Justin
Reservations confirmed? Check. Car was full of gas? Check. Socks matched? Check. Shoes were on the right feet? Check. Dark gray suit was clean and wrinkle-free? Check. Tie matched? Check. No vomit on shoes as a result of nerves? Check!
Dad was amused at how crazed I was that night. He had come over on some flimsy pretext, but I didn't say anything. It was an important night for him too I guess. It was a good thing because I couldn't get the stupid knot in the tie to come out right for anything. I was lucky I didn't slice my face off when I was shaving because I was shaking every time I thought about what was going to happen tonight.
And there was that little edge of a doubt. What if she said no? There were lots of reasons for her to worry about being tied down. I had told her before that if she had to go I would leave with her. She knew that. But what if she worried that we might have a family and they would be in danger? That might be a deciding factor. If she said no...no matter how much the reasons made sense...I didn't think I would be able to handle it.
No. I wasn't going to think on those lines. I was going to think about picking her up and taking her out to the restaurant. Jackie swore that everything I had asked for and arranged was all going to be in place. They were used to catering to specialty requests. Everything was going to be perfect. The first person that interrupted our perfect night was going to have the life choked out of them.
"You got everything?" Dad asked.
I mentally went over the list. "Everything's set and ready to go," I answered. "I even told the boss that I wasn't available tonight."
Dad whistled. "You are serious," he said lightly. "You know what you're going to say?"
I motioned towards some papers and index cards on my desk. "I made some notes," I muttered, working the knot on my tie for the third time. "I think there's a poem in there somewhere. I'm going to remind her that we've been through a lot, but we've managed, and we can make it work if we want. And then...um, I think the poem has something about the universe in it. Stars, that kind of thing. Some song lyrics and...and...some other really good stuff."
Dad sighed and stood up. He brushed my hands away from where I was trying to turn my tie into a silk noose and actually got the stupid knot to come out right and the tie to be the right length at the same time. I could do that. I really could.
"Son," he said, looking me right in the eye, "I know you're nervous. You've got every right to be. But this is something that can only really be done once. So here's some really good advice that a friend gave me right before I proposed to your mother. Leave all of the notes at home. What she wants to know is what's in your heart. That's what you need to tell her and save the song lyrics for your wedding day."
I smiled. "Did you leave your notes at home?"
He smiled in memory. "Well, no, but I didn't get the chance to read them. I proposed to her on the Fourth of July. I was planning on waiting until the end of the fireworks, but some kid had a bottle rocket and it went into the crowd and set my pants on fire. So my notes were burned to a crisp and we're in the emergency room getting the burns treated and your mom finds the ring box in my other pocket."
I laughed. Sometimes my parents reminded me so much of Jhondie and me. We just weren't going to have a tragic ending. More like dying in our nineties within minutes of each other. That sounded much better to me. Still, you had to admit those two had packed a lot of living into a very short time. No wonder the thought of being tied down to one person didn't scare me. I had seen how happy my parents were together. If I had that in my life, then I wouldn't care if I were successful in my career or much else really. There wasn't much else that would matter more.
I glanced at my watch. "I better get going," I said. "Thanks for the advice." I picked up my notes. "But I might want to review a little before the big meeting."
He smiled knowingly. "Probably. You got everything you need though, right?"
I double checked my reflection and thought over it all again. "I'm ready."
Dad laughed and held up a small black velvet box. "You sure you got everything you need?" he teased. I grabbed the ring box and rolled my eyes at him. "Have a good night son. And enjoy, okay? This is supposed to be a joyous occasion for you as well."
I just shot him a grin and headed out the door. I tried not to think on the way over there. Everything was going to be perfect. Not even Kayla could spoil the moment when I got there. I don't know what Jhondie had said to her when they got home, but she had forgiven me for yelling at her and was actually being nice. Jhondie told me that her mother said their heart-to-heart must have done some good because she had noticed a definite improvement in Kayla's attitude lately. This suited me all the more because if it kept up then I was going to mention to Jhondie that her mother really didn't need her living there anymore, and I had this unused half of a bed that was going to waste.
