Anastasia
We made it to Rome by the middle of the week, stopping in Ireland for a safe place to sleep. Grandpa found us a house to stay in; somewhere Victoria could never get to us. We spent every waking moment together since we arrived. We’re in total bliss.
~
I lay in our bed, curled into the sheets. Vincent had told me to stay in bed all day; he said he was making a surprise for me. I ran my hands through my hair, trying not to think about what he’s doing, or the nightmares. Every moment I wasn’t with Vincent, I was having the same nightmare over and over again; my death, my horrible death.
I had fallen asleep when Vincent came back in. He crawled in next to me and pulled me against his chest, slipping under the covers with me. He ran his fingers through my hair, moving his lips across my face. I smiled faintly and snuggled into him, nuzzling his neck.
This is the boy I love, the boy who loves me.
He held me close, running his hands under my shirt. I shivered and looked up at him, pulling his chin down and kissed him. He kissed me back, rolling me onto my back. I smiled and pulled him closer, running my hands down his chest. He smiled and pulled back slightly, watching me.
“Merry Christmas, Ana,” He whispered, kissing my forehead. I stilled for a second.
Shit, Christmas.
His gift wasn’t even wrapped yet. I nuzzled his neck and closed my eyes. How could I lose track of time like that? He ran his hands though my hair, chuckling softly. “Ana, look at me please?” He whispered.
I shook my head, pressing closer to him. He tipped my chin up, kissing me softly. I squeezed my eyes shut as I kissed him back. He sighed and stroked my cheek. “Anastasia, please look at me? I wanna give you your gift.” He whispered.
I opened my eyes slowly and looked at him. He leaned in and kissed my forehead before sitting up. He grabbed something out of the bedside table, keeping his back to me the entire time. Vincent finally turned to me, a neatly wrapped box in his hands. I swallowed and looked at him, my hands shaking so much I pressed them into my lap. The box was small, but big enough to fit a pair of earing or a ring in it.
Was he going to propose?
My hands started shaking more and I clasped them together, trying to make them stop. Vincent looked at me and took my hands in his, bringing them to his lips and kissing my knuckles softly. I curled my fingers around his hand as he dropped one of his to grab the box. He looked nervous now, unsure of what to say. He opened and closed his mouth several times, attempting to figure out what to say.
“Anastasia,” He started, looking at our hands for a moment before looking at me. My breath caught in my throat as I looked into his beautiful eyes. “Ana, I know we’ve been together for a little over a year now. And I’m not sure that I should be giving you this now.” He mumbled, tightening his hand around mine.
He took a deep breath and looked into my eyes. “Ana, I love you. I’ve loved you for so long; I don’t remember when I first realized it. And it feels so right what I want to give you.” He looked at me as he pressed the box in my hands, waiting for me to open it.
I shakily opened the box and stilled when I saw the ring inside. It was just a band of silver with our initials carved in it. It was perfect. “You don’t have to think of it as an engagement ring, you could think of it as a promise ring if you really want to.” He said quietly.
I looked at him as I fingered the ring. “You want to propose?” I whispered, felling the butterflies come back. He swallowed tightly and nodded, kneading my fingers absent mindedly.
“I do want to, Ana.” He whispered, resting his head against mine. “So badly—“
“Ask me,” I whispered seriously. I wanted him to ask me. He looked at me, then the box in my hand. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest.
“Ana, are you sure?” He whispered, and I nodded and placed the box on his leg. He swallowed and took the box, running his thumb over the ring. He let go of me and slid off the bed, getting down on his knee as the box rested in his hand. I slid to the edge of the bed and let my legs dangle off the bed.
“Anastasia, will you, the most beautiful girl I have ever been with, marry me?” He whispered. I grinned and nodded; he grinned and took my hand, slipping the ring on my finger. I wrapped my legs around him, sliding off the bed and kissing him passionately. He kissed me back, standing up enough to lay me back on the bed and crawled over me. I smiled and pulled back slightly, running my fingers through his hair. He smiled and held me close, nuzzling my neck.
“Now I feel like if I give you my gift, you won’t like it.” I whispered in his ear. He looked up at me, kissing my temple.
“Ana, I’ll love it.” He whispered. “Nothing you give me could be horrible.” I blushed and reached over to my bedside table, grabbing the picture frame. It was a picture of him and his parents, hours after he was born. I know this because I have a similar one of my parents and me. I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against his, holding the picture to my chest.
“Please don’t hate this.” I whispered as he took the frame from my hands. I waited for him to say something, and when he didn’t I opened my eyes. I found him staring at the picture, running his fingers along the frame.
“Sweetheart, it’s perfect.” He whispered, looking at me. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close, kissing my hair softly. “I love it.” He whispered in my ear.
I smiled and looked at him, stroking his cheek. “Really,” I whispered. He nodded and kissed my lips softly. I kissed him back, wrapping my arms around his neck. He set the picture on his side table and eased me on my back, crawling over me and straddling my hips. Our kissed became harder, becoming into a duel of tongue and lips.
