A Promise to Keep

by Carter Tachikawa

  “Rachel's not here, you know.” Aurora began.

  “Yeah, I'm aware of that. I actually wanted to talk to your boyfriend.”

  Dylan sat up and looked puzzled, buttoning his shirt. “Me? What do you need from me? Is it about your car?”

  “No, this is way different. I want to ask you a question. Privately”, I looked over at Aurora who was trying to hide her bra from me. I don't know why. I knew it was pink and most likely from Fredericks or Victoria Secret. There were cutesy little red hearts on it and I didn't give a damn. So I knew what her bra looked like. Big fat surprise. What was I going to do with that information, spread it to The National Enquirer? Girl wears bra with hearts from Victoria Secret. Big whoop. In other news, Soylet Green is people and Bigfoot was last spotted in the Bahamas. I heard he was sipping pina coladas with the Loch Ness Monster.

  “It'll only be a minute.” I promised.

  “Okay.” He seemed convinced and got up from the couch, giving Aurora a kiss. “I'll be back, babe. Don't fall asleep without me.”

  "Don't take too long, Dilly." She poked his nose. “I don't want to get bored.”

  Dilly? Oh, I was going to have a lot of fun with that nickname. Dilly. Dilly. Dilly Dilly Dill Pickle. I could tell he was dreading it too from how red his face looked. He kept his cool around her but his cheeks remained pink. Poor tough dude. Now I knew his secret. As soon as we got outside the room, I saw my chance for a little poking around.

  "So, Dilly, care to take this outside?" I joked.

  "You breathe a word about that nickname to anyone and I will snap your spine with my bare hands. No one but Aurora can call me that and get away with it alive." He threatened me. My smile faded at that point. I could tell he was serious from the way his hazel eyes bore into my soul. Damn, the guy had those eyes. They were beautiful eyes, I had to admit. They were the softest feature on his entire face. But the moment they got hard, it was like he could hypnotize anyone.

  The other thing that frightened me about him were his arms. I hadn't noticed them earlier but the guy had some muscle there. He could easily crack my skull open like it was a walnut. So I believed his threats. If he wanted to snap my spine, he would do it.

  “You won't hurt me if I ask this question, will you?” I wanted to know, holding up my fists. “I won't go down without trying to defend myself!”

  “I don't want to fight you.” He rolled his eyes. “I'm not that frightening. Ask your question. There's just that small possibility that I might answer it.”

  “Oh.” I lowered my fists. "Okay, here goes. You don't have to answer if it feels too private. How long have you and Aurora gone out?"

  "A little over a year now. Why?"

  "I'm beginning to think this is a bad idea." I started off. "All of it. I shouldn't have fooled anyone. Of course, I'm talking about me and Rachel pretending to be in love. It's getting harder to fake chemistry. Because...well, it's starting to feel real."

  "Really?" He didn't seem the least bit impressed with me. "You're falling in love with her. That's what you think is happening? How cute. You didn't consider the fact that maybe, just maybe, you might actually be in love?"

  "Well, no!" I exclaimed. "This was a plan. A game. A plot to fool my parents and future in-laws! I never wanted to fall in love!"

  "Aha! So you are in love! I knew it! I called it the moment you called me in here! No, I called before then!" He exclaimed, that slimy smile coming back on his face. Ick, why? I liked the guy until he smiled like that. It made anything he smiled at look like a piece of rancid meat. Gross. How could Aurora stand all this? My insides were churning, not being charmed. I need a drink. Maybe 200 of them. I tried not to focus on the smile and kept talking.

  “So what is your problem right now? You're afraid of commitment?”

  "Yeah, that sounds about right. I have no idea how I can stick with one girl when I've never been in love before. How do you do it?" I had to ask him. "How the heck did you and Aurora fall in love? You could have any girl you wanted."

  "Any idiot I wanted." He corrected me. "But I don't go for the idiots. I'm a romantic underneath the leather jacket, dude. Hell, if I wasn't a romantic, I would have slept with my geometry teacher in sophomore year."

