by Brooks, Tori
His brain was really not up to whatever talk Jack had in mind, Dev realized as he took a seat in front of Sabrina’s paper-strewn desk. Jack sat on the edge instead of behind the desk, effectively towering over Dev, although Dev doubted he did it to intentionally make him feel uncomfortable. He was a lawyer, these things probably came naturally.
“So ... laying siege outside Lindsay’s door. Tell me how that came about,” Jack prompted. Dev cringed.
“You know she broke up with me, right?”
“I did not. How about you back up and tell me how that came about.”
“I wish I knew.”
“Not a good start. Try again.” Jack stood and walked around the desk to sit behind it, presumably so he could face Dev easier.
“She dropped in on me at school. It was fine, a surprise, but she didn’t seem to have anything particular on her mind. She sat in on a study group, which was pretty normal. We went to bed late. I woke up alone. She packed everything and left in the middle of the night. She even sat in a cafe by the airport waiting until there was a flight out.
“It took all day for me to reach her. She wouldn’t answer my calls or texts. When I finally got to talk to her, she was under the impression I was having an affair with Erika Atlas. I’m not. I told her that. She doesn’t believe me.
“You know about that whole PR thing ...”
Jack nodded.
“Right. I didn’t want to do it. I thought it was insane. Kenny insisted I should do it, and I should talk to Lin. She said I should, so I did. She didn’t ask me to stop, we never talk about it; just this. She just left.
“That was a month ago. She blocked my number, won’t return my emails –”
“So this is just to try to talk to her,” Jack guessed.
“Yeah. And I’m finishing my bachelor’s so ...” Dev suddenly realized he’d talked to Lindsay about marriage but he’d never asked Jack’s permission to ask her. It nagged at him he was supposed to do that. He stared at the small box still clutched tightly in his hand.
Looking up, he saw Jack was laughing softly.
“Devin, I take it you’re considering proposing?” Jack asked gently.
Dev nodded, not sure how Jack was going to take this news.
“Devin, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have as a son-in-law,” Jack said. “You have my blessing. But from the sound of things, you don’t have hers.”
The enormous weight that started to lift at Jack’s words settled again as he finished. Dev leaned forward and rested his arms and forehead on the desk. Jack sighed.
“She’s stubborn, you already know that.”
“Yes, I do,” Dev answered. He shifted to rest his chin on his arms instead so he could look at Jack, hoping to see some inspiration in his face.
“Can I see?” Jack asked, indicating the ring. Dev handed him the box, the velvet exterior somewhat worse for wear from being gripped tightly for so long. Jack took it and brushed the box to re-align the crushed fibers. He opened it and his eyebrows rose slightly.
“Wow. That might make a difference.”
“You think?”
Jack nodded and closed the box, returning it to Dev. “It’s been my experience women in general tend to be more forgiving when flowers or jewelry are involved.”
“Flowers haven’t done the trick,” Dev pointed out.
“And now you have jewelry,” Jack said. “Go show her.”
○ ○ ○
Lindsay was in her room, either still there or back there, with Bryan talking to her through her partially opened door when Dev returned. Upon seeing him, Lindsay promptly closed the door in Bryan’s face. The click of the lock pounded in Dev’s ears like an exclamation point.
“Thanks,” Bryan said.
“Sorry,” Lindsay said through the door.
“I assume that was my fault,” Dev said.
“Yeah. I was bringing her up to speed on what was going on with Bren,” Bryan said. “I’ll leave you to it.”
“Do you need me to leave so you can finish?” Dev asked, feeling awkward.
“No. We’re here for you to do your thing. Lin and Bren can do lunch another time.” Bryan leaned close and whispered, “Becky’s in there now, by the way.”
“Great.”
Bryan turned to leave but Dev motioned for him to stay, so he had a seat on the floor across the hall. Dev knocked on the door.
“Lin?”
No answer.
“Oh, come on. I just saw you so I know you’re in there,” Dev said.
“That doesn’t mean I’m talking to you,” Lindsay said.
“That’s going to make this conversation difficult.”
“Dev, just go home.”
Dev pulled the ring from his pocket again and opened the box. He looked at it, sparkling and ready for her. Bryan stood up, suddenly interested.
“Is that what I think it is?” he asked.
“What do you think I came here for?” Dev asked.
“To apologize. Oh, shit.” Bryan stared at it. “Uh, Lin, you need to see this.”
“I’m not opening this door.”
“Fine. Becky, you need to see this.”
“Bryan, you piece of shit! You weren’t supposed to tell him I was here,” Becky yelled through the door.
“Whatever,” Bryan said.
“Bryan, hold this,” Dev handed him the ring box, “Stand there and don’t get fingerprints on it.”
“Lindsay?” Dev called through the door. He waited, but she didn’t answer. He knocked. “I know you’re there.”
“Then why are you knocking?” Becky asked.
“I want to make sure I have her attention.”
“You have her attention.”
“Okay.” Dev took a breath. “This is awkward.”
“You’re telling me?” Becky asked.
“Stay out of this.”
“Can’t.”
“Would you like to leave?”
“No. You don’t want me to either.”
“I’m innocent of the charges levied against me you know,” Dev said.