Vincent
I pulled back slightly, panting as I hovered above Ana. She looked into my eyes as she breathed heavily, licking her lips slightly. She was so beautiful, so perfect I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I wished we could stay here forever, but the second part of her gift was waiting with Aaron and the rest of her family. I sighed and sat up, pulling her up with me.
“V, what is it?” She asked softly. I kissed her forehead as I laced our fingers together.
“Your Grandpa wants us to have Christmas day with him. I told him we’d be there be eleven this morning and we only have an hour to get over there.” I told her softly. She nodded and kissed my fingers, getting up slowly.
“Is there a dress code?” She asked as she went over to the closet. I smiled and got up, making it over to the closet. I pulled out my suit and her dress, knowing that they’d match.
“I put your shoes in the bathroom. You can shower quickly if you want to. Otherwise, you just have to do your hair and we’ll be ready to go.” I said, kissing her quickly. She smiled and took her dress, scurrying into the bathroom. I changed quickly while she was in the bathroom. Ana came out half an hour later, and she looked…stunning. The dress—it hugged her waist perfectly and flowed from there. It suited her perfectly. Colette sent it to us, saying it was an early wedding present to us. She also sent the suit I was wearing. I guess she and Nicholas got sick of the fifties pretty quickly.
She giggled when she saw me staring at her, my mouth slightly agape. I smiled and walked over to her, wrapping my arms around her waist and holding her to my chest. She smiled and stretched up on her tiptoes, kissing my ear as she whispered; “We look like we stepped out of a fifties magazine.”
I chuckled and turned my head to kiss her. “I’m glad you like it.” I whispered against her lips. She smiled wider and kissed me back, pressing me into the wall. I chuckled and pulled back slightly, kissing her nose. “We have time for that later, I promise. Right now, we should get going to Aaron’s.” I said, taking her hand and kissing her ring. She smiled and nuzzled my nose.
“Want to walk or drive?” She whispered, wrapping her arms around my waist. I wrapped my arms around her and picked her up, carrying her out to the car. I drove to Aaron’s, answering her question. I took her hand and kissed her hair softly.
“Close your eyes, Ana.” I whispered, wrapping my other arm around her waist. She closed her eyes with a faint smile on her lips as she leaned into me.
“Vinney, what is so important?” She whispered. I lead her to the living room, not answering her question. I peaked in and saw Rebecca and Harrison. They aged about twenty years or so since they had Ana, unlike Mom and Dad, who stayed the same age since the day I was born.
I pulled Ana into the room and motioned her parents over. They smiled at me as I pulled Ana close, kissing her cheek. “You can open your eyes now.” I said to her softly.
She smiled and opened her eyes. “Finally, V, I thought you were…” She trailed off, looking at her parents. “Mom, Dad,” She whispered, tightening her hands around mine. Rebecca smiled at Ana, opening her arms out to her. Ana let out a laughing sob and threw her arms around Rebecca, hugging her close.
“Momma, I missed you so much—how did you find us—God I have so much to tell you!” She cried, clinging to her mother. Harrison wrapped his arms around them, kissing Ana’s hair.
“Shh, sweetheart, we’re all together again.” Harrison said softly, wiping Ana’s tears. Ana nodded and pulled back, taking a breath and reaching for my hand. I laced our fingers together and pulled her close, kissing her cheek. Ana leaned into me and closed her eyes, nuzzling my neck. I wrapped my arm securely around her waist, kissing her head softly. Ana smiled and looked at me, running her hand through my hair. I chuckled and held her close, nuzzling her nose.
“We have to tell them, Vinney. They’ll find out eventually when I’m pregnant with our first baby,” She whispered to me.
I nodded and held her close, looking up at Rebecca and Harrison. I swallowed tightly and took a breath. “Ana and I are getting married.” I said softly, holding Ana close.
They didn’t say anything to us, but they were whispering to each other. I looked at Ana, kissing her forehead. She held onto me, looking so nervous.
Her parents finally looked at me, their eyes hard as diamonds. “No, I won’t allow it.” Rebecca said. Ana pressed her face into my chest, muffling a cry. I tightened my arms around her, pressing my lips to her hair. I looked up at Harrison, rubbing Ana’s back.
‘Please Harrison, I’ll do anything. I’ll do anything but leave Anastasia. Please change you minds’, I mouthed to him.
Harrison rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at his wife. “Becca, come on, let’s talk about this somewhere private.” He murmured in her ear. Rebecca looked at Harrison and nodded, following him out of the room. Ana looked up at me, tears streaked down her cheeks. My gut clenched. There was no way I was going to leave Ana. I picked her up and held her close, kissing her tears away as she clung to me.
“Vincent, I—” Ana started, but I shushed her.
“Shh, Ana, no good-bye’s okay? We’re not getting separated. I promise.” I whispered to her. She nodded and hugged me close.
“Vincent, I want to go home.” She whispered. I nodded and held her close to me as I walked her out to our car and drove home, not saying a single word. But I knew what she was thinking about. I knew she was thinking about her parents and how they would react when we weren’t there when they’d come back.