Trouble-Maker

"What would your dad do?" Ronnie asked next, his mind far off on the future, "If you were to marry me," he added, clarifying.

I scooted down and rested my head on his chest. I rolled over on my stomach and threw my left arm over his stomach. I pressed my lips into his skin and looked up to his beautiful brown eyes. "Why does it matter?"

Ronnie shook his head. "It doesn't, I guess," he sighed and ran his fingers over my shoulder. "But I don't want your family to hate me forever."

I saw the look on his face and sighed. I slid up so that my face was in the crook of his neck and I kissed his jaw. "They don't hate you, baby," I whispered, "It's just my father being stubborn. He'll come around."

Ronnie nodded. "I guess you're right."

I smiled against his skin, "Of course I am. Plus, you've got to go back to the studio soon and finish your CD."

"I know. The guys are probably being slaughtered in there with your father because of us." Ronnie tried to hold back his chuckles as he thought about my father being ticked off at the rest of his band because they were friends with him.

I traced around the back of his ear and played with his hair as we laid there. I ran his words through my head and then I asked, "Were you asking me to marry you?"

Ronnie chuckled lightly and he nodded. "For the future, yes."

I took a deep breath as my eyes became watery. Even though I had no interest in being married anytime soon, it was a magnificent feeling to know that the one person you needed in your life planned to spend everyday of forever wrapped in your arms. Ronnie slid out from under me for a moment and reached over across my body to the bedside table where he pulled open the drawer and reached around for something. I was sitting up, crossed-legged now as he reached across the bed.

When he rolled back over and laid down how he was before, I curled up into his side and reached out towards his hand. He stuck his fingers in between mine and there was a ring pressed in between our palms. I could tell by the size and shape of it that this was one of Ronnie's decorative rings. He had at least fifty of them and he wore one everyday. He pulled his hand away from mine, leaving the ring in the palm of my hand as he wrapped my own fingers around the metal piece.

"For the future," Ronnie murmured with a shrug. "Just so you know."

I smiled at him and nodded as I slipped it onto my finger. Ronnie grinned at me and kissed my fingers before he slid out of bed. "What do you say we go finish making dinner. I'm starving now."

I laughed as he pulled boxers on and tossed me a pair of his shorts and a t'shirt. I nodded and got dressed, finding my discarded underwear on the floor and slipping them back on. When I walked into the kitchen Ronnie was turning the stove back on and stirring the peas and carrots.

"I think it's salvageable," he said with a cute grin.

I nodded and wrapped my arms around his waist, my chin on his chest. "Baby," I drew out the word, "Will you do me a favor?"

He looked down to me and cocked his head to the side. "What?" he asked suspiciously.

"Can you go down to the car and get my hoodie out of the back?"

Ronnie laughed, "You mean my favorite hoodie."

I nodded. "That's the one."

Ronnie groaned and rolled away from me. "I guess so," he whined, grabbing the keys to the door.

"Aren't you going to put a shirt on?" I called after him with a laugh as he wandered out of the front door. He didn't reply just disappeared out of the apartment, waving me off with his hand above his head.

I chuckled and went back to preparing the meal for the two of us. The steak was basically cooked but I just reheated it up and let the juices simmer and make the whole house smell good again. I stirred the vegetables and the mashed potatoes before making gravy from a package.

I was pulling two plates out of the cupboard when I heard Ronnie come back into the house. I turned to smile at him and noticed that his bare chest was now covered by the black hoodie that he had let me borrow the second time I hung out with him, many months ago. I smiled at the memory. "What, get yelled for indecent exposure, by one of your neighbors?" I teased, setting the plates down and beginning to pile food onto each of them as Ronnie went to the fridge and grabbed a couple of drinks.

Ronnie scoffed and motioned to his body with his hand. "Are you kidding, little old Mrs. Jefferson loves all this."

Ronnie and I ate dinner in the living room, the TV playing reruns of a show we'd seen a hundred times before. Ronnie and I talked about how he wanted me to meet his father and his older brother.

We dozed off on the couch late into the night. Ronnie's arms were around my shoulders and I was curled up on his chest, our breath tangled together as we slept.