Mrs. Harris let me in when I got over to their house. "You look nice tonight," she said with a conspiratorial grin. "Certainly is a special anniversary for you two, huh?" I grinned back. A few days ago, well, mostly prompted by Dad, I called her and asked if I could talk to her privately. I know, really old fashioned, but hey, Dad just said when a young man wanted to marry my daughter, I would understand what the deal was. Anyways, I told her my full intentions and asked for her blessing on it. She had smiled tearfully and told me of course I had her blessings. She was thrilled that Jhondie had found someone that knew all about her past and loved her no matter what. She wanted to see her daughter happy, and I made Jhondie happy.
"For some reason, I just wanted tonight to be special," I replied as I walked into the house.
There were some noises from upstairs and then Jhondie came floating down. The moment I saw her, my heart almost stopped beating. Jhondie was always beautiful to me. But sometimes when she wanted to, she would let out all the stops and suddenly she went from mere beautiful to this exquisite angel that I couldn't believe was real. Her hair was pulled back on the sides and the two pieces were twisted together in the middle in some fancy knot- like thing, the rest of her hair tumbling down her back in soft curls.
And then there was her dress. I swear, no straight man could see a woman in a dress like that and not have to make a conscious effort to keep drooling. Her left shoulder was bare, the shimmery blue-green material sweeping across her breasts and loosely across her back, meeting up at her right shoulder with just a thin tie keeping it together. One little tug and she would be bare to the waist. The right side had material forming a long sleeve, but it just had a tie at the elbow to keep if from being two separate pieces. I could only stare at her and marvel that this specimen of feminine beauty was actually willing to be with me.
"What do you think?" she asked, twirling around. The dress was knee-length and rather clingy so it didn't spin out. Instead I got to see the best curves I had ever seen in my life and honestly I was about two seconds from canceling all plans and dragging her back to my place right then and there.
"I think I'm in trouble," I replied softly. She grinned at me and then winked.
"Depends on what these surprise plans of yours really are," she replied.
I caught her around the waist and pulled her close to me, not caring that we had an audience. The last time I had seen her this dressed up I was taking her to her senior prom. And I should have done this then. I brushed my lips against hers softly. "You're beautiful," I whispered.
Our eyes met and what she felt was undeniably expressed without a single word needing to be said. I almost, almost proposed right then and there. Had I been able to delicately fish out any of my notes from the inner pocket of my jacket, I might have. But that would have entailed letting her go and I knew that was the one thing I would never do.
Jhondie
Fashions are a wonderful thing. If you keep your clothes for about twenty years, they're suddenly in style again. And the look on Justin's face when he saw me made all the time I had been in the attic digging through Mom's old clothes totally worth it. I fell in love with this dress when I found it and after some very patient delicate cleaning, it looked brand-new once more. With some very minor alterations, it could have been made for me I know, old dress, yuck, but hey, this was a post-Pulse society. We were okay between Dad's insurance and Mom's job, but not go out and blow a ton of money on a dress okay. And I didn't want to always be spending Justin's money either. Even if it was old, it was stunning anyways. And all of the effort was totally worth it when Justin smiled at me and then whispered how beautiful I was.
How could I not feel beautiful when a man like him was expressing his admiration for me? And there was the little fact that he looked totally divine himself. Black wasn't really his color with his dark hair. It didn't work right. But he looked awesome in gray. He didn't much like it I think, but I had said before how much I liked seeing him in that particular suit and there he was wearing it.
I felt like a total princess that night from the moment he opened the car door for me. We didn't talk too much on the way, mostly just soft looks and smiles and the occasional kisses at red lights. I had to be careful about the kisses though. The majority of this dress was being held together with two ties. One out of hand kiss and Justin had to stop and start muttering over and over "have to make the reservations have to make the reservations". I laughed and he glared at me before smiling and promising me that I was going to pay later.
