i have soo many plans for this story! its very exciting :)
*****
Laila leaned against the counter beside Jace while they waited for the sales woman to come back. She set her helmet down beside his before quietly drumming her nails against the glass.
“So how come Rose randomly decided to make you get me a ring?” She asked, mostly to break the silence.
“The guy with the glasses is getting suspicious.”
“Dario?” Laila waited in vain for a response, “That’s not good. Do you know if he said anything about it, or is she just guessing?”
Jace shrugged. “How the hell would I know?”
“I figured you would, seeing as we’re going through all this just to keep you here.” She said haughtily. “You never said thank you, by the way.”
He gave her a bland look that slowly turned to a mocking smile. She shifted uncomfortably when he continued to smile without a word.
“Here you are,” The lady came around a corner and gently placed two large cases of rings before them. “We have gold over here, and white gold over there. I wasn’t sure what type of stone you wanted, so I brought a few choices for each.” She explained.
Laila glanced at Jace before switching her focus to the rings. “These are all so pretty,” She murmured. Every single one looked incredibly expensive. “Do you have any with hearts or pink stones?”
Jace let out a blatant laugh, not bothering to hide his contempt when both girls turned to him.
“Umm,” The woman was trying hard not to show her confusion, “We have a couple special ones in the back. Would you like me to bring them out?”
“Yes, please,” Laila requested. “And only white gold. Please.” She was relieved when the lady returned her smile. She didn’t want to come across as too picky or demanding.
“Stay right here, let me see what I can find.” The lady picked up the collection of yellow gold and briskly walked away.
“Pink? Really?” Jace carelessly placed his helmet beside Laila’s, nearly knocking the other set of rings over. It didn’t seem to bother him. “Why don’t you just ask for one that comes with glitter and a matching tiara?”
“Do you think they make those?” She asked excitedly. His look of disgust was so immense it even seemed to surprise himself. “I’m not that ridiculous. Maybe if you ever got to know me, instead of just making fun of me, you’d know. Even though something that sparkles might be kinda nice..” She trailed off thoughtfully as Jace watched in fascination.
“You have a bit of an attitude problem.” He said this after much contemplation, and she looked at him in disbelief.
“Me? I have an attitude problem? Do you hear yourself when you speak?”
“Ahem,” The woman gently squeezed past Laila to place the new rings on the remaining counter space. “Sorry if I’m interrupting. I found a few that might interest you.”
“That’s adorable,” Laila’s hand immediately shot out to one that was positively screaming for her to take it. “It’s my favorite shade of pink, and I love the shape! This is so perfect. I wonder what size it is,” She slipped the ring onto her left ring finger before smiling triumphantly. “It fits!”
“Let me see,” Jace reached out and Laila placed her hand in his.
“Do you like it?” She asked eagerly.
They examined it together, Laila in admiration and Jace in complete disinterest. The ring was made up of a large, heart shaped diamond that was the most gorgeous shade of pink. Two decent sized diamonds sat on either side of that one, with an intricate band made up of white and baby pink gold.
“I think it looks gorgeous on you,” The woman offered. Laila looked up and smiled at her.
“Me too,” She agreed, “Jace?”
“What do you want?” He asked rudely.
“Do you like it?” She repeated. “You never answered.”
“It fits you perfectly,” He paused to savor her hopeful smile, “It’s horrific.”
“Oh, my,” The woman looked between the two before taking a small step back, “I’ll be right back, I just need to check on a few.. Let me know when you’re ready.” She forced a smile and rushed away without bothering to come up with a proper excuse.
“I hate you so much,” Laila’s irritation only increased when both his posture and facial expression remained completely indifferent. “Can I get this one?”
“It’s your finger, if you wanna put a hideous thing on it that’s your choice.”
“Cool, I want it.” She decided. She didn’t wait for anymore insults before walking away.
“Are you ready, dear?”
Laila turned to see the same woman watching her anxiously. “Yeah, we want this one.”
“No, you want that one.” Jace clarified. He was just behind them with a helmet in each hand.
“Same thing,” Laila said irritably. “How much is it?”
“Let’s bring it to my register and I’ll let you know,” The lady led the way to her register and held out a hand for the ring. Laila reluctantly took it off and placed it in her hand. She scanned it, and Laila’s mouth dropped at the number.
“Five thousand?” She gaped. “We can’t get this.”
“It’s on sale for four thousand, nine hundred and ninety five.” The woman smiled enticingly, but Laila slowly shook her head.
“That’s only a five dollar difference. We’ll have to look somewhere else. Thanks for all your help.” She turned to leave but was intercepted by Jace, who turned her right back around.
“Here,” He pulled out his wallet and slapped his card on the counter. “We’ll take it.”
“Jace, you can’t, that’s way too much,” Laila protested. As much as she loved the ring, she could never accept such an expensive gift from someone she was barely civil with. “Really, we can find something else. I’m sure Rose won’t mind.”