  Oh. This conversation just went from awkward to too much information being revealed. "You slept with your teacher?"

  "No, I didn't. I never slept with the geometry teacher."

  I let out a sigh of relief. What kind of a person was I to doubt a 'romantic' like that? I was being too hard on him. Maybe he really was a lamb underneath all the leather. "Good, you didn't sleep with her. I thought as much."

  "I slept with the English teacher instead." He winked at me and I almost fell down. "And her sister. And her other sister. And a guy who looked like one of her sisters but I didn't figure it out until he tried to..."

  "Okay, okay, I'm getting the picture!" I exclaimed. Some romantic! "Look, I need advice! You and Aurora somehow make sense together. I don't know what the heck happened but you're perfect for each other. How did you win her over?"

  "It took time." He admitted. "See, that's what I was talking about earlier. I could have any idiot that I wanted. But girls like Aurora are a lot harder to fall in love with. It's hard to convince them to love you. She knows what she wants. They're the kinds that don't need a man, they get one only if they want one. So I'm still shocked that Aurora picked me out of all the guys in the world. Sure, I'm not her old boyfriend but she wanted me anyway. At first, I thought she only wanted a replacement for him. But I think she fell in love along the way. She wanted me for many reasons and she eventually fell in love with me."

  “And you fell in love with her?”

  “I couldn't help it, man. There was something in my stomach when I thought about her. They felt like...well, they felt like butterflies.”

  “Butterflies.” I repeated. This guy was talking to me about butterflies. Help me.

  “Yeah, they fluttered in my stomach the whole time she was near me. And for once, I didn't want to kill the butterflies. I accepted them. That's what you've got to do. Learn to accept the butterflies.”

  “Accept the butterflies.” I repeated.

  “That's right.”

  "Okay, I'll try to remember that. I'll remember the butterflies. Here's another question. With all the girls you slept with, why did you finally decide d to settle down?" I wanted to know the juicy details of this one. Leather boy here couldn't have just been charmed clumsy cuteness of this woman. I mean, who knows how people or animals he had been with? He could charm the hell out of a plant if he wanted to. He just had the looks to do it.

  "There's something about her." He admitted. "I don't know what it is but I get turned on every time she's in the room. The butterflies come out in full force when she's there. She's beautiful. She's smart. She's a little on the clumsy side but not to the point where it's annoying. Yeah, she can be a little messy too. But I can tolerate it. For me, that's perfection. I don't mind her mistakes."

  "So you don't mind that Aurora leaves flax seeds all over your jacket and in her hair?" I asked. “Do the butterflies tell you to ignore them?”

  "You saw the picture, didn't you?"

  "Rachel's been shoving it under my nose ever since we went on our 'date'. I can't get the image out of my mind now. Can I ask why she's always photographed with food in her hands?" I wanted to know. "Does she not eat during the day?"

  He laughed at that. "I think Aurora's never been in love with a guy like me before. Sure, she had Cal but I don't think she's ever been clumsy around him. Right before any of these pictures were taken, she was in the middle of doing something. About half of those times, she was eating. Hence why there's always food on me too."

  "And you don't feel like killing puppies when there's food on your precious leather jacket?"

  "No? Why do I want to hurt puppies for something Aurora did by accident?" He shrugged. "Look, if you're in love with Rachel and you know it's for real, tell her. I've known
the girl for some time now. She likes honesty. She believes in doing the right thing. At the very least, if you tell her how you feel, you won't feel like you're being dragged down."

  I hated to admit it but leather for brains had a point. The very idea of being in a relationship with Rachel was frightening and exciting at the same time. But I had already told her that we were doing this to convince my relatives we were engaged. She agreed to do it and split when the time came. How could I look at her and tell her that I wanted the relationship to be for real? She was too old for me. Sure, she might have lived like she was a college freshman but she wasn't my type. My parents would flip if they found out that the girl I 'loved' was older than me. They had this idea that the men had to be older. Maybe I could get away with her being one or two years older. But this wasn't the case. We couldn't fool my family the moment they learned how old she really was. The next biggest concern would be children. What if she died giving birth? What if she couldn't give birth? Older women were at risk. The talk about that would be endless.

