I haven't written a Naitlyn one-shot in ages, so here's a treat for you guys (: Thanks to Tansy (thenlearnedhowtofly) for reading this through for me!
The smell of candy floss filled my nostrils and I grinned at the familiar sounds of the fair. I felt fifteen again, even though I was going to be twenty-three in a few weeks. Mitchie smiled beside me.
"I told you we'd have a good time without the guys for once!" She said, her expression reminding me of an excited child.
By 'the guys' she meant Shane, Nate and Jason. With Mitchie engaged to Shane, Jason married to Ella (Shane wasn't exactly happy when Jason announced he would be the first to get married) and me and Nate dating (six years in three days!) we all hung out a lot.
Ella agreed with Mitchie. "I love Jason and all, but sometimes I'd like a girl's day, you know?"
Both Mitchie and I agreed with her on that one.
"Race you to the rollercoaster!" I said, running past both Ella and Mitchie. We must have looked crazy – three grown women laughing wildly as we raced to be the first one at the rollercoaster, but for once we didn't care what onlookers thought.
Being the fastest runner (and wearing my old sneakers), I won. I grinned triumphantly, sticking my tongue out at my two close friends.
"Suck it up while you can, Caitlyn Geller." Mitchie chimed, joining the queue for ride along with Ella. I laughed, joining them and watching the other people as they chatted to pass the time.
"Do you want to marry when you're older?"A fourteen year old Nate asked Caitlyn, watching her with curiosity. "Is that some strange way of asking me out or are you genuinely interested?"Caitlyn asked, smiling at Nate and dangling her feet further into the lake. "I'm interested. In your answer, I mean. Not you." He blushed and Caitlyn laughed, not bothering to take offense. "No, I don't want to get married." She answered the previous question and Nate knew better than to ask why not. "How about you?" She returned the question, tilting her head to the side and watching him while he thought of an answer. "Yes, I do want to get married someday." He ignored her gaze and watching the water ripple in the lake. Caitlyn nodded - content with his answer. They were two different people with two different purposes in life, and that was perfectly fine with her. I smiled fondly at the memory, realizing that although some of my views had changed Nate and I were the same people that we were all those years ago. I was bought out of my reminiscing quickly.
"It's our turn!" Ella squealed, dragging both Mitchie and I on to the ride. I chose to sit at the front with Mitchie and Ella sharing behind. As the rollercoaster ascended the first part of the ride I looked below at all the other things I wanted to do today. The merry-go-round was top of the list and I remembered when I was seven and I hated that ride (if you could call it that) with a passion.
"Caity let's go on the merry-go-round!" Seven year old Nate cried, tugging his friend forward towards the horses going round in a slow circle. A young Caitlyn dug her heels into the ground and shook her head, refusing. "No, Nate. You go, I'll stay here." She said, tugging her arm out of his grip. "Aw, but I don't want to go by myself!" Nate pouted, frowning in confusion. It was only a ride after all "I don't like horses." Caitlyn said as an explanation, taking a step back from the fake horses for good measure. "Why? They aren't even real ones!" "Because they scare me!" Caitlyn shouted, gaining the attention of a few people around her. She immediately lowered her voice so her mother wouldn't come rushing over. "I'll keep you safe." Nate said "promise!" Caitlyn hesitated; looking at her friend's outstretched hand. She smiled and took it, letting him lead her to the ride that she'd been scared of ever since she was little. I shouted along with everyone else on the ride as the roller coaster sped down the first hill, my hair flying out behind me. We whizzed round the track a few more times before the machine slowed to a stop. I stepped out the carriage and waiting for Mitchie and Ella to stop squealing like little girls and follow me through the exit.
"That was SO fun!" Ella said, jumping up and down. I nodded along with her, laughing at her childlike excitement. I felt so much younger around Ella.
"Can we go to the fortune teller?" Mitchie asked, pointing in the direction of a nearby tent. I rolled my eyes. I never believed in that sort of stuff but Mitchie did ever since some wacky woman dressed in purple at the carnival last year told her she'd marry her true love - and the next week Shane proposed to her. I'd only ever been to see a fortune teller once – and that was when I was eighteen. I laughed at the memory as all three of us walked over to the tent.
