Ponyboy POV
For the next two weeks, I stressed relentlessly about the proposal, planning every detail meticulously.
When the day finally came, I showed up to her house with sweaty palms and my mother's engagement ring in my pocket. I knocked on her door and rang my hands until Mr. Smith opened it with a wide smile. "Hey, Ponyboy. How're you doin' today?"
"Good. And you, sir?"
"Never been better. Come on in."
As I came through the doorway, I was ambushed by Mrs. Smith, Anna, and Henry.
"You ready?" Anna asked me excitedly.
"Ready as I'll ever be", I laughed shakily.
"Sweetie, you'll be fine", Mrs. Smith assured me, placing a hand on my shoulder
I smiled at her and jumped out of my skin when she called for her daughter. Suddenly, my mouth felt dry and I could barely swallow.
"May I get a glass of water?" I asked.
"Of course", Mr. Smith said. "Go help yourself. You know where the kitchen is."
I rushed into the kitchen and filled a glass with water from the sink, chugging it quickly and wiping some drops off of my chin with the back of my hand. There were footsteps coming down the stairs and I could tell they were my girlfriend's.
"Are y'all okay?" she asked, presumably because her entire family was smiling like the cat that caught the canary.
"'Course we are", I heard Anna respond as I silently walked into the room. "You got everything?"
"Yeah…?" Lily said almost like a question. She had on a white dress with blue flowers that went down to her knees, a grey sweater, and her grey Converse. Her long hair was down and wavy and the ends delicately brushed her waist whenever she moved.
While she still wasn't looking, I went up behind her and put my arms around her waist. She tensed for a moment before turning and smiling at me. "Hey, honey."
"Hey, darlin'. You ready t'go?"
"Yep", she smiled and said goodbye to her family before we went out to the truck. "What was that all about?"
"I dunno", I lied. "Prob'ly nothing."
"You gonna tell me where we're goin' yet?" she asked when we were out of the city.
"Nope."
She sighed heavily and yawned. "I think I'm gonna take a little nap."
"Okay", I said. I kissed the back of her hand and I saw her smile out of the corner of my eye before leaning her head back and falling asleep not long after.
I was being as careful as physically possible as I drove, per usual. The prospect of getting into an accident was terrifying to me, not only because Mom and Dad had gotten killed in one, but because Darry and Lily had been in one not long after everything happened back in freshman year. It was the day after I had shown her Johnny's letter and we had first said "I love you" to each other.
Darry was driving her home after she had stayed the night at my house, and not five minutes after they had left, there was a knock at the door. All of us had looked at each other in concerned confusion, since nobody ever knocked at our door unless it was someone from Social Services.
Sodapop ripped open the door to find two policemen on our doorstep.
"How can I help y'all?" he asked hesitantly. My palms started to sweat profusely and I felt like I was about to vomit.
"Is this the house of Darrel Curtis Jr.?" one of them asked.
"Yes, sir. Me and Ponyboy, here, are his brothers. Did something happen?"
"As he was driving earlier, he was stopped at a stoplight. A drunk driver went through the light and hit the passenger side of the car."
My stomach dropped to my feet and my knees felt shaky. Lily.
"Is he okay?" Soda asked frantically.
"He seems to be fine, just has a sprained wrist and some cuts and bruises. He'll be fine, but he's at the hospital and y'all should probably get down there."
"Was there someone else in the car?" I almost yelled. "A girl in the passenger side?"
"Yeah, I think so. Why?" the other officer asked.
"She's my girlfriend. Is she okay?"
"Well, since the car was hit on her side, she got the brunt of the hit. I don't know how she is or her injuries, but she's at the hospital too."
I almost simultaneously threw up and fainted right then and there.
"We'll give you boys a ride, if you want."
"That'd be great, sir", Soda nodded. "If y'all could just wait a minute…"
He ran back into the house and quickly told Steve and Two-Bit what had happened before running back out to me.
I got into the police car in some kind of daze, half awake and half asleep. Soda was talking to me the entire ride to the hospital, but I wasn't listening to a word he said.
When we got there, I slammed open the door and ran into the building, Soda yelling behind me.
"Darrel Curtis and Lily Smith", I wheezed to the receptionist. "They were just in a car accident. Where are they?"
As soon as she gave me the floor number, I ran to the elevator. My brother was sprinting to keep up with me.
On their floor, I ran frantically to the lobby, where I found Lily's family running in from another door. Mrs. Smith saw me and swallowed me in a hug after running over.
Suddenly, I was sobbing, not even realizing it until she was rubbing my back and trying to comfort me by whispering into my ear. For a moment, just a moment, I could trick myself into thinking that she was Mom.
