Just FYI, there are songs in this chapter from the present time...some people don't like that others (including me) don't care so read on!

Disclaimer: All rights go to S.E. Hinton

A special thank you to those who have put this story under 'favorites' and to those who follow Carmen's story like a Twitter page..ha-ha!

The building was large and made of dark, red brick. The windows were tinted so all you could see were the dimmed lights of the restaurant. La Chateau was a beautiful place, with Greek-styled pillars in the front and a high ceiling. The waitress greeted us, dressed in a Marilyn Monroe-like white dress. She was maybe a year older than me and had long, red hair. Her gaze skipped me all together and rested on Ponyboy.

"Table for two?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice.

"Yes, please," Pony boy answered. A boy with manners…I found one! The waitress who addressed herself as Kandice smirked and led us to a booth in the far corner of the place. It was one huge room, with a half-view of the kitchen to the left and a dance floor in the middle, with a live band to the right. Kandice left our menus on the table and winked with a, "I'll be right back."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed for my menu. The red leather-covered booklet had Italian writing on the left side and English on the right. I was so not ordering Escargot! Ponyboy pointed it out and laughed. "Who would order an insect for dinner?"

When our waitress came back, she leaned against the table, giving us a view of her chest. Well ain't she sweet. Ponyboy averted his eyes to me and told me to order first. I did: some delicious looking pasta thing and the Peach Sparkler. Pony pursed his lips and asked for the same pasta and a Pepsi. Once Kandice left (finally) Pony reached across the table and took my hands in his.

"You look beautiful Carmen," he sighed.

"Thank you, you don't look so bad either," I smirked. Ponyboy was wearing dark jeans and a dark blue button-up shirt. With the collar up, of course. He blushed and muttered thanks.

He played with my fingers for a moment before looking up at me again. "Sodapop told me something last night…"

Uh-oh, what did wise ol' Sodapop have to say?

"He said that girls, the greater they are, the worse they'll break your heart," he finished in a rush.

My mouth gaped. Why would Soda say something like that? "Well? Do you believe him?" I demanded.

The right corner of Pony's mouth went up. "Not really, but I just hope you don't break mine. I may never recover from such trauma," he teased. Kandice sauntered over at that moment and placed our food down.

"If there's any thing I can get you, please, don't hesitate to ask."

"I think we're good here," I snapped at her retreating figure.

"You don't like her?" Ponyboy questioned.

I shrugged and dug into my food, which smelled superb and tasted even better.

"Tastes like…" I trailed off.

"If you say chicken I'm going to kick you."

"No you idiot," I grinned. "Lime." Ponyboy took a bit and nodded.

"Yeah! It does!" he said, his eyebrows going up in surprise.

"Anything else?" Kandice asked, coming by our table again.

"The check," Ponyboy replied.

The band played a lively tune as all the couples hopped on the dance floor.

"You wanna dance?" Pony asked, a devious grin on his handsome face.

"No!" I replied quickly. "I mean, um, I'm not such a good dancer. I wouldn't want to embarrass you." He snickered and rose from his seat.

"Dance with me." He offered his hand. I reluctantly took it and he pulled me from my seat. Suddenly, the booth seemed so safe.

"Ponyboy, honestly!" I protested. He spun me around till we were face-to-face and not a breath of air between us. He put his left hand on my waist and held my right hand expertly. A familiar beat rang out from the band: I Don't Wanna Be in Love by Good Charlotte. We both laughed nervously. Ponyboy let his arm fall from my waist and we swayed to the beat. Next came Don't Trust Me by 3OH!3.

"I thought this was a fancy restaurant!" I called over the music.

"Supposed to be!" he yelled back.

"If he says he's got beef, that I'm a vegetarian and I'm not f***in scared of him!" I sang giggling after every other word.

"Watch your language Carmen Rose!" Pony joked.

The song was followed by I Do Not Hook Up by Kelly Clarkson and Burnin Up by the Jonas Brothers. Ponyboy was a pretty good dancer. I was pleasantly surprised. He spun me a few times and caught me when I almost fell. Dirty Little Secret by The All American Rejects came up and we danced a bit closer.

"I'm going to request a song!" Ponyboy ran off to the lead singer and came back just as quickly.

