I Need You

Six months later, I'm still with Zeke. It's hard to believe it's been six month already. But sometimes it's not. School fills every once of my week... Why did I want to be a doctor? Why could I settle on being a nurse or something that didn't take forever? I hardly get to see Zeke anymore. Sure I catch snip-its of time with him but we never do anything! We lay together and do homework! I had basically moved in, I spent every night at his house (oh did I forget to mention they all put their money together and bought a house on campus? Well they did, with the addition of Honey and me the needed more space) and my clothes were already in the dressers.

There was 4 rooms in the house, one for Raine and Hale, one for Luca and Rory, one for Zeke and me, and one for Honey. Needless to say it was sort of hectic. Anyone who has ever lived with Honey knows what she's like. She, do be stereotypical, a blonde. But I love her, she's so funny and lovable... And she's in all of my classes. Dr. Honey... I laughed to myself. I feel bad for whoever is her patient.

Right now Zeke is holding my hand and we are entering our humble abode together.

"Ugh." I groaned. "Do my homework for me?" I asked Zeke as I threw my container of all things sinister and evil in the world. Well, it mainly contained my homework and a few pencils.

"Of course." Zeke said, and grabbed the container of evil. Then he waltzed over to the couch.

"Wait? What?" I paused. "No! You can't do I! I won't allow you!" With that I ran over to him and tackled him, pinning him to the couch. In the process he dropped the sack of evil and spilled all its contents onto the floor. I was laughing really hard. He was as well. Once the laughter stopped we just stared into each others' eyes.

"Hi." I said lamely.

"Hi." He said and smiled at me. "I have something I want to tell you."

"What is it?" I asked excitedly.

"You forgot something."

"What?" I asked, confusion coloring my voice. "What did I forget?" Within a second he flipped us over and pinned me into a couch.

"Never turn your back. Or in this case loosen your hold." He leaned down and kissed me just as Honey walked in.

"Guys!" She whined. "We talked about this! If you're going to do dirty deeds they must be done in the privacy of your bedroom with paper thin walls!"

"He was just kissing me." I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Goodness."

"Oh, okay then." She paused. "Well go to your bedroom anyway, I want to watch TV."

"Go sit in the recliner." Zeke scoffed.

"I want to lounge on the couch though!" She whined. Her deep brown eyes framed by a small amount of black eyeliner grew wide and pleading. She stuck out her bottom lip gloss coated lip and pouted.

"But we were here first!" I whined back at her.

"Well, then I'll just have to sit on you."

"You wouldn't." Zeke said casting a look at her over his shoulder. She would. She strutted right over and sat on top of Zeke. Zeke gave up on trying to hold her up so he fell on top of me. I let out an 'oof' as they crushed me.

"Can... not... breath!" I said over dramatically.

"Fine I'll get up, but you have to take these." She slapped something on my face. I grabbed them and looked at them.

"Two tickets to Paris?" I looked at her in surprise. What could these be for?

"For Raine and Hale's wedding." She said and rolled her eyes.

"Wait, what?" Zeke gasped. I'm pretty sure I felt his jaw drop to the floor.

"Where are they anyway?" I asked.

"At the birthday dinner I planned for them. There will be lasagna, candles, romantic music played by Nevershoutnever's Christofer Drew-"

"Cristofer Drew!?" I shouted. "Oh man, no way! How did you do it?"

"Dude he's my cousin." She rolled her eyes. "How haven't you guess, I mean my last name is Ingle. Why do you think I'm a vegetarian?"

"But... But... He doesn't have a cousin named Honey or Lilac!" I exclaimed.

"He doesn't... Keep in touch." She frowned. "I messed up, bad. A long time ago, I... Did something I shouldn't have and it too him forever to forgive me. I became a vegetarian to make it up to him. I didn't want him to be ashamed of me anymore." He took a deep breath then smiled at us again. "All I had to do to get him to do this for him was call him a million times and promise to do something for him."

"What do you have to do?" Zeke asked her.

"I... Don't know yet!" She shouted exasperatedly. "He won't tell me!"

"Wow, I mean just wow." I started at her, seeing her in a whole new light. "We're friends with someone related to the lead singer of Nevershoutnever. But hold on, if he’s angry at you why would he agree to do a favor for you?”

“Oh, I told him it was for Raine. We all used to be the three musketeers.” She smiled as if reliving the memory. “We did everything together, of course Chris was older than us, but that just made him all the more cool. And Raine, that boy had Chris wrapped around his finger so tight, I’m surprised they lost contact with one another. They did everything together, I was pretty sure they were attached at the hip. That’s how Raine learned to play the guitar you know. Raine so cute when he was little, he could wrap anyone around his finger in seconds, and he abused that power.”