"Sweetie, it's okay", she murmured. "I'm sure everything's fine."
"Families of Darrel Curtis and Lily Smith?" a voice asked form behind us. I turned and saw a doctor.
"Yes, sir", Mr. Smith nodded. "Are they okay?"
"Mr. Curtis only has minor injuries and a sprained wrist. Miss Smith is a slightly more serious case, I'm afraid."
"Is she okay?" I asked. "What's wrong with her?"
"She seems to have a broken arm and leg, several bruises and cuts, and a minor concussion. She was unconscious when she was brought in and still isn't awake."
"Will she be okay?" Anna asked.
"I'm sure she will be", the doctor responded. "But it will take longer for her to heal and we're not sure when she'll be conscious again."
"Can we see her?"
"She's not in her room or fixed up yet. But you can see Darrel, if you'd like. He's in room two-twenty-six."
I looked at the Smiths, silently asking if they wanted Soda and I to stay. Mrs. Smith smiled tiredly at me and nodded. "Go ahead, Ponyboy. We'll stay here and wait."
The gang and I practically ran down the hall and burst into the room, where Darry was laying on his bed. We tackled him a hug and I started sobbing all over again.
"It's okay", he whispered. "It's okay. I'm okay. We're okay."
When we finally putted away, he looked at us, concerned. "How is she?"
"The doc said she's got a couple broken bones and a concussion", Soda said.
Darry cursed and hit the mattress with his good hand. "Goddammit."
"It's okay, Dar", Two-Bit told him, putting his hand on Darry's shoulder.
"I couldn't protect her", Darry continued. "First, Mom and Dad, then Johnny and Dally and now Lily. I can't protect anyone, dammit."
"Darry, it's not your fault", I said quietly. "You couldn't've done anything for Mom and Dad and Johnny and Dally. It's not your fault. And the doctor said that she'll be okay."
He roughly wiped his eyes and sighed as he fell back onto the bed and ran a hand through his hair. "I hope he's right."
"He is."
We turned around to find Mrs. Smith with a sad smile on her face and tears running down her cheeks. "She just got settled into her room. She's banged up, but she's fine. We just saw her."
"Can we?" I asked.
"I think so. C'mon, I'll show you where the room is."
Darry nodded at us to go and we followed her through several hallways until we finally ended up at a door labeled "Room 345".
We walked in to find her lying in the hospital bed, surrounded by Mr. Smith, Anna, and Henry. Her hair had been taken out of what she had called a French braid that morning and was splayed out around her head. Her skin looked even paler than usual and was bruised and cut up. The scars on her forehead and under her lip stood out more than they usually did, along with a few stray freckles that dotted across her nose. Her black eyelashes brushed her upper cheeks and there was a cannula in her nose. Her right arm was in a cast and I knew that one of her legs under the blanket was the same way. She looked impossibly fragile.
"The doctor said that she'll be in the casts for four to six weeks", Henry said.
"Did he say when he thinks she'll wake up?" I asked.
"He's not sure exactly, but he said some point between today and a few days from now", Mr. Smith answered.
Soda nodded solemnly as I just stood there, staring at her.
"D'you want some time alone with her?"
"Can I?" I asked.
"Of course", Mrs. Smith smiled lightly. "We'll be out in the hallway if you need us."
They left and the one people left in the room were Soda, her, and I. He leaned over the bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead before patting me gently on the shoulder and leaving the room as well.
I took the hand that wasn't in the cast and pressed my forehead to it. "I was just with you. I was just with you an hour ago. I'm so sorry, darlin'. I should've been there. I should've been able to protect you.
"Goddammit, I love you so much", I hiccupped as I started to cry once again. "I thought you were gone. I thought you were dead too. Please wake up soon, darlin'. I need you to smile at me and laugh when I do stupid stuff and read and look at me with those pretty eyes of yours. Please just wake up soon. Please."
Her breathing remained steady and I almost expected to just wake up and smile that smile of hers at me. But it didn't happen.
I kissed her knuckles, then leaned up and kissed her forehead as I squeezed her hand. "I'll see you soon, okay, darlin'? I'm gonna be here for as long as you need."
I stayed in the hospital until the next night, stressing and barely sleeping. Soda and Darry made me go to school the day after that, saying that I couldn't afford any more days off, though right after I got out, I went back to the hospital with them and continued to wait for anymore news. As I sat in the waiting room and attempted to do homework, I continuously nodded off; I hadn't slept since the accident. Two-Bit, Darry and Steve stayed at the hospital while we were gone and were still there when we got there.
Not long after that, Mrs. Smith came barreling out into the lobby from Lily's room (Mr. Smith was at work and Henry and Anna were at school until later since they were younger). She had on one of the largest smiles I had ever seen.