"Desperate for changing

Starving for truth

I'm closer to where I started

I'm chasing after you

I'm falling even more in love with you

Letting go of all I've held onto

I'm standing here until you make me move

I'm hanging by a moment here with you"

Lifehouse's Hanging by a Moment drifted throughout the building, soothing me.

"How did you know?" I demanded, tears springing behind my eyes.

"Know what?" Pony asked.

"This is my favorite love song…how did you know?"

"I didn't. This is my favorite too."

Tears threatened to spill and ruin my make-up. It was so sweet that he thought of me like that! "Ponyboy," I murmured.

He bent his head towards mine and kissed my softly. "You ready to go? The carriage will turn into a pumpkin in about five minutes."

I sighed. I liked where I was just fine. No reason to move. But, Ponyboy took my hand and led me out the door.

The Tulsa air was frigid, even for February. I shivered convulsively and Pony put his arms around me. I leaned into him, his warmth drawing me like a magnet.

My mother's black Mustang pulled up to the curb. "You kids are early!" She called to us. Pony and I pilled in and I turned up the heater.

"It's f-f-freez-z-zing out there," I chattered.

Mom nodded her uniform crunching. I noted that she was wearing her badge proudly and she had her gun. A night out catching bad guys…what fun?

"Ponyboy, do you want me to drop you off at your house, or is Darry going to come get you?" my mother inquired.

"Darry will come get me…if you don't mind," Pony replied. He silently added the 'is it okay for me to be alone with your daughter?' to the end.

"Absolutely! Carmen, be sure to call me before you go to sleep."

"Yes, Mom," I said.

I leaned my back against the window and grinned at Ponyboy.

We arrived at my house a moment later. "Bye kids!"

I unlocked the door and flicked on the hallway light. The house was vacant and seemed oddly welcoming. I dropped my clutch onto the table by the door and kicked off my shoes. "Thank you, for dinner."

"No problem Birthday Girl," Pony said. "How does it feel to be fourteen?"

"Not very different. I never feel any different on my birthdays," I shrugged.

Ponyboy came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Should I call Darry?"

"Not just yet," I smirked to myself. I had other plans in mind.

My gifts had been moved into my room and were pilled neatly on my bed.

"So…when are you going to California?" Ponyboy held up the plane ticket. There was no expiration date on the ticket.

"Sometime soon, maybe in March."

"Oh." Pony moved it aside and looked at my black-and-white pictures. "You didn't open one." He handed me a long red box.

"I guess I forgot." I found the card on the side.

Dry clean and hand wash only! Hope it fits, and a certain boy likes,

Sandy, Kathy, and Sylvia

What? I vaguely remember being told not to open it quiet yet…I put the box aside and sat on my bed next to Ponyboy.

"Did you have a good time?" he asked.

"The best time ever. I don't think it could have been more perfect!" I flopped on my back and giggled.

"Carmen?"

"Yes, Ponyboy?"

"Do you love me?"

His question caught me off guard. I knew the answer but, wasn't it too soon to say it out-loud?

"Yes," I squeaked.

"What was that?" Pony grinned teasingly.

"Yes! I love you!" I smiled wider and added my own question: "Do you love me?"

"Yes, very much." He bit his bottom lip and looked like he was debating over something. "In fact…no. Never mind."

"Come on! Ponyboy! Tell me!" I whined.

Pony shook his head and refused to look directly at me. I decided to use a move Sylvia had taught me. I moved so my weight was on my hip and my legs crossed at the ankle. I put my finger under his chin and pulled it so he met my eyes. "Please, please tell me…" I thought it was a stupid move and he would laugh at me but…I guess I was wrong. Ponyboy's pupils dilated and he slowly moved towards me.

"Ponyboy, tell me?"

"Do you believe in soul mates and true love?" he blurted in one breath.

"Not really."

"Oh…well I do. And I believe you and I were meant to be together. Soul mates." Ponyboy took a deep breath and blushed.

"You really think that?" I knew my face expressed how curious I was. He really thought we…destined to be together?

"Sodapop wants to marry Sandy when she's out of school." He began, not looking at me anymore, "and I want to marry you."

My mouth fell open and I choked (on what exactly, I have no idea). "You-you what?"

