Red in the Ribbon
Chapter 6
"I'll stand by you / I'll stand by you / Won't let nobody hurt you / I'll stand by you / Take me into your darkest hours / And I'll never desert you / I'll stand by you..."
-excerpt from a Pretenders song
"You are such a stud," Zac told me, talking to me as he ate French fries.
"How so?" I inquired.
"Just how you handle yourself. You are the ladies' man."
"Is that good?"
"Yes, very," he said. "You spent the entire night with a beautiful girl and you didn't even try to put any moves on her. Amazing. How do you do it?"
"I.I don't know," I paused, looking at the empty tray before me. The noise of the food court was not unacceptable to me, but served as the proper background for such a busy mall. Lloyd Center is the largest mall in the western US and I can remember spending many summer days wandering the shopping center.
"I guess that once you truly care for someone, sex just kind of takes a back seat to your feelings," I guessed.
"That's poetic, man. I mean it. You are the man," Zac concluded, pointing a finger of approval at me.
"Thanks," I said. "That means a lot coming from you."
"Yeah, you know me. I have tons of girls," he laughed to himself, rolling his eyes.
"You know." he began, but then he stopped short and took a drink.
"What?" I asked, suddenly curious.
"Huh?" he asked, innocently.
"What were you going to say?"
"Well," he started slowly, clearly choosing his words, "you know that Spring Break will be over tomorrow?"
"I guess." I was extremely gloomy over the thought and I began to feel sick.
"How much do you like her?" he asked quietly, as if sharing a secret.
"I.I love her."
"Love?" He stopped mid-sip and put down his cup. "Now, 'love' is not a word you just want to throw around."
"I know, but before her, I was missing something, I was trying to hide from my past, but ever since I met her, I have forgotten about my past; I don't care about it anymore. What was then is then, and now is now and right now, I know I love her."
"Is this the Adam I knew a week ago?" He studied me with a look of wonder.
"If you could, would you take her with you after you left for school after the break ends?"
"Of course. Why?" I asked, getting suspicious.
"No reason, just asking. I'm still allowed to ask you as a friend, right?"
"I guess, I guess. Hey! Do you remember your duty tonight?"
"Yes, I'll follow through, I promise. Enough! We need to get you a tux for tonight!"
With that we dumped our trays, and walked off to the gentleman's store.
************************************************************************
As I left her house last night, we planned to have an elaborate date tonight. We would get dressed up and go out for a night on the town. Both of us would chip in, but we planned to have dinner, go dancing and after that, well.we'd just go from there. Nonetheless, I was excited, more excited than nervous.
I was to pick her up. She couldn't get the Mustang again; her roomie was angry that we were out so late and therefore withdrew Minako's privilege of driving it. As a result, we were stuck with my Camry. Even though I was going to school in Spokane, I kept my car at Aunt Jo's house so I would have something to drive around. Thankfully, my smart planning came in handy this time.
I had managed to make reservations at 'Horizons', the restaurant at the top of the First Interstate Bank tower, the tallest building in Portland. I had been there once, when I was really young, so any memory of it escaped me as soon as I tried to think of it. There was a dance floor at the restaurant. The only problem was that I couldn't dance that well. I always felt as if I had two left feet when ever I tried to dance.
Tonight, however, I had to do better. I had to be at my best.
"Sir, we need you for your measurements," the employee informed me.
************************************************************************
"I had a wonderful night," Minako said to me as we stood on the front porch of Aunt Jo's house.
"You were the wonderful part about it," I said to her. In the light, I could see her blush. She was wearing a red strapless dress which was amazingly gorgeous. It hugged to her body and accentuated the gorgeous curves of her body. Her hair was left to run down her back as usual, and that beautiful big bow topped it all, shining in its splendid glory.
"So, what now?" she asked, biting on her lip, acting somewhat nervous.
"Can you come in?" I asked, fiddling with my keys. My slight jitters kept me from unlocking the door in a timely manner, but eventually, I mastered the lock and the door swung open.
Inside, it was pitch black. Everyone was gone.
'Just as planned.'
"Are you sure this will be okay?" she asked meekly.