I honestly had no idea where we were going until it became obvious we were heading to the beach. Our first anniversary we had a picnic in a park and he pushed me on the swings and it was so playfully delightful. This time I had a feeling it was going to be quite a bit more adult, but I had no doubts that it was going to be just as wonderful as our first. And then we pulled up in front of the restaurant and my jaw dropped. Yeah, I had heard of this place, but I never thought I would be able to get into it. It had nothing to do with money. If you didn't have the status, you weren't in. Okay, I should have morally objected, blah blah, but from what I had heard, once you go, it was an experience you'll never forget. They had no idea how right they were.
The restaurant was beautiful. I had no idea what else Justin was planning for our anniversary. I couldn't imagine what could top this. It just amazed me that two years ago tonight I was stealing back jewelry for Cheryl and how that had changed my life forever. Instead of being shot at, I was being escorted by a wonderful man into an elegant place with a large glass wall so that we could see the ocean as we dined. A lot of glass and dark wood and brass was used in the restaurant to make the different areas seem separate so that the place had a much more intimate feel.
It was so sweet for Justin to take me to the beach. Not too far from here was where we had our first kiss. It was still stunning to me how much Justin had brought into my life. He was my stability. I could be strong, but I needed him to keep me balanced. We were so right together that amazed me sometimes to think that there was a time that we didn't even know each other. It was enough to make me believe in past lives. Somehow, someway, we must have known each other long before we had met.
We were taken to a table near the large window. The place wasn't busy yet, so there was plenty of space between us and the other patrons. Fine by me. This was so wonderful to simply be together and celebrate the two best years of my life. And Justin was being so courtly, pulling out my chair for me to sit down, all soft smiles and sweet words. He seemed a little nervous though. I had a feeling he was planning something really spectacular for later on. I thought about trying to get it out of him, but why? I'd find out soon enough and he was enjoying trying to be playfully secretive.
I did have a bit of a hint that Justin had made some plans in advance. Our table was the only one with a bouquet of perfect fire and ice roses on it. And then we had barely sat down when a waiter came up and presented us with a bottle of champagne, perfectly chilled and a rather exceptional vintage. The waiter opened the bottle expertly, keeping it from foaming up, poured us each a glass and then discretely departed.
I grinned. "They must have a few mind readers on staff here," I teased. "They don't even have to offer the wine list."
Justin smiled back and lifted his glass. "Happy Anniversary, cariƱa," he said softly. Our glasses touched and both of us took a sip of the sparkling liquid.
"You certainly know how to impress a girl," I said, feeling silly that I couldn't stop smiling.
He shrugged lightly. "I just thought that we deserved one night of absolute perfection."
"I have to say this is a pretty good start. But aren't you afraid you're going to spoil me?"
His grin widened. "Baby, I haven't even started." The sensual undertone to his words made me shiver. "I was thinking," he added, "that maybe after dinner you'd like to go for a walk down the beach. It's a little noisy here, but further down is really quiet."
"Sounds...perfect." Walk, yeah, right. I knew what the boy was up to. But how could I complain? Our first kiss was on the beach and I couldn't think of anything more romantic than making love there. I swear, he must have been planning this forever. Despite all the craziness of the last month or so, he had still taken the time to plan all of this. I didn't know what I had done to deserve a man like this, but I wasn't going to complain. If this were a cosmic reward for the first decade of my life, then I would have endured it ten times over for the sheer happiness of this moment.
I reached across the table. "Thank you," I said softly, taking his hand.
He smiled. "You're welcome. For what?"
"For being you," I replied. "I've put you through the wringer lately, but you've stuck with me when you should have dumped me and gotten on with your life. Instead of saying goodbye, you brought me back to life. You are the best thing in my life and I can't imagine ever trying to live without you near me always."