“The evidence is reasonably compelling, but I’m inclined to believe you,” Becky said.
“Hey,” Lindsay’s voice protested her sister’s betrayal. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“Of course I am. See? I’m in your room, not out there in the hall.”
“It’s slightly pink,” Bryan said, holding the ring up to the light.
“I know, it’s by design,” Dev answered, waving him away.
“What’s pink?” Becky asked.
“Right, back to that,” Dev mumbled. “Okay.” He suddenly felt warm, but got down on one knee.
“Dev, I don’t think you need to do that,” Bryan told him.
“I may as well do it right.” He thought a moment then looked back to Bryan and motioned for the ring back. Bryan put the ring back in the box and handed it to Dev.
Taking up what he thought was a classic position, Dev looked to Bryan for confirmation. Bryan shrugged and nodded. Dev cleared his throat. He should have prepared something, but he didn’t think about it until now. He’d have to wing it.
“Lindsay, we’ve been through a lot together. You were so careful at the beginning of our relationship to lead me slowly through the stages of dating, and not scare or startle me. It was nice of you: how much time and effort you put into everything. I appreciate it. I tried to show you how much you meant to me in so many ways even though I didn’t understand you or what you really needed. And you were patient with me when I repeatedly got it wrong. You never let me mess things up. I can’t imagine being without you or wanting anyone else. I love you. Lindsay –”
“No!” Lindsay yelled through the door, pounding on it and making Dev jump. He put his hand on the door.
“Will you –”
“Dev, don’t,” she said. He heard tears in her voice.
“Marry me?” Dev asked, his voice softer. She was only on the other side of the
door. He leaned his head against it and felt the vibrations of her sobs through it. Something he said got through to her. It was about time.
“No, Dev. No,” Lindsay sobbed, barely coherent through her tears.
She said no, his breath caught. But she was crying, he was getting through to her. Maybe. Dev looked at the ring in his hand, tilting it so it caught the light. Her father’s comment about women being more forgiving when given jewelry stuck in his mind.
“Open the door, baby,” Dev prompted softly.
The door shifted, presumably as Lindsay sat up. “No,” she whispered. If they weren’t separated by mere pre-fabricated hollow-core door that he could probably punch through, he wouldn’t have heard her. The idea of breaking the door had merit.
“Open the door,” Dev repeated.
“I can’t.”
Dev hesitated and eyed the lock. He could. “You can’t or you won’t?” he clarified.
“All right, I won’t,” Lindsay snapped. Dev jumped back away from the door.
“Can we –”
“No! I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I just ... Go away!”
Dev heard movement on the other side of the door and a moment later music started playing, effectively ending any attempt at conversation.
“Harsh,” Bryan said. “At least she could have played something of ours.”
Dev knew he meant it as an attempt at levity, but it just punctuated the gap between Lindsay and him. Looking at the ring box in his hand, Dev closed it with a snap.
The gap under her door caught his eye as he stood, but he quickly decided the box wouldn’t fit and the ring wouldn’t be welcome. Yet.
Would seeing the ring change her mind? Dev didn’t know, but it was worth a try.
○ ○ ○
Dev wasn’t supposed to be in Seattle, so he hid in Bryan’s spare bedroom while considering his options. He didn’t even go out to grab a burger for dinner when Bryan and Brenda had to make an appearance at Bryan’s house, choosing to order pizza instead. It would be his luck to run into Kenny and be faced with awkward questions.
Even the fear of getting caught where he wasn’t supposed to be, or perhaps because of it, didn’t keep Dev still for long. Soon he was pacing the floor and almost crawling out of his skin with the need to do something.
He had to show Lindsay he was serious, show her the ring. How? She wouldn’t open anything he sent her, he couldn’t involve Becky or her family, and they didn’t have mutual friends.
Dev’s eye fell on a wedding picture of Bryan and Brenda in a cheesy Las Vegas chapel and he stopped his pacing. They thought it was somehow romantic that they eloped and left the rest of the band out of their private moment. Dev felt differently.
Lindsay and Brenda were friends, maybe he could use that. They might not be much longer if he used Brenda that way. Memories of how Brenda kept Jess in line by kneeling hard on his groin made Dev flinch and resume pacing. He’d put that off as a last resort.
He looked around the room for any other source of inspiration. A newspaper lay on Bryan’s coffee table. It annoyed him that Bryan didn’t get his news off the web like normal people their age. Dev shrugged it off, Lindsay didn’t read the paper, that wouldn’t help. She did get her news off the web though. Maybe he could put banner ads on the sites she frequented. He didn’t know what sites she frequented, but it wouldn’t take him long to find out. Other than the site he hosted for her.
That made Dev hesitate a moment. Lindsay set up the Nellie the Nympho website for him. She set it up a reference material for him, although he always thought that was awkward. He hosted it, and knew she still updated the site regularly, adding new material and now moderating the forum she added. Was that helpful in any way?
No, Dev decided. He wouldn’t touch her website. That was hers. Although he wasn’t going to release it until she at least acknowledged she was wrong if she wanted to move it to another server. Which was all well and good, but left Dev exactly where he was before.