"I can't believe you're making me do this!" Caitlyn complained to Nate and Jason as they dragged her to a tall tent. Nate grinned at his girlfriend, pushing her into the queue. "Aw, lighten up; it's only a bit of fun." He said, making sure not to step into the queue himself. "If it's so fun why aren't you two doing it?" Caitlyn asked, frowning at them both. "Oh, I'll do it!" Jason said, jumping into the queue beside her. Nate just shook his head and headed over to a nearby bench, sitting down and watching them. Caitlyn glared at him but before she could call out to him she was pushed into the tent by Jason. The tent was very creepy to Caitlyn. She would have been completely engulfed in darkness if not for the twinkling fairy lights scattered around. "Sit down, my dear." Caitlyn shuddered at the voice but obliged, sitting down on the chair opposite the fortune teller. "Hold out your right palm, please." Once more, Caitlyn obliged, feeling a tingle run up her arm at the fortune teller gripped her wrist gently. She wanted to run away but she told herself not to because this was stupid and fake and Nate was outside with Jason and they'd laugh at her (or Nate would, anyway, but then he'd feel bad about it and act like he'd hit her or something).So she waited patiently (sort of) while the woman moved her fingers up and down her palm and said 'yes' and 'hmm' like she knew what she was doing. When the woman finally gave up and decided to come up with a lot of rubbish even she probably wouldn't believe Caitlyn let out a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. Caitlyn listened, which was more than she'd expected to do, about how she was apparently going to buy a flat and live with her boyfriend (though she wondered how this woman even knew she had a boyfriend), and how she would marry someone in a few years and have a child. That was when Caitlyn realized just how crazy this woman was. Caitlyn didn't want to get married. Ever. Not even to Nate who she thought she might just love. "Right, thanks." Caitlyn mumbled, hurrying out of the room and wiping her right hand on her jeans as if it carried a disease. Later, when Nate asked her what the fortune teller had said, Caitlyn just laughed and didn't answer the question. It wasn't real, after all.
As I stood outside while Ella and Mitchie waited for their fortunes I decided to tell Nate what that woman (she wasn't a fortune teller, not really) had said to me when I got home. I wonder what he'd say if I did tell him. Would he laugh or brush it off?
I was still thinking about his reaction when Mitchie and Ella both ran up to me squealing. I pretended to listen to them as they told me their fortunes but my eyes kept looking back at the tent. Was it the same woman who'd told me my 'fortune' all those years ago?
I shook my head to keep the thoughts out.
"Shall we go home now? I miss Nate." I said, pulling a face at my two best friends.
"But you haven't even gone on the merry-go-round!" Ella said, shocked.
Mitchie gave me a concerned look which I shook off.
"On second thoughts, I'll go, you two stay here. I'll catch up with you later, okay? Have fun!" I said, smiling. I convinced them I was fine before walking off to my car, eager to see Nate again.
I arrived home ten minutes later, entering the house and throwing my keys onto the hallway shelf.
"Nate?" I called out, looking around for my boyfriend.
"I'm here." I heard his voice and relaxed, pulling him into a hug.
"How was your day? You weren't gone for long, is everything okay?"
I laughed at his concern. "Yeah I just wanted to see you, I missed you."
"I thought you went out with them because you wanted to get away from me?" He asked, frowning in confusion.
I pulled a face at him and let him lead me onto the sofa.
"I have something to ask you." He said, shifting nervously.
"Is everything okay?" I asked – it was my turn to be concerned now.
"Yes, everything's fine…" He trailed off and put his hand into his pocket.
"Are you going to break-" I started, but he cut me off.
"No! No, of course not. Nothing like that."
I nodded, relaxed, nodded my head and let him speak.
"You know when we were fourteen and you said you never wanted to get married…" He trailed off unsure, though kept his gaze on me.
I nodded, confused as to why he was bringing this up now.
"Well you see … I'm not sure if since we started dating your opinion changed." I blinked, wondering if this was a dream and in reality I was sleeping soundly in my bed.
I figured I was wrong the second he got down on his knee and pulled out something from his pocket that looked suspiciously like a ring box.
"Caitlyn, will you marry me?" I bought a hand to me face and felt the tears falling down my cheeks. I didn't trust myself to speak so I just nodded, throwing myself at him into a hug.
He laughed, prizing my away and slipping the ring onto the correct finger. I looked down at it in shock – it must have cost a fortune.
"Don't you like it?" Nate asked, his voice concerned. I looked up at him and laughed.
"Nate, you silly Rockstar! Of course I love it!" I cried, hugging him once more. This time he hugged back and I smiled happily. When he headed to the kitchen to start on the food I gently placed a hand on my stomach. Maybe, just maybe, that fortune teller had been right all those years ago. Maybe there was a child growing inside me right at that moment.
Nate – my fiancé - came back at that moment and I smiled happily at him, deciding to keep my thoughts to myself.
I wasn't fourteen anymore, and I definitely had changed my mind about marriage – and fortune telling.
This one-shot turned out very different from how I had originally planned but I think it isn't that bad. Please review and tell me what you think. Also, was the whole tense swapping thing confusing or not? (: