Mine

The first time I saw him was at a restaurant.

He looked rushed. Brown curls bounced softly on his shoulders as he moved swiftly from table to table. I was amazed at how well he could balance plates and glasses along his forearms and still manage to move around quickly.

It was a busy night at this restaurant. Every table and booth was full and a line lingered in the doorway, kids my age just waiting to be seated. I assumed we were in a college town with a school fairly close by. That seemed to be the only reasonable explanation as to why this tiny place was so packed at this time of night.

My eyes wandered back to the waiter, thinking maybe he was a student for he seemed to know almost everyone that entered. I envied that about him immediately. I was 18, fresh out of high school with no real plans to attend college. I saw no reason to. My only basis for being here was because I couldn’t stay at home anymore. The second I turned 18, my friend Jack and I left our shitty hometown and set our sights on California.

Until now, a small part of me had regretted leaving so rapidly. Don’t get me wrong, I needed out of my fucked up home, but there were still some days where I missed having that sense of security – even if it was entirely flawed. I was a skeptic and I rarely saw the good in things. Now though, as I sat at this corner table, listening to Jack mumble on and on beside me, I felt a burst of hope. There was something about this stranger that made me feel alive. And that wasn’t something I was used to.

It was about five minutes later when he finally arrived to our table; cheeks flushed a bright color red and his hair even more disheveled than before. He was still adorable and I could feel myself becoming anxious just at his presence.

“I’m so sorry about the long wait,” he spoke up, looking directly at me. Our eyes just seemed to lock, forgetting Jack, or anyone for that matter, was even there. “My name is Vic and I’ll be your waiter this evening.”

Vic. His name just kind of rolled off your tongue. Short and sweet, seemingly just like him.

For the remainder of the night I kept my eyes on Vic, watching him in amusement when he’d dodge a bread roll being thrown across the room by a group of friends, or nearly tripping on his own two feet when someone pushed out a chair all too soon.

I didn’t get to say much to him. We mostly shared glances here and there, but when the night was ending and Jack and I had finished our meals, I left him a pretty sizable tip…and my phone number.



That night that I met Vic, everything sort of changed for me. He called me the next day, happy that I picked up on all the signals and actually left my number. Truth be told, I wasn’t even paying attention to his “signs”. I would have left it anyway, which really wasn’t like me. I wasn’t exactly the type of person to let people in.

Yet after a few casual exchanges, we had decided to meet for coffee. And the rest as they say is history.

Right now I was sitting on Vic’s couch, watching as his brother and friend kicked my ass at whatever video game we were playing. Vic was curled into my side, laughing his ass off as his brother’s character gunned me down.

“You think that’s funny, huh?” I asked, poking him in his side and listening as he let out another beautiful laugh. Any noise he made always sent shivers up my spine. I enjoyed listening to him, even if it was just humming.

“I’m sorry, my love.” He teased, reaching up to peck my nose. I couldn’t help the overwhelming urge I had to throw my arms around him and bring him closer to me. He always knew just what to say at any given moment. I’ve never felt so safe with someone before.

It was a feeling I had always longed for.

“Such a bad, bad boyfriend.” I pouted, which only caused him to cuddle closer to me.

I was in such a daze. Just months ago I was sneaking out of my house in the middle of the night, trying my best not to wake my parents. They hated me, but I knew that if they were aware of my intentions, they’d do everything in their power and threaten me to stay.

I wouldn’t stay, though. I couldn’t handle their constant fighting, or the punches my father would throw, either at me or my mother. I had enough and I had tried to reason with my mom, begging her to just leave him, but she never did. And I couldn’t stay around any longer and wait for my father to do something he would end up regretting.

“Babe?” Vic brought me out of my trance and I shook the memories away. Here I was, snuggled next to my perfect boyfriend, I didn’t need the remains of my past trying to come and overtake me.

Looking at Vic, my heart beat faster, threatening to jump out at any second. I don’t know how I got so lucky. I just know that I was so glad I made the move to ask him to be mine, because I know that if I hadn’t, my life wouldn’t be anywhere near as good as it was right now.

“I was just thinking,” I finally answered him, moving us so we were away from the guys and had a bit more personal space.

“About what?” He pulled me down on top of him, hand running up and down my back in a calming matter.

“That night, at the lake…” I looked up at him, resting my hands underneath my chin for support. He just smiled, keeping up the movements on my back as he encouraged me to continue.

“What about it?”

I sighed and rolled my eyes, knowing exactly what he was doing. He always loved to tease me about it, though I don’t know why. “It was my favorite night. Don’t you remember?”

“Remember what?”

“Vic!” I smacked him playfully before burying my face in his chest. He probably got tired of how much I asked him about it, but it was the best night of my life and I was always going to remember it. I just wanted to make sure he did, too. “It was when I asked you to be my boyfriend.”

“Oh, that,” he murmured, holding me close. “How could I forget?”

I don’t know about him, but I know that night was forever burned into my memory.

It was after one of our dates. Vic and I weren’t ready for the night to end yet and I didn’t want to leave his side, so he had taken me up to the lake. I had never been there before, seeing as how I was still sort of new to town and getting used to the area, but I heard great things about it.

When we finally arrived at the pier, I could understand why. The scene in front of me looked like it came from a painting. The water was so calm until we slipped our feet in. The way the moon hit off the water, reflecting and glowing brightly, lit up Vic’s face so I could see every detail of him.

And it was perfect.

I adored absolutely every inch of him from his soft, flowing hair to his oddly small feet. We hadn’t been seeing each other long, so we hadn’t really had “the talk”. Therefore we weren’t official or anything, even though we had both decided to forgo the option of seeing other people.