Dev went to his room, sat at the desk Brenda declared to be cute, and opened his laptop. He went through the motions to remotely research Lindsay’s browsing history on automatic while he considered other options, making a list as he went. Dev just prayed Lindsay would at some point fit into Jack’s ‘women in general’ category, it might be the only chance he had.
Chapter Ten
Lindsay only had a week left of school and she was anxious to be done with it. Dev had been quiet for a couple of days, and she didn’t know what that meant. Maybe he got the message. Ruby said they all gave up in the end. Ruby would know. She went through a lot of men before she found one as similarly minded as Olly.
She got ready for school and checked her email. A purple banner ad caught her attention: I Love You was written in delicate script with the diamond-encrusted band of a ring on the far edge. There wasn’t a signature, nor anything to indicate it was directed at her specifically, but Lindsay was immediately wary. She hovered over the banner with her mouse and saw there wasn’t a link behind the ad.
“An ad that isn’t an ad? Really? Who does that, Dev?”
She was tempted to see if Becky and Ruby were seeing the same thing or if Dev just hacked her computer, but decided it didn’t matter. She wouldn’t do anything about it even if she could. It was best to just ignore him.
Lindsay reconsidered her approach when she started her drive to school. The morning radio show she listened to had song after song that reminded her of Dev in one way or another. It couldn’t be a coincidence. She switched to a CD and got on the freeway, a billboard advertised a radio station with a big picture of A Thousand Words. She didn’t remember seeing that before. Another announced the band would kick off their tour this summer in Seattle’s KeyArena. Great.
Exiting the freeway, Lindsay had to break and pull over when she saw a purple sign with the same delicate script as on her computer earlier: Marry me? signed Puggy. At least this time the message was signed, she couldn’t hope it was meant for anyone else now.
Counting slowly to calm herself, Lindsay resumed her drive to school. Then, right next to the lot she parked in, was another billboard. She never noticed one there before. It could have been built last night for all she knew. She tried to ignore it, but that was impossible as it was apparently the cause of an accident that had traffic lined up waiting to turn into the lot. As she waited, Lindsay felt the purple sign and its message looming over her. Finally she faced it.
Dev’s, or rather, Puggy’s simple message this time was only: Please? Beside it was a picture of an engagement ring unlike anything Lindsay had ever seen. She stared at the ring in disbelief. It was totally Dev. Everything about it screamed beauty and perfection and ... Lindsay felt a tear fall on her arm. She reached up and wiped it away as she tore her eyes away from the ring Dev meant for her. It was perfect. She could well imagine what she was going to be hearing whispered about all over campus today.
She was going to kill him.
All through her classes, people talked about the signs. Apparently they littered the roads Lindsay took most frequently to and from school and a few other favorite locations. Some people only saw one sign, other people saw three or four. Lindsay decided she should have seen more, but clearly either wasn’t paying attention or Dev was only trying to get her attention not piss her off.
A few people speculated that Puggy was the Web Wizards hacker Pugmire the Purple. Lindsay bit back the impulse to confirm it, and breathed a sigh of relief when they went on to debate how a hacker had the money to afford that ring. Soon Puggy was transformed into a millionaire online superhero fighting for justice on his own dime by some, and a dark programmer masquerading as a white wizard to hide his nefarious activities by others.
Oh, she was really going to kill him for this.
Looking at her schedule, Lindsay decided to skip her last class in favor of dealing with her ex-boyfriend. Lindsay kept her eyes on the road and stubbornly avoided looking at any signs that might make
her any angrier than she already was. He cheated on her, she wanted this to be over.
Pulling up at her house, an unfamiliar sports car was parked out front. It wasn’t Dev, but that didn’t matter. Anyone who drove a sports car right now was someone she didn’t want to see. Today just kept getting better, Lindsay growled to herself.
○ ○ ○
Jess sat back on the sofa and considered the new songs. Dev was starting to write almost as much of their material as Kenny, and he was just as good. His lyrics were more polished on their first round actually, although so much of his actual life bled through into them it was almost frightening sometimes. Jess hated Dev’s love songs because he knew they were about Lindsay and singing them made him almost physically ill. They were the best the group had though; the most powerful, the most emotional, the most pure. It was nauseating. And now this.
He got up and sauntered over to where Kenny sat at his tiny desk. It amused Jess that they were stars, multi-millionaires, and he and Kenny lived over Flynn’s garage and the whole band developed their songs in his basement. Pathetic. Jess shook his head with the sadness of it all.
“What’s with you?” Kenny asked as Jess leaned against the wall beside his desk. He had an open psychology book in front of him and Jess smiled again at that. Dev was getting a degree he’d never use and Kenny was auditing psychology classes and reading books like a crack addict.
“Just thinking it’s funny we’re still living above Flynn’s garage instead of some stylish high-rise apartment in the city.”
“Yeah. I do it because it keeps me grounded,” Kenny said gesturing to his book. Of course, Jess thought. Kenny looked up at him. “I’ve wondered about you. You mostly moved out after Tiff died, then you came back.”
Jess shifted his weight uncomfortably. “I’ve got other reasons. Yours is as good I suppose. Teri would approve.”