"I'm sure. Do you trust me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course," she replied in a stand-offish manner, wondering what I was up to. Before she could object, I bent down and snatched her up in my arms.
"Adam!" she laughed. Wrapping her arms around my neck, I carried her inside, shutting the door behind me with a slight kick. Very carefully, and slowly, I walked uo the stairs carrying the love of my life in my arms. Coming to my door, I nudged it open with my elbow. Peering at the room, Minako gasped.
Candles were lit and filled the room, giving off a gentle. Rose pedals were scattered all over, littering everything from the bed to the floor. The scent of vanilla filled the air and soft music played in the background.
"Is that The Cranberries?" she asked, as she looked around at my 'renovated' room. I nodded, smiling, pleased with her reaction.
"This is amazing. I am.just.so.overwhelmed."
"Care to dance?" I asked, offering my hand.
"Haven't we danced enough?" she laughed.
"I can't get enough of dancing with you," I admitted, holding her close.
"Really, I can't get enough of you period. Therefore," I said, walking over to my desk, opening the drawer, "I want you to have this."
Taking the brochure I was giving her, she opened it up. Upon seeing what it was, she drew in a deep breath.
"It's a plane ticket.to Spokane," she said, barely above a whisper.
"Minako, I love you and I want you to come with me when I go back to school."
AT my words, she bit her lip, pondering my proposal.
"When would we leave?" she asked,
"Tomorrow. Now, I know you have a job and." I began. But she interrupted me.
"So, I'll quit. You are much more important," she said, wrapping her arms around my neck and giving me a kiss.
"I'm going with you," she said, and that was that. Overjoyed, I gave her a big hug and held her close to me. She giggled at my reaction and gave me another kiss. Then, excitedly, she broke our embrace.
"Now, I have something I think you'll like." With a devilish smile, she rushed out the door, leaving me to hum "Linger" to myself. Getting comfortable, I laid down on the bed and stretched. Then, Minako came back in.
"Oh.my God," I said as I looked at her. No longer in her red dress, she was dressed as a Playboy bunny. Coming in with a huge grin on her face, she spun around, letting me see her cotton tail. It was dark blue and matched her eyes perfectly.
"How did you know.that.," I stammered.
"You liked bunnies? Well, Zac knew and he called me yesterday. So, I brought over the outfit. My auntie used to work at the London club before it closed, and she gave it to me as some what of a gag. Little did I know that I'd actually put it to good use.
"Zac didn't tell you about this, did he?"
"No, I never knew," she said, calming my nerves. "You think I'd be so surprised if I had?"
We both laughed quietly before we fell silent. I was admiring her and she was looking at me, lying on the bed. Without notice, she began to slip off the suit.
"Hope you don't mind of I take this off now," she said, her voice quivering slightly.
"No," I said, beginning to unbutton my own jacket.
The strings loosened, she slipped off the bunny suit, leaving her to stand before me in a pink bra and white, cotton underpants. She moved to take off the bow, but I stopped her.
"Leave the bow on; it's a part of you," I said.
"You sure?" she asked.
I nodded in reply and she let it be.
"Anything for you, my love," she said.
I looked at her, standing there before me and realized I had finally found what true beauty is.
"You are so beautiful," I said, breathlessly.
"And you are going to need getting that shirt off," she added, coming over to me. After my shirt was slipped off, gently, she climbed on top of me, kissing me on the forehead. Unbuttoning my pants, she spoke softly to me.
"I love you, and if you're ready, I'd like to take the plunge with you," she said looking into my eyes.
"I won't know what the heck I'm doing," I admitted, somewhat embarrassed.
"Neither will I." Slipping off my pants, she dropped them to the floor.
"So, I guess we'll be learning together," she continued. Sitting on top of me, she leaned forward and whispered into my ear:
"With you, I'm willing to give love another try."
Melting at her words, I replied with the first thing that came to my mind.
"I guess things can change."
With that, I switched off the light and held her close to me, prepared for the night ahead. Nothing would stop me from giving everything I had to my girl, my sweet Minako. To her, I was devoted
As she began to kiss my neck, I whispered the very words which changed my life:
"Never stop."
Never stop.
