To Caress My Day

After breakfast at the Gloucester Old Spot, the two couples ventured out in Seth’s rental car towards Cheltenham. Even though it was winter and there were masses of snow everywhere, the women wanted to park the car and commence their shopping spree on foot. Seth concurred, and found a parking lot to leave his car. What was meant to only be a simple shopping spree turned into an eternal shopping spree at a whopping four story mall that Seth and Luther were reluctantly tugged along through. Regrettably, it turned out to be just as mundane as the older man had forewarned him it would be. Luckily for them they had each other for company, and that’s exactly how the two men depleted the time, by getting to know each other. Seth had a feeling he might have taken it too far though when he had used his animated voices on his future father-in-law and had him doubling over in laughter with tears streaming down his cheeks in front of the whole store.

“Uh oh, it looks like Seth might be a little too diverting for Luther's own good. I better go get him before he acquires the manager’s attention next and gets kicked out of here.” Araceli giggled, withdrawing from her daughter’s side to retrieve her husband.

Standing aside as Araceli took her husband somewhere in the store, Seth began to close in on Twigs with a perverse grin. He had concocted a covert plan to sneak trice of affection with her behind her parents back, and right now her parents were preoccupied on the other side of the store. Coming up behind her as she leisurely meandered alongside the combat boots on display in the shoe section, Seth shrouded his arms around her waist and distributed kisses on the patches of skin he could get to underneath her jawline, drawing a giggle from her. “I missed you from all the way over there.”

“Well, you got me now, baby.” Twigs grinned, setting a hand over his and reaching with her other one over her shoulder to cup the back of his neck under the blonde strands of his goofy wig. Inclining her head to the side, she granted him greater passage to the warm delicate flesh of her neck.

“True, but I miss you in more ways than one.” Seth whispers huskily in her ear, making her tremble with anticipation. Lifting his eyes, he sighted a jewelry store across the mall. The shop held him bewitched even with the ring box he stored in his coat pocket that was toted around everywhere with him. Perhaps it wasn’t the right time to propose to her, but maybe he can give her something else in the meantime. Rearing his head from the crook of her neck, he breathed. “Let me buy you something, Tahliah.”

Twigs raised an inquisitive brow, gradually steering them to a clothing rack. “Oh yeah? Like what? A cute little keychain?”

“No, not a keychain!” Seth grunted with an eye roll as he freed her to skim through the clothes while he watched. “I was thinking something along the lines of a ring.”

Stilling, Twig’s snapped her head in his direction. The smile on her face was gone as she simply gawked at him for a long time. “A...A ring?”

Seth nodded, closing the distance between them to grab her hands in his, his eyes piercing into hers. “Yeah, a ring. I want to buy you a gift for Christmas.”

“But...what about those instead?” Twigs hasten to say, indicating a nice polished pair of black combat boots behind them that were reminiscent of an old pair she had misplaced. A ring was too much. She didn’t know why, but it was. A pair of boots was the ideal gift from her boyfriend in her opinion so why would he hurtle to picking a ring instead.

Seth frowned at the shoes behind them. Why on earth did she think shoes would be a fitting gift? “What? No! I don’t want to give you a pair of botts that you probably already have because I’m pretty sure you left a pair of those exact same ones at my place in California.”

“Is that where they went?!” Twigs exclaimed, irked with herself for losing one of her favorite pairs. “And to think I was positive I left them in New York at a gig!”

Getting back to the subject, Seth went on. “Tahliah, I want to give you something more personal.”

“Like a ring…?” Twigs whispered, feeling a dread that she didn’t understand fill her stomach. What was wrong with her? He wanted to give her a SIMPLE ring! Not a diamond engagement ring!

“Yes, a ring.” Seth restated again then paused. “Preferably a diamond ring.”

“Okay, you know what? That’s where I draw the line! No diamond rings!” Twigs spruned tightly, before walking away to a nearby jewellery station. She picked a ring and whirled around to extend it to him. “How about this one instead?”

Having followed her, he took the ring and inspected it more closely to see if it was worthy of being adorn on his girlfriend’s finger. It was a gold ring shaped into a Mulberry Tree with four small crystals on some of the branches. It was a simple ring, nothing at all like the one he had in mind...or the one he had procured for her engagement ring. Truly, he wasn’t impressed until he checked the price tag and saw that it was 150 euros. A smile stretched his lips, because that was the kind of money Twigs wouldn’t normally let him pay. Deciding to accept it before she changed her mind, Seth gave her a nod. “Very well, my love, it’s a deal. I’ll buy this ring for your Christmas present.”

Now Twigs was frowning suspiciously at him. Seth wasn’t the kind to just yield that easily especially when he wanted his way, and yet he had. But why? The ring didn’t have a single diamond on it! Holding out her hand for the ring, Twigs demanded to see it. “Hold on, let me look at that ring.”

“Sure.” Seth said, dropping the ring in her hand with a brash smile. “But you can’t change your mind. It’s too late.”

Surveying the ring, Twigs couldn’t see a single reason why he would renounce so quickly...that was until she caught sight of the price tag. Her eyes widened in horror. Now, how the heck did she miss the price? “Oh no, no you can’t buy this for me! Here, let me…” She twirled around back to the jewelry stand and began to hunt for a much cheaper replacement.

Seth rashly plucked the ring back from her hand before she could put it away. He held it high above her head and bounded back. “Ah ah, what did I just say? It’s too late to change your mind on this, Tahliah.”

“Like hell I can’t!” Twigs snapped at him, turning around to face him with her hands on her hips. “If I want to change my mind about this damned ring then I can, and I will! Nothing will stop me!”

Seeing that she was dead serious, Seth realized he would have to change his hands or else she’d win. Sighing somberly, he lowered his hand as the light in him seemingly expired. “Baby, please. I don’t ask you for much. Hell, I try not to GIVE you much so it wouldn’t upset you, but this...this means a lot to me because I can finally give you something from ME. I know you’re not comfortable being given this and that and having money spent on you, but this is from me. Can’t you accept it this one time?”

“But Seth!” Twigs deplored, pity thick in her voice. She was beginning to feel cruel for denying his gift. It was clear he had been delighted to give her something for Christmas, and she shot it down like it was beneath her...or in this case above her? “You ca-”

“Besides, it’s only 150 euros!” Seth disputed, not allowing her to get a word in yet. “Do you have any idea the kind of money I would have preferred to spend on a diamond ring for you?”

Twigs groaned and covered her face. “Do I even want to know?”

“There wouldn’t be a limit, Tahliah!” Seth pressed. “All they’d have to do was sign a blank check and I would have made them richer beyond their wildest dream to get a ring for you!”

He was right. The man would blissfully go bankrupt for her. Comparing the ring that was only 150 euros to the ring Seth would have gotten her, it’d make this little ring look like it was harvested out of a cereal box. Gingerly, Twigs took the ring from him. “You’re right, Seth. I’m sorry.” Eyeing the price tag, she shrugged to herself. “It’s not like it’s expensive, really. It’s only 150 euros like you said.”

“If you had left it up to me and not spoilt my surprise I would have gotten you a more expensive ring.” Seth griped.

Barely suppressing a smile, Twigs shook her head at him as she handed back the ring. “Alright, you win this time.” The smile on his face took whatever grievance she had left and obliterated it. She could never stay mad at the guy, not with a charming face like that. Following him to the cash register, Seth bought her her ring, and slid it onto her ring finger.