The Good Ones Go

Adam stares nervously at the Cartier logo on the door before finally getting the courage to pull it open. He takes a deep breath as he walks up to the smiling missus behind the counter.

"Hi, is there anything I can help you with today?" she asks him with a sparkling smile on her face that could put the diamonds in the room to shame.

"Yeah, uh, I was actually wondering if I could take a look at your engagement rings?" he asks sticking his hands in his pockets casually.

"Right this way," she tells him, and he follows straightening out his blazer.

It's been a little over 3 years since he and Chelsea had graduated: 3 years since he has asked her to be his girlfriend. He has finally finished his residency and found a job at the local hospital; Chelsea, on the other hand, had another 2 years to go until she was done with her specialization, but it didn’t matter because Adam had made up his mind, and he couldn't wait any longer. It seems as if after all the bills and loans they had to pay back that they were finally financially stable, and he doesn’t want to put off calling her his wife any longer.

"Can I see that one?" Adam asks pointing at the ring he thought would look perfect on Chelsea's slender finger.

"Sure. This one actually has a complementary band that you can purchase as well," the clerk tells him as she pulls out the platinum band adorned with three large diamonds so Adam can get a closer look. As soon as he picks it up he knows it's the one.

"I'll take it; get me the band too," he tells her without hesitation - he would give the world for Chelsea, his girlfriend, his future wife. He can’t wait to see her face when he asks her. That ring will look wonderful on her hand.

"Do you know her size?" she asks him smiling at his eagerness.

Adam chuckles a little, feeling like a dummy for not mentioning it earlier; "she's an 7.5," he says as he pulls out his checkbook.

"Well, you're prepared aren’t you?" she replies while looking for the right size.

"Shouldn't I be?" he asks nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Of course, not many are. Don't be nervous," she says, "she'll be surprised, and then she'll say yes."

Adam thanks her before writing a check for ten thousand something dollars and leaving the store with a little paper bag in hand.

Tonight'll be the night.



"Ughh," Chelsea groans throwing herself on her sofa. She's exhausted from a long day at the hospital and is happy to finally be able to come home to a nice clean apartment. It's unusual: walking in without being met by empty take-out containers and dirty clothes, but it's definitely something that she could get used to.

She turns on the TV to find some mindless entertainment for the next few hours. She would relax a little before making dinner for Adam when he got home from work. She flips the channel to Sports Center just as her phone rings in her purse.

She digs around for it hoping she doesn't miss whoever's calling. It might be her mom. Ever since she skyped with them the night of her graduation, her mom was always calling to ask how her and Adam are doing. When she sees Adam's name flashing across the screen she quickly answers.

"Hey, baby, coming home already?" she asks with a grin on her face.

"No, not yet, babe. I just wanted to let you know I made reservations at Bon Appetit for tonight," he says. He crosses his fingers hoping she'd be up for it.

Chelsea is more than up for it though. As soon as she hears where they're going she lets out a little squeal. The cozy French restaurant had opened up only a few months ago, but it's high-end and had an amazing menu.

"Oh my gosh, you read my mind! I cant wait! When are we going?" she asks.

Adam smiles to himself on the other end before saying, "I'll pick you up at six."

"Alright, I love you," Chelsea adds.

"I love you, too," Adam says before hanging up.

Chelsea sighs. What would she do for the next three hours now that she didn't have to make dinner? Take a bath? That's it; she'd take a nice long bath before getting ready for a nice evening with her boyfriend. She definitely deserved one after the week she was having. She's so happy that Adam planned something for dinner tonight: it had been a couple months since they had a nice night out.

She lets the tub fill and runs to get herself a nice glass of Bordeaux. It seemed as if it was time to finish up as soon as she stepped in because before she knows it, it's already five. She lets the water drain as she dries herself before stepping out to get ready for a her evening with Adam.



When Adam walks out of Cartier he heads straight for Travis' house. At 3 he finds himself on Travis' black leather couch with a Corona in his right hand.

"Think she'll say yes?" he asks Travis after taking a sip from his bottle.

"Do I think she'll say yes? Man, that's something you ask yourself before you blow 10 grand that you don’t have on a ring! Of course she'll say yes, dumbass," Travis reassures him before walking away and into his kitchen.

Travis leans down on his island with his face in his hands. He lets out a big sigh. Will she say yes? He really had no clue. She seems so in love with Adam, but had she even dealt with her feelings for Colson? She tells him everything there is to tell, but she hasn't mentioned her ex since her graduation day three years ago. Besides, it's kind of hard to accept that Chelsea would be permanently unavailable now.

"You don't think she'll say yes, do you?" Adam asks. His body is leaning against the frame of the door as he watches his best friend in deep thought.

"What? No, of course she will, dude," he says trying to reassure his friend. He's caught sulking, and he doesn't know how to defend it.

"Then why are you standing there looking like I just asked YOU to marry me?" Adam asks Travis watching him try to mask the worry. "Can you just be honest with me, man?"