However, I wanted to be. Vic was amazing and I didn’t want anyone else to take notice of that and try and steal him away. I’d had those thoughts for some time now, thinking of a way to make Vic mine, but I came up short.

That was until tonight when he brought me here.

He slipped his arm around my waist, scooting me closer to where he was sitting and I rested my head on his shoulder. The air was warm around us; the calming sounds of the water swishing around our feet mixed with the crickets provided a serene background for us.

It was the perfect opportunity, so I took it.

“Vic, will you be mine?” I blurted out without really thinking it through.

“What?” He just looked at me, eyes wide.

“M-my boyfriend. Will you be…my boyfriend?” On the inside I was panicking. Maybe he felt differently than I did?

He must have read my nervous expression because the next thing I knew, he leaned forward, pressing his lips to mine softly. It was a warm kiss, full of adoration and more. “I thought you’d never ask,” he said.



Time really does fly when you’re having fun.

Vic and I have been together for two years and nothing really has changed except for the fact that each day, I fall in love with him more and more. We had made the decision to move in together after two years of dating thinking that was enough time, which worked out for both me and Jack. A few weeks after Vic and I became official he started dating this girl and now they were moving in together, too.

As I carried in box after box, Vic trailed along behind me, stepping on the heels of my shoes playfully.

“If you don’t stop it, I’m going to trip and die!” I said dramatically as I entered the house.

“My Kellin, such a princess.” He commented, following my actions.

Soon enough the kitchen counter was piled high in boxes, some even straying into the far corners of the living room. With a relieved sigh, I finally took the time to admire the place Vic and I had chosen. This was a home, a real home, and I was sharing it with the one person I loved most in the world.

“You coming?” Vic called, knocking me back into reality.

“Yeah,” I gave him a smile and followed him out of the room and back to the car so we could meet our friends.

When we came back that night, I knew that Vic was stressed. During the dinner, our friends kept bringing up our finances, even though it was really none of their business. Vic was graduated from college, working at a place where he had his internship over the summer and I was only working part-time at the library until I could find something better.

Our previous bills had been added together, creating a mound of debt we would soon fall into and now that we had decided to get our own place, everyone thought we were making a mistake.

And maybe we were. Maybe we should have waited.

But that’s one of the things Vic changed about me. I didn’t wait for chances anymore. I made them happen, going out of my way to get what I wanted. I didn’t play it safe like I used to.

I didn’t care about the money, though it was a crucial part for us. If we didn’t buckle down soon, we’d lose everything. I had faith, though. Something else Vic seemed to restore in me. It was risk, of course, but one I was willing to take.

Vic, on the other hand, seemed unsure, which only caused me to revert back to my old mindset. If Vic was unsure about moving in, maybe he was unsure about us.

What if he wanted to leave me?

I was in the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water before bed when Vic entered, papers in his hands, mumbling something about owing a couple hundred here and there. I couldn’t be bothered with listening. I didn’t want his negativity.

“Vic, stop!” I yelled at him, putting my hands over his.

“Excuse me?” He snapped back at me, yanking out of my hold. “Do you have any idea how much trouble we’re in, Kellin? Do you even care?”

“Of course I do,” I whispered, feeling defeated at his tone. Just like that I was 12 years old again, watching as my mother and father screamed bloody murder at each other. Vic knew how I felt about fighting, yet here he was, going at it with me.

“I don’t think you do! I can’t pay for this myself! We’re not making enough, this was a mistake! A huge, terrible, fucking dumb mistake!” He screamed and that was when I lost it.

His words hit me hard, slicing right through me. He had confirmed my suspicions. We were a mistake. I pushed past him, running out of the kitchen and through the front door. Stumbling down the stairs, I ended up in the yard, but I didn’t stop there. No, I kept going until I reached the middle of the street. Maybe if a car came and hit me, I would wake up from this horrible nightmare.

“Kellin!” I heard Vic call after me, but I ignored him, nearly collapsing on the ground as I let the tears fall. “Kellin,” he said again when he reached me.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, holding me against his chest and placing tender kisses on the back of my neck. “I’m sorry, baby, I’m so sorry,” he whispered over and over again.

“Just say it, Vic! Just say it’s over, okay? Get it over with! Don’t leave me hanging like this! Just leave me!” I cried out, trying to pull away from him, but he wouldn’t let me.

Instead he turned me in his arms so I was facing him and brought a hand up to my face, wiping away some stray tears. “Do you know how you always ask me about that night?” He questioned.

I simply nodded, not trusting my voice.

“It was the best night of my life, too.” He said to me. “Don’t you ever think otherwise, because I remember, Kellin, I could never forget.” His arms wrapped tighter around me as I continued to cry, but this time, the tears weren’t sad anymore.

“But…” I tried, but Vic wouldn’t let me speak.

“I remember that night by the lake, Kellin. The way you felt snuggled up beside me, the scent of your hair, the warmth of your body, I remember it all. Every touch, every word, I remember.” He continued to hold me, rocking us back and forth so we had picked up some sort of dance. “Not a day goes by where I don’t think about it.”

“Every day you continue to amaze me, just by being you and I promise with everything in me that I will never leave. We will not end up like your parents, Kellin. I won’t ever let that happen. It’s you and me, me and you, we’re forever. Got that?” His voice was low, his words sincere and I wanted nothing more than to melt into him.

“Vic, I love you.” I said to him, grabbing onto his shirt so he didn’t leave me, even though I know he wouldn’t. He never would.

“I love you more, Kellin. You are the best thing that’s ever been mine.”