A/N this is the continuation of The Tale of the Soft Thing. More JxA fluff, Yay! I have taken major liberties with Jéremíe's life outside of Kadic. Be warned. For the record, in this series, the characters are in high school, because I said so.

From Now Til' Forever

Jéremíe Belpois

I finally managed to come to terms with what had happened two weeks ago, at least partially. I had woken up in the Factory, with Aelita sitting on my lap. I had then been ambushed by my friends, kissed, taken to my birthday party that I had forgotten about, and then been kissed again, and again, and again. All in all, I was in a state of shock. However, being the gentleman that I was, and absolutely smitten, I had taken Aelita's advance rather well, and scheduled a date for two weeks later. Which was now. However, I had a bit of a plan, but still, it was intimidating.

Truth be told, I was freaking out a bit, due to almost total lack of knowledge about having a girlfriend. Hopefully, my naiveté would not be completely obvious to Aelita, but I didn't have my hopes up. I paced up and down one of the main courtyards of Kadic, where I had asked Aelita to meet me. I had said to meet me after classes, and classes had ended about ten minutes ago. Finally, just before I was ready to go looking for Aelita, I spotted the pink haired beauty exit the dorm building, and make her way across the courtyard. I must say that I stared dumbly for a moment, before composing myself.

Apparently, Yumi had taken Aelita shopping at some point, because I did not recall ever seeing the dress she was wearing. It was dark pink, and it shimmered in the sunlight. I was glad that I had decided to wear something more formal today. I wore a jacket with a high collar, which fit snugly. I quickly crossed the courtyard to meet Aelita, linking arms with her. I smiled, still shocked at the fact that she thought that I could be boyfriend material. I complimented her dress, stumbling slightly over the word stunning, a slight throwback to my insecurity. She giggled, and together we left the campus, headed for a restaurant that I had reservations at, one of the perks of belonging to a very wealthy family.

Upon entering the restaurant, I realized that I had planned my choice of restaurant perfectly. The carpet and walls were a tasteful blend of burgundy and gold, and the lighting was low. Paintings hung on the walls, and I was ninety five percent certain that the chandelier was made of real gold. I glanced at Aelita, and saw that her face had lit up at the beautiful interior. We were met by a member of the staff, who recognized that I had reservations. He ushered us to a table for two in the back of the restaurant, where we were waited on.

Aelita Hopper

I was at a loss at this point. Yumi, being her pragmatic self, had given me a list of restaurants that Jéremíe was likely to take me to. This was so far beyond the list that I had no idea how to react. I stood, excusing myself to the restroom, and ripped my phone out of my purse. I frantically dialed Yumi's number, and when she picked up, I hurriedly asked for advice. For a moment, I thought the phone had disconnected. Then, Yumi's voice came through the speaker, sounding slightly strained.

"He took you WHERE?"

I told her again, and I heard Ulrich whistle. I was on speaker phone. I heard some rapid clicking on a keyboard, and Yumi gasped.

"First thing, Aelita, you do realize just how wealthy this makes Jéremíe right. That boy is loaded. Secondly, do you understand how serious Jéremíe is? Either he didn't realize how exclusive that restaurant is, or he is going to tell you something huge. Oh my god," stuttered Yumi, "I can't even begin to understand this."

I was starting to worry a bit now; Yumi's reaction was slightly frightening. I quickly told her that I had to go, and rejoined Jéremíe. He had apparently kept the waiter there until I had returned, and I quickly ordered a pasta dish Jéremíe recommended. My mind was awhirl, trying to guess what Jéremíe was thinking. Then, I realized that this was Jéremíe, and that I should just relax. He loved me, that much I knew, and that was good enough for me. So what if my boyfriend was obscenely wealthy.

Yumi Ishiyama

I had not told Aelita everything, as I did not want to totally intimidate the girl. That restaurant was for big money. The best case scenario was that Jéremíe was attempting to give Aelita the best of everything, which was likely, but the worst case was that he was flaunting his money in a misguided attempt to impress her. I sincerely hoped that it was the former.

Jéremíe Belpois

Aelita had come back from the restroom looking slightly intimidated, and I realized the lavish nature of the room might be getting to her. I slid my chair around the table to sit closer to her, taking her hand in mine. I realized that this place was probably overwhelming the poor girl, and I pulled her closer, offering something familiar, in the midst of unfamiliar surroundings. She relaxed, and we began to talk, about everyday things. Soon Aelita began to relax.

Twenty Minutes Later.

After receiving and eating our food, the two of us began to get ready to go. The waiter brought me my check, but before I could pick it up, Aelita saw the total.

"Jéremíe", she asked, her eyes wide. "That is a lot of money."

"Yes it is, but it is not all for our meal."

"What do you mean?" She asked

"You'll see." I chuckled.

We got to our feet, and left the building, and I showed Aelita what the rest of the fairly substantial bill was for. In front of the restaurant was a horse drawn carriage. A footman opened the door, and I helped Aelita inside. We set out on a tour of the older portion of the city. After a while, I stopped the coach, and entered a nondescript building. Aelita accompanied me, but I asked her to wait in the lobby. She complied, and I quickly picked up the package I had commissioned early that week. I placed it in a plain brown bag, and Aelita and I headed back to Kadic. When we arrived, we exited the carriage, and I tipped the driver. We started to walk back to the dorms, as it was nearing the time that we would need to be back, but I stopped Aelita for a moment. I fumbled for the bag that I had picked up, and withdrew a small velvet box. I was counting on Aelita's lack of experience to disguise what this was, but I had no such luck.

Aelita Hopper

Jéremíe pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket. I knew it immediately to be a ring box, and I am slightly ashamed to say that I freaked out. He opened the box, and nestled in the black velvet was a simple gold band, set with a pink diamond. I allowed Jéremíe to show me the inscription engraved in the band. It said,

Yours, from now til' forever.

Jéremíe took my left hand, and slid the ring onto my finger. Then, he asked if I knew what this was. Not entirely sure, I shook my head. He smiled,

"It's a promise ring; it means that once we finish high school, you and I will be engaged to be married."

I smiled, tearing up slightly at his devotion. He pulled me close, kissed me, and we started back for the dorm.

We held each other close as we walked into the setting sun.

Fin.

That was fun to write, a little more serious, but fun none the less. This will probably be continued, so stay tuned. I freaking love JxA. Also, rich Jéremíe is a fun character to write, and the next chapter might take place in his home. We'll see.