Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They all belong to the amazingly talented Stephenie Meyer.
Chapter 5: Big City, Big News
Ten minutes later, I was sitting in the backseat of Rosalie's red BMW M3 convertible. And what can I say? The car definitely suited her—it was very flashy, as was she. She looked like a model straight from the runway—not a hair out of place, clothes perfectly tailored. Considering I could never look like that even on my best days, I was very jealous. But all that aside, she was extremely nice. She actually reminded me a lot of my friend, Alice, back in Forks. Alice, like Rosalie, was very fashion conscious—always knowledgeable of the latest trends. Alice was also very endearing and trustworthy. I definitely got that vibe from Rosalie.
The three of us decided to first hit Navy Pier, which, according to Jasper and Rosalie, had everything you could want or need. It was a very popular spot to shop, hang out, and eat. After a couple hours of browsing, eating, and Dippin' Dots (Jasper ate three cups of them!), we decided to partake in a typical activity of those who visit the pier—riding the big Ferris wheel. Apparently, just one revolution of the wheel takes 5-10 minutes. It looked like so much fun, so we waited our turn, then boarded. Rosalie and I were literally bouncing up and down with excitement as the Ferris wheel carried us higher and higher. But Jasper didn't look so good. In fact, he looked downright green. He ended up putting his head between his legs for the rest of our time on the Ferris wheel, which was really a shame because the city was so beautiful from up here. By the time we reached the ground, Jasper looked even worse, and ended up ducking into the nearest bathroom. I felt so bad from him. When he came out about ten minutes later, he did look a little better, but not by much.
"Are you alright, Jasper," I asked.
"Ugh, no," he moaned. "I feel like shit!"
Rosalie actually looked like she was holding back laughter. "Well, that's what you get for scarfing down four hot dogs, two servings of chili-cheese fries, some chips, and three cups of Dippin' Dots. What the hell were you thinking?"
"Well, I was thinking that I was hungry and all that food looked so good. I couldn't help it!"
"Rose, go easy on him," I said. "He just spent ten minutes throwing up."
"Oh, Bella, he always does this when we go to a fair or something—just goes way overboard with the sweets and junk food. He's like a little kid in a candy store." She rolled her eyes at him. "The he ends up puking his guts out and whining about it. Then…" She was interrupted by a moan from Jasper. "Ugh, see? What did I tell you?"
"Rose, I'm not sure if I can handle another few hours of walking around the city. Can you just take me home? You and Bella should keep shopping, have some fun."
"Jasper, are you sure? We could always just hang out at your place and watch a movie," I suggested.
"No, no, Bella. I don't want you to miss out on seeing more of the city. I'll be fine. You guys go ahead."
"Oh, you bet your ass we will! Bella's not going to miss shopping on the Magnificent Mile for anything," said Rosalie.
"Are you going to patronize me or drop me off at home," asked Jasper.
"Alright, alright. Let's go."
After we dropped off Jasper (he promised that we'd hang out again real soon), Rosalie and I sped back downtown towards the Magnificent Mile—which was any fashionista's dream come true. This stretch of shops is one of the most expensive in the area. It contains such stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Tiffany's. I wasn't as enthusiastic about shopping in high-end department stores—I wasn't big on shopping anyways—but Rosalie insisted that it was an absolutely essential experience.
We decided to stop in at Tiffany's first. It was obvious that Rosalie had been here before because she made a beeline right to the engagement rings and stopped in front of a glass case.
"What do you think of this one, Bella," Rosalie asked, pointing to a ring.
"Wow." It was the only word I could think of to describe it. The ring was white gold with a large square diamond. Framing the large diamond were two smaller diamonds on each side. And the spotlight shining on the display case made these diamonds sparkle brilliantly.
"I know," she said, staring at it in awe.
"Why do you ask?"
"Well," she began, looking a little embarrassed. "And you can't tell anyone this! Only my family and best friend are in on it."
"Of course, Rose. No worries."
"Ok, well, I've been in a relationship with this guy for a couple of years…"
"Ooh, what's his name," I asked.
"His name's Emmett McCarty." At the mere mention of his name, she got a dreamy look in her eyes. "He's twenty, and absolutely perfect. He's actually in training to become a police officer."