“Can I see your ID please?” The woman asked.
“Jace, really.” Laila pleaded. He ignored her and handed the woman his passport.
“So you’re from Britain,” She observed. “How long are you here for?”
“For good. Our wedding is in like a week and a half,” Laila slipped an arm through Jace’s, partly for effect and partly as payback for all his snide remarks. “He moved out here for me.” She went on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, doing her best to hold back a smug smile.
“Oh, really?” The woman’s eyes lifted as she waited for the receipt to print, “I was starting to wonder if the ring was for someone else.” She chuckled and Laila laughed along with her.
“Nope. He’s all mine,” She slipped her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Yeah, all yours.” He grimaced and sounded pained at the words, then took the ring and the receipt from the woman and slid the ring back on Laila’s finger. He picked up a helmet for himself and handed the other to her.
“Thank you.” She smiled affectionately and he smiled back. She blinked in confusion, though it quickly disappeared when she felt his hand on the back of her skirt.
“You’re welcome, love.” His hand felt up to her waist and he pulled her closer until her chest was intimately pressed against his. “Just a couple more weeks.”
“Yeah,” She wiggled away from him as inconspicuously as she could, then smiled cheerfully at the lady. “Have a great day.”
“You too, dear. And good luck on the wedding.”
Jace led them out the door and Laila glared at his back as she followed. The moment they were outside she ran the remaining steps to catch up. “What was that?” She demanded.
“What?” His voice was monotonous and he kept his eyes ahead.
“You better not think you can use this as an excuse to cop a feel,” She scolded, “Just because I’m trying to make it realistic doesn’t mean you can feel me up.”
“You’re welcome for the ring.”
“Sorry,” She suddenly felt guilty for being mad at him. He had just dropped five thousand dollars for her, after all. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, I’m not doing it for you.” He shot her a weird smile as they approached his bike.
“If you say so,” She smiled back despite the fact that his wasn’t anywhere near sincere. She climbed onto the bike behind him and strapped her helmet on. “Are we going home now?”
“I am,” He started up the engine and slowly pulled away from the curb, “I don’t know where you’re going.” His deranged laughter was all she heard as he took off down the busy street.
“Please don’t kill me!” Her words were lost in the wind as he weaved through traffic and onto the freeway ramp. She held tightly and shut her eyes, leaning against him as he went impossibly fast.
If he gets another ticket I am not getting him out of this one, she thought bitterly. But then again...
She felt the weight of the ring against her finger and couldn’t help but feel guilty again. Maybe that was his plan all along, to guilt her into being nice to him. She wouldn’t be surprised.
“You can let go now,” Jace shook her off and she finally opened her eyes to see they were parked right out front of Rose’s house.
“Thank god,” She dropped her hands and hopped off the bike, then unstrapped the helmet from her head and pushed it into his hands. “I thought I was gonna die.”
“Fairies can’t die,” Jace shot her an ‘are you stupid’ look before walking away.
“I’m not a fucking fairy!” She shouted after him. She spun on her heel with every intention of leaving him well behind, but she froze when she saw her front door open and Dario step out. He stopped on the front porch, still facing the other way and immersed in conversation with whoever was inside. “Jace!” She whisper-shouted.
“What?” He paused in the doorway to look at her, and she pointed to Dario. “Again?” He groaned. “Hold on.” He disappeared inside and she anxiously waited for him to come back. He did just in time, walking down the lawn to join her right before Dario turned around and spotted them.
“Dario!” Laila exclaimed, running to meet him halfway. “Look at it, look at my ring! We finally got it,” She gushed, thrusting her left hand in his face. He stepped back and took hold of her hand to get a good look. She glanced over her shoulder and beamed at Jace as he came to join them.
“That’s quite a rock,” Dario examined the ring in admiration before giving Jace an impressed look. “You got this on your own?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Jace slipped an arm around Laila’s waist and she bit back a protest when his hand moved beneath her shirt, his warm skin resting against hers. “She deserves the best.”
“I’m sure she does,” Dario agreed absentmindedly. He let go of Laila’s hand and gestured to Rose’s house. “Mind if we talk for a bit? Without anyone else around,” He added the last part when he saw Laila look past him in search of her mother. She quickly smiled to cover it up and nodded.
“Of course. Lead the way, hon,” She unwrapped Jace’s arm from her waist and waited for him to start walking. She was glad to have his hand out of her shirt, despite the fact it hadn’t roamed to any strictly inappropriate places. Any part of his skin against hers was too close for comfort.
The three of them set off for the house, and Laila glanced over her shoulder to see both her mother and Rose’s heads peeking through the nearest window. Rose grinned and Alyson gave a thumbs up before both disappeared inside the house, and Laila could barely make out the faint sound of their giggles floating through the open window.
Well this shouldn’t be awkward at all, She thought sarcastically, alone in a house with the spawn of satan and our auditor. I guess it’s time to put on a show.