Dancing.
Spinning.
Twirling.
Kissing.
Those are my memories. Jesse spun me around with his delicate hands as I spun around in my beautiful white dress. The night was all unclear, like, fuzzy. No one knew what would happen, what the band would play, what move their partner would spin them into.
The lights were dimmed, casting a golden effect across the floor. It was amazing.
The music was enchanting. It washed over us, or me, most definitely, like a wave crashing against the shore.
I leaned in closer to Jesse, feeling his heat through his suit.
"This is beautiful." I whispered. The violins played on, in accompany with the flutes. Wonderful.
"I agree, querida. This is truly amazing." He spun me around himself and then slid me into a dip.
My brown hair was pinned up in a curly fashion. It brushed in my face as I came back up with Jesse.
"Do you have an idea on what you want to do afterwards?" I asked, pretty much knowing that he was going to say go to sleep in his apartment. He was not going to say what I wanted him to say.
"I have a perfect idea." He said, skipping us both into a waltz.
A… perfect idea.
My heart jumped.
Was I ready for this?
"What is your perfect idea?" I asked, trying hard not to show my nervousness.
"It's a secret." He said back, spinning me again.
My eyes widened.
"A secret?" I gulped. "Why do you have to make it a secret? You know that we promised not to keep secrets."
"Then it's a surprise. Why are you so jumpy, Susannah?" He asked, grinning.
"No reason." I lost my tension. This was the night I was waiting for.
The song finished and everyone started heading for the refreshments.
"How about we leave this place a little early?" He asked, winking.
Oh God.
I so wasn't ready for this.
"Okay." I squeaked.
He rushed for the door, me following close behind, holding his hand.
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Jesse breathed in the ocean air.
"Here we are, Susannah." I opened my squinted eyes.
"The beach?" I asked weakly. Why here? Why now? I thought.
"Yes, the beach." He said, sounding slightly offended.
How was I supposed to get my dress undone? I thought again.
"Susannah." He whispered. "What are you doing?"
"Oh!" I said a little loud. Jesse stepped back. "Nothing, just… thinking."
"Okay."
Silence.
"I am going to take you to a place that you haven't seen before."
He ran ahead. I hurried behind, holding up my dress so I wouldn't trip.
Soon we were climbing.
"Jesse." I moaned. "When are we going to be there?"
"Soon." He said, and then he kept on rushing along.
I ran to catch up.
Finally we came to a clearing. It over looked the ocean, but it wasn't like any lookout point I had seen before.
It not only had a lovely view, but there was no industrial anywhere. There wasn't any gift shop, cars, streets, lights. There was only the stars, moon, and fireflies keeping us fgrom plunging in complete darkness.
And there were flowers.
Red ones, white ones, purple ones, mixes of colours that I have never seen before. Just colours, everywhere. And to the side there was a huge willow tree that looked quite old.
"Oh, Jesse." I whispered. "This is beautiful."
He nodded, breathing heavily from running for so long.
I sat down next to the edge of the point. The flowers seemed to move around me.
Jesse sat himself next to me very gracefully, as if he were afraid there were flowers beneath him and he didn't want to crush them.
His hand reached for mine.
It was warm and soft.
"Susannah Simon." He sighed. "Suze-annah Simon."
My stomach tied in knots.
"I bet you any money that I am more nervous then you are."
I shook my head. "I doubt that."
He put a funny look on his face. "Why would you be nervous?"
So this isn't sex. I thought quickly. My stomach untied itself.
I laughed. "I don't know."
"Querida, take off your gloves." He whispered, his lips moving against my ear.
I was wearing white satin gloves to go along with my dress.
"Why?" I said laughing. "I thought they looked nice."
"Just take them off." He said playfully.
"No." I said back, equally playful.
"Well…" He leaned back. "Then it might be difficult for you to put this on your finger then, wouldn't it?"
He pulled out a ring.
A ring.
My heart stopped.
A ring.
"Jesse, are you…"
"Susannah Simon," He said accordingly, getting on his knee. "Will you marry me?"
Jesse wanted me to marry him.
Jesse wanted me to marry him.
Jesse wanted me to marry him!
"Jesse De Silvia," I whispered. "I will marry you." I smiled. His eyes widened.
He slipped the ring on my finger and stood up.
"I'm getting married!" He yelled.
"Jesse!" I whispered.
"What, that wasn't loud enough? I am getting MARRIED!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.
He helped me up and spun me around.
"My beautiful bride." He whispered, kissing me.
"Have you made your point?" Someone asked from the darkness across from us.
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"I said, have you made your point. It is late, lovebirds, and we are trying to sleep. You are on private property."
"Jesse," I hissed. "You didn't tell me that."
He ignored me.
"Who are you?"
"I am the owner of this land. And I am very upset that you are on it."
"Look, sir, we didn't want to raise trouble." Jesse said carefully not to upset the man any more.
"Well you did. My sister's baby's up now, and I have to deal with it."
"We'll just leave then." Jesse said, nodding. He grabbed my hand. "Come on, Susannah."
"Not so fast!" He yelled. "You don't get a out of jail free card, buddy!"
Jesse's eye brows rose.
"I don't know what you are reffering to, sir."
"I'm sayin', you cant just leave without paying the consequences."
Jesse shook his head in frusturation. "If I give you some money, will you just let us go?"
The man gasped.
"Do I look like a fucking charity case??" He screamed.
"No! No, sir, I apologize!"
"You shut the hell up pretty boy!!"
"I just wanted to propose to my girlfriend!" He said defensively.
"You wont come round here no more."
Before I could butt in and state some points, a gunshot went off.
It silenced the crickets.
There was only silence after that. Then the man ran off to somewhere I would never know.
I wondered what he had shot.
"That was weird, wasn't it, Jesse?" I whispered, terrified.
Then Jesse coughed.
Blood splattered everywhere.
He fell to the ground limply.
"No." I whispered.
"Jesse!!" I wailed, tears welling up in my eyes.
He was dead.
Gone.