Title: Someday
Author: SneetchesToo
Rating: Teen
Pairing: Ethan/Rox
Summary: Rox was terrified that Ethan was going to pull a ring out of his pocket at any given moment, and she knew that she wouldn't know what to do with herself if he did.
Author's Note: Jewelry is my weakness and these two are as well.
—
Rox hadn't been able to wrap her mind around what Ethan had said the other night.
His comment about her being his wife by next Christmas.
She couldn't get the concept to stick in her head.
It sounded absolutely absurd.
And yet, the more she thought about it, the more she liked the sound of it.
But she knew that it was a long shot and that it would probably never happen.
And she knew that the longer that Ethan spent with her the more he would realize what a crazy idea that was.
She knew that he loved her, but she also knew that there was no way that any man would ever love her enough to make her his wife.
Never in a million years.
And while she had never put much thought into it, the simple fact that she knew that she would never be good enough to be Ethan Willis' wife, broke her heart.
Because if there was ever a man that she would want to marry.
It was him.
One hundred percent.
—
The two had barely spoken the rest of the night and she had heard him retreat downstairs a little after midnight.
He never returned to bed that evening and when she got up the next morning he was asleep on the couch.
She felt her heart break a little at the sight.
She knew that she had hurt him by the way she had handled the situation but he honestly couldn't have expected anything different from her.
They had spent the rest of the weekend on eggshells around each other and when Christmas Eve had finally rolled around she had anticipated him kicking her out.
He had wanted to have a relaxing Christmas after all.
But instead he had insisted that she stay for dinner with him and his dad and she had agreed.
They had shared a quiet meal together before settling on the couch in front of the brightly lit tree.
His dad had mumbled something about starting a fire and watching a movie and Ethan had just nodded in agreement.
She had been shocked when Ethan had draped his arm over her shoulder while they watched the movie.
And she had been even more shocked when he had snuggled her against his side.
She certainly hadn't expected him to show her any attention whatsoever after the way the past 36 hours had gone.
Martin had retreated to bed with a simple 'goodnight' as soon as the movie had ended and she and Ethan had been left alone in the quiet room.
His arm had stayed around her shoulders while she stayed tucked to his side and he had dropped a soft kiss to her hair while they sat in silence.
She had wanted to speak so badly, but she had no idea what to say.
At that point, she didn't know if anything she said would make a difference.
"Love you." He whispered into the silence, his head falling to rest against hers with a soft sigh.
"Love you too." She whispered back.
She was shocked that he had uttered those words to her.
She certainly never expected him to say them to her ever again.
"I got you something." His voice was gentle and low and she felt a chill run down her spine.
They hadn't talked about exchanging gifts.
Sure, she had gotten him a few things, but they weren't anything special.
She had a sinking feeling that this gift from him was something really special.
"Oh." She didn't know how else to respond. "Okay."
"I want you to open it now." He gently pulled away from her and moved toward the tree.
He returned a minute later with a small package, wrapped in simple red paper, a small gold bow placed on top.
She felt her heart stop in her chest.
"That had better not be what I think it is." She gasped out.
It looked like a ring box.
And after their conversation the other night, she was scared that he may have gone a little to far.
"It's not." He almost looked disappointed at those words.
"It's not a ring?" She wanted clarification before she opened the box because she knew once she opened it that that would be it.
"It's not a ring." He whispered. "I promise. Not yet anyway."
She rolled her eyes at his response.
He could be such a smart ass when he wanted too.
"Ethan…" She tried to use a warning voice, but she didn't think it worked out that way.
"Rox, I promise," He offered her a soft look as he sat back down next to her on the couch, "it's not a ring."
She eyed him softly as she took the box from his hands and held it up to her face.
"What is it then?" Her curiosity was getting the best of her.
"Open it and you'll see." He whispered.
She glanced back down at the package in her hands and she felt herself starting to shake.
The simple thought that whatever was hidden behind that shiny red wrapping paper was something so special was breaking her.
No man had ever given her a gift before.
And no man had certainly ever given her jewelry before.
"I can't…" She felt the tears prick at her eyes and she hated herself for it.
"Rox…" He reached out then, his hand cupping her cheek softly as he turned to face her. "It's okay. Just open it. I promise you it's not a ring."
She nodded her head softly as she let her eyes shift from his face and then down to the box in her hands and back again.
Letting out a soft breath she gently removed the bow from the top of the box before slowly peeling away the paper.
