Emerge (29 page)

             
Carlos
was supposed to pick me up at e
ight
.  I went to work
at the sheet music store until
two
.

             
I got home and took a shower and got my make-up bag and other stuff and headed to Rebecca’s house.  My mom saw me leaving and said, “Where are you going with all of that?”

             
“Rebecca offered to do my hair and is going to let me get dressed at her house so I don’t bother…anybody.”

             
I saw something in her that I hadn’t seen in a while. It was regret. It was only a flash and then it was gone. 

             
“Go ahead then, what are you waiting for?”

             
I went over to Rebecca’s house and when I went in, boy was she ready for me.

             
She had every kind of beauty supply known to man and some I had no clue what they were.  I was so scared.

             
She primped me and we giggled all day until about
seven thirty
when she sent me home looking lik
e a princess wrapped in a cloud of blue.
 

             
I walked in and May ran to me, whether she was supposed to I di
dn’t know.  She made me show her
my earrings which were also borrowed from Rebecca.  I went and put all my things away, sprayed myself with perfume and packed a few necessities in my little silver purse, another borrowed accessory.

             
I went into my room and tried to fold some clothes just to be
busy and out of sight.  About
fifteen
minu
tes later,
ten
minutes early, Carlos knocked on the door and I nearly ran to get it.

             
My mom was there first
,
of course
,
and she just stared at me.  She didn’t say I looked pretty or anything.  She stared like she was just opening the door for a roommate to walk through, nothing more than an acquaintance.

             
Before I reached the door I looked her dead in the eyes and said, “I’m not g
oing to be back anywhere near eleven
tonight.  It’s prom night.” She didn’t even blink. It was like looking at a stranger.

             
I stepped out of the door and Carlos was dumbfounded.  I giggled a bit and all he could choke out was
,
“Damn.” I was thinking the same thing because boy did he look good in a tux.

             
We walked to his car and drove to one more
milestone
until we could be together for good.

             
Prom was just a weird dance where everyone was kinda awkward. We danced some, we sat at weird decorated tables and we took pictures where the photographer left from behind the camera and adjusted our elbows and hands. 

             
I was glad to be
leaving.  Carlos was starving and
I laughed my butt off at him as he went
through a drive in and ordered
two
Big Macs from McDonald’s.

             
“Ok
, where to next?” I asked as he
finished off his last bite.

             
“Those after parties can get pretty rowdy.  My brother went to some last year and he said he left after a few minutes.  Let’s go to the beach.”

             
“In this?
I pointed to my dress.

             
He put on a serious face and said, “No, you should take it off and run around the beach naked.”

             
I narrowed my eyes at him and
he laughed and put the car into gear and took off towards the beach.

             
We parked in our usual spot and it was apparent that we weren’t the only ones who had the same idea. 

             
“So, there are two things that I wanted to show you.” He was taking off his tux jacket as he said it. 

             
“Ok.” This wasn’t joking around.  He meant business. I could see the lines in his face creasing.

             
“Let’s go sit on the beach.” He said.  He was acting very suspicious.

             
“Ok”

             
We got out of the car and he laid out a blanket for us to sit on.  I didn’t know where in the heck it came from but it was thoughtful.

             
We sat there in silence for a while, watching the waves roll in and out.

             
He first pulled out a long black box and opened it in front of me.
I couldn’t believe he had bought something for me.  As if his existence in my life wasn’t enough.
It was a bracelet made of little hearts:
one gold
, one silver and one rose gold and the pattern began again. 

             
It was so delicate that I was afraid to touch it.

             
He took it out and put it on my
wrist.

             
I reached out to kiss him.
I wanted to
jump over to his side of the blanket
and thank him properly.
But he stopped me.

             
I cocked my head sideways in question.

             
He then dug into the inside pocket of his tux jacket and pulled out another black box.

             
I knew that I loved him.  I knew that I wanted to marry him.  I knew that my life would never be as it was supposed to without him. But this little black box was like the proof that this all was real. 

             
He opened it and I
teared
up at the sight.  I looked at him and he was looking uneasy.  As if I could dislike any ring he bought me.  It was
a gold chevron shaped ring and had diamonds in the chevron.  It was unique and precious just like us. 

