Heyo.
Sorry, once again. I feel like this is how I always start my new chapters out with a "sorry I am a mad-woman working like crazy", but it happens lol. I've been trying to write this chapter but then got writer's block...no fun.
Anyway, hope you like it ;)
G.
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"Oh, Tom." She breathes, her expression completely blank to go along with her thoughts. Her emotions were running wild, but her thoughts were lacking. She brings her hand to her mouth and covers it, swallowing thickly before finally letting a few more tears. "I..." She stops herself before saying an impulsive yes. "Maybe we should talk it over, first." She whispers, trying to not let his mother hear it.
But now, of all times, she chooses to have super hearing (or chooses to be able to hear, unlike most times). "What?" She gasps, widening her eyes in shock.
Tom looks so disappointed, and she can tell she just broke his heart as he closes the box back in his hands, scooting it to the side and looking down. "Okay." He says, completely broken-hearted. Standing, he grabs the ring and walks calmly into the kitchen to breathe for a moment.
Mel looks at Trina, furrowing her brows. "But our talk? You said-"
"I didn't say no. I said I wouldn't say no." She murmurs sadly, looking down and standing up quickly. "I have to go talk with him." She says, rushing into the kitchen. "Tom? Oh, Tom..." She breathes, walking over to him sitting down at the countertop. His head was hung into his hands, the ring far away from him, all the way on the other end of the counter. "Honey I-"
"You said you wouldn't-"
"I didn't say no." She assures, hugging him tightly from his back, kissing his head sadly. "Tom, it...surprised me. I wasn't expecting it so soon, I guess. I'm not telling you no, I'm not even saying maybe. It's a yes, Tom." She whispers, letting her lips linger against his temple.
He turns around a little, his face red from holding back tears. "You're going to marry me?" He asks, his eyes flickering with a little bit of hope in them. When she nods, he turns around fully and stands up, picking her up as he hugs and kisses her. "Damn, why did you scare me like that, babe?" He breathes into her neck.
She chuckles sadly, resting her forehead on his. "I'm sorry." She says softly, closing her eyes. "I love you..."
He sets her down as he smiles, grabbing the ring and sliding it onto her finger. "You're going to make an amazing Mrs. Decker." He says in a soft voice, smiling bigger at her before kissing her nose.
She wears a big smile, too, and a huge rock on her finger now. As she looks down and admires it, she realizes it has to be at least two carats. "Tom? How big is this?"
"Hm?" He asks, furrowing his brows. "The ring?" When she nods, he bites his lip. "Well, I'm not sure of the cost exactly. But it was my grandmother's ring, ma gave it to me a few months back to give to you when I proposed."
Her eyes immediately fill with tears again, she twists it on her finger a little to straighten it up and bites her lip. "I absolutely love this, Tom..." She breathes, swallowing thickly. "This is better than I'd ever imagined, really. And most certainly, by far, the best Christmas I've ever gotten to celebrate."
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It was New Year's Eve, only a week of engagement for the couple. They both decided they didn't even want to go out tonight, just wanted to spend this night bringing in the New Year with each other, no one else.
Trina brings in a bowl of queso to Tom who was dealing a deck of cards for them to play, something they do on lazy nights like these. It's 11:00, and this is their second game of cards. The earlier portion of the night was spent unwinding from their flight back from Miami. "I brought some more queso dip for the chips." She coos, setting them down on the table.
The television is playing in the living room, they can hear all of the Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve show while they play an intense game of rummy. "Mmm, good. Maybe this'll help my playing skills." He teases, dipping a chip into the cheesy goodness.
"Nothing can help your playing abilities." She taunts, looking up at him slyly over her cards as she rearranges them in the order she wants. "Face it, I'm the queen at playing Rummy."
He gives her a look, then couldn't help but smirk when he sees the ring glimmer. "Yeah, you are I guess."
"You've never beat me at this." She adds, taking a bite from a cheesy chip. "And I plan on keeping that streak goi-" Just then, he lays his cards down. All of them. He had every card he needed to go out. She glares as she watches his immature expression. "You're going to regret that." She says.
Though she had drastic threats throughout the rest of the game, he was the first to reach the five-hundred points that he needed to win the game, leaving her behind at four-hundred and thirty points. "So, who was bragging earlier about never losing to me? Oh! I think that was you, Tri."
She's still glaring at him. "Fine." She says, shrugging and setting her cards down. "Let's go watch the rest of the New Year special, it's almost time for the ball to drop." She says, looking at the clock on the dining room wall.
They both get up, and Tom is still snickering to himself. She hears him, but chooses to ignore him and let him basque in the glory of beating her. She didn't let him win, either. He won fair and square, he just had the right cards – and she simply did not.
Once they're both on the couch, Tom underneath and leaning against the arm, Trina in his lap with her arms snuggled in his, her back laying against his chest. "It's five minutes 'til." She says, smiling a little bit. "Do you realize that we were here last year together? Just us?" She asks. "Maybe New Year's Eve should just be ours...our tradition to not have friends over and not have a crazy party. This is the moment for us." She suggests.
He nods, smiling a little bit and kissing her softly. "I like that idea." He whispers before hearing the three minute warning from Dick Clark.