"She's awake!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around us. "She's awake!"
"Really? Can we see her?" I asked.
She simply smiled at us and gestured for us to get up. All of us followed her down the hallway, which must have been an interesting sight- a woman leading a parade of sleep deprived greasers across a hospital.
She opened the door to the hospital room, revealing my girlfriend sitting up in her bed with a tired smile and messy hair.
"Oh God, Lily", I sighed and ran over to her, engulfing her in the largest hug that I could. As soon as Mrs. Smith left the room to leave us all alone, I started asking Lily questions at a mile a minute even though I already knew the answers to some of them. "Are you alright? What hurts? How long will it take-"
She cut me off with a light smile and a hand on my cheek. "Honey, I'm fine. Just a few broken bones and a minor concussion. Nothing I can't handle." It was such a relief to hear her voice again.
"I'm so sorry, Lily", Darry said. "This's all my fault."
"Get over here, Darry", she sighed and moved her hand from my face to gesture to him. He sat in the chair next to her bed. "Darrel, you've gotta listen to me just like you did after Ponyboy and Johnny ran away. I'm fine. None of this is your fault. It was the drunk driver. You did absolutely nothing wrong."
"I know, but I can't help but feel guilty. All of us were going mad with worry."
"If it makes you feel any better, I forgive you even though you did nothing wrong."
He smirked a little at her. "I got a few days off of work form the sprained wrist."
"Good", she smiled. "You can rest that back of yours now."
We talked for a while before the gang decided to give her and I some time alone. They all gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room and when they finally did, I sat on the bed next to her, taking care to be on her uninjured side.
"I was so scared, Lily", I muttered as I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple.
"It's okay. I'm still here."
"I know, darlin', but I was still scared. I thought it would be five people in a year." I had started to cry for the umpteenth time in the past few days.
She turned to look and me and her face softened. "Oh, honey. Don't cry. I know. I know." She held my head to her chest and murmured words of comfort before taking a shaky breath and beginning to softy sing "Love Me Tender" as she ran her good hand through my hair. I moved so I was hugging her around her waist with my head in her shoulder and could feel her crying.
"I don't know what I'd do without you, darlin'", I said as I kissed her neck.
"I don't know what I'd do without you either, honey."
We sat up and she lay her head on my shoulder. I kissed her head, then tilted up her chin and kissed her lips.
"I love you", she told me after we pulled away.
"I love you too", I smiled, "and I always will."
XxXxXxXxXx
After a while of driving, I stopped and filled up the gas tank so we would be able to get home without incident. Lily was still sleeping in the passenger seat.
About a half-hour before we got to the country, she woke up and rubbed her eyes, somehow managing to not mess up her makeup.
"Have a nice nap?" I laughed.
"Mm-hmm", she nodded while fixing her hair. She took one of my hands from the steering wheel and checked the time on my watch.
"We're almost there", I assured her. "Just about another half-hour."
"Alright", she said before turning on the radio and switching around the channels. She hummed along to the songs she liked and turned the volumes off during the ones she didn't. When "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" started, though, her face brightened up and she turned the volume up higher, singing along to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
I laughed as I drummed on the wheel with my finger and even more so when she started practically screaming the chorus. Knowing that she was going to tell me to sing along anyway, I decided to skip the whole debate and just do it.
"I love you, baby!
And if it's quite alright, I need you, baby
To warm the lonely night.
I love you, baby.
Trust in me when I say:
Oh, pretty baby!
Don't bring me down, I pray.
Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay.
And let me love you, baby.
Let me love you.
You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off of you…"
Not long after the song was over, we reached our destination and I parked the truck.
She hopped out and stretched for a moment, looking around as I got a picnic basket out of the back. It really was a beautiful place and it brought back fond memories for me. I wanted to share it with her.
"It's beautiful", I heard her whisper.
"It is, isn't it?" I agreed. "This's where we used to come with Mom and Dad."
She smiled and took my hand before we walked out into the field, soon finding a spot to set our things down.
After we sat, she sat back on her hands and looked out at the sky and grass in front of her. The breeze tousled her hair, causing us both to smile, though she didn't notice mine.
Without even really thinking about it, I plucked one of the small flowers that was growing around us and tucked it behind her ear along with her hair.
She looked over at me and smiled as she softly touched the flower.
"Why're you staring at me?" she asked.
"Because you're beautiful", I said as I took her hand.
She blushed heavily and lay her head on my shoulder. "Thanks."
"You're welcome."
We sat on the grass and admired the view for a while before being interrupted by my stomach growling.
Lily laughed. "You hungry?"
"Maybe just a little", I admitted as I pulled over the picnic basket and took out what I had packed: sandwiches and chocolate cake with a couple bottles of water.
