"Friday the 13th; A Romantic Comedy"
He woke me, like he was wont to do lately, by entering my room, quiet as he could. Each time he had done it, his head caught the windchime. Now was like no time before it; jingle, it did.
My eyes stirred as his weight pressed upon the bed. His arms draped around my form as he nuzzled his bearded chin against my chest. The cool air from the fan curled with the heat emanating from the tousled maple waves on the head nudged under my chin. I extracted the earplugs and smiled, wrapping my arms around his shoulders.
"Good morning." My smile was audible in my voice.
"Good morning, ginger baby. It's 5:30; time to get up." The way his voice rumbled through his chest into mine tugged my soul from dreamland.
I was hungry, and feeling grouchy was soon to come. It was an early wake up call; Mum and Daddy had tickets to a baseball game, and even though he was convinced he wouldn't enjoy it, Aaron wanted to go to the baseball game, too.
"I know how much you love baseball, so I want to go with you. Who knows. Maybe I'll enjoy myself," was what he said a few nights before when we got the tickets. As we drove separately to the game, to get some McDonald's before it (because it was much cheaper than stadium food), was when the night turned sour. The line was impossible; the parking lot was filled to capacity. Everyone else, it seemed, wanted fast, cheap, hot food, and I exasperated.
"See? I told you it would be crowded. There's no way we'll make it in time to get food and get to the game." I jerked the car, thinking I would park and go in and get out faster, but as his 'I told you so's started falling out of his mouth, I was completely disheartened and swerved out of the parking space, nearly hitting a truck and another car almost hit me.
"Look! If you're going to drive all crazy, take me back to the house and to my car. I'll go home now."
"No! We're going to the game. I'm waking up three hours earlier than I need to in order to go before work. I'm hungry, and therefore, I'm grouchy. I'll be fine when I get food in me, but until that happens, keep the 'I told you so's to a maximum of what you just said.
Silence.
It wasn't a long drive, but it felt longer with the tense quietude. Ambient noise, like the wind rushing past his arm on the window or the other cars passing, did little to help lift the unease.
"I'm sorry." It came out, soft but strained. "You know when I'm hungry I'm grouchy, and I know the turning axis of my car to avoid other cars... I'll be fine when I eat... And I'm sorry I put you in danger." I bit back my pride; it does nothing but stifle love when you're knowingly in the wrong.
"It wasn't that, but your deductable premium would've been sky high had we all connected, especially in a parking lot. Trust me, I know. It would've been at least a $400 increase" His practicality and light patting of my thigh was his acceptance of my apology. I felt better. He looked at me, gave me the knowing side-long smile and heavy exhale, and I weakly smiled. Weak. I was always weak with him, for him.
I pulled into the church parking lot after paying the fee. I smiled at him, warmer now than before, and patted his leg.
"It's almost first-pitch time. Let's go." I gave his thigh a pinch and smirked before I escaped the car and his reciprocating nudge.
He laughed, "Thanks for taking me out to the ball game. I guess I'll buy you some peanuts and cracker jacks while we're here before your stomach monster successfully kills us all."
We walked, hand in hand, to the stadium. Pregnant clouds threatened the game, and as we went inside, the field hands were pulling out the tarp. We hadn't felt a drop, yet the 7:05 start time was pushed to 8:05. We got hamburgers and pizza, chatted, goofed off about the music they played, and overall enjoyed each other's company, never noticing the hour once it had passed.
The second pitch flew, striking the visiting team's batter, who immediately flung his bat and ferociously shoved the catcher with surprising immediacy. The catcher was in shock and shoved him back in recourse, catapulting both teams out of their dugouts and into a wild melee of swinging fists and pendulating legs. Seven players combined were ejected from the game, leaving the Drive with the sorriest offensive and defensive players left over to fend for a victory themselves. The witching hour, 9:15, came sooner than expected, and we left the stadium so I could come back home and get my things for work.
When we came to the Neon, a Ford Explorer parked so close to the driver's door, making it impossible for Aaron to come over and open my car door for me. He was wont to do that, too, from time to time.
