Status: Engaged.
Eugene jogged up Rapunzel's porch, knocking on her door anxiously. He was more than a little concerned about the message she'd left on his phone that morning. With only a week until their scheduled 'wedding' at the Justice of the Peace's magistrate, she was nervous...they both were. But her message was more than a little unnerving.
"Hey," he strode in as soon as she opened the door. "What's the matter? Your message didn't make any sense at all..." Her nose was bright red and her cheeks were stained with tears and she looked almost scared to even speak.
"I...I don't know, Eugene...I-I don't think we're ready yet, I think we're moving too fast and I'm afraid if we get married we'll ruin our relationship a-and-"
"Hold up," he took her arm and guided her over to the kitchen table, sitting her down in a chair before taking a seat across from her. "You..what're...slow down and tell me."
She buried her face in her hands. "I don't know. I-I don't think we should go through with it."
His eyebrows elevated, his heart beating against his ribcage at this statement. Was he about to lose her? "We shouldn't get married? Why do you think that? Was there something I did?"
The brunette shook her head, her eyebrows furrowed. "No! You didn't do anything. It's just-I just...Like I said, I'm afraid it'd ruin our relationship. So many people think it's a good idea to get married and then end up getting divorced and I don't think I could ever...I'm so scared that would happen to us!"
He swallowed. "So you don't want to get married."
She buried her face in her hands and choked. "Or will that mess our relationship up, too?!"
Eugene fell silent for a few minutes, processing all of this. "You were just fine yesterday. We have had the appointment at the magistrate scheduled for a month...we've been engaged, which almost always leads to marriage, for almost two months. And we've known each other for a year. What happened?"
Rapunzel gulped. "I-I...like I said...I'm just afraid it'll tear us apart. I was just thinking last night, and..."
"If something's bothering you, then tell me, Rapunzel. Don't beat around the bush or be afraid to tell me," he said. He wasn't thinking entirely straight - seriously, how could he be, and only a week before the date! - and was certain she wasn't telling him something.
"I am telling you!" she yelped, her voice soaring upwards, frustrated at her inability to convey her concerns, her fears. She loved him so much...but she was so scared that they were moving too quickly and their marriage would fall apart. She couldn't take one more broken home in her lifetime. Plus, pre-wedding jitters were getting the best of her...and Eugene, too.
"So what changed your mind?" he insisted.
She stood up and strode away, her mind completely muddled up. "I-I'm trying to tell you, but you won't accept the answer! I'm sorry if you can't understand!"
He bit the inside of his cheek and stood, frustrated too. But there was one thing that seemed to him fairly obvious; she didn't want him around right now. Maybe not ever. "If that's what you want, okay. I'll cancel the appointment Monday when the office opens. But if you're worried about ruining our relationship, what do you think is worse? Working to improve a marriage or breaking a two-month promise?"
Her eyes welled with tears, and she stared at him as she considered his words. But when he softened and reached to hug her, her mind screamed contradictions and she wouldn't let him. He clenched his jaw in frustration. Did he stay with her or leave?
"Well, it seems like you don't want me around, so I'll leave you alone. Let me know if you change your mind." he almost added again but bit it off, knowing this wasn't the time for snark. He was upset, she was upset, and their feelings were tangled up in nerves...never good. But there was no use attempting a logical discussion right now. As soon as he walked out the door, Rapunzel felt an immediate pang of remorse, confusion, and immense loneliness.
How on earth was she supposed to even think in this state? She was terrified of making a bad decision. She didn't want to hurt him, but she also was scared she'd get hurt again somehow. She trusted him, of course, but the closeness of their date with the Justice of the Peace just made her terrified. She'd felt frustrated with him when he was here, and his presence just made her even more confused - because she loved him so, so much, but she was still so nervous and scared. And now that he was gone...she sat down on the floor, burying her face in her hands, and cried. He was right...they could work on a marriage. But a broken two-month promise that they'd been so excited for was almost unforgivable.
Eugene sat down on his couch in his apartment, burying his face in his hands and sighing. He'd screwed up somehow. He considered going back to her house and apologizing for how he'd handled the situation, but he wondered if he should just give her space. He could hardly stand it, though. And of course, if what she wanted was just more time, he'd give her all the time in the world before they married. His heart hurt and his head did, too. He'd talk to her before calling the wedding off, he decided. Tomorrow was Sunday, so maybe he could catch her before she left for church, he decided.
He didn't have to wait, though. At around nine o'clock, Rapunzel ran up the stairs of his apartment complex, looking for apartment 34B. She pounded on the door urgently. She was scared, but she was more afraid of what would happen if she didn't make things right.
Eugene poked a single brown eye through the door he cracked, but then said eye widened and he opened the door.
Immediately, he ushered her inside. "I'm sorry, Rapunzel. I shouldn't have-"
"And I shouldn't have, either.I'm sorry. I-I was letting nerves affect my brain and my heart interfere with everything a-and...and it just got all complicated, and then my brain tried to mediate and it, ah..it didn't work." she peered cautiously at him through her thick lashes, which were clumped together, still a little damp from tears.
"I should've realized that and stayed with you. But I was letting the same thing happen and I thought you needed space at the very least," he explained.