"I love you Carmen, and when we get out of high school I want to marry you." Ponyboy said with finality.

We've only been on one date! We barely know each other! What would my parents think? What would Austin think? The guys? Would Darry even let us? Would I still be able to go to college in California? Where would we live? Does he want children? My mind screamed at me, most of my thoughts jumbled together and I figured out what he was really saying. Ponyboy Curtis just proposed to me.

"Yes," managed to escape my lips.

"Excuse me?" Ponyboy's head jolted up.

"I want to marry you."

We didn't move for a countless amount of time, but suddenly he was on the ground. On one knee. Grinning like a guy who just won the lottery.

"Then, Carmen Lillian Rose…will you marry me?" My grin matched his.

"Yes, I will!" Pony jumped up and grabbed me in a hug. His arms wrapped around me and he lifted me off my feet.

"Not until we're out of school…and we won't tell anyone?" I put out my right pinky finger.

Grinning, he extended his and murmured, "I swear."

I doubled over laughing for the hundredth time. The clock on my nightstand caught my eye. It was almost 4 o'clock. Pony had called Darry and was now sleeping over at my place. Darry was under the impression that my mother was here too… Hey, what Darry doesn't know, doesn't kill us!

"So, then Two-Bit looked at the officer and said "I'm sorry, I thought you wanted to race." And the officer said, "We don't race." And then Two-Bit said, "Well no wonder. You would have lost by a long shot!" We both started cracking up. We were proving that, yes, everything is funny early in the morning.

Ponyboy tackled me and we both ended up on the floor, hysterical. His hands roamed my sides softly, trailing over my ribs. It tickled. I laughed. He laughed. Thus, starting our laughing fits…again.

I had since changed into my pajamas: black plaid pants and a red tank-top. Ponyboy, still in his normal clothes, rolled over so that we were both on our backs, side-by-side. My hip was pressed painfully against his.

"So…" he trailed off breathlessly.

"Yep." I sighed.

"You're my fiancé."

"Oh, for the love of-" I began to sit up but Ponyboy put his arm over my waist and held me down. Before I could comprehend what the hell he was doing, I was pinned down and no longer able to speak.

Sometimes, I wonder what Ponyboy is really like. He'll blush and stutter if the guys tease him about us…but then he proudly says we're dating. In public, he'll kiss me on the forehead or cheek. In private? Well did you wonder why I can't speak anymore?

I loved these kisses. Ponyboy has an elusive, passionate side that hardly ever shows itself.

His arms were almost holding me down, placed just above my elbows. His hip was still against mine, but his chest was on top of me. Almost subconsciously, I managed to free my hands and put them around his neck. His lips trailed down. The corner of my mouth…my jaw line…the hollow of my throat. All the while, his breathing was coming more and more rapidly. I ran my hands through his disheveled hair. The grease was almost gone and his hair hung is his face.

Ponyboy's lips brushed along my collar bone. My back arched and my head tipped back.

The shrill ring of the telephone jolted us both back into reality. The weight of his body was gone in an instant. He stood, towering over me and offered his hand. His green-gray eyes almost glared at me. He was a completely different person now.

I raced into the living room and grabbed the phone. "Hello?" I managed to make my voice sound casual.

"Carmen…Carmen Rose?"

"Um, yes…may I ask who's calling?"

The voice chuckled. It was a male voice, which seemed familiar… "You can ask, but an answer will not be necessary." And with that, the line went dead.

"Who called at four-thirty in the morning?" Ponyboy asked, appearing behind me. I whirled around to face him, and whimpered out a timid reply.

Pony's expression changed from humorous to dead-serious. "Carmen, who was it?"

"Didn't say…" I mumbled.

"What did they want?"

I shrugged stiffly.

Ponyboy sighed, exasperated.

I could not sleep. Not at all. The voice kept ringing in my head. How come I knew it? Where did I know it from? I shivered and Pony pulled me closer. We were on my bed, trying to get some sleep. He was dead to the world, but kept his arms firmly around me.

Ponyboy was warm and comforting. He was…familiar and safe. I snuggled closer and didn't fall asleep until the sun started to rise.

This is the start of a major twist...can't wait for the next update? I type extra fast when I'm in a good mood and guess what puts me in a good mood? Reviews! Lots of good reviews...