Ever.
Chapter 6
"I'll stand by you / I'll stand by you / Won't let nobody hurt you / I'll stand by you / Take me into your darkest hours / And I'll never desert you / I'll stand by you..."
-excerpt from a Pretenders song
"You are such a stud," Zac told me, talking to me as he ate French fries.
"How so?" I inquired.
"Just how you handle yourself. You are the ladies' man."
"Is that good?"
"Yes, very," he said. "You spent the entire night with a beautiful girl and you didn't even try to put any moves on her. Amazing. How do you do it?"
"I.I don't know," I paused, looking at the empty tray before me. The noise of the food court was not unacceptable to me, but served as the proper background for such a busy mall. Lloyd Center is the largest mall in the western US and I can remember spending many summer days wandering the shopping center.
"I guess that once you truly care for someone, sex just kind of takes a back seat to your feelings," I guessed.
"That's poetic, man. I mean it. You are the man," Zac concluded, pointing a finger of approval at me.
"Thanks," I said. "That means a lot coming from you."
"Yeah, you know me. I have tons of girls," he laughed to himself, rolling his eyes.
"You know." he began, but then he stopped short and took a drink.
"What?" I asked, suddenly curious.
"Huh?" he asked, innocently.
"What were you going to say?"
"Well," he started slowly, clearly choosing his words, "you know that Spring Break will be over tomorrow?"
"I guess." I was extremely gloomy over the thought and I began to feel sick.
"How much do you like her?" he asked quietly, as if sharing a secret.
"I.I love her."
"Love?" He stopped mid-sip and put down his cup. "Now, 'love' is not a word you just want to throw around."
"I know, but before her, I was missing something, I was trying to hide from my past, but ever since I met her, I have forgotten about my past; I don't care about it anymore. What was then is then, and now is now and right now, I know I love her."
"Is this the Adam I knew a week ago?" He studied me with a look of wonder.
"If you could, would you take her with you after you left for school after the break ends?"
"Of course. Why?" I asked, getting suspicious.
"No reason, just asking. I'm still allowed to ask you as a friend, right?"
"I guess, I guess. Hey! Do you remember your duty tonight?"
"Yes, I'll follow through, I promise. Enough! We need to get you a tux for tonight!"
With that we dumped our trays, and walked off to the gentleman's store.
************************************************************************
As I left her house last night, we planned to have an elaborate date tonight. We would get dressed up and go out for a night on the town. Both of us would chip in, but we planned to have dinner, go dancing and after that, well.we'd just go from there. Nonetheless, I was excited, more excited than nervous.
I was to pick her up. She couldn't get the Mustang again; her roomie was angry that we were out so late and therefore withdrew Minako's privilege of driving it. As a result, we were stuck with my Camry. Even though I was going to school in Spokane, I kept my car at Aunt Jo's house so I would have something to drive around. Thankfully, my smart planning came in handy this time.
I had managed to make reservations at 'Horizons', the restaurant at the top of the First Interstate Bank tower, the tallest building in Portland. I had been there once, when I was really young, so any memory of it escaped me as soon as I tried to think of it. There was a dance floor at the restaurant. The only problem was that I couldn't dance that well. I always felt as if I had two left feet when ever I tried to dance.
Tonight, however, I had to do better. I had to be at my best.
"Sir, we need you for your measurements," the employee informed me.
************************************************************************
"I had a wonderful night," Minako said to me as we stood on the front porch of Aunt Jo's house.
"You were the wonderful part about it," I said to her. In the light, I could see her blush. She was wearing a red strapless dress which was amazingly gorgeous. It hugged to her body and accentuated the gorgeous curves of her body. Her hair was left to run down her back as usual, and that beautiful big bow topped it all, shining in its splendid glory.
"So, what now?" she asked, biting on her lip, acting somewhat nervous.
"Can you come in?" I asked, fiddling with my keys. My slight jitters kept me from unlocking the door in a timely manner, but eventually, I mastered the lock and the door swung open.
Inside, it was pitch black. Everyone was gone.
'Just as planned.'
"Are you sure this will be okay?" she asked meekly.