"Yeah, it's a little too tight for the both of us. Next time, though."
"Yeah, next time, I'll open it for you."
We returned home, black and empty, with twenty minutes to spare. I got my things together and he just looked at me. I was drawn to him with strange immediacy. The way his hand rested on my hip, how my mouth sought his, how his other hand crumpled my curls against my neck. We had a moment for ourselves. One moment provided more intimacy and passion than any other in the evening. His mouth calmed on mine, his nose nudged mine, and his aquamarine gaze cascaded over me like satin.
He pulled me over to the couch, sitting down, then stretched out along its length. He beckoned me with a nod and down I came, crawling over his form and straddling his hips. I leant down, dropping a soft, simple kiss on his lips, nipping his irresistably-pouty lower lip before I pulled away. He chuckled again, stroking my forearms as my palms rested on his pectorals.
We had those moments a lot: in an intimate position, silent, staring at each other. Then he reached down between my legs and I groaned with frustration.
"C'mon, you know I hate messing around before work."
"No, it's not that... Damn these girl jeans and their tiny pockets!" I lifted my hips, the exasperation in his voice thrusting me upward. Then... There it was.
He held up the ring.
"I wanted to do this by your door but that damn Explorer parked so close and I couldn't kneel down and do it."
He took my hand, kissing my knuckles, then pressed the back of my hand against his furry cheek. "Holly, will you be my ginger baby forever? Will you be Holly Annette Rose?"
"Yes... I... Of course." He struggled to put the ring on my finger; I was retaining water, for some reason, that night. "Awwwe, I don't think it will fit!"
"Don't be scared, baby. It won't hurt me." I took it and put it on. Once past my knuckle, it was loose on the carpal. "See? Fits just fine." I looked down at it; his mother had once worn this ring for twenty years before she passed suddenly in 2009 and here it was on my hand. So much age, love, history, buried within the five diamonds.
"Just like you do with me." His eyes scrawled every ounce of love he had in his heart across my face.
I smiled, melting into the sentimentality... Then I came out of it for the practicality of the moment. "How can I tell anyone how you proposed?! Why couldn't you do it like a normal person?"
"Why not? This is our favorite position." The emphatic eyeroll and bubbling laugh threw me into hysterics, my head burying against his shoulder. He rubbed my back, laughing along with me. "Just tell everyone I did it at the game. It's where I wanted to do it anyway, because I know how you love baseball, but that damn Ford..."
"I know, I know," I chuckled, recovering as I raised up again to look at him. "And I love how thoughtful you are... Wait."
"Hmm?" He tilted his head, a serious and curious look crossing his features.
"What if I had brought you home to your car? Would you have done it then?"
"No. You were upset and I didn't want to knock you out of your game."
"You wouldn't have knocked me out of it; like I had said, I was going no matter what since I had woken up so early for it. But I would have been dreadfully miserable without you; we wouldn't have been texting during the rain delay when it didn't rain and I would've been in a much fouler mood."
"That's true... And I didn't want to take that ring home with me, either."
"Happy Friday the 13th, baby... I'm gonna be late for work!" I looked up; the clock ticked past 9:53.
"Ah, you're right! Hurry up, baby! Don't want to be late!" He helped me up and to the door with my bag, following close behind.
"I'm excited though... I get to use the phrase 'Sorry I'm late; I had to get engaged.' and I only get that chance once." I smiled back at him as I rushed toward my car, but he ran around to the driver's door before I could get there and opened it for me.
"Only once, future Holly Annette Rose." There was a hopeful relief in his voice; he finally caught the one who wouldn't let herself be caught without a fight. And for four months, fight he did, with all the demons, skeletons, doubts, and fears of inadequacies that clawed at me from my closet, before I assented to 'be his girl'. "You'll be out of here soon enough. I get to rescue the princess I was never worthy to find the castle of. I dreamt of you a year before I met you. You are my dream come true."
"Lucky me." A quick peck later, and I was driving to work as The Future Holly Annette Rose.