“Hale was the same way.” Zeke said and smiled.

“Wait, wait, wait.” I said. “I have some questions: 1. How does this pertain to a birthday dinner at all? And 2. I thought you didn’t move here until you were 14?” I pointed at Zeke.

“Well, it’s a long story.” He trailed of and frowned. “The jest of it is that I was born in Britain and when I was 2 years old we moved to America because my dad got some fancy new job. That’s when I first met Hale. We were the two best friends anyone on the block had ever seen. I stayed there for a while, and Hale and I got really close, until my dad had to go back to Britain for his job. So we moved away from America and back to Britain until I was fourteen and my dad had an ‘accident’. It wasn’t an accident; he was murdered. One of his coworkers was messing around with him and ‘accidentally’ pushed my dad out a window, and he fell five stories.” Tears were forming in his eyes. “You don’t accidentally push someone out a window! Those windows where really think! Anyway my mom didn’t want me to stay in Britain, because I’d have to relive those memories everyday, so we moved back to America and even closer to Hale than we were before.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” I wrapped my arms around him in a hug.” You really didn’t have to tell me that, I can see it hurt you!”

”No, we’ve been dating for six months, you deserve to know anything.” He pulled away from my hug and turned to Honey. “So what does this have to do with their birthday dinner?”

“Hale is proposing!” She said excitedly.

“What?!” Zeke and I exclaimed in unison.

”You know, when someone gets on one knee and is all like ‘Hey man, I love you. Marry me?” She giggled. “Yeah just like that.”

“Oh my goodness I’m so happy for them!” I ran up and hugged Honey. “It sounds like you planned everything so perfectly! If Zeke ever decides to propose to me, I want you to plan it.” I pulled away and smiled at her. She said nothing but just looked at Zeke and smiled.

Something unfathomable passed between them… Maybe it was a look of knowing? I don’t know, so I just ignored it.

“Awe! I can’t believe it that’s so adorable.” Rory gushed as he came out of their bedroom. At the same time Luca said:

“It’s about time!”

“Wait… Won’t Chris think it’s a little awkward because they’re bothers and they’re gay… it’s kind of extremely immoral…” I pointed out.

“Nah,” Honey said. “ I already debriefed him and he knows everything that going on. He said that they just met each other, and didn’t grow up together, so they aren’t brothers in the true sense of the word. And he completely supports them! Chris is a real sweety sometimes.”

“Awe!” I smiled and giggled.Then the five of us continued to gush over the cuteness of Raine and Hale, and I proceeded to plan my perfect wedding. Well actually my whatever-is-better-than-perfect wedding because as long as Zeke was there, it would be perfect.


(Raine’s POV)

“Awe, thanks for the birthday dinner!” I exclaimed and smiled at Hale. “It feels like we haven’t had lasagna together in months! I love this so much!” Hale smiled at me, and his mouth was full of lasagna so I smiled. I then grabbed a fork and dug in. I closed my eyes slightly as and hummed as my taste buds exploded in a fit of joy and delight. I could seriously live on lasagna.

After that there was no words. We were too focused on shoveling as much lasagna in our mouths as possible to even think of filling the silence that consumed us. Once we were finished I reached into my coat pocket and handed Hale a gift.

“Happy birthday!” I said and smiled at him. “I hope your birthday can be as awesome as mine!” He unwrapped it to reveal a box containing a small bracelet with a heart on it. Inside the heart ‘Raine and Hale forever’ was engraved.

“It’s lovely, thanks so very much!” Hale said and smiled at me while he clasped the bracelet on his wrist.

“It’s a nice try, but I don’t think his birthday will ever be as special as yours.” Some stranger said.

“Yeah, mine’s pretty ama-“ I cut myself off as I saw who was beside our table. “Chris?” I gasped. “Christofer Drew Ingle! You’re here! Ohmygoodness! I’ve missed you so much.” I jumped up and hugged him.

“I’ve missed you too, my little Raine storm.” He smiled and laughed. “You’re so grown up now! You used to be so cute… What happened?” He chuckled. “I’m just joking. But I haven’t seen you in so long!”

“I know! I’ve missed you! But it’s okay because I’ve managed to stalk you via the internet!”

“You weren’t very subtle!” he laughed. “All your usernames have y our first name your last name and random letters mixed within or around it.”