Maybe it was a trick of the light, but I thought for a moment his eyes watered slightly. He kissed my fingertips. "I know exactly how you feel," he said quietly. "That's why I wanted tonight to be special. So many ups and downs lately, but I want you to know that you will always be my heart."
We smiled at each other over the candle flame as a waiter approached with the first course. We didn't even have to order dinner. They just seemed to magically know what we liked and how we liked it prepared. I wasn't sure what half of what I ate was, but it tasted wonderful anyways. Actually, it probably wouldn't have been half as good if I knew what I was putting in my mouth, so I didn't think on it too much and just enjoyed the meal and the company. We talked about the future and the MCAT test that I had registered for. Justin's graduation was set and we talked about going to Mexico for a little vacation this summer. Apparently Nana had talked about me, and the family now wanted to meet me. Despite that, it still sounded like fun even though I would have to have the barcode removed before we left.
Dinner was a slow affair, giving us plenty of time together. The service was very discreet, taking care of their appointed tasks, but not intruding any more than needed. Justin's accountants were going to have a heart attack with what he must have spent on this night, but Justin didn't seem worried in the slightest. It was just sheer perfection to be all dressed up and having this evening together. I was still wondering what he was planning though for later. Maybe he had gotten us a hotel suite out here. That's what the walk on the beach was for. We'd walk to it and he'd surprise me then with a Jacuzzi suite that faced out over the ocean.
I didn't let him know that I had guessed on his plans. I was still going to gasp and laugh and tell him I had no idea. I couldn't think of anything short of a natural disaster or a Manticore invasion that could possibly spoil this night for us.
And that was when Justin's cell phone rang.
He grabbed it, looking embarrassed that he forgot to turn it off. "I'm busy," he said roughly. Both of our families knew not to call tonight, so it had to be an informant, right?
Wrong.
He handed me the phone. "It's Kayla," he said softly, eyes full of concern. I took it gingerly. I swear, if she had been arrested again, I was going to leave her in jail until she was forty.
"What?" I hissed.
I could hear the grin in her voice as she named an old airport that had been taken out of service years ago. "Thought you might want to know that the delivery you two were concerned about just made it in," she added. I had to grab the edge of the table to keep from falling out of my seat.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I gasped. "And how did you get there?" Justin was looking at me expectantly. I put my hand over the receiver. "She found tonight's delivery that the boss was worried about," I explained. His eyebrows shot into his hairline as his jaw hit the table.
"I told you I wanted to help," she pouted. "So I told Kat that if she didn't drive me, I'd use that tape to have her arrested and stuff." Her voice lowered and she giggled. "I told her there were still drugs in there and the tape showed her selling stuff. She almost wet herself since she's still on parole. I even made her give me her cell phone."
"Kayla, get out of there right now," I ordered. "Don't argue with me on this. Just get in the car and go."
"But..."
"No buts!" I snapped furiously. "These are real bad guys with real guns. They would rather see you dead than their secret get out." I was starting to sweat. God, this was real and she was treating it like some action movie.
"Jhondie," she started, but her words were cut off with a short scream. There was the sound of a scuffle, indignant squeals.
"Kayla," I called into the phone, already wishing I hadn't eaten anything. My stomach was churning, threatening to throw up everything in there. "Kayla!" I said, my volume increasing.
More background noise. Something slamming on metal. A few curses and then a crunching sound and the line went dead.
I looked up at Justin, dazed. "Someone grabbed her," I whispered.
He didn't hesitate. He stood quickly, and wiped his mouth, tossing the napkin down. "Then it's a good thing we always have spare clothes in the car," he said. I got to my feet, still feeling numb as we left the restaurant quickly. We knew where they had been and that was a start. And if any one had dared to hurt her...this time there wasn't going to be clemency for them. I wasn't going to lose another sister. And they were going to learn that with much pain and bloodshed.
Teenagers. Good lesson for the future. Hide them in a closet at thirteen and don't let them out until they are twenty. And then maybe you could get one perfect night.