"No way! My dad is the new police chief here," I said, surprised.
"Yeah, I think Jasper mentioned that yesterday! Anyways, Emmett and I have been together for two years. And last month…" she trailed off.
"Yes…" I prompted.
"Last month, he asked me to marry him."
"Oh, Rose, congratulations! That's amazing!"
"Thanks, Bella. But when he proposed, he didn't have a ring. I was a little curious as to why, and that's when he brought me here."
"To Tiffany's?"
"Yeah. So we get here, and the whole place was empty. I asked what was going on. He took my hands in his, looked into my eyes, and said how much he loved me. He didn't want to get me a ring that I might not end up liking. Then he gestured around him and told me that I could have any ring in the store. The only thing is that he's pretty cash-strapped right now. And until he completes his training and becomes a real police officer, he can't really afford a ring. But he let me pick one out." She glanced down at the ring. "And then he got down on one knee—."
"And proposed again," I guessed.
"No, but he did make a promise to me. He promised that when he had enough money saved up and put aside, he would buy that ring for me. He said, and this was in his exact words, 'I promise you with all my heart, Rosalie Hale. And I'll never go back on that promise. You are my love. You are my life. You are my everything.'"
At this point, tears were running down my face. "Oh my god, Rose, that's so romantic. I'm so happy for you."
She was crying, too. "Thank you so much. I'm still having a hard time believing this is real."
"So what happens now," I asked. "With the ring, I mean."
"They're keeping it in the back for me."
"Oh. So then how can they have this one out here?"
She laughed. "Oh Bella, you're forgetting that jewelry stores can sell more than one of the same type of ring."
I blushed. "Right," I said stupidly. "How was Emmett able to negotiate all of this?"
"I'm not really sure, but I can probably guess. Let's just say that he can look pretty imposing to the unsuspecting person. Just one flex of his biceps can persuade just about anyone," she added with a chuckle.
I must've gotten a horrified look on my face because Rosalie looked instantly apologetic. "Oh Bella, I was kidding. He knows the son of the owner. So it was probably easy to work out. Though he might look like a tough guy, underneath that exterior, he's just a big teddy bear. I promise."
"Oh, whew," I said in relief. "He sounds like such a great guy. I hope I get to meet him sometime."
"Definitely! We should all hang out soon!"
"I'd like that, Rose." We resumed staring at the ring until I remembered something I'd wanted to ask her. "Um, Rose, you said that you've only told the news to your family and one best friend. I've known you for less than a day. Why did you tell me?"
Rosalie immediately looked pensive. "Hmm. I suppose it's because you seem different from all my other friends. Most of my friends, admittedly, can be pretty shallow and gossipy. And I know that I could never tell them without it getting out everywhere. People would start talking and speculating about why I'm getting married so young, and they wouldn't understand that I'm marrying Emmett simply because I love him. But, I just have a good feeling about you, Bella. You seem very down to earth, very genuine."
"That's very sweet, Rose. I appreciate that. And you do know that I won't tell anyone else. I'd never go back on my word," I said earnestly.
"You and Emmett both, I guess," she said with a smile. "And I suppose I also trust you because you're friends with Jasper. Anyone willing to be friends with that weirdo is ok in my book."
We laughed together. "But anyways, enough of my ramblings," she said. "Now, what do you say we go do some shopping? All the department stores have gotten their back-to-school lines in…you ready to take on the Chicago fashion world?"
I rolled my eyes. "Hardly."
Rosalie laughed. "C'mon," she said, tugging on my arm. "It'll be fun."
As we were leaving, I snuck one last look at Rosalie's engagement ring. I couldn't get over how unbelievably sweet her story was. She was so lucky. And I wished that when that one guy came along, I would be just as lucky.
Yes, this chapter is much longer than the others have been! I've noticed that all of my chapters have been getting longer as I go on. I hope you all liked this one. Doesn't Emmett sound sweet? We'll get to meet him in a little while, have patience. And not to worry, Jasper hasn't gone away forever. He'll be back! But…there's some exciting stuff coming up. Someone very important will be making their first appearance in the next chapter…yay! And I'll totally update on Sunday, so you won't have to wait forever to read the next chapter. Please read and review!