"Did you make all this?"
"Yeah."
She smiled and kissed my cheek. "You're so sweet."
While we ate the cake, I looked over and saw that she was moving her shoulders in a little dance.
"What're you doing?" I asked with a laugh.
"Dancing", she responded simply.
"Why?"
"Because I'm happy and I like chocolate cake."
"You're such a weirdo."
"But you still love me", she said in a sing-songy voice.
"I definitely do", I laughed, kissing the side of her head.
"Is that shirt new?"
I looked down at the red flannel that I had gotten specifically for the occasion. Ruth had helped me pick it out, saying that it would contrast my eyes. She had become like a big sister to Soda and I since Darry had started dating her. "Yeah. Why, you like it?"
"It looks nice on you", she nodded.
"Thanks, darlin'."
"You're welcome."
"Want me t'put on some music?" I asked after a little while.
"Sure."
As I went to the truck and turned it and then the radio on, I began worrying about something that I had planned. Earlier that day, I had called a local radio station and asked them to play "Love Me Tender" at sunset. Lily and I liked watching the sunset together and "Love Me Tender" was our song, so I thought that it would be a good way to prelude the proposal.
"You sure you won't run outta gas with the car on?" she called over to me.
"Not long before you woke up on the ride, I stopped off and got some gas, so we've got a full tank. We'll be okay, darlin'. Don't you worry." I walked back over to her and held out my hand. "Wanna dance?"
"Of course", she smiled as she let me help her up.
We danced to a few songs that I wasn't too familiar with before one came on that I could recognize for the sole reason that I had a memory attached to it. I could vividly remember walking into my girlfriend's room on our first anniversary and seeing her dance to this song. Her face had gone as red as I had ever seen it when she realized I was there.
As if reading my thoughts, she asked, "D'you remember our first anniversary? How you walked in on me dancing?"
"How could I forget? It was to this song."
"I could teach you how t'do that kinda dancing", she suggested with a smirk. "No one's around and I don't care how stupid you might look, if you're concerned about it."
Already knowing that I would lose the battle, I rolled my eyes and complied. "Sure. Why not."
She took my hands and put them on her hips, causing my face to become warm, before reaching up to put hers around my neck.
"Now move your hips in a circle", she told me.
"I'm not sure I trust myself t'do that."
"That's alright", she laughed. "There's no harm in trying."
And so I did, causing her to burst out into fits of giggles. "Oh, honey. That's not it at all. C'mere, let me show you."
I wasn't quite sure what she did, but after a moment of adjusting my hips, she spoke again. "There, now try again."
Whatever she had done seemed to work, and I eventually working up the confidence to pull her body closer to mine as we danced.
"Feel like we're at Buck's?" she asked with a smile.
"You're classier than any of the girls at Buck's, darlin'."
She blushed. "Well, it matters on who's there. There could be a herd of Soc girls there. Ya' never know."
"You're not disproving my point", I laughed before dipping her. She squeaked a little, which caused me to laugh even more.
"I think I'm gettin' the hang of this", I told her as the song changed.
"I think so too", she smiled.
Our once well-structured dancing shortly evolved into us just goofing around together. I did everything that I could to get her to laugh since it was one of my greatest pleasures to make her happy.
"Darlin'. Look. The sun's setting", I told her, pointing to the horizon where the Sun was indeed going down. I felt my stomach re-tighten its knot as I realized that it was almost time to propose. I was terrified that the radio wouldn't play "Love Me Tender" like I had asked.
Her face was illuminated and tinted pink by the sunset, making her look almost angelic. "It's beautiful."
"Yeah", I agreed and felt a massive weight lift off my shoulders once I heard the opening notes to our song. I couldn't help but smile as I pulled her close to me wrapped my arms around her waist. Hers went around my neck and she rested her chin on my shoulder. I knew she liked it when I sang (though I couldn't explain why exactly since it wasn't anything special), so I quietly sang along to the music.
As the song ended, she looked up at me and smiled. "Thank you for today, love. It's been perfect."
"You're welcome, Princess", I told her and kissed her cheek before pulling away slightly and holding her hands. I took a deep breath before speaking. "Lily, I love you more than anything in the world. I know it sounds really cliché, but it's true." She laughed and I took it as a good sign, so I continued. "You're the one that's made my life worthwhile at times and I'm so thankful that I've got you with me. You're my rock and my best friend and the love of my life and I could never ask for anyone better. You've taught me things that I never knew and shown me how to be a better person."
Her eyes became watery as I spoke. "You're all that to me too, Ponyboy."