"I-it did help, I suppose, but...I'm sorry we had to practically get into a fight. And I started it, so I can't tell you how awful-"
"It's fine," he shook his head, opening his arms and offering a hug. She immediately slipped into them this time, hugging him with all her might. A shudder ran through her as she considered what the alternative could be. He didn't have to be understanding, but he was. He hugged her a bit tighter before letting her go. "Since you're here and maybe we're thinking with our brains instead of our hearts, nerves, and brains, why don't we try to figure this mess out, hm?"
Rapunzel nodded, her brown locks falling into her face. She pushed them aside and glanced around his small, dark apartment as he moved to flip some lights on and turn the television off. He guided her over to the couch, so she perched on the edge and they turned to face each other.
"Do you have any reservations about getting married in a week?" she asked, watching him closely.
"I'm nervous, yeah, but who doesn't get nervous before a major life decision? I don't have any reservations, though. What are yours?"
She swallowed. "I'm scared that we're moving too fast and not thinking about it enough. I'm afraid if we do marry, someday we'll end up as just another broken home. It's a stupid concern, I know-"
"No it isn't," he shook his head, watching her face carefully, "and especially not a weird thing coming from you. You spent your entire life in a terrible place, and you're scared you'll fall right back into it. You don't really know much else. But I want to show you how different it can be - how it should be. I was in plenty of screwed up homes, too, but that means we both know what not to do, right?"
She choked, half-laughing and half-crying. "That's one way to look at it."
"And we'll work through anything that comes between us. Promise. But if you want to wait longer, we can."
"I don't want to disappoint you, though. I mean, like you said - we've been planning this for two months. We've both been so excited for it, and now.."
"Getting cold feet is normal, too," he gave her a wry grin. "That's why we rely on one another for support. It might end up with little blowups, yeah, because you certainly can't think straight when you're trying to discuss something as touchy as this with the very same person you're so anxious about. But we'll get through it."
She sighed, feeling a weight slowly chipping off of her heart. "Are we moving too fast?"
He thought for a minute. "I personally think we're alright, I mean...we've known each other for a year, but we're around each other almost daily. But by all means, if you're not ready, I'll wait for you. Just don't panic and call off our entire engagement," he joked carefully, feeling relieved when she laughed.
"I know...I overreacted and I wasn't thinking."
"I wasn't either, so..we're both terrible human beings," he said.
"So if terrible is bad and bad can maybe be negative, do two negatives make a positive?" she asked teasingly.
"Depends," he gave her a relieved smile, running a hand through her hair and letting it drop to cup her cheek. "What do you think?"
"I think that it's going to be absolutely terrifying; no matter how long we wait we'll never be ready, and it'll be a learning process, but...if you think it'll be okay, I'll trust your intuition." she nibbled her lip, waiting for his response. He probably thought she was crazy, going back and forth so many times in one day. But he'd been the one to help her untangle her thoughts...as always. And she'd almost thrown that away just because of a mere, panicky thought in the middle of the night.
Eugene chuckled quietly and clasped her hands in his. "I'm glad. No more reservations? No more little thoughts that will bother you like that? Let's get it all figured out for sure-"
She reached forward to break him off with a kiss, so he was more than happy to slip his arms around her and return it. When they came up for air, she buried her face in his shoulder. "I'm sorry. You probably think I'm nuts."
"Not at all," he shook his head, giving her hair a few quick kisses. "You're not just going with this to make me happy, are you? Because I don't want that."
She pulled away and shook her head. "No." As she spoke, her stomach growled loudly, and she clamped her hand over it, embarrassed.
He chuckled. "Did you eat dinner?"
Rapunzel bit her lip. "I was fretting so much I didn't really think about it."
Eugene grinned in an understanding manner. "Same. Well, since it's after nine, I think we could really go for some junk food."
"I can wait 'til I go home-"
He stood up. "I was kind of hoping you'd stick around a little longer...but if you need to get back, you can. Did you walk here, or drive?"
"I drove, since it was getting dark out."
"Atta girl," he nodded, holding his hands out to her. She took them and stood, following him to his tiny kitchen. "This part of town gets a little creepy."
"I know," she grinned. He pulled out a carton of vanilla ice cream and got two spoons out, handing her one. She quirked a brow, but took it and thanked him, following him to his table.
"So...are we good now?" he asked, watching her poke at the carton's contents with her spoon.
She glanced up at him awkwardly and bit her lip. "I'm sorry I wigged out earlier.."
"It's okay," he grinned and shook his head. "I'm glad we got that figured out, gorgeous. And like I said, pre-wedding jitters are normal. That's all this is. I have them, too."
Rapunzel blushed, smiling. "Okay, handsome. I'm glad you talked it out with me before I did something stupid." Their 'gorgeous-handsome' exchange made a warmth spread through her as she thought about that evening at the diner, when and where the origins of their teasing compliments had sprouted as a distraction from fear over her adoptive mother.
He grinned, leaning across the small, round table to kiss the tip of her freckled nose. "No worries. I love you."
"I love you too, you big dork," she wrinkled her nose and rubbed at the sticky ice-cream-ness he'd left. "Wipe your mouth before you kiss my nose again, please. Yick!" she teased.
"Unappreciative. That's what you are - unappreciative," he threw back, trying to pull an offended face as he dropped his spoon back into the carton with a clatter. She took a step back, but he strode around the table to snag her by the waist - before she could run - and proceeded to cover her face with kisses, masking his relief to have figured out their little tiff by teasing her. She giggled and gently pushed him away, her eyes dancing. He was right: they'd be okay. They'd work through their troubles. And they'd have fun doing so, it seemed.