you one very important question." He finishes.
He gets down on his knee and looks towards his shoe that was untied and begins to tie it.
Everyone starts to laugh, I roll my eyes and realize this was all a joke and begin to laugh too, maybe it was still too soon for us.
"Sorry I had to tie that before I tripped." He laughs while he gets up to stand face to face with me.
"Let's try this again," He says with a smile.
"Arianna, you're the most amazing person in my life and I love you more than life itself. Without you I wouldn't be where I am today and I only want to bring to you everything you've brought to my life, and that's happiness, love and laughter."
I feel the tears in my eyes fall as I mod my head in agreement.
"So with that said,"
Jaime begins to dig into his pocket then once he finds what he's looking for pulls it out and hides it in his hand, getting back down on one knee he looks up to me and I feel my heart lurch forward.
"Arianna Rae Vespillo, will you do me the honor of being my best friend forever and marry me?"
"Oh my God yes." I say placing my hand over my mouth while he takes my left hand, pulling my promise ring off and replacing it with this beautiful emerald cut double haloed engagement ring.
Everyone begins to cheer but the only thing I could focus on was Jaime who got up and pulled me into his arms, I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed all over his face then pressed my lips onto his in one of the longest kisses I think we've ever shared.
"I love you so much." Jaime mumbles into my neck.
"I love you even more."
[A/N: I'll just leave this here.]