I smiled and kept talking. "After Mom and Dad died, I didn't know how long I could go on even with the gang, but then I met you. I fell in love wth you the moment I saw you and haven't stopped since. When Johnny and Dally died, I was ready to give up then and there, but you saved me and helped me live my life again and I'm so grateful for that. These past three years've been some of the hardest of my entire life, but also some of the best because of you."
As I spoke, she smiled and nodded along with my words. When she started to cry, I moved one of my hands out of hers and wiped the corner of her eye where there was a mascara-filled tear ready to drop down her face.
"I know we're both young and not even outta high school yet, but I've wanted t'do this for a long time and I can't wait any longer", I continued, getting choked up myself as I knelt down on one knee and pulled the box with Mom's engagement ring out of my pocket. "I wanna spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake up next to you every day and fall asleep next to you every night. I want to start a family with you and love you for as long as I'm alive. So, Lily Grace Smith, will you marry me?"
She started to sob and immediately answered. "Yes! Yes, Ponyboy, yes!"
I stood back up with a smile that was so big that it hurt my face (even though it wasn't like I cared) and spun her around. She squeezed me around my neck and laughed as she cried.
When I put her back down, I leaned down and kissed her with as much love as I could.
"I love you so much, Lily", I said against her lips.
"I love you so much, Ponyboy", she murmured as she gave me another kiss. "And I always will."
I took her left hand and replaced the promise ring that I had given her one our first anniversary with the engagement ring. It looked like it belonged on her finger.
"Ponyboy, this is beautiful", she muttered.
"It was Mom's", I told her, tears coming to my eyes at the thought of her. "She told me that she'd give it to me when I met the right girl and after her and Dad died, it was given to me. You're the right girl, the one I wanna spend the rest of my life with, so it's yours now."
She started crying all over again, hugging me tightly and kissing my cheek.
After a little while, we went over to the truck and lay in the back, looking up at the stars. They were much more visible in the country than in Tulsa and the inky sky was filled with them.
"I forgot how many stars you can see out there", I almost whispered, pulling my fiancée closer.
"There's so many of them", she muttered.
"Yeah."
"I wish I knew more constellations. If I did, I could recognize all of 'em out here."
"Well, you've already got me beat. I only know one."
"And which one's that?"
"The Big Dipper. Everyone knows that one, though."
"One's better than nothing", she said, turning her head to look up at me with a smile. I couldn't help but do the same.
"I guess that's true."
"Ponyboy", she suddenly gasped.
"Yeah?"
"I'm gonna be Lily Curtis. We're gonna be married. You're gonna be my husband."
I laughed. "Yep. And you're gonna be my wife." That already sounded right on my tongue, calling her my wife.
"I like the sound of that. Me being your wife. You being my husband. Being married."
"I like it too. I can't wait to call you Mrs. Curtis", I smiled and kissed her temple.
"Lily Grace Curtis", she murmured. "I love it."
"So do I."
XxXxXxXxXx
We left the countryside soon after and went back to my house, getting back at about 11:30.
"Where's Darry?" Lily asked when she walked into the house.
"He's staying the night and morning at Ruth's house", I told her as I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, putting my head into her neck.
"When was the last time we were alone together in your house for a night?"
"I don't think we ever have been. That's why I asked Darry if he could go somewhere", I said sheepishly. My face was becoming warm.
She turned and put her arms around my neck. "You planned this?"
"We don't really get t'be alone together and I thought now'd be a good time for it, with the proposal and all."
"You're sweet" she smiled, the edges of her eyes crinkling, before standing up on her toes and kissing my nose. "The sweetest guy I could ever hope for."
"And you are the sweetest girl I could ask for", I told her, following each word with a kiss.
She laughed into them and quickly went into hysterics when I started to tickle her sides.
"Stop! Pony, stop! You're gonna make me cry!" she exclaimed.
I decided to wait a little while longer before stopping, listening to her deep breaths mixed with giggles when I did. These caused me to start laughing too.
Just as she stood up straight again, I picked her up bridal style and brought her into my room, putting her carefully on the bed.
She untied and kicked off her Converse, took off her sweater, and plucked the flower out of her hair. As she studied it, I did the same to her.
Her dress dipped down slightly at her chest and had thin straps that showed off her freckled shoulders and thin arms and shoulders.
"I like the freckles on your shoulders", I spoke without really meaning to while unbuttoning my flannel and slinging it across the footboard.
She laughed. "Thanks. Anything else?"
"Damn. Everything else."
A smirk pulled at her lips as she arched an eyebrow.
"I love your shoulders and your arms and your stomach and your waist and your hips…", I started, getting on the bed next to her and giving each place a kiss as I mentioned it. After I made my way down her legs, I went back up. "…and I love your neck and your chin and your cheeks and your lips and nose and eyes and forehead and hair."
