Not Enough Mike Stories So Here's One
The Question
Mike has his arms wrapped around me as we watch TV, Maddy had long since gone to bed. Mike shifts in his seat and readjusts his arms before poking me lightly in the ribs.
“Hmm?” I ask. I look down at his hands to see a velvet box.
“Care to open it?” he asks, putting his lips against my neck gently. I can barely move my hands, this couldn’t be. I carefully open the box, praying to any almighty power that within are earrings. The box lid flips open revealing a very gorgeous engagement ring. “So what do you say, will you marry me?”
“I-I-I can’t.” I stutter.
“What?” Mike asks shocked, he laughs nervously.
“Mike I love you, you know that.”
“Yes.” He says slowly, “and I love you.”
“But, I’m not ready to be engaged and wow, it’s just this is a really big step and, and.” I feel like such a bitch, but rather say this now then say this later, when its too late.
“Erm.” He grunts as he stands up, “I guess I’ll go.”
“No Mike.” I say standing up quickly, “I love you, I’m not lying!” he stands there, staring at me bluntly, “We’ve only been going out like two months,” I pause, “Why don’t you hang onto the ring for a bit and we’ll bring it out another day.”
“You know what’s fucking hilarious?” Mike says creepily serious, “Every single other woman I’ve dated in the past five years have always bitched about me not being committed enough and feeling like I’ve abandoned them just as soon as things with my band start getting hectic,” I don’t reply, “You’re the first that I’ve actually felt comfortable going to the next step and you don’t want it.”
“Its not that I don’t want it, its just I’m not ready for it.” I say calmly.
“I didn’t want to lose you.” Mike says quietly, “My band is going to start touring again soon and I didn’t want you to think that I’d forgotten about you.”
“I won’t.” I say sincerely, “Just please don’t take this the wrong way.”
We stand opposite each other in silence for a while, just looking each other in the eye.
“I don’t know how to react.” Mike says finally.
“Don’t, let’s just pretend you never showed me the ring and continue how we were.”
“But-“
“Stop trying to rush things, I’m happy with where we are.” I say softly.
“I can’t just forget and neither can you, now everything’s going to be awkward.”
“How about this, I promise you, we’ll get engaged.” I say cocking an eyebrow, “Let’s consider our little vacation last week a sort of promise ring.”
“That’s really high school.”
“Well its all I can think of,” I say quietly, “Promise we’ll be together, then we’ll get engaged when the time comes.”
Mike went home that night, he didn’t sleep over like he normally would. I couldn’t blame him, he really looked hurt.
Dahlia snaps her fingers in front of my eyes, the next morning, we were at Mc Donalds with Kayla and Madison
“Don’t worry, a job will come up.” she says trying to keep me from dazing off into space, again. I look over at Maddy and Kayla who are busy in their own little world, talking about whether Davey Havoc is gay or straight.
“Mike proposed last night.” I whisper.
“OH!” she squeals, “Let’s see the ring.”
“I said no.” her jaw drops.
“You said no?” she’s speechless for a second, “But you two are perfect, and well it would solve your money worries.”
“I couldn’t say yes.” I say calmly, “Yeah, I want to spend the rest of my life with him but-“
“You just! AHH!”
“I freaked out, okay?” I say trying to get her to pipe down so Maddy wouldn’t hear, last thing I needed was a nine year old bitching about my life choices, “And I can’t have him thinking I said yes because I need cash.”
“He wouldn’t think that.” Dahlia protests, “He wouldn’t have asked you otherwise.” I remain silent, “Don’t tell me he doesn’t know you lost your job. For fuck’s sake Jade!”
“Oh stop going big sister on my ass.” I say rolling my eyes, “I don’t want him to worry.”
“That’s your problem Jade; you can’t open up to people!”
“I don’t want people to worry.”
“No! You’re still living in the past.” Dahlia says sternly.
“What?”
“So Lyle fucked up royally as a boyfriend, that’s in that past, and I know because of Maddy it isn’t something you can just snap out of but it’s been practically ten years. You can trust people! Especially Mike!”
“I can’t listen to you right now.” I say to my sister, I turn to Maddy, “Madison, have you finished eating.” She nods, “Let’s go.”
“Awe, Mom.” She whines as she puts on her coat. I put on mine and grab my purse before we march out to the car.
We drive about five minutes in silence.
“I was thinking, if you and Mike were to get married, Stella and I would be sisters, which would be really cool.”
“Maddy, it isn’t that simple.” I say quietly.
“Well you love him, don’t you?”
“I loved Lyle too at one point.”
“Yeah well Lyle’s an ass! I even heard Gramma say it, so it must be true!” she pouts, “Do what Auntie said and get over it!”
“Watch it.” I say warningly, “I’m not going to marry a guy just because it means you’d get a sister!”
“That’s not it either!” she says crossing her arms, tears rolling down her cheek, “At Christmas I heard Gramma and Granpa talking about you and Mike. They said they’d never seen you so happy and that it was about time you found Mr. Right.”