“Well, that’s not important.” I looked down and blushed. Dying to change the subject I asked: “So why are you here?”

“To sing to you on your birthday, silly!” He laughed and patted me on the back. “Honey called me every two seconds for the last month, and said she wanted me to do this for you! I decided I had forgiven her, but I still made her promise to do something for me.”

“What does she have to do?”

“I’m not telling you.” He rolled his eyes. “She’ll torture you until you tell her! Anyway this isn’t about me or Honey this is about you two.” He patted me on the back and I looked over to Hale’s seat and to find it empty, I panicked but then found him on the floor on one knee holding a small black velvet box.

“No way! No way! This isn’t happening! I meant he dinner, the box, Chris being here. There is no way! I’m dreaming. Yeah that’s it this is all a dream and I’ll wake up crushed that it didn’t happen in real life!”

“It’s more like your dreams coming true.” He smiled then walked away and strummed a few cords while Hale recited cheese speech. But that’s okay because I love cheesy things.

“Raine, do you remember when we first met, a year and two weeks ago? How I didn’t want anything to do with you at all. I perceived you as an intruder in my life and home.” I nodded as tears filled my vision. “Now, I see it differently, and I’m glad you were thrust into my life. I don’t think I could make it one day without you by my side. So, Raine Allen Stevens, would you do me the honor of marrying me?” Not trusting my voice I nodded and all the tears that had build up fell from my eyes. Hale delicately took my hand and slipped a small golden band around my finger. He stood up and I leaped into his arms. I placed a peck on his lips then put my head on his shoulder. I’m pretty sure I soaked his shirt. I felt him chuckled quietly at me and my overemotional-ness. Once I finally recovered I climbed off of Hale and clutched his hand, I looked at Christ to see him smiling brightly.

“Congrats, kiddo.” He smiled. “Now I have a song I picked out especially for you two. No offense Hale, but it’s most for Raine, I’ve known him longer than I have you.” With that he strummed the opening cords to ‘Cant’ Stand It’ and sang:



He smiled at me and clapped me on the back. “I’m so happy for you.”

”Thanks so much for being here and doing this!” I smiled back at him.

“I expect an invite to the wedding, Rainy Day.” I smiled at how he used my old nicknames from when I was little.

“Are you sure it won’t be weird for you…” I frowned.

“Nah, it’s your life and your choices, I can’t change them, all I can do is live with it. So it doesn’t really bother me at all.” He fake frowned. “The only thing that does make me sad is that my little Rain cloud is all grown up! Remember, how, when you were little you’d follow me around everywhere.”

“Yeah, you were the coolest! All I wanted to do was hang out with big Chris all day. I remember you taught me to play guitar, and…” I laughed. “That one time when you fell asleep and I covered you in jell-o from head to toe! It was all in your hair and everything!”

“I know!” He laughed. “My hair was blue for weeks!” As our laughter died down I smiled sadly at him.

“Thanks so much for coming, you don’t know how much it means to me.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world… Well I gotta go, the bands getting impatient. See you Raine Storm.” He turned to leave but halted in his tracks.

“Raine?” He called quietly. I knew he was serious because he never called me by my normal name.

“Yes?” I answered in the same tone.

“I’m jealous of you.” And with that my childhood idol was gone.

“Hale…. The Christofer Drew Ingle is jealous of me! Me! Of all people.” I fanned myself. “I think I need to sit down.” Hale just chuckled, paid for the dinner and escorted me to the truck.
That night was so perfect! I couldn’t believe it had actually happened. Once we got home, Luca, Rory, Zeke, Connor, and Honey ambushed us at the door. It was a mess of limbs and shouted ‘congratulations’, as the hugged me. I just smiled until the were done.

“Wait, so you all knew about this?” I asked as my jaw fell to the floor.

“No, Honey did.” Hale explained. “I told her to keep it a secret to the others until we were gone.”

“And it was so hard!” She said exasperatedly. “ You don’t’ know how many times I wanted to just break down and tell you! Oh! And these are for you!”

“Tickets to Paris?” I asked as a dent formed between my eyebrows.

“Yeah, for your wedding!” She exclaimed. The others left the room as if the wedding talk was a plague.

“But we just got engaged!”

“It’s in three months.” She told us. “So you have 3 months to plan and invite everyone… So have fun with that… Oh, and Zeke as three months to muster up the corage to propose to Connor! Then you can have a joint wedding!”

“What?!” Hale and I exclaimed, I hadn’t even heard the last part, I had stopped listening at Zeke wanting to propose to Connor.