Reservations confirmed? Check. Car was full of gas? Check. Socks matched? Check. Shoes were on the right feet? Check. Dark gray suit was clean and wrinkle-free? Check. Tie matched? Check. No vomit on shoes as a result of nerves? Check!
Dad was amused at how crazed I was that night. He had come over on some flimsy pretext, but I didn't say anything. It was an important night for him too I guess. It was a good thing because I couldn't get the stupid knot in the tie to come out right for anything. I was lucky I didn't slice my face off when I was shaving because I was shaking every time I thought about what was going to happen tonight.
And there was that little edge of a doubt. What if she said no? There were lots of reasons for her to worry about being tied down. I had told her before that if she had to go I would leave with her. She knew that. But what if she worried that we might have a family and they would be in danger? That might be a deciding factor. If she said no...no matter how much the reasons made sense...I didn't think I would be able to handle it.
No. I wasn't going to think on those lines. I was going to think about picking her up and taking her out to the restaurant. Jackie swore that everything I had asked for and arranged was all going to be in place. They were used to catering to specialty requests. Everything was going to be perfect. The first person that interrupted our perfect night was going to have the life choked out of them.
"You got everything?" Dad asked.
I mentally went over the list. "Everything's set and ready to go," I answered. "I even told the boss that I wasn't available tonight."
Dad whistled. "You are serious," he said lightly. "You know what you're going to say?"
I motioned towards some papers and index cards on my desk. "I made some notes," I muttered, working the knot on my tie for the third time. "I think there's a poem in there somewhere. I'm going to remind her that we've been through a lot, but we've managed, and we can make it work if we want. And then...um, I think the poem has something about the universe in it. Stars, that kind of thing. Some song lyrics and...and...some other really good stuff."
Dad sighed and stood up. He brushed my hands away from where I was trying to turn my tie into a silk noose and actually got the stupid knot to come out right and the tie to be the right length at the same time. I could do that. I really could.
"Son," he said, looking me right in the eye, "I know you're nervous. You've got every right to be. But this is something that can only really be done once. So here's some really good advice that a friend gave me right before I proposed to your mother. Leave all of the notes at home. What she wants to know is what's in your heart. That's what you need to tell her and save the song lyrics for your wedding day."
I smiled. "Did you leave your notes at home?"
He smiled in memory. "Well, no, but I didn't get the chance to read them. I proposed to her on the Fourth of July. I was planning on waiting until the end of the fireworks, but some kid had a bottle rocket and it went into the crowd and set my pants on fire. So my notes were burned to a crisp and we're in the emergency room getting the burns treated and your mom finds the ring box in my other pocket."
I laughed. Sometimes my parents reminded me so much of Jhondie and me. We just weren't going to have a tragic ending. More like dying in our nineties within minutes of each other. That sounded much better to me. Still, you had to admit those two had packed a lot of living into a very short time. No wonder the thought of being tied down to one person didn't scare me. I had seen how happy my parents were together. If I had that in my life, then I wouldn't care if I were successful in my career or much else really. There wasn't much else that would matter more.
I glanced at my watch. "I better get going," I said. "Thanks for the advice." I picked up my notes. "But I might want to review a little before the big meeting."
He smiled knowingly. "Probably. You got everything you need though, right?"
I double checked my reflection and thought over it all again. "I'm ready."
Dad laughed and held up a small black velvet box. "You sure you got everything you need?" he teased. I grabbed the ring box and rolled my eyes at him. "Have a good night son. And enjoy, okay? This is supposed to be a joyous occasion for you as well."
I just shot him a grin and headed out the door. I tried not to think on the way over there. Everything was going to be perfect. Not even Kayla could spoil the moment when I got there. I don't know what Jhondie had said to her when they got home, but she had forgiven me for yelling at her and was actually being nice. Jhondie told me that her mother said their heart-to-heart must have done some good because she had noticed a definite improvement in Kayla's attitude lately. This suited me all the more because if it kept up then I was going to mention to Jhondie that her mother really didn't need her living there anymore, and I had this unused half of a bed that was going to waste.