             
He took it out of the box and I was surprised that the man who rescued me and loved me without fear was shaking as he placed the ring on my finger.  I met him halfway and it fit just right.  How he knew my ring size was a mystery.

             
I almost flew onto the other side of the blanket.  I nearly knocked him over in my exuberance.  I held onto his neck forever.  I never wanted to let go of him.  I wanted to knock him over and kiss him until my lips were numb, but we were on the beach and I wanted him all to myself.
             

             
I was in heaven as I had a ring, and not just any ring, on my finger and a beautiful bracelet on my arm
. T
hey could be made of straw and they would still be the most gorgeous things in the world.

             
“All the overtime?”
I guessed.

             
“Yeah, it was so worth it.” He shrugged like it was no big deal.

             
“You wanna stay here?” I asked.

             
“I don’t care.
”
 

             
“Can we just go home?”

             
“Home where?”

             
“I only have one home.”

             
He nodded and we headed to our home.

             
We got in and the apartment was empty.  I ran into his room and yelled “I’m taking shorts and a shirt” as I grabbed them and ran into the bathroom.  I took off those ankle-breaking, blister-making, awful shoes and padded baref
oot back into the bedroom I shook my hair free
of the clips that Rebecca had practically stabbed into my skull and took out the earrings too. 

             
Carlos had already traded his tux for shorts and no shirt. He was in the kitchen making noise.

             
“Again?”
I asked.

             
“Maybe
,
”
h
e shot back.

             
He came strolling in with
two
bowls. “Or maybe I was fixing your smart aleck mouth some ice cream.”
He bent down to give it to me and kissed my temple.

             
“Or that.”

             
I was sitting sideways on the couch and he moved my legs up and sat under them.

             
“Ok, I gave you jewelry and I fed your ice cream.  Now I need to talk to you about something serious.”

             
“Are you saying that you buttered me up on purpose?” I put my bowl on the coffee table.

             
“Yup.”

             
“Shameless.”

             
“So the lease on this place ends at the end of the month a
nd you will be gone the week before
, to see your Dad.  So, what I need to know is do you want to live here or should I start looking for a new apartment?”

             
“
Awww
, I like it here.  This is our place. 
What about your brother?”

             
“He’s going to live at another apartment complex with his friends.”

             
“Well, a smaller place would be cheaper, right?”

             
He nodded
and said,
“Well, we have time.  I just either have to be out
             
by
             
then or sign another lease for this apartment or a smaller one in the same
             
complex.”

             
He was playing with my bracelet, moving it back and forth on my wrist.

             
I loved that bracelet and even more I loved that new ring on my finge
r.  I sat there for a few minutes working up the courage for what I wanted to do next.  My face was blushing so furiously that my skin was tingling.

             
I took his bowl and put it next to mine.  Caution and pure want
battled each other on
his face as I moved to straddle his legs and sit on his lap facing him. 

             
He took a shaky breath and he was temporarily frozen in place at my showing of risqué behavior. 

             
“What? You gave me my ring on a public beach.  It was hardly the place for me to thank you…the way I wanted to.”  The roles were reversed and
I
was loving
every minute of my newfound brazen self.
 

             
“Jenna,” his breaths were choppy and nervous.

             
“
Carlos…What did I ever do before you? I feel like I was just existing, walking around like a zombie. But now I live for the next time I can see you and hear you say my name and…”

             
The whole time he was staring at my lips and I couldn’t contain myself anymore. 

             
Apparently, neither could he
.

             
He reached behind me and splayed his hands over my back as he pulled me as tight as he could to his chest without crushing me.  Our lips collided at the same time and I scooted closer and closer until there was nothing between us. 
The burn started on my lips as they danced with his and blazed through the rest of my body. 

             
His hands roamed under the hem of my shirt on each side of my waist. I gasped and broke free of the kiss.  He had never let his hands wander.  Not that I had a problem with it.
  He broke away abruptly.
             

             
“Are you staying here tonight?”
He was still cautious and unsure.

             
“Yeah, I told her I wasn’t coming home anytime soon.”

             
He smiled brightly and lifted us both off of the couch and into his bedroom where he put me down on the bed and lay down next to me. I reached out for him to continue what I had started in the living room, but he pinned my arms down at my sides.

             
“J, please…
I’m in hell trying to control
myself here.  Don’t make it worse.”