"I'm sure. Do you trust me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course," she replied in a stand-offish manner, wondering what I was up to. Before she could object, I bent down and snatched her up in my arms.
"Adam!" she laughed. Wrapping her arms around my neck, I carried her inside, shutting the door behind me with a slight kick. Very carefully, and slowly, I walked uo the stairs carrying the love of my life in my arms. Coming to my door, I nudged it open with my elbow. Peering at the room, Minako gasped.
Candles were lit and filled the room, giving off a gentle. Rose pedals were scattered all over, littering everything from the bed to the floor. The scent of vanilla filled the air and soft music played in the background.
"Is that The Cranberries?" she asked, as she looked around at my 'renovated' room. I nodded, smiling, pleased with her reaction.
"This is amazing. I am.just.so.overwhelmed."
"Care to dance?" I asked, offering my hand.
"Haven't we danced enough?" she laughed.
"I can't get enough of dancing with you," I admitted, holding her close.
"Really, I can't get enough of you period. Therefore," I said, walking over to my desk, opening the drawer, "I want you to have this."
Taking the brochure I was giving her, she opened it up. Upon seeing what it was, she drew in a deep breath.
"It's a plane ticket.to Spokane," she said, barely above a whisper.
"Minako, I love you and I want you to come with me when I go back to school."
AT my words, she bit her lip, pondering my proposal.
"When would we leave?" she asked,
"Tomorrow. Now, I know you have a job and." I began. But she interrupted me.
"So, I'll quit. You are much more important," she said, wrapping her arms around my neck and giving me a kiss.
"I'm going with you," she said, and that was that. Overjoyed, I gave her a big hug and held her close to me. She giggled at my reaction and gave me another kiss. Then, excitedly, she broke our embrace.
"Now, I have something I think you'll like." With a devilish smile, she rushed out the door, leaving me to hum "Linger" to myself. Getting comfortable, I laid down on the bed and stretched. Then, Minako came back in.
"Oh.my God," I said as I looked at her. No longer in her red dress, she was dressed as a Playboy bunny. Coming in with a huge grin on her face, she spun around, letting me see her cotton tail. It was dark blue and matched her eyes perfectly.
"How did you know.that.," I stammered.
"You liked bunnies? Well, Zac knew and he called me yesterday. So, I brought over the outfit. My auntie used to work at the London club before it closed, and she gave it to me as some what of a gag. Little did I know that I'd actually put it to good use.
"Zac didn't tell you about this, did he?"
"No, I never knew," she said, calming my nerves. "You think I'd be so surprised if I had?"
We both laughed quietly before we fell silent. I was admiring her and she was looking at me, lying on the bed. Without notice, she began to slip off the suit.
"Hope you don't mind of I take this off now," she said, her voice quivering slightly.
"No," I said, beginning to unbutton my own jacket.
The strings loosened, she slipped off the bunny suit, leaving her to stand before me in a pink bra and white, cotton underpants. She moved to take off the bow, but I stopped her.
"Leave the bow on; it's a part of you," I said.
"You sure?" she asked.
I nodded in reply and she let it be.
"Anything for you, my love," she said.
I looked at her, standing there before me and realized I had finally found what true beauty is.
"You are so beautiful," I said, breathlessly.
"And you are going to need getting that shirt off," she added, coming over to me. After my shirt was slipped off, gently, she climbed on top of me, kissing me on the forehead. Unbuttoning my pants, she spoke softly to me.
"I love you, and if you're ready, I'd like to take the plunge with you," she said looking into my eyes.
"I won't know what the heck I'm doing," I admitted, somewhat embarrassed.
"Neither will I." Slipping off my pants, she dropped them to the floor.
"So, I guess we'll be learning together," she continued. Sitting on top of me, she leaned forward and whispered into my ear:
"With you, I'm willing to give love another try."
Melting at her words, I replied with the first thing that came to my mind.
"I guess things can change."
With that, I switched off the light and held her close to me, prepared for the night ahead. Nothing would stop me from giving everything I had to my girl, my sweet Minako. To her, I was devoted
As she began to kiss my neck, I whispered the very words which changed my life:
"Never stop."
Never stop.
Ever.