She was afraid to make a mess of it.
Like she was going to somehow hurt what was inside if she tore the paper off too roughly.
Once she had undone the tape on all four sides she slowly slid the paper off, letting it fall to the space between them.
Left in her hands was a small black box.
A jewelry box.
The exact kind a ring came in.
And she felt her heart seize up in her chest.
"Open it Roxane." He whispered softly, his hand still pressed against her cheek, his eyes soft in the glow of the Christmas tree light.
She reached out a shaky hand to push the top of the box open and she let out a soft gasp at what she found inside.
He was right, it wasn't a ring.
It was something just as special though.
"It's beautiful Ethan." She barely got the words out before she started to cry.
No one had ever given her something so beautiful before.
Something so perfect and pure.
She didn't know what to think or what to say, so she just sat there, tears streaming down her face as she eyed the silver object softly.
"You like it?" He sounded hesitant and when she looked up she could see the worry in his eyes.
"I love it." She whispered.
She reached her hand down then, letting her fingers trace over the simple silver tag softly.
"I figured with as much as you love my dog tags, and as much as you love our saying, that I should put two and two together." His words were soft as he reached down and gently removed the box from her hands.
She didn't know what to say so she settled for shaking her head again.
The next thing she knew he was removing the necklace from it's box and moving to stand.
She thought he was going to leave, but instead he settled himself behind her on the couch.
She instinctively pulled her hair to the side, allowing him to place the object around her neck and clasp it behind her.
"It's perfect." She whispered, her fingers reaching down to take the dog tag shaped pendant in her hand.
I love you more today than I did yesterday. And I'll love you more tomorrow than I do right now.
The words stared up at her from their place on the small, silver tag, and she felt another round of tears hit her.
It was the most perfect gift she had ever been given and she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he had put so much thought into it.
"I love you Roxane." He pressed his lips against the back of her neck, just above the clasp to her new necklace, and she felt a shiver run through her body.
"I love you too Ethan." She let her hands fall to her lap as she leaned forward slightly, allowing him to continue his motions, his lips soft against the exposed skin of her neck and shoulders.
"What would you have done if I had gotten you a ring?" His question was soft and she couldn't help but chuckle as his hands settled against her waist.
He tugged her back between his legs, her back settling against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"I probably would have left." In reality, she probably wouldn't have been able to move though.
"One day I'm giving you a ring." He whispered against her ear.
"No you're not Ethan." She really didn't understand what the big deal was.
The idea of marrying Ethan both terrified and excited her.
She wished her heart would make up it's mind about which one it was.
"Yes I am." His lips pressed against her shoulder as he yanked the blanket down from the back of the couch and pulled it over them slowly. "Besides, I don't have to buy one. I already have one."
She whipped her head around toward him so fast that she was surprised she didn't whiplash.
"Excuse me?" If he had already gone out and bought a ring she would surely have to hurt him.
"I have my mom's." He whispered, the fingers of his left hand pushing their way under her shirt as his right hand cupped her cheek softly. "She would have wanted you to have it."
"Stop Ethan." She didn't know why the topic made her so anxious. But she wanted to stop talking about it as soon as humanly possible.
"Does it really make you that uncomfortable Rox?" His question startled her and she let her body relax back against his a little bit more.
She really didn't know why it made her so uncomfortable.
Except for the fact that she thought he had to be lying to her about everything.
There was no way that someone as perfect as Ethan would want to spend the rest of their lives with someone as fucked up as her.
"It's… yes…" She nodded her head softly as she closed her eyes against another onslaught of tears. "I've never…"
"It's okay. I'll stop." He pressed a gentle kiss to her neck then, his arms wrapping around her softly as he settled back against the arm of the couch. "Just know that I want that someday, okay? I wanna marry you and make you my wife. It doesn't have to be next week or next month. And it doesn't even have to be next year. I just want you to know that I have a ring and when you're ready, which I hope you one day are, it's yours and so am I."
"Okay." That was all she could manage to get out and she hoped that it was enough.
She hoped that he wouldn't hate her for it.
That he could understand where she was coming from and that he could respect her wishes to not take this to the next level just yet.
She was happy with what they had and who they were.
She wanted things to stay this way forever.
"Close your eyes and try and rest babe." He whispered. "I love you."
"I love you too." She whispered back.
She prayed that things wouldn't always be like this.
She prayed that someday she would be able to give him the answer that he wanted.
She prayed that someday she would be comfortable enough to be his wife.
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