Assurance

"You're just too modest for your own good." said Betzy. She had come over the next morning expecting for us to go out, instead finding me wrapped up in my covers, snuggled close to Drella. I explained all of last night's events as best I could, knowing she was the only one who I could bare to tell with Charlotte across the globe now.

"How?"

"I mean, you and Oliver are just so different. If you two were any two other teens, hell if it was me, you'd be shagging each other dry with all the feelings you have for each other." she said, making us both laugh.

"It's just, I don't know. I don't know anything on how I feel, what I'm feeling for him. I feel like I'm married to him sometimes, yet we're not even together." I groaned.

"Because he's yours. You may try to deny it, but he is." she smirked, throwing a pillow at me from where she was perched on my windowsill.

"But he's not. He could leave my life without any explanation and it'd be okay. Because we're not together." I said and she laughed.

"Honestly! That's what I mean, you're too modest for your own good. Do you honestly think that Oli could ever do such a thing to you? Especially after last night, I would think it'd make you see how much he cares for you." she said as my phone buzzed with a text.

"I see what you mean, but even so. I don't know." I said opening my phone and seeing it was from the boy himself. "Everything is throwing me off lately."

is betzy with you? if so, don't tell her it's me texting you I looked down at the phone in confusion, but replied anyway.

"Who is it?" she asked me.

"Oh, just Veronica asking how I got home last night." I said quietly, feeling slightly bad for lying to her.

she's here. what's going on?

"So I take it asking you if you wanted to come to a party in the city tonight wouldn't be wise?" she said, biting her lip and her eyes going wide.

"Nooooo Betzy, party's and me don't mix very well. Besides the alcohol, I don't enjoy them at all." I groaned into my pillow as my phone buzzed again.

go into the other room and call me.

"Pleeeeaaasseeee." she begged as I got up. "It'll be fun if you're with me."

"Let me go ask my mum if she had anything planned for tonight and if I can go out." I said, walking out, knowing full well my mom wasn't even home this weekend. I went into the furthest bathroom and shut the door. I sat down in the tub and dialed Oliver's number and he answered immediately.

"Where is she?" he said quickly.

"She's in my room. What's going on?" I whispered.

"She and Tom had some sort of argument last night and he's looking for her to confront her and I let it slip that she was over your house. I believe he's on his way there." he said, breathing hard.

Oh shit.

"Wait, shit! I said, hopping out of the bathtub. "He's on his way here!?"

"Yeah, he left a few minutes ago. I'm trying to beat him there before he does something stupid."

"How far away are you?" I said going around and making sure the front door was locked.

"About two minutes." he said quickly.

"Fuck, what do I do?" I said panicking. Confrontation was never a good thing for me.

"Don't curse love, it doesn't fit you." he said smartly.

"Oliver! I'm freaking out here." I said before there was a knock at my door. "He's here!" I whispered and he let out a heavy sigh.

"Just wait, don't open it."

"Kris, I know you're probably on the other side of the door." said Tom, his voice nice and mellow. "And I know Oliver's probably called you and on his way." he added and I froze.

"What' going on?" said Oliver in my ear and I ended the call.

"But he doesn't understand, I need to talk to her." he said sadly. "So please let me in. My marriage depends on it."

"Who's at the door?" said Betzy quietly, behind me. I turned and I could tell she already knew who it was. I opened the door and stepped back. The tension was thick as the two of them stared each other down. Tom looked as if he just ran a mile but I don't see how I didn't notice Betzy's appearance this morning. Her clothes were wrinkled and and she had heavy bags under her eyes and her make-up just slightly smeared.

"You left this on the dresser." said Tom with sadness dripping from his voice. He pulled a ring I recognized at Betzy's engagement piece out of his pocket, holding it forward. Betzy looked down, refusing to face him now.

He stepped forward, and she backed up, "Tom, I don't want to do this with you right now, this-"

"This is the time. Stop avoiding everything major that happens with us." he said, moving directly in front of her. "You can't run away from me."

"Yes I can." she said boldly, looking up at him. "I don't have to do anything. Any decision I make is mine. You don't have to be okay with it Tom!"