"I don't know, Adam. Have you guys talked about your future?"

"No shit I'm not just randomly asking some girl off the street to marry me, Mills. I've loved Chelsea for almost 6 years, man, and we've been together for 3. I'm 28. I know where my life is going, and I want her in it," Adam says taking a seat on a stool.

"What about Chelsea?" Travis asks hesitantly. He doesn't want to bring this up but Adam is his friend, and he just wants to help.

"What about Chelsea? She loves me, doesn't she? What is this about?" Adam asks; he's suddenly wondering if Chelsea is being honest with him.

"Nothing, I just, I don't want you to get hurt, man," Travis adds while grabbing a bottle of vodka from the cabinets.

"Why would I get hurt? Is she cheating on me?"

"No, no, NO! Don't go there, man. Chelsea does love you, and she would never cheat on you. I just - she hasn’t mentioned a thing about Kelly since -" Travis hesitates again, "since forever. I wanna make sure that she's over him. I mean, they were together for more than 10 years, man, and that's not easy to throw away."

Adam sighs, "you don't think she is?"

Travis pours himself a shot and thinks about what to say for a moment. What's he talking about? Why is he worried anyway? Because Colson tried to contact her that one day three years ago? What's he doing by worrying his friend over nothing?

"Fuck man, I'm sorry. Chelsea loves you; she wouldn’t be with you if she didn’t. I think she's been cheated on enough to know how much it hurts. I'm sorry for putting these doubts in your head, trust me, you have nothing to worry about," Travis tells him. He wishes he hadn't said anything. "You must think so too, I mean, Cartier?"

Adam laughs, "I guess it didn’t really matter. I just want Chelsea to know how much she really means to me." He checks his watch before saying, "I'd better get going. Thanks for the pep talk."

Travis laughs, "don’t worry man, you got this. Besides, you're not the one that has to sit there and listen to, 'OMG TRAV, HE ASKED ME TO MARRY HIM! LOOK AT THIS RING! WHEN ARE WE GONNA GET MARRIED, WHO AM I GONNA INVITE, WHAT AM I GONNA WEAR!?'" he jokes; he knows Chelsea would never do that to him. "Have a good time," he tells Adam before locking the front door after him.

Travis listens to his friend's footsteps fade and sighs silently hoping Colson would do this one thing for Chelsea and just stay away. He shakes his head hoping he can do the same.



Adam stands in front of Chelsea's apartment fiddling with the box in his pocket. He lets out a sigh and knocks on the door.

Chelsea opens it and Adam quickly checks her out; he loves the way she looks in her mini-dress.

"Hi, baby. Are you ready to go?" he asks as he places a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Yea, let me just grab my purse," she says letting him hold the door.

He watches her grab her clutch and keys from the table and can’t help but smile; she's as beautiful at 27 as she was at 21.

"You okay?" Chelsea asks him as she locks her door.

"Yea, I'm good just starving," he tells her before swinging his arm around her waist as they walk to the elevator.

"Long day?" she asks as she pushs the button for the lobby.

"Oh yeah," he says laughing a little. If only she knew.

"Well hopefully tonight will make you feel better," she replies and gives him a wink.

Adam laughs as he reaches to open the door for her. He waits until she climbs into his humble Honda Civic before saying, "I know it will," and heading to the driver's seat.

A few hours later, the couple has finished their meal and Chelsea is thanking Adam for snagging this reservation.

"I could seriously live here," she tells him as she keeps her eye out for their waiter. "Hi, can I get the check, please?" she quickly asks the waitress walking past them after failing to spot theirs.

"You're not paying, Chels," Adam tells her before letting out a chuckle.

"Am too. I'm not gonna be an oncologist just so you can get all the bills!" she says and begins to childishly playing footsies with him.

"Alright, you can get the bill -"

"And other bills," she interrupts.

Adam laughs before continuing, "Okay, you can get this bill - and other bills - on one condition," he tells her as he pulls the box out of his pocket.

"And what's that?" she asks him as she playfully crosses her arms.

Adam kneels down on his knee and opens the little Cartier box. He grins when he sees Chelsea's hands fly to her wide-open mouth and tears well up in her eyes.

"Chelsea Lisle, will you marry me?" he asks her.

She nods her head frantically and wipes the tears falling down her cheeks. As Adam places the ring on her finger she pulls her hand back and said, "wait!"

Adam furrows his eyebrows and stares up at her, worried at what she might say. Was Travis right?

"Do I get to pay the bill?" she asks with a huge grin on her face.

Adam lets out a hearty laugh of relief before picking up his fiancée and spinning her around. "Of course you get to pay the bill," he tells her before placing her back on the ground and kissing her.

She hears the room break into applause and suddenly realizes they're still at a restaurant full of people. She smiles as she looks around at everyone mouthing 'thank yous' at all the faces smiling back. She looks back at Adam and gives him a long passionate kiss. This man never ceases to amaze her.