This is the very first time this show has ever aired, December 31, 1972. But she can already feel that it's going to be a huge hit, going on for generations to come. That's the small business side of her showing, as Tom says when she says things like that. He tells her all the time she has a mind for business, but she believes otherwise. She's good with just being a flight attendant.
She cranes her neck to look back at Tom before pressing a lazy kiss to his lips, feeling his mustache tickle her top lip like it sometimes does. She chuckles at that, closing her eyes and biting her lip after she pulls away enough to still feel his breath on her lips. "What is it?" He asks her, and she just shakes her head. It makes him laugh, as well.
"I just love you." She whispers, opening her eyes, and snuggling deeper into him, turning around and laying on her stomach on top of him. She looks down into his eyes lovingly and kisses him again, "I love you a lot."
He smiles a little, nodding. "I love you too, babe." He whispers, rubbing her lower back, almost rubbing her ass. His hand gently slides down, rubbing a cheek and she smirks.
"What do you think you're doing?" She asks.
He shrugs innocently, then gasps playfully and looks at his hand. "Did my hand slip?!" He asks sarcastically.
She just slaps him playfully before grabbing the hand he was using and putting it back on her ass. "I didn't say you should stop." She says, biting her lip. In the background, they're beginning to countdown. The crowd is cheering as the ball is dropping lower and lower. It's only twenty seconds until it's 1973, the second most life changing year she'll have (the first being 1971, back when she met Tom) – this is the year she'll become Mrs. Trina Decker. She's tied down. She's...only going to be with one person the rest of her life. The thought makes her clammy and she looks straight at Tom and swallows thickly. If she's going to be with someone for the rest of her life, she'd rather it be him.
Ten, nine, eight...
She grabs the glasses of champagne, handing him one before readying hers.
Four, three, two, one...HAPPY NEW YEAR!
She turns to Tom and kisses him lovingly as the ball drops, a passionate and sexy kiss filled with searing love. "Happy New Year, baby." She whispers, smiling at him a little bit before clinking their glasses together.
"Happy New Year, soon-to-be Mrs. Decker." He whispers, excitement ringing in his tone.
She's excited too, to be called Mrs. Decker. Maybe being tied down is a good thing for her.
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Their breaths heavy and almost in unison, they're looking into each other's eyes like two love-sick puppies, still. It's Valentine's Day, and this was their third and final round for the night (probably final, since they're both tired. But sometimes they just can't stop). "Tom?" She whispers, swallowing thickly.
"Yeah babe?" He asks.
She looks away for a moment and then back at him, "When we get married, you promise me you won't sleep with anyone else, right?" She asks nervously. "I know we slept with Alan that one time and a few other couples since...but I just-"
"Hey." He stops her, rubbing her cheek gently with a soft fingertip. "I know that tone of voice. You're all nervous just because we had some fun swinging a few months back. Don't worry about that, Tri." He assures. "Once we're married, it's just us."
"Right." She whispers, biting her lip softly. "And also?" She starts, waiting for him to nod. "That house we looked at yesterday," She says, taking a shaky breath. "I love it. I know you do, too...and I think it's the one."
Yesterday, they'd looked at a house in a Chicago suburb, one of the really nice subdivisions. It's a glass house, mostly, and it has so much potential to be a modern, gorgeous home for the two of them. It's huge, complete with a basement. They have no idea what they'll do with that, yet. It has a pool, a spot for an outdoor bar – but it hasn't ever been put in, a nice size yard (for a subdivision). She can just imagine them living there forever, plus it's not a bad price. They can add whatever they want to it.
They're even making money off of her inheritance – they put a portion of it into a stock that shot up so well, making them even richer. They don't even have to work, now, if it wasn't just for them liking their jobs. So far, the stock has brought them in about a half a million dollars, just since December. Now, they're even considering investing in a club. Maybe Tom was right, Trina's mind is made for business, too.
"That house in the suburbs?" He asks, biting his lip as well.
She nods and chuckles, "The one we both loved but I was too scared to admit that I loved it." She admits, shrugging and taking a deep breath, still trying to steady her breathing from their previous activities. "It's perfect for us, baby. Pool, bars, big kitchen, extra rooms for my photography and things..." She says, shaking her head. "It'd be a shame if we passed it up just because I wouldn't admit that I liked it."
He chuckles, shaking his head before rubbing her waist. "Good, because I told the realtor to hold it for us until next week. I really loved it, too."
Her smile grows from ear to ear, and she gets a bit misty eyed. "Tomorrow, you want to call about it?"
He nods, "Tomorrow..."
"Tomorrow." She agrees, smiling even bigger and letting out an excited squeal, hugging his neck tightly and kissing all over his face.
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THEY FOUND A HOUSE! I REPEAT, THEY FOUND A HOUSE! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Okay, back to business. Trina wanting a closed marriage kinda throws y'all for a loop, right? Yeah. I feel like she probably wasn't so open about open marriage, just because she's a protective woman anyway. She likes to keep what's hers, hers. I feel like she wouldn't feel right, right now, about an open marriage.
Your thoughts? Nice comments! You can disagree, but nicely! ;) :)
G.
