by Mack Black
"Yes," he said.
"I'm not mad at you," I said.
Dad's forehead wrinkled in confusion.
"For keeping a secret this big after I made a big deal of letting them all out," I clarified.
Dad nodded and clapped my shoulder, pulling me in for a hug. "I'm glad son. I just wasn't ready then. Tell me you're going to keep this lovely young lady," he said, smiling at Bella.
I pulled our intertwined hands to my mouth, kissing the back of her hand. "I wouldn’t let her go for anything. She's my world." And I meant that.
"Is that your mother’s ring?" he asked with a frown etching across his face. "The one I proposed to her with?"
Oh shit. I forgot all about that.
"Yeah Dad," I said, touching the ring.
"You gave her your mother’s ring?" he asked again.
"Yes."
"Your mother’s ring?" he repeated.
I quirked my eyebrows at him. "Yes, Dad. Mom's ring," I echoed.
He glanced at the ring once more, then met my eyes, his probing. "You're sure about this?"
"Yes."
"Then why is it on the wrong hand son?" Dad asked.
My mouth dried as I looked at Bella, who was laughing.
"Am I missing something?" Dad asked.
"It's not an engagement ring, Dad. We aren't there yet."
He looked at me again, then back at the ring, then to his girlfriend—well, wife. "Do kids now-a-days give diamond rings just for the hell of it?"
"I guess so." She shrugged.
"It's a promise, Dad. A promise of forever," I said, as if it were obvious.
"In my day, that's called an engagement, but whatever you say." He hugged me and walked to his car without another word.
"It's not an engagement," I said to Bella's shit eating grin.
"I told you." She snickered. "I told you it was an engagement ring."
For once, I wished someone would just listen to me. I knew it was an engagement ring, but I didn't give it to her as an engagement ring. I gave it to her as a promise ring. Guys could do that, couldn't they?
Nessa danced a little circle around me and stopped in front of me, leaning in to kiss my nose.
"It's an engagement ring, just admit it," she said with a cheeky smile.
"Let me see," Jace said, grabbing Bella's hand. "Nah. That things too small to be an engagement ring. I'm with James."
Thank God for Jace Keller right now.
"See," I said, gripping her hand and pulling her towards the car. "See you guys later. Discussion over."
I opened the door for her and closed it once she got in.
"I think it's funny. For a minute there, I thought your dad was going to freak out," Bella said when we were safely inside the car. "Or keep repeating himself until he turned blue."
"Me too," I said, letting out a sigh. "I thought he was gonna snatch it off your finger."
Her laughter filled the air, erasing all the tension inside me. I hated being teased by them. I hated the way they all ganged up on me.
"I doubt he would’ve gone that far, though he might’ve mourned it." She paused, clutching her stomach and doubling over.
"I love you," I said.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Cool." She sighed.
"Cool?" I asked.
"Cool," she repeated.
"You're cruel."
Bella was standing in my doorway, her bags nestled at her feet. I took a deep breath and ignored the sinking feeling in my stomach.
"It's just a week," she whispered, wrapping her arms around my neck. "It'll be over before you know it."
"I hope so," I said. "My bed is going to feel empty without you."
She leaned in, kissing me one last time. "I love you James."
"You'll come back to me, right?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"I'll always come back. It's where I belong." She leaned down, picking her bags up from the floor as she turned to leave.
"I love you too," I said.
I watched her all the way to the elevator, the emptiness settling in the moment the doors closed. I busied myself cleaning the apartment, trying to pass the time until she skyped me after settling in. When everything was in its rightful place, I took a seat on the couch and flipped the TV on. It seemed like time passed at an agonizing pace as I kept checking the clock repeatedly. I still had at least another hour before I’d hear from her.
I decided to pass the time with a video game, but not even shooting something on a screen could take my mind off the emptiness I felt with her not here. Plus, I kept dying.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I reached for it, hoping it was her. "Hello?"
"Hey bro. How's lonely life?" Vanessa said, snickering.
"Shut up," I said.
"Seriously, how are you?"
"I'm freaking miserable. How the heck do you make it when Jace is gone?" I asked, groaning.
"Very carefully. Listen, I called to see if you want some company. Jace is gone, the kids are with the sitter, and I don't really wanna be alone right now," Vanessa said.
"Sure sis. See ya in twenty."
"Well, I’m actually right outside your door."
I laughed as I got up and dropped the phone on the table, then opened the door. "That was mighty presumptuous."
Vanessa pushed her way inside, flopping onto the couch.
"Eh, I was counting on you to be the sad, lonely nerd I know and love."
"Gee, thanks sis."
I sat down beside her, stretching out on the couch to let my head fall in her lap and my legs over the side of the couch.
"Liven up little monkey!" she said, slapping my cheeks.
"Little monkey?" I scoffed.
She just laughed and propped her feet on the coffee table.
"Halo? Really?" She leaned over and picked the controller up, flicking it so the screen came back to life. "Bet I can beat you."
I sat up, grabbing the second controller. "It's on like Donkey Kong."
Ten minutes into the game, Vanessa looked over at me with a smile.
