Set Me Free

-1 year later-

Dane’s P.O.V.

“I can’t believe we’re lost.” I groaned, stepping out of the car to glare at the deserted barren wasteland Drew managed to drive us to. And what’s worse…we’re out of gas. “I told you to stop and ask for directions, but you never listen to me; how are we supposed to get back to the hotel?” I ranted, pacing around the back of the car. “Our plane leaves in five hours…what happens when we’re not on it, huh Drew?” I turned to glare at the man, who was calmly staring over at me, a small smile playing on his lips.

For the summer break, after finishing our first year of university in California, Drew and I decided to go away to Australia because I’d always wanted to, but never quite had the chance. The trip was amazing, Australia’s beautiful, but I’m just about ready to go home.
Drew and I were supposed to go back to the hotel after a short tour so we could pack our things to leave, but…we’re lost…great.

Drew slowly walked over to me, the smile never leaving his lips, and wrapped his arms around my waist, bringing me in for a hug. I whimpered, bringing my hands to wrap around his neck as a deep sigh escaped my body. There’s no possible way to stay mad at drew for an extended period of time, he just makes it too impossible, especially with the little surprise he got me a week before.

“Calm down, Dane, we’ll find our way. I’ll just call for a tow; we’ll be back in time.”
Call for a tow? Is he stupid? We’re in the middle of nowhere; if there’s a signal here, it’ll be a miracle. Plus, how are we supposed to find the number for a tow? We’re in Australia! “And to make you feel better.” He grinned, continuing. “Look over there, a snake.” He grinned devilishly.
I quickly turned, seeing the devil creature slithering right across the street.
A scream escaped my lips as I took Drew’s hand in mine, dragging him over to the car and pushing him into the backseat, me following quickly after. Locking the doors, I stared out of the window in fear as the thing slithered across the street, over to the door and away to the other side of the desert. One thing I hated about this place, snakes were everywhere! And I didn’t know how to tell which ones were poisonous; I wasn’t about to take the risk of just standing there.
Drew laughed, pulling me onto his lap, still in the backseat; it was quite uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry, it’s gone.” He whispered into my neck, placing a light kiss to the flesh before turning me around and pressing his lips to mine. Even after a little over a year, Andrew still tastes absolutely amazing.
The kiss would’ve continued if I wasn’t dead scared that a poisonous snake would somehow find its way into the car and kill us both, so I pushed Drew away from me.

“We need to get out of here; don’t forget that we’re lost, out of gas and we have a flight in five hours, meaning that we have to leave for it in two and a half hours. Now is not the time for this.”

“There’s always time for sex.” Drew grinned, attempting to lift me back onto his lap.

“Not always, especially not now and especially not in the backseat of a car. I learned that lesson painfully one day and I refuse to relive it.” Dark memories…

“Oh, calm yourself.” Drew chuckled. “It was only a slight concussion, nothing that would kill you.”

“You thought you saw a cop so you pulled away, causing my head to smash into the window…not ever happening again.”
I pulled myself into the passenger seat, going through the pouches of the rental car to find some information on a tow. Drew just groaned from the back, stepping out of the car, trying to find a signal. Something told me we’d be stuck for quite some time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Luckily for Drew and his baby maker, someone drove by and stopped to help us; they called a tow and gave us instructions. Drew had been going the opposite direction the entire time. We managed to make it to the hotel in time. I had already had most of my things packed, neat and ready to go; I just had to fill up my small overnight bag with the rest of my things. Drew, on the other hand, had waited until the last minute and was complaining about everything he couldn’t find. When time ran out on him, he ended up stuffing everything haphazardly into his two suitcases to hurry out of the door.