  “You think it will work? The going up and talking to her part?” I asked.

  “I'm not going to say more than that.” He said. “I've known Rachel for a while now. She's a good woman. She might not look it but she's all right. Just as great as her sister when it comes to personality. She likes honesty. If you open up to her, she'll like you.”

  "I guess I could try that approach." I nodded, turning away from him. Now he could go back to making out with Aurora and getting her naked or whatever he was doing. "Thanks, Dylan. You have no idea how much you've helped me out."

  "Whoa, wait a second! I've got something to ask you." He stopped me. I turned around, quite curious as to what leather boy had to ask me. He seemed like the cool, confident kind. He might have been a biker dude but he was also smart. I could tell just from our conversation and the way he was looking at me. He didn't want to beat me up for the hell of it. I felt a huge wave of relief.

  “I thought I was asking you stuff, not the other way around.”

  “Well, you reminded me of a question I had.”

  "What is it?"

  "...You're going to 'fake' ask Rachel to marry you, right?" He began.

  "Well, according to my relatives, I've already 'fake' asked her. If they want details, I'll just give them the usual. I got on my knees, held her hand, and said the magic words. And then she replied with the right answer." I pointed out. "Indian people don't do a whole lot when it comes to engagement. It's the wedding that is the big affair. So there was nothing to it. Why do you want to know?"

  He turned bright pink , and I wanted to tease him for it. Tough guy was blushing. He was embarrassed about something and I couldn't wait to taunt him. Sure, it might earn me a couple of black eyes but it would be worth it. Besides, the blushing was blackmail fodder. The next time he wanted to lay a finger on me, I'd bring it up.

  “How are you explain ing how you did it?”

  “Uh, explain?” I hadn't thought of that part. “I just figured they wouldn't bother either of us with that. Indian people don't care. As long as the job is done, that's what matters to them. We hold the wedding to be a bigger affair than the engagement.”

  “Oh.” He looked a little disappointed.

  “What's wrong? Why did you want to know that?” I asked.

  However, I was not expecting the following to come out of his mouth.

  "Cause I want to ask Aurora the same question."

  127

  Carter Tachikawa

  Chapter 11

  I was stunned. No, I was beyond stunned. My gas was flabber and that made me flabbergasted. That crazy son of a bitch wanted to ask his girlfriend to marry him after knowing her for a year? Even I wasn't that stupid and I wanted to fake marry a girl! I couldn't tell which of us was the looney toon now. One was fake marrying a girl and one wanted to marry a girl after a year of dating. We were a smart bunch, Dylan and I.

  “So?” He was staring at me and I hadn't noticed until s he spoke up. “Did you hear what I said?”

  “I think I did.” I replied meekly.

  “And?”

  I nodded even though I was still processing the whole thing. “You want to propose. I assume it's a marriage proposal?”

  “What other proposal would I make?”

  “I...uh...” Yeah, stupid question from me. The guy wasn't a businessman trying to close a deal with Aurora. He was definitely thinking about the long run. “Yeah, I figured as much! I'm sorry ; , I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this.”

  “You know mine isn't going to be fake, right?”

  "Are you...are you sure about that?" I began.

  "I've been thinking a lot about it."

  "Really? I didn't know you could even think."

  Obviously, this was a bad time to insult him because his face darkened with anger. He cracked his knuckles and I awaited my doom. “Aw, crap, this is going to cost me my teeth, isn't it?”

  "Normally, it would. But I like you. Though if you keep at it with the wise mouth, I won't like you for long. Say another thing like that to me again and you'll have trouble eating with my fist rammed down your throat."

  Yikes. That was a quick turnoff from insults. "Sorry. I was just trying to get a laugh out of you."

  "Seriously? Because if that's it, I'm sorry I threatened you."

  "Seriously." That was partially true. I was hoping he had a sense of humor. "And don't worry about it. I kind of expect that from you."

  "Meaning?" I could feel his anger coming back so I had to cover it up. Damn me and my smart mouth! I had to think fast or I had to be a fast healer. The last thing anyone wanted was a groom with broken legs, half his teeth missing, and two black eyes.