"What?" I asked, my eyes glued to the screen.
"Don't you miss this? I do. Our weekly game marathons were the highlights of my days. Now it seems like you're too busy for me. We used to have fun together. What happened?"
"Life happened Ness. I do miss this, but I don't regret it. We just need to find a way to make time for each other between both of our hectic lives. And seriously, pay attention. It's way too easy to kill you when you're having nostalgic trips down memory lane." I killed her character again and watched the screen as it counted down, then just like that she was alive again.
"Do you think it will get easier now?" she asked, still not paying attention to the game.
I set down the controller, turning towards her. "What?"
"Life, now that Charlotte is gone." She put the controller down in her lap.
"If it doesn't, I’ll be surprised. She can't hurt you anymore, Vanessa. She can't hurt any of us anymore. Dad's moved on, so we should too. I know that's easier said than done, but we have to try to move forward. You’re right where you belong and that’s what matters. You, me, Dad, we're all right where we belong. The journey there was tough, sure, but wasn't it worth it?"
She stared at me for several moments, then a smile crept across her face. "Yeah I guess so. Are you sad she wasn't pregnant? It seemed like you were really excited about the prospect of being a father."
I didn't even know how to begin to put that into words. I didn't know if Nessa could understand even if I tried.
"All I know is I love her. Anything else I can deal with, as long as she is with me. Remember when you told me you felt like you couldn't breathe without Jace? That's how I feel. Like she is a part of me that I need to function. The missing piece to my puzzle. It sounds so cheesy saying it out loud, but I didn't even know what love was until she came along and smacked me right in the face with it. A part of me is kind of sad,
ya know? Another part of me is relieved. I feel horrible saying that, but I am."
Vanessa grabbed her control and turned back to the screen.
"First one to ten kills buys dinner," she said, shooting my character before I could even grab my controller again. "One to nothing."
"You cheat, but it's a bet."
Vanessa beat me ten to nine, only because she cheated for her first kill. I wasn't going to complain though. It was well worth it.
We walked side by side to the corner diner, a comfortable silence enfolding us.
I knew there was a chance I’d miss Bella's call, but my sister seemed to need me more right now. She insisted she was over everything, but I could tell it was a lie. The whole Charlotte thing was bothering her way more than she let on, and I had a way of seeing right through her bullshit to the truth.
"Nessa do you ever wonder what life would be like if Dad hadn't met Charlotte?" I asked as we sat down at a table.
"I don't regret it if that's what you mean," she said, refusing to look at me.
"No, I mean, do you ever wonder where you’d be if Dad hadn't met Charlotte? Do you think you would have still met Jace? That you would be married with children?"
"I believe we are soul mates. Soul mates always have a way of finding each other."
"Was everything Charlotte did to us, to you—was it worth it?"
She smiled, putting her menu on the table and glancing up at me. "Of course it was. Love is always worth any hardship you go through. You’ll realize that soon enough when love tests you. Trust me, it will test you. How you come out of that test will define if your love is real or not."
I picked up my menu, no longer wanting to reflect on this topic and scanned it. "So, I can get a steak dinner right? Since you're buying and all." Her tone was teasing and light, not what I was expecting considering the conversation we just had.
"Whatever you want Ness." I jutted my chin out and crossed my arms, sticking my tongue out at her.
After a quick glance up, I ducked behind my menu, trying to hide…but I’d already been spotted.
"James?" the blonde girl said as she walked up to our table.
"James Winters?"
Ness wore a shit eating grin on her face as she thumped my menu down to the table. "Yeah, what's it to you?" Her tone was nothing but attitude.
"Wow! You sure have changed."
I couldn't remember her name. It was Cindy or Courtney or something like that. She was one of the girls who used me in high school to get back at her quarterback boyfriend for cheating. It certainly wasn't a pleasant time in life.
"The nerdy ones always grow up to be lookers," Ness said, winking at me.
"So, does your girlfriend always speak for you or do you talk?" The blonde bounced back and forth on the soles of her feet.
"I talk, I just don't have much to say to you, and she's not—"
Ness cut me off. "Oh. You must be one of those girls. I've heard some stories. Your loss is my gain though. James is quite the catch."
I’d just blown right past embarrassment right into mortification.
Did my sister seriously just say that?
"I don't know what you're talking about." The girl’s rude tone insinuated she knew exactly what Ness was talking about.
When she turned back to me, she batted her lashes. "It was nice seeing you James, I've gotta get going though." She rushed off, disappearing out the front door.
"Quite the catch? Could you be any grosser?" I said, trying to hold back the laugh.
"Hey, she assumed.” Ness shrugged. “I just ran with it."
"You really are disgusting," I said, shaking my head.
"You love me though."
I did. I loved her more than she’d ever know.
"I propose a bet," I said to move the subject to something other than a horrible trip down high school memory lane.
"Yeah?" Ness lifted her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest.
"I bet I can order our entire meal in Italian. If I lose, I'll buy dessert too," I said.
The sound of her teeth grinding alerted me to the fact she wanted to smile, but instead, she stared at me for several seconds, biting on her bottom lip. After her eyes scanned the restaurant, they landed back on me. "And if you win?"