Mrs. Harris let me in when I got over to their house. "You look nice tonight," she said with a conspiratorial grin. "Certainly is a special anniversary for you two, huh?" I grinned back. A few days ago, well, mostly prompted by Dad, I called her and asked if I could talk to her privately. I know, really old fashioned, but hey, Dad just said when a young man wanted to marry my daughter, I would understand what the deal was. Anyways, I told her my full intentions and asked for her blessing on it. She had smiled tearfully and told me of course I had her blessings. She was thrilled that Jhondie had found someone that knew all about her past and loved her no matter what. She wanted to see her daughter happy, and I made Jhondie happy.
"For some reason, I just wanted tonight to be special," I replied as I walked into the house.
There were some noises from upstairs and then Jhondie came floating down. The moment I saw her, my heart almost stopped beating. Jhondie was always beautiful to me. But sometimes when she wanted to, she would let out all the stops and suddenly she went from mere beautiful to this exquisite angel that I couldn't believe was real. Her hair was pulled back on the sides and the two pieces were twisted together in the middle in some fancy knot- like thing, the rest of her hair tumbling down her back in soft curls.
And then there was her dress. I swear, no straight man could see a woman in a dress like that and not have to make a conscious effort to keep drooling. Her left shoulder was bare, the shimmery blue-green material sweeping across her breasts and loosely across her back, meeting up at her right shoulder with just a thin tie keeping it together. One little tug and she would be bare to the waist. The right side had material forming a long sleeve, but it just had a tie at the elbow to keep if from being two separate pieces. I could only stare at her and marvel that this specimen of feminine beauty was actually willing to be with me.
"What do you think?" she asked, twirling around. The dress was knee-length and rather clingy so it didn't spin out. Instead I got to see the best curves I had ever seen in my life and honestly I was about two seconds from canceling all plans and dragging her back to my place right then and there.
"I think I'm in trouble," I replied softly. She grinned at me and then winked.
"Depends on what these surprise plans of yours really are," she replied.
I caught her around the waist and pulled her close to me, not caring that we had an audience. The last time I had seen her this dressed up I was taking her to her senior prom. And I should have done this then. I brushed my lips against hers softly. "You're beautiful," I whispered.
Our eyes met and what she felt was undeniably expressed without a single word needing to be said. I almost, almost proposed right then and there. Had I been able to delicately fish out any of my notes from the inner pocket of my jacket, I might have. But that would have entailed letting her go and I knew that was the one thing I would never do.
Jhondie
Fashions are a wonderful thing. If you keep your clothes for about twenty years, they're suddenly in style again. And the look on Justin's face when he saw me made all the time I had been in the attic digging through Mom's old clothes totally worth it. I fell in love with this dress when I found it and after some very patient delicate cleaning, it looked brand-new once more. With some very minor alterations, it could have been made for me I know, old dress, yuck, but hey, this was a post-Pulse society. We were okay between Dad's insurance and Mom's job, but not go out and blow a ton of money on a dress okay. And I didn't want to always be spending Justin's money either. Even if it was old, it was stunning anyways. And all of the effort was totally worth it when Justin smiled at me and then whispered how beautiful I was.
How could I not feel beautiful when a man like him was expressing his admiration for me? And there was the little fact that he looked totally divine himself. Black wasn't really his color with his dark hair. It didn't work right. But he looked awesome in gray. He didn't much like it I think, but I had said before how much I liked seeing him in that particular suit and there he was wearing it.
I felt like a total princess that night from the moment he opened the car door for me. We didn't talk too much on the way, mostly just soft looks and smiles and the occasional kisses at red lights. I had to be careful about the kisses though. The majority of this dress was being held together with two ties. One out of hand kiss and Justin had to stop and start muttering over and over "have to make the reservations have to make the reservations". I laughed and he glared at me before smiling and promising me that I was going to pay later.
