Disclaimer: I own nothing
Warning: Rated M
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Jeff finished the last bit of editing on his essay before saving the file and shutting down his laptop. He packed his things away and looked across the dining room table to where his boyfriend was in deep concentration, scribbling away on his notepad.
The blond decided not to interrupt him in full flow and quietly left the dining room, heading for the kitchen. The boys had paused their studies to have the talk with Natalie after Jeff's Mum had rang on her 11.15 break, mainly because Jeff didn't want to forget any important details or get anything wrong. This meant that once they had resumed their studies it made lunch later than usual. Jeff's stomach started to rumble as he realised how hungry he was and he heard a giggle as he entered the kitchen.
"Someone's hungry!" Natalie laughed as Jeff joined her in the kitchen.
He laughed. "I'm starving! Have you eaten anything, or do you want me to make you a sandwich?"
"Yes please! Can I have peanut butter and jelly? I'll help." Natalie bounced out of her chair and began collecting the ingredients needed for their sandwich making. "Shall we make Nick an egg mayonnaise sandwich?" She smirked evilly.
"Haha, no, I really don't think so!" Jeff sniggered. "Actually, I think I've gone off eggs for a while too. Ham salad sounds good to me, I'll do the same for Nick, I think."
He took the sliced cooked ham out of the fridge along with a cucumber and a tomato. After a little bit of investigation he also found half a lettuce. Natalie helped him locate the chopping board and a sharp knife and he began rinsing the salad ingredients, ready for chopping.
While he was rinsing, he looked over to Natalie. She is such a sweet girl. She just accepts my relationship with her brother with no problem at all. I wish more adults could be as mature as her.
"Natalie?" He started, looking at the brunette. "Yes Jeff? Do you need anything else for the sandwiches? Shall I get plates out?"
Jeff smiled. "Yes please, but that's not what I was going to say." He paused, trying to think of the best way to express what he was feeling. "I just wanted to say thank you, I guess. I mean, you have always made me feel really welcome and have never had a problem with me dating your brother or living with him in Columbus. It means a lot to me. I'm an only child but sometimes it feels like you're my little sister too."
Natalie went over to Jeff and gave him a big hug round his waist, as she couldn't really reach much higher.
"I already think of you as my other big brother, too." She said happily. "You will be one day, any way."
Jeff blushed. "Well, I would really like that. I know we are young, but I love your brother very much and I want to spend forever with him." Natalie smiled even wider at that, nodding.
"Actually, I am going to give him a promise ring..." Natalie started to squeal and jump up and down, but Jeff quickly shushed her, putting a finger over his lips and checking the kitchen doorway to see if Nick had heard anything.
"It's a secret, but I wanted to let you know because you have always believed in our relationship, even before it started!" Jeff smiled at the memory of the first time he met Natalie when she was about to loudly call him Nick's boyfriend on the porch that day.
"Well, duh, Nicky was happy that first week of school so I knew he must have met someone he really liked. Nothing else would have cheered him up like that, we were both really sad before we started school here." Natalie's smile disappeared and Jeff gave her a brotherly shoulder squeeze to comfort her. It seemed to work, as she gave him a small smile.
"I'm just really stuck on how or when to give it to him. It's not an engagement ring, so it doesn't have to be over the top, but I don't want it to seem too casual or unimportant either. This is so hard!"
Natalie's eyes lit up. "Have you bought it already? Is it here? Can I see it? Pleeeeeease?" She was literally bouncing on her tippy-toes in excitement. "Wait, do you have one to wear too? Or does Nicky just wear one?" She stopped bouncing to think about it, looking puzzled.
"I want to wear one too, but I want Nick to pick it out, so if he accepts mine we can go to the same jeweller and get the matching ring, but with a different inscription, maybe. I just want to have some input from Nick on my one."
"That's really sweet, I think that's a great idea! Now, where is it?"
Jeff glanced at the kitchen doorway again to check they were still alone, before quietly saying "It's in my inner coat pocket, I carried it around yesterday evening just in case the perfect moment arose but it didn't feel right doing it in public in case we got interrupted, so I just left it in my pocket. Then, when we got home I was a little, uh, busy, to put it back in my sock drawer."
He desperately tried to stop images of last night's steamy hallway antics flooding his head in the presence of Nick's sister. So not appropriate! He scolded himself. "I can't bring it to show you here, Nick might walk in. We'll have to think of a way to keep Nick occupied while I show you it."
Natalie thought for a minute, before smiling. I want to make Jeff and Nick a congratulations card! Nick will definitely say yes, so I can make one today. I need my craft box down from the top shelf in my wardrobe. Perfect!
"I'll tell Nick you're helping me reach my craft box in my room and you can bring it up to show me. I have a card I need to make anyway, so he won't get suspicious."
Jeff nodded. "Okay, but lets have these sandwiches first, I really don't think my stomach can wait any longer. We can take Nick's sandwich to him in the dining room after we've had ours, that should keep him busy too."
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A short while later, once they had sated their appetites and given a grateful Nick his own plate of food in the dining room, Jeff followed Natalie up to her room. He brought down the craft box she pointed to on her wardrobe's top shelf, before they sat next to each other on the edge of her bed. Natalie was ready to burst with excitement.
Jeff handed the little black box to the brunette. She held it carefully as she opened up the lid and gasped at the ring nestled in pale blue, silky-looking cushioned fabric. She very gently took it out and set the box down on her bedside table so she could look at it properly. It was a sterling silver bevelled band which Jeff had had engraved inside.
The inscription read "Nick, my heart is yours forever, Jeff". She sighed, "It's lovely Jeff. Nick is sooo lucky." Jeff helped her put it back in the box and snapped it shut with the lovely noise that only ring boxes seem to make. He popped it temporarily back in his jeans pocket, ready to transfer it back to his coat pocket when he got back to the hallway.
Jeff's mind started flashing again with inappropriate images. Good grief, get a grip! He thought. If I can't even think of the word hallway without thinking of having mad passionate sex with Nick I'm going to have some embarrassing situations popping up... literally!
He managed to control his thoughts enough to pick up Natalie's craft box for her and follow her downstairs, once she had picked out some card and paper supplies from a shallow box under her bed.
By the time they had got downstairs and Jeff had safely returned the ring box to his coat, Nick had finished his sandwich, but not his essay.
Jeff had finished his studies for the day, so Natalie joined Nick at the table instead, beginning to design an elaborate border on a large piece of pink card, which she began sticking jewels and sequins and glitter to. She used a pencil to faintly outline a word across the middle, but it was too light for Jeff to read it from where he was.
Jeff picked up his laptop and went into the lounge area to surf the internet in a bit more comfort, not wanting to disturb Nick by making any noise or by rubbing it in that he had finished his work for the weekend.
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After about an hour, Natalie asked Jeff to put her box back in her wardrobe. Once he had closed the door, he turned round to see Natalie holding out a large envelope which was sparkling slightly. She was smiling proudly as he accepted it from her. The front of the envelope read "Nick and Jeff".
Puzzled, Jeff asked "What is this for? Is it a card?"
Natalie replied, "Yes, it's a card, don't open it until you've given Nick the ring."
"Okay." Jeff smiled at the thoughtful girl. "I'll put it inside my laptop case so it doesn't get squashed on the way home." Then he noticed something and laughed. "Er, Natalie, I think you've glued a pink heart to your forehead!"
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