“Please don’t lecture me.” I say sternly and she falls silent.
“Hmm?” I ask. I look down at his hands to see a velvet box.
“Care to open it?” he asks, putting his lips against my neck gently. I can barely move my hands, this couldn’t be. I carefully open the box, praying to any almighty power that within are earrings. The box lid flips open revealing a very gorgeous engagement ring. “So what do you say, will you marry me?”
“I-I-I can’t.” I stutter.
“What?” Mike asks shocked, he laughs nervously.
“Mike I love you, you know that.”
“Yes.” He says slowly, “and I love you.”
“But, I’m not ready to be engaged and wow, it’s just this is a really big step and, and.” I feel like such a bitch, but rather say this now then say this later, when its too late.
“Erm.” He grunts as he stands up, “I guess I’ll go.”
“No Mike.” I say standing up quickly, “I love you, I’m not lying!” he stands there, staring at me bluntly, “We’ve only been going out like two months,” I pause, “Why don’t you hang onto the ring for a bit and we’ll bring it out another day.”
“You know what’s fucking hilarious?” Mike says creepily serious, “Every single other woman I’ve dated in the past five years have always bitched about me not being committed enough and feeling like I’ve abandoned them just as soon as things with my band start getting hectic,” I don’t reply, “You’re the first that I’ve actually felt comfortable going to the next step and you don’t want it.”
“Its not that I don’t want it, its just I’m not ready for it.” I say calmly.
“I didn’t want to lose you.” Mike says quietly, “My band is going to start touring again soon and I didn’t want you to think that I’d forgotten about you.”
“I won’t.” I say sincerely, “Just please don’t take this the wrong way.”
We stand opposite each other in silence for a while, just looking each other in the eye.
“I don’t know how to react.” Mike says finally.
“Don’t, let’s just pretend you never showed me the ring and continue how we were.”
“But-“
“Stop trying to rush things, I’m happy with where we are.” I say softly.
“I can’t just forget and neither can you, now everything’s going to be awkward.”
“How about this, I promise you, we’ll get engaged.” I say cocking an eyebrow, “Let’s consider our little vacation last week a sort of promise ring.”
“That’s really high school.”
“Well its all I can think of,” I say quietly, “Promise we’ll be together, then we’ll get engaged when the time comes.”
Mike went home that night, he didn’t sleep over like he normally would. I couldn’t blame him, he really looked hurt.
Dahlia snaps her fingers in front of my eyes, the next morning, we were at Mc Donalds with Kayla and Madison
“Don’t worry, a job will come up.” she says trying to keep me from dazing off into space, again. I look over at Maddy and Kayla who are busy in their own little world, talking about whether Davey Havoc is gay or straight.
“Mike proposed last night.” I whisper.
“OH!” she squeals, “Let’s see the ring.”
“I said no.” her jaw drops.
“You said no?” she’s speechless for a second, “But you two are perfect, and well it would solve your money worries.”
“I couldn’t say yes.” I say calmly, “Yeah, I want to spend the rest of my life with him but-“
“You just! AHH!”
“I freaked out, okay?” I say trying to get her to pipe down so Maddy wouldn’t hear, last thing I needed was a nine year old bitching about my life choices, “And I can’t have him thinking I said yes because I need cash.”
“He wouldn’t think that.” Dahlia protests, “He wouldn’t have asked you otherwise.” I remain silent, “Don’t tell me he doesn’t know you lost your job. For fuck’s sake Jade!”
“Oh stop going big sister on my ass.” I say rolling my eyes, “I don’t want him to worry.”
“That’s your problem Jade; you can’t open up to people!”
“I don’t want people to worry.”
“No! You’re still living in the past.” Dahlia says sternly.
“What?”
“So Lyle fucked up royally as a boyfriend, that’s in that past, and I know because of Maddy it isn’t something you can just snap out of but it’s been practically ten years. You can trust people! Especially Mike!”
“I can’t listen to you right now.” I say to my sister, I turn to Maddy, “Madison, have you finished eating.” She nods, “Let’s go.”
“Awe, Mom.” She whines as she puts on her coat. I put on mine and grab my purse before we march out to the car.
We drive about five minutes in silence.
“I was thinking, if you and Mike were to get married, Stella and I would be sisters, which would be really cool.”
“Maddy, it isn’t that simple.” I say quietly.
“Well you love him, don’t you?”
“I loved Lyle too at one point.”
“Yeah well Lyle’s an ass! I even heard Gramma say it, so it must be true!” she pouts, “Do what Auntie said and get over it!”
“Watch it.” I say warningly, “I’m not going to marry a guy just because it means you’d get a sister!”
“That’s not it either!” she says crossing her arms, tears rolling down her cheek, “At Christmas I heard Gramma and Granpa talking about you and Mike. They said they’d never seen you so happy and that it was about time you found Mr. Right.”
“Please don’t lecture me.” I say sternly and she falls silent.