Clash Of The Rockbands
I Promise
Melrose’s POV
“Melrose!” Rayne called from downstairs. “Jimmy’s here!”
“Shit,” I cursed aloud, glancing at the clock. It was only 7:45 PM! I said for him to come at EIGHT. Any other time, I would be ready and then curse him out when he arrived ten seconds past eight. I guess he remembered being cussed out for being late, so he decided to be early this time.
I quickly dragged a brush through my auburn hair before applying the finishing touches on my eyeliner. I seized my microscopic purse and rushed out of my bedroom. I slowed down to descend as gracefully as I could down the stairs so I wouldn’t look like the hurrying fool I was. James stood waiting in the parlor, staring in mild fascination up at the chandelier. He looked over as my heels clicked against the marble staircase.
“You’re early,” I snapped, arching my eyebrows angrily. James’s proud look slid off of his face.
“You...you aren’t happy that I’m not late for once?” he asked, clearly confused. I shook my head.
“You’re TOO early!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms up. “Five minutes early, maybe ten, but not FIFTEEN!”
James frowned.
“You look gorgeous,” he said hopefully. I instantly blushed and looked down at myself. I wore a silky scarlet dress that contoured to my body. A thick satin ribbon tied around my neck to hold it up and the dress flowed down to my knees. On my feet I wore glittering black peep-toed pumps. I looked back up at James, my cheeks probably matching my dress. He wore a black dress shirt and black dress pants.
“You’re trying to make me forget about you being too early,” I accused with a smile. James smiled back, capturing my hand in his.
“It worked, didn’t it?” he asked as we stepped out into the warm night air. I reluctantly nodded. James laughed and coiled his arm around my bare shoulders as we walked towards his Camaro.
**********
After eating dinner at one of the fine restaurants in a bigger city near Huntington Beach, James and I sat in silence. I watched the people slow dancing to the pianists’ and violinists’ music. I could feel James’s eyes staring at me, but I didn’t look over at him. My hand rested on the table next to my empty plate as I watched the nicely-dressed people twirling around on the wooden dance floor. Suddenly, James’s fingers slipped through mine and pulled my hand closer to him. His fingertips brushed against the back of my hand.
I tore my gaze away from the dance floor to see him now looking down at our hands. I looked down at them as well. I’d never noticed, but they seemed to fit seamlessly together, like two puzzle pieces made to click together. Sometimes, the best way to tell if you’re meant for someone is to look at how your hands fit together with theirs. If it is awkward, then you probably aren’t meant to be together. But if your hand fits perfectly with theirs, it might be a sign that it is meant to be.
James and I looked up at the same time, and our eyes met. He smiled, his fingertips resuming their rubbing of the back of my hand. I grinned back before looking back over at the couples dancing.
A few moments later, James’s hand shifted. His fingers closed around mine, and soon I was being pulled to my feet by him. He led me towards the dance floor. This would be interesting. I’d never seen him slow dance. Hopefully I wouldn’t step on his foot.
We stepped onto the wood of the dance floor. His hand shifted in mine again, into a more dancing position. I reached up and rested my hand on his shoulder—not such an easy feat as you would think—and his hand came to a rest on my waist.
“I apologize if I step on your foot,” he said as we began to spin slowly. I shrugged, concentrating on making sure my feet went where I wanted them to. I didn’t really have two left feet. I had one and a half right feet.
“I think it would hurt more if I stepped on yours,” I told him. As if on cue, I felt my foot step onto his. I quickly stepped off, but James already made a face. “I’m sorry.”
“It didn’t hurt that much,” he replied quickly.
“Key phrase: that much,” I mumbled. James just smirked.
Slowly, we began to draw closer to each other. I wrapped my arm around his neck, and his arm coiled around my waist. I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It sounded rhythmic and calm and it soothed me. We danced like that for a few minutes more before James dropped a kiss onto my head and pulled away.
“I have a surprise for you at home,” he told me. He moved his hand again so that his fingers captured mine and then led me off of the dance floor.
**********
We stepped into his dark, empty house. He instantly flicked the light on as I walked over and sank down onto the couch. Suddenly, the light above my head dimmed.
“Dimmer switch,” James whispered. “It creates romantic moments.” I looked around with raised eyebrows.
“I can’t even see your face,” I told him. I honestly couldn’t. His face had become one giant shadow. James stepped closer, though, and his face came into view. “Oh, now I can see it.”
James just shook his head and sank down onto the couch beside me. I looked expectantly over at him, watching his face in the dim light. He reached over and stroked my cheek with his thumb, something he did a lot lately. It was almost like he couldn’t stop himself from touching me. But I didn’t mind it.
He pressed a gentle kiss to my lips before leaning forward towards the coffee table. He opened a wooden drawer and pulled out a small black box. I’m not that naïve. I understood what could be in the box, but I didn’t start blubbering like a fool. I just stared at him as he leaned back again, balancing the black box on his palm. I reached out and rubbed my fingertip against the box. It felt like velvet.