Chelsea did get the bill that night and Adam drove them to her apartment. They spent hours making love on her bed before Adam had finally fallen asleep. Chelsea had never seen him so passionate before and was amazed that she had someone that loves her so much. She caresses his face gently being careful not to wake him.

The gleam of the moonlight reflects off the jewelry on her left hand, and she brought it up to her face to take a good look at it. It's perfect. How had Adam picked this for her? It's as if it had been made for her hand. She pulls it off her finger gently and gasps when she sees the markings on the inside of the band. Cartier? How much money had he spent on this, she wonders. She slides it back on her finger and gets out of bed - there's someone that she has to call.

She closes the bedroom door behind her and paces back and forth through her living room as she listens to the ringing.

"Chelsea?" she finally hears from the other line.

"Yea it's me, ma," she says; she's happy that her mother picked up.

"What are you calling so late for, dear? Is everything okay?" Sonya, her mother, asks as she rubs the sleep from her eyes.

"Yea, mom, I'm just calling to tell you I'm getting married," she says while trying to contain her excitement and keep her voice down.

"You're what?" her mother asks with a smile forming on her face.

"I'm getting married," Chelsea confirms. She bites her lip gently awaiting her mother's reaction.

"Oh my goodness! Wake up, George, our little girl is engaged!" Sonya yells elbowing her husband.

"Huh, what?" Chelsea hears her father grumble and bit back a laugh.

"She's getting married!"

"Who is?"

"Chelsea!"

"What Chelsea? Our Chelsea?" he asks opening his eyes to look at his wife.

"Yes, our Chelsea, you idiot!" Sonya yells at him shaking her head as she laughs.

"Oh, congratulations, honey! Took Colson long enough to ask ya!" her father says as he wrestles his wife for the receiver, suddenly forgetting how long it's been since the two parted ways.

Chelsea's eyes widen at his words, "no dad, not Colson, Adam. You met him graduation weekend, remember?" she asks.

"Oh yeah, that fella. Oh, he's a good guy too. I'm so happy for you, sweetie," he tells her rubbing his mustache in thought.

"Thanks, dad," she says, "well, I'll let you guys get back to sleep."

"Alright, darling, thanks for calling. Have a good night!" her father says before hanging up.

Chelsea drops down on her sofa and stares at her phone. All the memories come tumbling back like an avalanche. Colson. She hasn't thought of him since she hallucinated at her graduation. She wonders where he is and how he's doing.

She remembers the long nights they stayed up playing his stupid video games and all the times he'd taken care of her when she was sick. All the fights he fought for her. All the long night phone calls and strolls through the park. The kisses and hugs, and the way his long boney arms would snake their way around her in front of Shaker Heights to let every guy there know that she was his.

She feels the tears on her face and reaches up to wipe them. How had she ever gotten the courage to break up with him? She feels her heart break all over again as she looks at her bedroom door remembering all the times she opened it to find him with another girl in her bed. She thinks of all the parties he went to and how drunk he would get, how he would act like she didn’t exist until he needed her to take care of him.

She quickly gets up and writes Adam a note saying she's on call and has to go; she couldn’t let him see her like this because he would know. She locks her door quietly and drives to Travis' house.

She knocks on his door and waits as a steady stream of tears cascades down her cheeks. When he doesn't open she knocks harder. She's desperate and she needs him to help her; she needs him so she could forget all about Cole.

As the door swings open she's about to throw herself into his arms until she realizes that this tall, slender blonde is not Travis at all.

"Hi, is Travis home?" she asks fighting to catch her breath.

The girl doesn't know what to say, but thankfully moments later Travis appears next to her. His eyes scan the woman before him and his brows furrow, "did you say no?" he asks her.

She shakes her head in response; she's wishing he would just let her come in and hug him.

"Then why are you crying?" he asks.

Chelsea can't take it. She can’t find the words to tell her best friend that she's confused, that she's still in love with Cole. She sobs harder as she wraps her arms around him tightly.

He knows - she doesn't have to say anything, he just knows. "Sorry," he says to the half naked woman holding the door open. He can’t remember her name, but he really is sorry because the head she was giving him was the best he'd had since Chelsea.

"Whatever," she says as she rolls her eyes and puts her clothes back on.

Chelsea feels even worse when she hears the door slam shut. She always interrupts Travis' one-night stands; how did this man have the patience for her?

"It's okay, Chels," he tells her as he smoothens out her hair. "Here let's sit down," he says while pulling her to the couch. He tells her he'll be right back, and she takes the time to pull her coat off leaving her in her bandeau and shorts.

Travis returns with a box of tissue and a fat spliff. For a second his breath catches in her throat when he sees what she's wearing, but he shakes himself out of it. He hands the joint to Chelsea who hasn't held one in the last three years. She sparks it up and takes a deep breath before throwing her head back. 1, 2, 3, she counts slowly as she holds it in. She closes her eyes and slowly breaths out. She takes another long hit and passes it over to Travis wondering to herself how she would've survived anything without him.