Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.
I said things might slow down now. :) Got this up a little late, but I might have the next chapter up sooner. Not sure. We'll see how long it takes to write.
Chapter 3
Josh and Mindy both sat in silence during the drive to Las Vegas. There had been no good music on the radio after a while, so it had been turned off about an hour ago. Now there was a silence in the car that was frightening.
Josh drove and thought of the conversation he'd had with Mindy the previous night. He'd called, and she wondered at first why he'd called as late as he had. He apologized for that, and she told him it didn't matter anyway.
He'd quietly confided to her all of his worries while trying not to wake Drake. She told him that he was bright and friendly, he'd be fine. He'd paused and then told her he was worried about their relationship. What was going to become of it?
Mindy had told him things would turn out all right. If they were supposed to be together, they'd stay together. This response never sat well with Josh. It was the answer that meant they probably would break up, but he shouldn't worry about it. Well, Josh couldn't help but worry. He wasn't going to have anyone when he went away to school, and he had no idea what he was going to do about it.
He asked Mindy if she loved him. The question made her silent for a moment which worried Josh. Maybe she didn't really mean it when she said it to him. Then she finally replied that of course she did. He told her he loved her too. He said that she meant too much to him to just let go. He couldn't wait to see if their lives would bring them together or if they would grow apart. He wanted to know at that moment whether or not Mindy could spend the rest of her life with him.
Truth be told, this scared Mindy. She realized how afraid Josh was of losing all his friends and family. She decided the best thing to do was answer his question. She thought for a minute about the little things they'd been through. Even Drake had encouraged that they stay together. That had to be a sign. Mindy was still unsure. She knew Josh loved her, and she knew she loved him. But how was she supposed to know whether or not she could spend the rest of her life with him right now? They'd be going to college in the fall, and that would be their new lives. Maybe Josh had a point. You didn't know how many people you were going to end up with in your life. If Josh was in it, well, it would be wonderful.
She finally answered that, yes, she could see herself spending the rest of her life with him. Then he'd shocked her completely. He asked her to marry him. He apologized for doing it on the phone and not romantically, but he explained that he wanted her in his life. He couldn't see being without her right now, and if he were to lose her, he couldn't handle it.
Mindy reflected on when they'd first broken up because Josh wouldn't tell Drake about their relationship. After Josh apologized, she almost refused to take him back, but at the last minute, did anyway. Perhaps they were meant to be together. At least if they were married in college, there would be less to preoccupy them from others who wanted their attention. And honestly, Mindy didn't have many friends either. Many didn't like her because she was smart and acted better than everyone else. After spending time in a mental rehabilitation center, people began to see her as the "crazy one" and were even less social to her. Josh hadn't stopped his rivalry with her and always told her to ignore the crazy jokes when they did end up together. He'd even apologized for calling her crazy the day she ran out of the student court when Drake had been on trial for putting Mrs. Hayfer's car in her classroom, Mindy's doing but framing Drake which wasn't very hard considering how much Mrs. Hayfer and Drake hated each other.
Mindy finally responded. Yes, she would marry him. Her parents might not like it at first, but they'd warm up to it. Josh mentioned that he'd like to sooner than later. He mentioned eloping. Mindy was worried about this. Josh said if they did, there was nothing anybody could do about it when they got back. Mindy didn't know what made her give in. Whether it was the fact that Josh always had been wonderful to her or the fact that she was sick of her parents overbearingness, she agreed. They set their plans, and Josh asked Mindy if they could go but to please wait for Drake; he wanted him there more than anything. Mindy agreed to this as well, knowing how much Josh's relationship with his brother meant to him. They'd both left their homes and were now on their way to Las Vegas because where else did a young couple like that go to get married?
"You're too young."
"You've only just graduated high school."
"What about your whole life ahead of you? You'll probably go farther than the other boob."
"Hey! And why would you want to marry the creature?"
Josh knew these responses would come from his family, and he wouldn't blame them. But he had wanted to make this decision on his own. He couldn't do that with the opinions of his parents and Drake and Megan hovering over him. Now, as Mindy sat next to him in the car, he knew this was what he wanted without his family's interference. He had no idea what Drake would say to him when he met him later. He didn't even know if Drake was going to show. All Josh could do was wait and see. They still had the better part of the drive left, though, so he didn't have to worry about that now.
Josh glanced over at Mindy, and he noticed she looked a little pale.
"Mindy," he said. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," she said, giving him a smile. "I'm fine. Just a little nervous, I guess. I mean, I never thought you'd ask me to do this, at least, not this soon."
Josh bit his lip. He hated to ask, but he had to do it.
"Do you want to go back home?" he finally questioned.
"Oh, no," she responded. "I'm glad we're doing this. I mean, our parents can't talk us out of it this way. Maybe it's better."
"I just figured a lot of women want those big, fancy weddings where their fathers give them away and they get the white dress and everything."
"It's a dream most little girls have," Mindy said. "But it's not necessary. Not much ends up the way we wanted it to when we were kids."
"I guess," said Josh. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"
"Yes," said Mindy. "I love you. Besides, we won't be alone this way. You're right. Maybe we'll miss each other a lot more when we go to school in the fall, but things will be okay. We'll always have someone."
Josh smiled.
"If you're sure," he said.
"Positive."