“It feels like velvet,” I breathed before retracting my finger. James smiled before reaching over with his other hand and opening the box. I leaned forward to look inside it.
A breath-taking ring sat in it. It had a circular ruby set into a glimmering silver band. Little diamonds formed a circle around the crimson ruby. I gasped, feeling my eyes widen at the ring.
“I hope it’s the right size,” James said. I looked up at him, my eyes still wide. He smiled and gently took the ring out of the box. He held it out to me, and I slowly took it.
I saw something engraved on the inside of the band. I held it up to the dim light, trying to see what the curling letters said. I promise. My heart thrust itself against my ribcage, fighting for release. Happy tears rose up in my eyes. I could feel them burning.
“It’s no engagement ring...” James said. I shook my head, the ring now trembling because my hands were shaking. No, it wasn’t an engagement ring. It was a promise ring, but it was as good as an engagement ring.
I blinked back tears, but they began to blur my vision anyway. Slowly, a tear slipped out. James reached out and swiped it swiftly away.
“I just wanted you to know that I promise to be with you forever,” he told me. “This’ll remind you of my promise until I get my ass into gear and get you an actual engagement ring.” My dam broke at his words, and all my tears began to flow.
I flung myself into James’s arms, my fingers curling tightly around the ring. I peppered his face with happy, excited kisses, probably smearing my lip gloss all over his face. He smirked before framing my face with his hands and directing my lips to his. My tears probably transferred over to his face too, but I don’t think he cared.
“Try it on,” he told me as we pulled away. I swiped my cheeks with my palms to make the tears go away before I slipped the ring onto my ring finger. It fit perfectly and glittered even in the dim light. I admired it as James pulled the little thing that the ring sat in out of the black box. He pulled out a thick silver band that looked like a wedding band.
“Is that yours?” I asked, tearing my gaze away from mine. He nodded and held it out for my scrutiny. I gently took it and held it up to the light. Engraved inside the band in curling letters like mine were two words: I promised.
“Just in case I forget,” James joked. I laughed before handing the ring back to him. He slipped it on before I wrapped my arms tightly around him again.
“Thank you,” I said into his ear. I felt his smile as he turned his head and pressed a kiss to my cheek.
“Anything for you,” he replied.
“Melrose!” Rayne called from downstairs. “Jimmy’s here!”
“Shit,” I cursed aloud, glancing at the clock. It was only 7:45 PM! I said for him to come at EIGHT. Any other time, I would be ready and then curse him out when he arrived ten seconds past eight. I guess he remembered being cussed out for being late, so he decided to be early this time.
I quickly dragged a brush through my auburn hair before applying the finishing touches on my eyeliner. I seized my microscopic purse and rushed out of my bedroom. I slowed down to descend as gracefully as I could down the stairs so I wouldn’t look like the hurrying fool I was. James stood waiting in the parlor, staring in mild fascination up at the chandelier. He looked over as my heels clicked against the marble staircase.
“You’re early,” I snapped, arching my eyebrows angrily. James’s proud look slid off of his face.
“You...you aren’t happy that I’m not late for once?” he asked, clearly confused. I shook my head.
“You’re TOO early!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms up. “Five minutes early, maybe ten, but not FIFTEEN!”
James frowned.
“You look gorgeous,” he said hopefully. I instantly blushed and looked down at myself. I wore a silky scarlet dress that contoured to my body. A thick satin ribbon tied around my neck to hold it up and the dress flowed down to my knees. On my feet I wore glittering black peep-toed pumps. I looked back up at James, my cheeks probably matching my dress. He wore a black dress shirt and black dress pants.
“You’re trying to make me forget about you being too early,” I accused with a smile. James smiled back, capturing my hand in his.
“It worked, didn’t it?” he asked as we stepped out into the warm night air. I reluctantly nodded. James laughed and coiled his arm around my bare shoulders as we walked towards his Camaro.
**********
After eating dinner at one of the fine restaurants in a bigger city near Huntington Beach, James and I sat in silence. I watched the people slow dancing to the pianists’ and violinists’ music. I could feel James’s eyes staring at me, but I didn’t look over at him. My hand rested on the table next to my empty plate as I watched the nicely-dressed people twirling around on the wooden dance floor. Suddenly, James’s fingers slipped through mine and pulled my hand closer to him. His fingertips brushed against the back of my hand.
I tore my gaze away from the dance floor to see him now looking down at our hands. I looked down at them as well. I’d never noticed, but they seemed to fit seamlessly together, like two puzzle pieces made to click together. Sometimes, the best way to tell if you’re meant for someone is to look at how your hands fit together with theirs. If it is awkward, then you probably aren’t meant to be together. But if your hand fits perfectly with theirs, it might be a sign that it is meant to be.