"That's quite the extensive list", she laughed.
"Well, I love an extensive amount of things about you."
"What about my boobs and butt?" she asked teasingly.
My face got so hot that it felt like it had reached its boiling point. "Well, I've never seen either, but I'm sure that I love them as much as the rest of you."
Her face then turned vividly red as well. "Ponyboy?"
"Yeah, Princess?"
"Have you ever thought about…y'know…", I heard her say before she muttered whatever she said next. I had no idea what she had asked.
"Have I ever thought about what?" I asked in confusion. I moved closer other and held her hands in mine.
"Having sex", she murmured.
"Well, yeah, I've thought about it. Have you?"
"Mm-hmm", she hummed quietly in response.
"I don't really like callin' it that, though. 'Having sex' just sounds kinda meaningless and casual or something."
"What would you rather call it?" she asked with a slightly tilted head.
"If we're talkin' about you and me, I'd rather call it 'making love'. It sounds more personal and like we really love each other, which we do", I admitted shyly.
"I think I like it better too."
"Why do you ask?" I asked. "Do you wanna…y'know…?"
"Kinda", she said with a blush. Her eyes averted down to her and I's hands. "I mean, I love you more than anything and I feel like we're ready."
"Are you sure? I don't wanna do anything until you're ready." To get her to look back at my face, I lifted up her chin.
"Yeah", she nodded. "I know I'm ready. There's no one I would rather do it with."
"You're sure you don't feel pressured?"
"Positive."
"I don't know what I'm doing", I warned.
She laughed lightly. "Neither do I. But we can figure it out together."
Something was still making me concerned. "But what if I hurt you? I heard it hurts for the girls."
"I'll be fine. If anything hurts, I'll make sure to tell you, okay?" she said with a smile, cupping my face.
"You wanna lie down?"
"Sure."
I lay her down on the bed and held myself over her on my elbows.
"What do we do now?" she whispered.
"I think kissing's a good place to start", I said and did just that. Her arms went around my neck as she kissed back. I started kissing her neck, leaving a hickey where I had years before.
"Did you leave a hickey again?" she asked with a smirk.
"Maybe…."
"You're such an ass", she laughed.
"Love you too, baby."
Then she leaned her head up towards me and started kissing my neck, shocking me too much to react.
"You happy now?" I asked once she had pulled away.
"Very."
As we continued kissing, my hands went down from her waist to her hips, then to her legs at the end of her dress without me really realizing.
When I realized where my hand was, I started to pull it away, but she took it and put it back on her leg.
"It's okay", she murmured. "You can put your hand there."
"You sure?" I asked.
"Yeah."
I nodded and felt the skin just under the edge of her dress before moving my hand up a little further. Suddenly, I felt a familiar kind of interruption in her smooth skin: scarring. My hand stopped again.
Lily pulled away and looked up at me. "What's wrong?"
"There're scars on your leg", I said. "Are you okay? Did Angela do anything that I didn't know about?"
"Love, I'm fine", she said reassuringly. "They're just stretch-marks."
"What?" I asked as I touched the scars as gently as possible in case they hurt her.
"When I was growing, I grew too fast for my skin to keep up, so it tore and made scars. They're called stretch-marks", she explained.
"So it's okay? You're not hurt?"
She laughed that laugh that I would gladly hear forever. "No, I'm not hurt, honey. It's sweet that you're worried, though."
I hesitated for a moment before asking if we had reached the point where we would start taking our clothes off.
"I think so…", she trailed off, "but do we take our own off or each other's?"
"I'm not sure", I told her, before starting to laugh. The situation was just so awkward and we were both so oblivious that it was impossible not to.
"What's so funny?" she asked between laughs of her own.
"We're just so awkward", I wheezed.
"You're such a goofball. And I love you for it."
"I love you too", I told her.
"Now let's get this sorted out", she said decidedly, "-we can take each other's off and see how it goes. If all else fails, we resort to plan B. Capiche?"
"Got it", I laughed, "But who's gonna go first?"
"You can take something off me if you want to", she offered with a blush.
"If you're sure."
"Yeah, I am."
I felt along her back, searching relentlessly for a zipper or buttons- anything really- but couldn't find anything. I had secretly been hoping to be this suave Clark Gable-esque guy who could figure everything out with no problem the first time that the girl that I loved and I were together, but that wasn't how it was going at all.
"Okay, where is it?" I finally asked in defeat.
"On my side", she giggled, leading my hand to her side, where lo and behold, there was a zipper.
"Oh." I felt really stupid and almost wanted to crawl into the corner.
"Don't worry about it, honey", she comforted. "It's in a weird place."