I honestly had no idea where we were going until it became obvious we were heading to the beach. Our first anniversary we had a picnic in a park and he pushed me on the swings and it was so playfully delightful. This time I had a feeling it was going to be quite a bit more adult, but I had no doubts that it was going to be just as wonderful as our first. And then we pulled up in front of the restaurant and my jaw dropped. Yeah, I had heard of this place, but I never thought I would be able to get into it. It had nothing to do with money. If you didn't have the status, you weren't in. Okay, I should have morally objected, blah blah, but from what I had heard, once you go, it was an experience you'll never forget. They had no idea how right they were.
The restaurant was beautiful. I had no idea what else Justin was planning for our anniversary. I couldn't imagine what could top this. It just amazed me that two years ago tonight I was stealing back jewelry for Cheryl and how that had changed my life forever. Instead of being shot at, I was being escorted by a wonderful man into an elegant place with a large glass wall so that we could see the ocean as we dined. A lot of glass and dark wood and brass was used in the restaurant to make the different areas seem separate so that the place had a much more intimate feel.
It was so sweet for Justin to take me to the beach. Not too far from here was where we had our first kiss. It was still stunning to me how much Justin had brought into my life. He was my stability. I could be strong, but I needed him to keep me balanced. We were so right together that amazed me sometimes to think that there was a time that we didn't even know each other. It was enough to make me believe in past lives. Somehow, someway, we must have known each other long before we had met.
We were taken to a table near the large window. The place wasn't busy yet, so there was plenty of space between us and the other patrons. Fine by me. This was so wonderful to simply be together and celebrate the two best years of my life. And Justin was being so courtly, pulling out my chair for me to sit down, all soft smiles and sweet words. He seemed a little nervous though. I had a feeling he was planning something really spectacular for later on. I thought about trying to get it out of him, but why? I'd find out soon enough and he was enjoying trying to be playfully secretive.
I did have a bit of a hint that Justin had made some plans in advance. Our table was the only one with a bouquet of perfect fire and ice roses on it. And then we had barely sat down when a waiter came up and presented us with a bottle of champagne, perfectly chilled and a rather exceptional vintage. The waiter opened the bottle expertly, keeping it from foaming up, poured us each a glass and then discretely departed.
I grinned. "They must have a few mind readers on staff here," I teased. "They don't even have to offer the wine list."
Justin smiled back and lifted his glass. "Happy Anniversary, cariƱa," he said softly. Our glasses touched and both of us took a sip of the sparkling liquid.
"You certainly know how to impress a girl," I said, feeling silly that I couldn't stop smiling.
He shrugged lightly. "I just thought that we deserved one night of absolute perfection."
"I have to say this is a pretty good start. But aren't you afraid you're going to spoil me?"
His grin widened. "Baby, I haven't even started." The sensual undertone to his words made me shiver. "I was thinking," he added, "that maybe after dinner you'd like to go for a walk down the beach. It's a little noisy here, but further down is really quiet."
"Sounds...perfect." Walk, yeah, right. I knew what the boy was up to. But how could I complain? Our first kiss was on the beach and I couldn't think of anything more romantic than making love there. I swear, he must have been planning this forever. Despite all the craziness of the last month or so, he had still taken the time to plan all of this. I didn't know what I had done to deserve a man like this, but I wasn't going to complain. If this were a cosmic reward for the first decade of my life, then I would have endured it ten times over for the sheer happiness of this moment.
I reached across the table. "Thank you," I said softly, taking his hand.
He smiled. "You're welcome. For what?"
"For being you," I replied. "I've put you through the wringer lately, but you've stuck with me when you should have dumped me and gotten on with your life. Instead of saying goodbye, you brought me back to life. You are the best thing in my life and I can't imagine ever trying to live without you near me always."