"Stop pulling this bullshit with me Zee!" he shouted and she cringed. "You're hiding behind that excuse." he said softly and she looked away.

"Tell me what I want, because I don't know anymore." she said angrily, throwing up her hands. "Maybe I want to live with my mom and drink tea porch, open my own store! Or maybe I want to move back to America to see my brother more than once a year! Maybe I want to go to university here and not follow the band and you around the country this summer!" she bellowed. "Or maybe, just maybe when a guy hits on me, I might want to give him the time of day!" she screamed and Tom sighed heavily. The door opened behind me being Oliver, but I couldn't tear my eyes from the scene in front of me.

"You're so god damn selfish Betzy!" he shouted back. "Everything you just said surrounds you! It's always about you. I never asked you to change shit for me. God dammit! Every choice I make these days is centered around you, because that's the way I want it!" he snapped and she looked up at him.

"What?" she whispered.

"You really don't get it. Everything I am now, it's you, because I chose you. Dammit! I'm not asking you to change your life for me." he said, his voice dripping with love. "You can do anything you want, I just want to be by your side. I'm asking you to let me be apart of it. I chose you to be my wife." he said rather sincerely. Betzy's eyes welled up in tears. "I made my choice, Zee, now I'm asking you to make yours." he said stepping closer to her and taking her hands in his. "Betzy Aceves, will you marry me?" Betzy nodded profusely as he slid the ring back onto her finger, where it belonged. He pulled her into him dearly as she mumbled words I couldn't hear as she cried.

I felt the tears well up in my eyes. It was just so touching, I felt like I was watching the definition of love. Feeling slightly invasive, I quietly walked past them and into my room, hearing Oliver's quiet feet behind me as the tears fell from my eyes. He closed the door behind him as I fell onto my bed. I buried my head into the covers, letting the tears and emotions take me. Oliver sat next to me and rubbed my back affectionately. Oh gosh, how did I not notice Betzy's distraught appearance? Tom was so, so caring. He loved her so much, how could she even think of letting that go?

"Ssshh, sshh..." cooed Oliver like I was a baby. "Uh, it's al-alright. You're, um-I mean um, everything's fine. Don't cry." he said awkwardly. I couldn't help but let out a giggle at his boyish clueless nature. "Wait, what?" he whispered and I laughed again. I looked up and he was so confused.

"Nothing's wrong you boy!" I said sitting up next to him and wiping the tears. Drella came and nuzzled her way into his lap as he stroked her affectionately.

Bitch.

"Then why were you crying?" he said mouth agape.

"I dunno, that was so lovely it made me cry. Tom loves her so much." I said taking Drella out of his lap and dropping her on the floor.

"So you we're crying because it was lovely?" he said in disbelief and I laughed loudly.

"Yes Oliver, I was crying because it was lovely." I said pushing Drella back down as she tried to climb Oliver's leg.

"Would you leave her alone!?" snapped Oliver and I laughed yet again.

"She's such a little whoohoo for you, she doesn't go near anyone else." I said, fighting her with my foot.

"That's really sad Kristiny." he said, shaking his head in shame and laying back.

"What?"

"You're jealous of little Drella here's attention." he said simply.

"Wow. Really?" I said, stopping my foot motions. I didn't look at him as I sat on his lap, laying my head on his chest. His arm wrapped around me, settling there. "Drella doesn't have anything I don't have."

"You're right." he said and there was a quietness. I looked up at him as his eyes fought to stay open and smiled and moved next to him, letting my head stay on his chest.

I felt at peace, even with everything that happened between yesterday and this morning in my living room. When had my life become so eventful? It's so strange that I had my own little soap opera going on around me, yet I was still embracing it. Everything that was going on started with the boy sleeping next to me, who was everything that I could need in my life right now. But there was one thing that settled deep into my heart that I refuse to think about now.

Something Betzy said during the argument.

Something so small, it probably meant nothing when it came out of her mouth.

But suddenly, I knew it would mean everything for me.

"Maybe I want to go to university here and not follow the band and you around the country this summer!"