Miraculously, we made it to the airport on time as well, but…Drew just had to do something about that. How much metal can a person possibly have on their body? I got through the metal detectors fine and went to get my things, but Drew…14 times, that was how much he went through and then…he had to have a full body search; I was sitting, waiting for him for over a half an hour.
To say that I was in a bad mood by the time he came out would be an understatement. I glared at him all throughout the walk to wait for the plane and then I refused to talk to him. Just the week before, we were in bliss; everything was going perfect. The plane better not crash, this doesn’t look like it’s going to be my day.
Drew wrapped his arm around my shoulder once he saw he pout set on my face. I really couldn’t stay mad at him. Laying my head on my boyfriend’s shoulder, I closed my eyes; being angry makes me tired.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We are currently in Hawaii, waiting for the second plane to come. Did you know that it takes about 17 hours to get from Australia to California? Because it does…that’s a long time. Jorge and Kris were supposed to be waiting for us when we got to San Francisco, to drive us another four and a half hours to Beverly Hills because we were staying at the Connellys’ house the week before University began. Then, we’d have to drive two hours back home. Drew and I moved into our own place as soon as we finished high school. It was a bold move, to be so far away from Drew’s parents since we couldn’t possibly take care of ourselves yet, but we managed to survive this far. For the first few weeks of us living together, we got by on noodles and easy macaroni and cheese…his parents cut him off (except for paying for University (for the both of us)) to teach him how to live on his own and I got disowned, we barely had money to get by. Drew’s an amazing cook, he’s taking culinary arts in University, top of his class; I’m so proud of him. I’m double majoring in business management and law; with minors in English literature and Latin…I’m always busy…it’s ridiculous.
I was taken out of my thoughts by a smooth voice and strong arms lifting me up from my seat.

“Come on, babe, the plane’s here.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We arrived in San Francisco at about nine thirty, the plane had been delayed. Kris skipped up to us, as bubbly and flamboyant as ever, when we arrived, scooping us both up in a hug. Drew and I were cranky, wanting some sleep as soon as possible; first class is not as comfortable as they make it seem on television; when there’s turbulence, you still feel it.
Jorge said nothing, just grabbed our bags and led the way to the car. He’s still a little mad that we didn’t invite him and Kris to Australia with us; it’s the one place he’s always wanted to go. Drew had said that he wanted it to be just us though, of course I agreed.

“Just a heads up, Mrs. C’s planning a welcome home barbecue tomorrow.” Jorge said after about thirty minutes of driving. Drew had already fallen asleep on my shoulder, cuddling up to me.

“Is there going to be confetti again?” I groaned. I don’t know what is up with that woman, but she really loves her confetti; my birthday, Drew’s birthday, Felicity’s birthday, Jorge’s birthday, Kris’s birthday, even her husband’s birthday…all with confetti.
Kris chuckled, cuddling up to Jorge’s arm. Oh, they got married! Right after my birthday the year before, Jorge proposed and just a few months after, we flew to Canada where they tied the knot; Kris was the one in white (if that wasn’t obvious enough).

It didn’t take long for sleep to finally creep up to me; I was a goner before I was even aware of what was happening.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I awoke to six pairs of eyes watching me…along with Felicity’s new kitten. Drew was still asleep beside me on the guest bed and…I don’t even remember walking into the house the night before. It was extremely awkward…they were all just staring at me…why? Drew and I have been gone for close to two months, but I didn’t think they’d miss us that much.
Tears welled up in a pair of hazel eyes as the owner of said pair rushed over to me and crushed me in a hug…Mrs. Connelly.
I awkwardly pat her back, unsure of what to do. I felt bad for not missing her this much.

“I missed you too Mrs. Connelly, but I’m back now.” I whimpered a little as she crushed me harder.

Pulling away, Mrs. Connelly dabbed at her eyes with a napkin before breaking down yet again.

“H-how many times have I told you to call me mom? Especially now that I’m going to be your mom.” The last few words jumbled together into a blubbered mess as she launched herself at me yet again.
Everyone’s eyes were still watching me as the realization of her words hit me. Oh…they’ve seen the ring. And to think Drew and I thought we could hide it to show them ourselves.

Just a week prior to arriving back in L.A….Drew’s proposed. Trust me, I was not expecting it. It was nothing too special, just perfect actually. Drew had brought us to a restaurant that looked just like the one we went to for our first date and after eating and some dancing, he’d led me out to the back, a patio overlooking the beach. It was beautiful and so cliché, but I’d loved it all the same. And right then and there, he got down on one knee and popped the question. I had been so shocked that I didn’t say anything for five whole minutes and then I cried for another two. It was quite funny; Drew had to calm me down before I was actually able to give him a response. After making a fool of myself (which I had been doing ever since I first laid eyes on Drew), I was finally able to give a weak nod. The ring was gorgeous, but I wasn’t able to see it well that night because my eyes kept watering.

It was a really big cushion cut diamond surrounded my much smaller diamonds; and the entire band was diamonds. It obviously cost way more than I ever want him to spend on me, but after putting it on, there was no way I was taking it off for anyone. Drew and I had been planning on hiding it until just before we left so that Mrs. Connelly couldn’t throw us a party.