I kissed her nose in thanks and slid down the zipper, my hand shaking the entire time, before taking the straps off of her shoulders and taking it off of her.
"Where do you want me to put it?"
"The floor's okay."
I nodded and put the dress on the floor, turning back to look at her. My jaw almost fell on the floor, but I felt like me gawking at her wouldn't be the most appreciated response. My fiancée was lying there in only a lacy bra and underwear and I had never seen anyone or anything more beautiful in my life.
I stared at her for a while, studying how the curve of her chest led to her ribs and the curve of her small waist, which went into her wider hips, then down her legs. Sure, when I had seen her in her bathing suit, it had only been about the amount of fabric on her in this moment, but this was different somehow. She was more beautiful than any model or actress or girl in one of those Playboy magazines that Steve had given me for my sixteenth birthday (I hadn't looked through them, but there were girls on the covers).
"Can I…?" I trailed off, hoping she would get what I meant as my eyes went back and forth from her face to her chest.
She nodded and I lightly felt the skin just above her bra, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. It was as smooth and pale as porcelain.
"Do you wanna take off my shirt or pants or something?" I asked.
"Sure." Her face turned red and I felt her hands quaking as she undid my belt and took off my shirt and jeans. In an attempt to calm her down, I took her hands in mine and kissed her knuckles. "You okay?"
She laughed breathily. "Yeah. Just kinda nervous."
"So am I, but it's just you and me here. Nobody else but us."
She smiled a little and gave my hands a slight squeeze before bringing them to my back. Her eyes searched my face intently and mine did the same to her.
The moonlight that shone through the window brought out the little gold specs in her irises and her closeness to me let me see a small cluster of freckles that was scattered around the bridge of her nose, which wouldn't have been visible otherwise. Her lips had lost the shade of pink that had been made by her lipstick and returned to their natural color, if not a little darker because of us kissing. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyelashes were coated in a thin layer of black mascara.
I knew that I couldn't live without her. Her smile. Her laugh. Her voice. Her kindness. Her everything.
She complained about her eye color all the time, saying that it was the most boring and bland color that there was, but I couldn't have disagreed more. They reminded me of the coffee that Mom, Dad, and then Darry brewed in the morning. The bark of the trees in the park whose leaves turned a bright green in the spring and orange and red in the fall. The bars of chocolate that Soda. Steve, and I would "steal" from the DX on our breaks, breaking off pieces and sharing them with each other. The varnished wood of Mom's vanity. The Carolina wrens that hopped around our yard and flew from tree to tree for most of the year. They just gave you a feeling of warmth that made you feel like you were being wrapped in a thick blanket on a cold day. They made you feel protected and loved and safe and you couldn't help but trust them.
I saw the smiles and laughs that she gave me whenever I did or said something she found funny, and the ones she gave when someone did something kind for her. The indignant expression that she wore while doing schoolwork (usually math), which caused her brow to crease and lips to purse. The look of tranquility she wore whenever she was immersed in a book or movie. The arched eyebrow and smirk reminiscent of Two-Bit Mathews that she did when feeling mischievous or was teasing someone.
And then there were the looks that only I saw. The pain in her face when Johnny and Dally died. The agonized expression that she had after Roger had tried to rape her and Angela had shattered to her pieces. The smiles reserved only for me that she gave me when I kissed her or held her hand. The expressions of love and total adoration that she looked at me with, which I could only hope I reciprocated.
She opened her mouth, then closed it before opening it again and speaking. "Would it be weird…would it be weird if I said…", she trailed off and her face flushed red for probably the millionth time that night.
"If you said what?" I asked as I pushed a stray lock of hair that had been lying across her forehead behind her ear. "You can tell me anything."
"…if I said you're perfect", she muttered.
It was my turn to start blushing. I laughed a little and kissed her forehead. "No, it's not weird, it's really sweet. And thank you, but I have to say that you're a million times more perfect than anyone, especially me."
"Thank you."
I rubbed her hipbone with my thumb for a moment, trying to work up the courage to say what I wanted, and then shifting it to her waist. "D'you want me to take off your bra?"
"If you want to."
Soon enough, I figured out how to get it off and then neither of us had anything on. I pulled a blanket over us, even though we were the only ones home.
"You're so incredibly beautiful and amazing and I love you so much", I told her, touching her cheek.
Tears welled up in her eyes and a few escaped down her cheeks. "I love you too. I love you so much."
"Are you sure you wanna do this?" I asked with a small smile while wiping her tears.
She nodded. "Yeah. I'm positive."
"Okay", I agreed nervously and kissed her. "Just tell me if it hurts. If it does, I'll stop." It was one of my worst fears: hurting her.
She kissed me this time. "I love you, Ponyboy."
"I love you, Lily. And I always will."