"You buy dessert."
Her lip turned up into a half smile as she reached out her hand to shake on it.
I puffed out my chest. "You do know my girlfriend is Italian right? I have an unfair advantage, but no take backs."
Ness laughed, running her finger down the menu and stopping on something random. "Oh sure, but I've seen you try to talk to her. You suck at foreign languages. Besides, I don't do take-backsies. I'm not a pansy like you." She winked.
Little did she know, I’d been practicing. "We'll see about that sister."
The waitress made her way over to the table just as Ness gave me her finalized order. She quickly took her phone out and opened a translating app to tell her if I got it right or not.
"Hello and welcome to Regals, what can I get for you today?" the waitress asked, pen poised to pad.
I said the entire order in Italian, then I turned back to my sister as the corners of my lips turned into a satisfied smirk.
"Shit, he actually did it," she whisper-yelled.
The poor waitress looked from me to Ness and back again.
"Oh right, sorry. He'll have a hamburger, medium well, with fries and a Coke, and I'll have a ribeye, medium well, with a loaded baked potato and a Coke," Ness said, her wide eyes landing on me.
"Right. Well, I'll have your order right out," she said as she spun and almost jogged away.
Ness burst out laughing. "Did you see her face?" She slapped her knees, which pulled the attention of everyone around us. "I guess I'm buying dessert."
I nodded, my gaze landing on the people staring at us.
"Keep it down, will ya? The whole place is looking at us."
Ness rolled her eyes. "They're pretty much always looking at us. You know, famous and all."
The waitress returned with our Cokes and placed two straws on the table. I picked mine up and ripped the end, placing it to my mouth and blowing the paper across the table at my sister. She glared at me but picked her own straw up to do the same.
I’d pretty much always done that, as far back as I could remember. Sometimes we’d have a contest to see who could hit the other the fastest. It was immature and stupid, but always fun.
I could be doing other stupid things, like shooting spit balls at her. If anything, she should be happy I only blew paper at her. People had done much worse to me.
Ness smirked at me, and I rolled my eyes, happy that she was back to that place again after such a heavy day.
When my phone vibrated, I grabbed it from my pocket and swiped the screen. "Hello gorgeous." I stared at the picture as it tried to load. Eventually, the tiny dots cleared until Bella appeared.
"Where are you?" Bella asked.
"Regals with Ness. Say hey, Ness." I turned the phone around where she could see her. She muttered a quick hello before I flipped the screen back again.
"I'm sorry it took so long. Do you wanna call me after you leave there? I'm free for the rest of the night. It's kind of hard to hear you over the background noise," Bella suggested.
"Sure babe. I miss you."
"I miss you too."
The call ended before I could say bye and I cursed the terrible service, but since the picture kept fading in and out, I had a feeling it would only be a matter of time before the call dropped.
"Eww." Vanessa curled her lip up in disgust.
"What?" I crinkled my forehead at her.
"It's weird seeing you all lovey-dovey with her," she said.
The waitress came around and refilled our Cokes, walking away without a word.
"I love her," I said. "It's weird for me too, though."
A brown-haired male dressed in black brought a large, round tray out. I folded my hands in my lap
as he placed my burger in front of me and the steak in front of Vanessa. Before he walked away, he bowed.
I was so hungry I didn't bother to say anything before shoving a handful of fries in my mouth. Vanessa took her time cutting her steak, then arranged the sauces on her plate for easy dipping. When had she become such a prissy eater? I had no idea, but I didn’t dare ask. I didn’t really feel like getting punched in the gut tonight.
After we finished eating, I wiped my mouth and placed the napkin on my empty plate, leaning back a little in my chair. By the time the waitress brought me the check, I was so full I didn't want dessert. I figured I could get a rain check on dessert and go home to call Bella. The image would be clearer on my computer anyways.
"What do you want for dessert, fatty?" My sister looped her arm through mine as we walked out of the restaurant.
"Rain check? I'm so full I could burst."
She groaned, a long sigh escaping her lips. "I reckon."
The rest of the walk was in silence. She escorted me up to my door before leaning in and kissing me on the cheek.
"Thanks James. I really needed tonight. Don't worry about me though, go in and call Bella. I need to get home anyways."
I hugged her. "You sure? I could call her later and we could play some more video games." I didn't want to do that, but the sad look on my sister’s face had me ready to do anything to make it go away.
"Yeah. I'm sure. Love you, James."
"You too."
I watched her walk all the way to the elevator before closing the door and heading straight for my computer.
The sound of the video call ringing was shrill against my ears. It clung to the air, echoing off the walls.
Why is this damn thing so loud? I should really turn these speakers down.
The call connected, and the grainy image slowly pixelated across the screen. It was crazy how a million tiny dots made up a picture on a screen.
Bella was still blurry, and her voice came through my speakers in broken pieces that sounded like a foreign language.
"Ja-em-es," she said.
"Hey little flower."
The image cleared, and I shivered as she smiled at me on the screen.
"I miss you," she said.
"I miss you too."