Mrs. Connelly jumped on Drew, causing him to jump up from the bed and tumble to the ground. Felicity and Gabe (two of the five remaining pairs of eyes) burst out laughing while Mr. Connelly, Kris and Jorge just shook their heads.

“When were you guys planning on telling us you were engaged?” Mrs. Connelly sobbed harder into her tissue. “We have to throw a party!” She exclaimed, hurrying out of the room.
Drew bounced up from the side of the bed, staring at the door where his mother just left with wide eyes. It was his idea not to tell her until we were leaving; he hates his mother’s parties. It was going to be a long week.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

One week, two parties, three celebration dinners and many tears later, Andrew and I are finally making our way back to our apartment. Drew hasn’t been in the best mood; Mrs. Connelly made sure to call their entire family for one of the ‘parties’ and one of his cousins tried hitting on me. Drew broke his nose, then got into a fight with his aunt, then his uncle pushed him into a chair, so he tackled his uncle into the pool…all because me; I feel like shit right about now. I think he noticed my glum mood because as soon as we reached the parking lot to the normal, if not ugly, looking apartment building, Drew pulled me into his arms and crushed me into a hug.

“I’m sorry for being so cranky. Sometimes my family just becomes a little too much…especially my mother’s side.”
I mumbled something close to ‘it’s okay’, staying in the tight embrace that he seemed against breaking. It was getting too hot in the parking lot, though, and the apartment had air conditioning.
Quickly making our way up three stories (no elevator), Drew and I dropped our suitcases to the ground and made our way to the living room where we dropped onto the couch like a sack of potatoes. Ever since arriving back at LA, Drew and I have been on our feet; meeting family, going to dinners, painting a house! Granted it was only a dog house, but still…
It felt nice to just relax for a while. School began in a few days and we still had to unpack, but Drew and I were perfectly fine sitting in our small living room with the air conditioning on full blast. It’s times like these where I realize just how good my life became. I normally would have never imagined sitting in my own apartment with the man of my dreams, who just so happens to have the title of my ‘fiancé’. I haven’t heard from my father ever since he was shut up in prison and I honestly could not be any happier; I know he’s out and his business is budding yet again, becoming stronger somehow, so perhaps I will never have to worry about him ever again. So far, life’s pretty great.
Well…it was…but then Drew just had to open his mouth.

“If I asked you to give me a blowjob, would I get one?”

Turning to face the man who I would soon have to introduce as my ‘husband’, I reached out a hand and smacked him upside the head…hard.

“No, you would not get one. Can you not enjoy a nice, relaxing moment without saying something perverted? Is that so hard for you?”

“Well yes, actually it is. It has been over three weeks since I’ve gotten a blowjob and I am deprived; I hope you know you are to blame.”

Drew and I literally sat there bickering for the good parts of an hour. This is what I deal with pretty much every single day. Does it sound odd to say that this was what I lived for? Drew is perverted and horny more of the time and he doesn’t seem to have a brain-to-mouth barrier so he’s always saying the wrong things at the worst times, but that’s why I love him so much. He’s not afraid to take and dish bullshit and he is the type of guy who would stand in front of a bullet for those he loves. We bicker like an old couple on a daily basis, but somehow I’m always happy by the end of it; plus, it’s not like we mean most of the things we say. He makes me feel like I’m contributing to the world by being on it and for that, I will forever be grateful to him.

Later that night, I was purposely avoiding Drew by sleeping on the opposite side of the bad facing away from him. Not even six seconds after the transition, I could feel Drew slowly wrap his arms around my waist and hesitantly pull me closer. We have never once gone to sleep angry with one another and it wasn’t that I was angry, per say, I just like to see his reaction.

“Baby…don’t be mad at me…please.”
Quickly turning in his arms, I wrapped my arms around Andrew’s neck and pulled myself into him. This was always the end to nights like these. Well, not always; sometimes there are additions…ones that I do not need to go into at the moment.
Looking into those deep blue eyes that looked black in the night, I brought my lips in to press onto my fiancé’s.

“I love you.”
Drew gave a lazy, tired smile as he turned onto his back, pulling my head onto his chest.

“I love you too Dane. How many times do I have to tell you that, God!” He scoffed.

“Don’t start, Andrew. You are not getting angry sex.”

“…Damn…”

The End