It was obvious that she was uncomfortable and even in a little pain during it, but she didn't show it and seemed happy that we had done it when it was over. I certainly was.
We lay underneath the blankets and looked at each other. Her eyes were starting to close for longer and longer periods of time.
"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked as I played with her hair. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"I'm just perfect", she laughed breathily. "I couldn't be better."
"Good", I smiled in relief, kissing her forehead. "You tired, darlin'?"
She nodded as she nuzzled into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close, rubbing her back. "Go to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up."
"I love you, Ponyboy", she murmured as she fell asleep.
I kissed the crown of her head, smelling the scent of her perfume, along with the grass and flowers from the country. "I love you too, Mrs. Curtis. And I always will.'
XxXxXxXxXx
The first thing I noticed the next morning when I woke up was a warmth under the blankets with me that I hadn't felt since Sodapop had left.
I opened my eyes and found my fiancée laying in my arms, her head buried in my chest. Her hair was strewn all around her face and the pillow, and the breaths that came through her softly parted lips were soft and steady on my skin. Her black eyelashes brushed her upper cheeks and some of her mascara had smudged under and around her eyes.
When I realized that neither of us were wearing clothes, my face became hot, though I smiled at the remembrance of what had happened the night before. Mom's ring, which now rested on her left ring finger, glimmered in the light streaming through the window, which, along with the clock on the bedside table, told me that it was about mid-morning. The sunlight made her look like she was glowing and turned her hair a golden brown.
I smiled a little and pressed a kiss to her forehead, being careful not to wake her as I got out of bed and slipped on my boxers before walking into the kitchen.
I rubbed my eyes while taking the carton of eggs out of the refrigerator, cracking them into a bowl with milk, and putting the mixture onto the stove in a pan. I thought that I remembered Lily telling me that she liked her eggs scrambled at some point, and hoped I was right.
My main concern apart from cooking breakfast was not waking her up. She looked so peaceful and calm in her sleep and I wanted to let her remain that way. Besides, I knew how much she enjoyed her sleep, especially since she didn't get as much of it as she probably should have. Between school, homework, her jobs working at the bookstore and teaching the younger girls at her dance school, and her own dance classes, she usually only got six or less hours of sleep per night. Any chance she got for more, she savored.
As I finished up breakfast, the eggs and the toast that I had decided to add, there was a slight sound of rustling from the other room that I assumed was my fiancée waking up. Hoping to catch her before she actually got up, I put the plates of food, cups of juice, and silverware on a tray and carried it into the room.
Just as I had thought, she was awake, though barely, and was buried under the blanket. Her dark eyes followed me as I came through the door and towards the bed, putting down the food near the end.
"Good morning, darlin'", I said, not able to keep the slight smiled off of my face as I got under the covers with her. "How'd you sleep?"
"Good", she answered in her slightly raspy morning-voice. "You?"
"Wonderfully. I made breakfast."
"You didn't have to do that. You could've woken me up."
"You looked too peaceful to wake up, so I let you sleep", I told her before sitting up and bringing over the food. "You like your eggs scrambled, right?"
She laughed lightly from her identical sitting position and gave me a kiss. "Yeah. Thank you, honey."
"You're welcome."
We talked a little as we ate, but mostly just enjoyed the quiet that came with us being alone together. It happened so rarely that we had learned to take advantage of every opportunity that came along, even the ones that only lasted a minute or two.
Afterwards, she leaned her head on my shoulder.
"How're you feelin'?" I asked.
"Great. What about you?" she smiled.
"Never been better, Mrs. Curtis", I said as a smile grew on my face.
"I'm not officially Mrs. Curtis yet", she reminded me with a laugh.
"Well, I'm gonna keep callin' you that until you are and then after that."
"I'm not complainin'."
"Neither am I. I'm so happy that we'll get to spend the rest of our lives together", I told her, immediately feeling embarrassed at how sappy it sounded.
"I can't wait t'be able to wake up next to you everyday", she responded.
"Well, there'll be a point where our kids'll be the ones wakin' us up."
She smiled and leaned up to kiss my nose. "And I can't wait until then too."
"Ditto", I told her before kissing her forehead. "I love you so much, darlin'."
"I love you too, honey", she smiled. "And I always will."
OH MY GOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! I never meant to keep you all waiting for almost two months and I'm so sorry that I did. I had tons of school work that I had to do, so that kept me more than busy. I did, however, start a "Stranger Things" story, which will hopefully be published at some point soon (fingers crossed), along with another chapter of this one (once again, fingers crossed). I hope all of you had a great Valentine's Day and/or any other holidays that you celebrate. I'll try and update as soon as I can. All music credits go to their respective owners. I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13