James and I looked up at the same time, and our eyes met. He smiled, his fingertips resuming their rubbing of the back of my hand. I grinned back before looking back over at the couples dancing.
A few moments later, James’s hand shifted. His fingers closed around mine, and soon I was being pulled to my feet by him. He led me towards the dance floor. This would be interesting. I’d never seen him slow dance. Hopefully I wouldn’t step on his foot.
We stepped onto the wood of the dance floor. His hand shifted in mine again, into a more dancing position. I reached up and rested my hand on his shoulder—not such an easy feat as you would think—and his hand came to a rest on my waist.
“I apologize if I step on your foot,” he said as we began to spin slowly. I shrugged, concentrating on making sure my feet went where I wanted them to. I didn’t really have two left feet. I had one and a half right feet.
“I think it would hurt more if I stepped on yours,” I told him. As if on cue, I felt my foot step onto his. I quickly stepped off, but James already made a face. “I’m sorry.”
“It didn’t hurt that much,” he replied quickly.
“Key phrase: that much,” I mumbled. James just smirked.
Slowly, we began to draw closer to each other. I wrapped my arm around his neck, and his arm coiled around my waist. I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It sounded rhythmic and calm and it soothed me. We danced like that for a few minutes more before James dropped a kiss onto my head and pulled away.
“I have a surprise for you at home,” he told me. He moved his hand again so that his fingers captured mine and then led me off of the dance floor.
**********
We stepped into his dark, empty house. He instantly flicked the light on as I walked over and sank down onto the couch. Suddenly, the light above my head dimmed.
“Dimmer switch,” James whispered. “It creates romantic moments.” I looked around with raised eyebrows.
“I can’t even see your face,” I told him. I honestly couldn’t. His face had become one giant shadow. James stepped closer, though, and his face came into view. “Oh, now I can see it.”
James just shook his head and sank down onto the couch beside me. I looked expectantly over at him, watching his face in the dim light. He reached over and stroked my cheek with his thumb, something he did a lot lately. It was almost like he couldn’t stop himself from touching me. But I didn’t mind it.
He pressed a gentle kiss to my lips before leaning forward towards the coffee table. He opened a wooden drawer and pulled out a small black box. I’m not that naïve. I understood what could be in the box, but I didn’t start blubbering like a fool. I just stared at him as he leaned back again, balancing the black box on his palm. I reached out and rubbed my fingertip against the box. It felt like velvet.
“It feels like velvet,” I breathed before retracting my finger. James smiled before reaching over with his other hand and opening the box. I leaned forward to look inside it.
A breath-taking ring sat in it. It had a circular ruby set into a glimmering silver band. Little diamonds formed a circle around the crimson ruby. I gasped, feeling my eyes widen at the ring.
“I hope it’s the right size,” James said. I looked up at him, my eyes still wide. He smiled and gently took the ring out of the box. He held it out to me, and I slowly took it.
I saw something engraved on the inside of the band. I held it up to the dim light, trying to see what the curling letters said. I promise. My heart thrust itself against my ribcage, fighting for release. Happy tears rose up in my eyes. I could feel them burning.
“It’s no engagement ring...” James said. I shook my head, the ring now trembling because my hands were shaking. No, it wasn’t an engagement ring. It was a promise ring, but it was as good as an engagement ring.
I blinked back tears, but they began to blur my vision anyway. Slowly, a tear slipped out. James reached out and swiped it swiftly away.
“I just wanted you to know that I promise to be with you forever,” he told me. “This’ll remind you of my promise until I get my ass into gear and get you an actual engagement ring.” My dam broke at his words, and all my tears began to flow.
I flung myself into James’s arms, my fingers curling tightly around the ring. I peppered his face with happy, excited kisses, probably smearing my lip gloss all over his face. He smirked before framing my face with his hands and directing my lips to his. My tears probably transferred over to his face too, but I don’t think he cared.
“Try it on,” he told me as we pulled away. I swiped my cheeks with my palms to make the tears go away before I slipped the ring onto my ring finger. It fit perfectly and glittered even in the dim light. I admired it as James pulled the little thing that the ring sat in out of the black box. He pulled out a thick silver band that looked like a wedding band.
“Is that yours?” I asked, tearing my gaze away from mine. He nodded and held it out for my scrutiny. I gently took it and held it up to the light. Engraved inside the band in curling letters like mine were two words: I promised.
“Just in case I forget,” James joked. I laughed before handing the ring back to him. He slipped it on before I wrapped my arms tightly around him again.
“Thank you,” I said into his ear. I felt his smile as he turned his head and pressed a kiss to my cheek.
“Anything for you,” he replied.
♠ ♠ ♠
Aww!Isn't that the most adorable chapter in this entire story? I thought so.
One more chapter left!