Sue drove down a familiar stretch of highway on the way home to Orson. Sean sat in the passenger seat, humming along with the radio in the old, hand me down car that Sue now owned from her deceased Aunt. Sue insisted on driving this time because she always felt bad being escorted around town by her boyfriend in his 'fancy' newish used car, even though she knew he didn't care either way. The couple was on their way to the Donahue's house. Nancy Donahue had announced on New Year's that she was going to be hosting a Valentine's Day party, and that day had finally come. Sean had apologized over and over again for not being able to spend Valentine's Day alone as a couple, but the ever optimistic Sue didn't mind. As they cruised down the highway, a few puffs of smoke leaked out from under the hood. Sue turned to look at Sean with a concerned look on her face before the car engine shut down on it's own. Sue let the car roll onto the shoulder of the road as it slowly came to a stop. Frustrated, Sue groaned and banged her fist on the steering wheel. "Not again!" She cried. Sean placed his hand on her knee to comfort her.
"It's okay, Suzy Q. I'll take a look and see what I can do." He said, leaning sideways to kiss his girlfriend on the cheek. Sue couldn't help but smile.
"You're the best." She said to him as he stepped out of the car. He propped open the hood of the car and began to tinker with things under the hood. He walked to the trunk to look for something. Sue stepped out of the car to offer assistance.
"You're out of coolant...and there isn't any in the trunk. We're going to have to call somebody." Sean said as he brushed some dirt off of his hands. Sue nodded and reached into her pocket to pull out her cell phone. She first dialed her parents but no one answered. Sean held up his phone to reveal a map of a nearby service station. "There's a store about a mile down the road. I can walk over there, it shouldn't take too long." Sue put her cell phone back into her pocket. "I'll come with you." She smiled and took a step closer to him. Sean smiled and reached out his hand to take hold of hers. Sue happily squeezed his hand and the pair began their stroll down the empty road. It only took about twenty minutes to reach the store and get what they needed before starting the walk back to the car.
"You know, Suzy Q, you should really keep a bottle of this in your trunk just in case." Sean suggested with a smile. Sue nodded and smiled back at him. She admired her boyfriend. They had only been together for a month and a half so far, but she loved the way he was always so caring, never scolding her over simple things like this. She had never been the type who wanted to be rescued, but she never minded being rescued by him. "Thank you for this." She said to him, caressing his arm gently with her hand. "You don't need to thank me." He smiled. "I'd do anything for you." He continued. She knew that his words were genuine and his reassurance filled her heart with joy. About half way back to the car, Sue spotted a large boulder off of the side of the road nestled in between a few trees. Her feet were beginning to ache slightly due today's choice in footwear and she wanted to sit. "Would you mind if we take a break for a minute?" Sue said as she pointed to the mostly hidden boulder. "Not at all, my arm is starting to get tired." Sean said as he pointed to the jug of fluid in his left hand. The pair walked through low brush, hearing the sound of dead leaves, leftover from the Fall, crunching beneath their feet. Sue sat down on a flat edge of the boulder. Sean set the bottle of coolant on the ground and took a seat next to her, letting out a deep breath. The weather was mild for February and the sun felt warm on their skin after months of harsh winter weather. The sounds of nature around them were peaceful and refreshing. Sue closed her eyes for a minute and leaned her head back to enjoy the sun on her face. Suddenly she felt a pair of soft lips press against her own lips and she opened her eyes. Sean's eyes sparkled in the sunlight and the way he looked at her reminded her of their recent close encounters. "This is nice." He said quietly as he brushed his hand along the side of her face. Sue was a little surprised at his statement since the day had not exactly gone as planned, but she was enjoying it more than she expected to anyway. "It is nice." Sue finally responded with a smile, noticing a small bird fly from one tree branch to another. Sean turned to face Sue and held onto both of her hands, pulling them to his chest.
"Sue, I just want you to know how much you mean to me...and I'm so happy that we are together. I'm sorry that today hasn't really been the best Valentine's Day...and I wanted to wait for the right moment..." He started. Sue tilted her head in curiosity, wondering what was going through his mind. He let go of one of her hands and reached into his pocket to pull out a small, velvet covered box. Sue immediately felt a wave of panic rush through her body, remembering what had happened last time she was in this situation. Sue wasn't ready for what she thought was about to happen. She was afraid that everything was going to be ruined when she wasn't ready to say "yes." Sean could sense her sudden change in emotions and felt his heart sink a little bit, but decided to continue ahead anyway, trying to change the tone of the moment. "I just wanted you to have this...as a Valentine's Day gift." Sue's nerves began to settle and she took a deep breath, now realizing that this wasn't what she thought it was. She felt surprised that now she was feeling a little disappointed that it wasn't but she shrugged those feelings aside. He placed the velvet box into her hands and moved his hands to her knees while she opened it. Inside the box was a simple, but beautiful, small diamond ring. Sue was shocked and a little confused about what was happening. She noticed that it was engraved and she held it up to her eyes so that she could read the text. Worth the wait. Sue blushed and chuckled softly at the perfect line. "It's a promise ring. I just want you to know that I'm in this for the long haul." Sean smiled as he reached for the ring and her left hand. He saw the surprised look on her face and he cleared his throat. "Do you like it?" He asked, his voice filled with concern. He worried that he may have scared her away by moving too quickly. Sue lifted her head until her eyes reached his. Nervousness left her body and was replaced with glee. "It's perfect. Thank you!" She shouted as she leaned forward to give Sean a big hug. He closed his eyes and smiled brightly, relieved that everything was okay. When they broke away from their embrace, Sean held up the ring in his hand. "May I?" He asked while pointing at her hand. "Mmhmm." She replied, stretching out her fingers. Sean slid the ring onto her ring finger and she held it back up to her face to admire it. Suddenly the words he said echoed through Sue's head.
"So, you really think about that? You know, the future? Us?" Sue asked nervously. Sean took her hand in his again. Sean had thought about the future, about his future career and where he would live, but he never thought much about marriage until recently.
"It's kind of hard to explain." He began. "I used to think that I knew exactly how my life would end up...you know, I'd go to college, date girls, eventually become a doctor and settle down..." Sue cringed at the thought of him dating other girls, but shrugged away the jealousy since she had dated several guys in college too. Sean continued. "But somewhere along the line, things changed. I changed. I spent my whole life trying to live up to Donahue standards, and no one really saw me as me...except for you. And I've never felt this way about anyone before. Everything between us just feels so right...and I'm so happy...and so in love with you...and I want to feel this way forever." Sue covered her mouth with her hand and a tear began to roll down her cheek. Sean noticed and wiped it away. "Are you okay?" He asked. He was always so concerned about her feelings. Sue nodded her head. "Happy tears." She said and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you." She said. "You're so perfect for me." She continued. Sean shook his head. "No. We are so perfect...for each other." He corrected her. Sue leaned up to kiss him softly on the lips. Sean placed his hands on both of her cheeks and pulled her face closer to his. She parted her lips slightly and Sean accepted her invitation. He kissed her slowly but passionately. His hands moved to her back and he pulled her thin body closer to his. She could feel his body heat through his coat and the warmth spread through her body. A car could be heard in the distance but they were too busy to pay attention. The car rolled to a stop on the side of the road and a man stepped out of the badly scratched vehicle. Sue heard footsteps approaching and she quickly pulled away and looked towards the man with a horrified look on her face. Sean quickly jumped up and tried to wipe the guilt off of his face. Mike Heck stood in the clearing with his arms crossed in anger. "Dad! What are you doing here?"