Maybe it was a trick of the light, but I thought for a moment his eyes watered slightly. He kissed my fingertips. "I know exactly how you feel," he said quietly. "That's why I wanted tonight to be special. So many ups and downs lately, but I want you to know that you will always be my heart."
We smiled at each other over the candle flame as a waiter approached with the first course. We didn't even have to order dinner. They just seemed to magically know what we liked and how we liked it prepared. I wasn't sure what half of what I ate was, but it tasted wonderful anyways. Actually, it probably wouldn't have been half as good if I knew what I was putting in my mouth, so I didn't think on it too much and just enjoyed the meal and the company. We talked about the future and the MCAT test that I had registered for. Justin's graduation was set and we talked about going to Mexico for a little vacation this summer. Apparently Nana had talked about me, and the family now wanted to meet me. Despite that, it still sounded like fun even though I would have to have the barcode removed before we left.
Dinner was a slow affair, giving us plenty of time together. The service was very discreet, taking care of their appointed tasks, but not intruding any more than needed. Justin's accountants were going to have a heart attack with what he must have spent on this night, but Justin didn't seem worried in the slightest. It was just sheer perfection to be all dressed up and having this evening together. I was still wondering what he was planning though for later. Maybe he had gotten us a hotel suite out here. That's what the walk on the beach was for. We'd walk to it and he'd surprise me then with a Jacuzzi suite that faced out over the ocean.
I didn't let him know that I had guessed on his plans. I was still going to gasp and laugh and tell him I had no idea. I couldn't think of anything short of a natural disaster or a Manticore invasion that could possibly spoil this night for us.
And that was when Justin's cell phone rang.
He grabbed it, looking embarrassed that he forgot to turn it off. "I'm busy," he said roughly. Both of our families knew not to call tonight, so it had to be an informant, right?
Wrong.
He handed me the phone. "It's Kayla," he said softly, eyes full of concern. I took it gingerly. I swear, if she had been arrested again, I was going to leave her in jail until she was forty.
"What?" I hissed.
I could hear the grin in her voice as she named an old airport that had been taken out of service years ago. "Thought you might want to know that the delivery you two were concerned about just made it in," she added. I had to grab the edge of the table to keep from falling out of my seat.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I gasped. "And how did you get there?" Justin was looking at me expectantly. I put my hand over the receiver. "She found tonight's delivery that the boss was worried about," I explained. His eyebrows shot into his hairline as his jaw hit the table.
"I told you I wanted to help," she pouted. "So I told Kat that if she didn't drive me, I'd use that tape to have her arrested and stuff." Her voice lowered and she giggled. "I told her there were still drugs in there and the tape showed her selling stuff. She almost wet herself since she's still on parole. I even made her give me her cell phone."
"Kayla, get out of there right now," I ordered. "Don't argue with me on this. Just get in the car and go."
"But..."
"No buts!" I snapped furiously. "These are real bad guys with real guns. They would rather see you dead than their secret get out." I was starting to sweat. God, this was real and she was treating it like some action movie.
"Jhondie," she started, but her words were cut off with a short scream. There was the sound of a scuffle, indignant squeals.
"Kayla," I called into the phone, already wishing I hadn't eaten anything. My stomach was churning, threatening to throw up everything in there. "Kayla!" I said, my volume increasing.
More background noise. Something slamming on metal. A few curses and then a crunching sound and the line went dead.
I looked up at Justin, dazed. "Someone grabbed her," I whispered.
He didn't hesitate. He stood quickly, and wiped his mouth, tossing the napkin down. "Then it's a good thing we always have spare clothes in the car," he said. I got to my feet, still feeling numb as we left the restaurant quickly. We knew where they had been and that was a start. And if any one had dared to hurt her...this time there wasn't going to be clemency for them. I wasn't going to lose another sister. And they were going to learn that with much pain and bloodshed.
Teenagers. Good lesson for the future. Hide them in a closet at thirteen and don't let them out until they are twenty. And then maybe you could get one perfect night.