  "I was referring to your past!" I exclaimed, hoping he didn't kill me. Either I explained fast or I had to pick some fighting skills faster. "Yeah, Rachel told me about what happened. Not that it bothers me too much. It wasn't to hurt you or anything. It's okay, I don't judge. See? I'm very non-judging!"

  I waved my arms around like an idiot wanting to stand out in a large crowd. I wasn't sure what I was doing, only that my nerves were getting the best of me. At that point, my phone went off and I knew what that meant. Text time from Astra. Maybe this would save me or maybe it wouldn't. Either way, Dylan's fists wouldn't be embedded in my face and I would live to see another day.

  "Uh...excuse me. This shouldn't take long." I said, whipping it out and taking a quick look. Although I don't know why I cared at that moment. Maybe because whatever gushy love note she sent me would be tame compared to the beating he would give me.

  Your eyes are like the insides of coconuts, rich and thick and creamy. You need to melt in my mouth, not my hand.

  Terrific. I was an M&M. Just what I wanted to be my entire life. Forget being human, I was a rich-coated candy. Unknown to me, Dylan was peering over my shoulder and reading the text. I didn't notice him until I could feel his breath fanning my neck.

  "She's...she's not going to be invited to the wedding, is she?" He asked.

  "Not mine. But if you want her for yours, go ahead!"

  "Whose wedding?" This time, it was Aurora. I saw Dylan turn bright red and tighten his shoulders. At the same time, I heard him clenching fists. Oh Kali. Oh Durga. Oh some god from above, help me! Clearly, this was going to be a surprise to her and I almost blew it.

  But he was silent and not because of me. I turned around to find her completely shirtless. And by completely shirtless, I meant that her pink bra with the red hearts was long gone. Everything was gone. She was standing before us in her jeans and heels but nothing above the waist. I'm sure Dylan didn't mind but I felt a little uncomfortable. Her boobs. I got a good view of her boobs. No, I had a terrific view of her tater tots.

  "Um..." I started, trying hard not to look at them. "You're...you're...you're..."

  "Where's your bra, babe?" Dylan asked. Oh, bless that man. He didn't hit me and he saved me from sounding like a fool. Not that he could save me fro
m looking like a fool. I was still ogling at that amazing pair of tits before me.

  "I left it on the couch."

  "Why?"

  "Because...I got tired of waiting for you. I told you that I would get too bored if you took too long. So I came to give you some action." She said, playing with her fingers. I was secretly praying that she wasn't trying to seduce me. Did she forget that two men were in this room? One of those men was fake marrying her sister. How would Rachel feel if she saw Aurora waving her promised goods in front of her fake fiancé? I had a feeling one of us would get thrown out of the house and there was a good chance that person would be me.

  Yet here she was, waving her boobies around like they were apples for me to pluck. I did have to admit that her boobs were great. They were like coconuts. No, they weren't hairy or spiky like the coconuts I was used to but they were round and of good size. This was clearly not the sister who got implants. No, Aurora had been blessed with biology. There was no way she could stand before me with her breasts hanging out and not feel shame.

  “Well, uh...did you have to come half-naked?” I asked. “Dylan and I were done. It's not that you look bad half-naked! In fact, that's not what I think at all! You look...you look...”

  Oh, God, now I sounded like a CD that was skipping. Damn these people. Damn Astra and her stupid texts of love. Damn my family for demanding grandchildren when I wasn't ready to take care of a wife yet. Damn them, their happiness, and everything that they were putting me through. I was close to ripping the hair out of my skull. What kind of life was I leading? I was getting a fake wife when I wanted this woman to be the real thing.

  “Oh!” Apparently, she just noticed that she was bra-less, shirt-less, and everything else-less from waist up and covered her boobs with her arms. “Sorry! I forgot you were here!”

  “Really? You didn't notice your boyfriend was gone for a reason? Did you miss the part where I interrupted you?” I asked. I wasn't trying to be snarky this time but it came out that way.