Status: "To Yonder" is still my main priority. I guess that makes this number two.
Borrowed
Prologue - A Promise
“A guy and a girl can just be friends, but at one point or another, they will fall for each other… Maybe temporarily, maybe at the wrong time, maybe too late, or maybe forever.”
- Dave Matthews Band
---
“Can we promise each other something?”
“Anything.”
It was a warm summer day with a light breeze. The type of day you get lost in and wonder where all the time went.
Aliona Frost and William Gallagher laid in the grass hand in hand, their fingers intertwined and not a care in the world. A single white cloud passed by overhead – its shape shifting from something reminiscent of Fudgie the Whale to an octopus riding a unicycle.
“Do you think…” he turned his head to look her directly in the eyes. His grasp on her slight fingers tightened with nervousness and he seemed to fidget, “If neither of us are married by the time… let’s say thirty, yeah, that’s a good age, thirty. If neither of us are married by the time we’re thirty let’s just marry each other, okay?”
He spat the last part out with such force that it was almost like he hadn’t even said it. When enough time had passed for the silence to settle the embarrassment began to set in. What would she say? What could she say? She’d held his heart for most of his life and whether he knew it or not, he had just given her the power to break it into a million little pieces. Hopefully she wouldn’t feel the need to run it over too if that were the case.
Luckily for him, she couldn’t imagine ever hurting him, he meant too much. She closed her eyes and shook her head laughing silently. He had always been such a naive and eager boy. That’s probably why she loved him so much.
“I knew it was a stupid idea,” he pulled his hand away, “Forget I ever said anything.”
“Liam!” She reached for his hand and intertwined their fingers once again in an attempt to ground him, “Don’t say that! I said anything and I really meant anything. Of course I’ll marry you. One day… if nobody better comes along first.” She giggled and her cheeks tinged pink slightly embarrassed by the whole situation. She began to imagine being thirty, what did that even mean?
What would it be like to actually be married one day? To spend forever together?
“Hey, that’s not funny!” Liam laughed it off, but secretly his pride had been hurt. At the tender age of thirteen Liam was yet to have a girlfriend and fearful of the world he had just begun to unravel. His thirties were years away and yet he was already worrying about the weight of the world – it was pressing down on his shoulders and only seemed to get heavier.
“On one condition though. You’ll need to get me a ring.”
“A ring?”
Yes, a ring. A token… a promise… a physical representation of everything the two young, blossoming teenagers didn’t have words for.
“Yea, if we’re going to be married you’ll need to get me a ring, That way I know you’re serious.” She’s meant it jokingly, but the look on his face was anything but jesting. Rather, he was determined. She had managed to unintentionally challenge him and there was no way he was backing down. Just like most other thirteen-year-old boys, he never said no to a challenge.
“That’s it? If I get you a ring it’s all set? Promise?” He was bewildered. Was it really this easy? He stuck out his pinky with a dead serious expression on his face. Without hesitation she reciprocated and intertwined her own delicate pinky with his. The two of them seemed to be entranced by one another just staring as if it were the first time they were really seeing each other.
It was done.
Content, he sprung up pulling her along with him, their pinkies still interlocked, “I’ve got the perfect idea. Follow me.” There was no way he was missing out on his big chance. He couldn’t waste a single more second.
A promise was a promise.
And for a moment, the impending doom of the future had left the child’s mind. He was excited, excited for tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after where maybe he’d get to marry his best friend.
And for the next moment, all he could think about was the quarter weighing a ton in his pocket and the ring machine down at the corner store.
Aliona Frost would one day be his, William Gallagher was so sure.
---
- Dave Matthews Band
---
“Can we promise each other something?”
“Anything.”
It was a warm summer day with a light breeze. The type of day you get lost in and wonder where all the time went.
Aliona Frost and William Gallagher laid in the grass hand in hand, their fingers intertwined and not a care in the world. A single white cloud passed by overhead – its shape shifting from something reminiscent of Fudgie the Whale to an octopus riding a unicycle.
“Do you think…” he turned his head to look her directly in the eyes. His grasp on her slight fingers tightened with nervousness and he seemed to fidget, “If neither of us are married by the time… let’s say thirty, yeah, that’s a good age, thirty. If neither of us are married by the time we’re thirty let’s just marry each other, okay?”
He spat the last part out with such force that it was almost like he hadn’t even said it. When enough time had passed for the silence to settle the embarrassment began to set in. What would she say? What could she say? She’d held his heart for most of his life and whether he knew it or not, he had just given her the power to break it into a million little pieces. Hopefully she wouldn’t feel the need to run it over too if that were the case.
Luckily for him, she couldn’t imagine ever hurting him, he meant too much. She closed her eyes and shook her head laughing silently. He had always been such a naive and eager boy. That’s probably why she loved him so much.
“I knew it was a stupid idea,” he pulled his hand away, “Forget I ever said anything.”
“Liam!” She reached for his hand and intertwined their fingers once again in an attempt to ground him, “Don’t say that! I said anything and I really meant anything. Of course I’ll marry you. One day… if nobody better comes along first.” She giggled and her cheeks tinged pink slightly embarrassed by the whole situation. She began to imagine being thirty, what did that even mean?
What would it be like to actually be married one day? To spend forever together?
“Hey, that’s not funny!” Liam laughed it off, but secretly his pride had been hurt. At the tender age of thirteen Liam was yet to have a girlfriend and fearful of the world he had just begun to unravel. His thirties were years away and yet he was already worrying about the weight of the world – it was pressing down on his shoulders and only seemed to get heavier.
“On one condition though. You’ll need to get me a ring.”
“A ring?”
Yes, a ring. A token… a promise… a physical representation of everything the two young, blossoming teenagers didn’t have words for.
“Yea, if we’re going to be married you’ll need to get me a ring, That way I know you’re serious.” She’s meant it jokingly, but the look on his face was anything but jesting. Rather, he was determined. She had managed to unintentionally challenge him and there was no way he was backing down. Just like most other thirteen-year-old boys, he never said no to a challenge.
“That’s it? If I get you a ring it’s all set? Promise?” He was bewildered. Was it really this easy? He stuck out his pinky with a dead serious expression on his face. Without hesitation she reciprocated and intertwined her own delicate pinky with his. The two of them seemed to be entranced by one another just staring as if it were the first time they were really seeing each other.
It was done.
Content, he sprung up pulling her along with him, their pinkies still interlocked, “I’ve got the perfect idea. Follow me.” There was no way he was missing out on his big chance. He couldn’t waste a single more second.
A promise was a promise.
And for a moment, the impending doom of the future had left the child’s mind. He was excited, excited for tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after where maybe he’d get to marry his best friend.
And for the next moment, all he could think about was the quarter weighing a ton in his pocket and the ring machine down at the corner store.
Aliona Frost would one day be his, William Gallagher was so sure.
---
♠ ♠ ♠
So this is something I've been thinking about for a long time now. "To Yonder" is still my main priority so the updates on this probably won't be as frequent. I'd love to hear what you think and if you have any feedback -- hopefully you enjoyed! Questions, comments, concerns? Fuel my fire -- Throw'em at me yo.And if you're interested in Yonder:
Welcome to Yonder
(There's pirates and booty, who doesn't like that?)