Teacher's Pet

by C. E. Starkweather

  Carly snorted. "Yeah, for you maybe. You know I’m going to grad school."

  Carly and I had just come home from our college graduation ceremony. She had gotten her degree in political science and I had gotten mine in elementary education. It didn't surprise me that she was going to grad school. She still loved school.

  "I'm looking forward to an entire summer of nothingness," she said, stretching out and rolling over.

  I smiled. "Yeah, I know. I have to start looking for a job. I'll give it a few weeks. I want to at least enjoy summer for a little bit."

  "Mmm," Carly responded lazily. "Where's Alex?

  I shrugged. "He said he'd meet us here."

  Carly, Alex and I had all gone to UCLA together. A few months after David had been sentenced, the hype around what happened to me fizzled out. I was grateful to get out of this small town and go to a college where nobody knew me.

  Just then my phone beeped. It was Alex.

  Meet me out front.

  "Oh, he's here. I guess we're going out. You coming?"

  She shook her head, sitting up. "Nah, I have to get home. My parents are waiting for me. Grandma and Grandpa are visiting tonight."

  I stood up and gave her a hug, jogging to Alex's car.

  "Hey, beautiful," he said, smiling at me.

  "Hi Alex," I said, leaning into his car and kissing him. "What's going on?"

  "We're going out to celebrate. Get in."

  Alex and I were still dating. We had been through so much together and every obstacle we hit just seemed to bring us closer together. For the first year after David was arrested, my nightmares were horrible. I woke up crying at least once a week. Alex was always there to calm me down, even if most of it was by phone. The nightmares slowly faded away, and now I almost never had them anymore. I still saw Dr. Schor, though less regularly than I used to. She helped me realize that the death of Kate Lawson wasn't my fault, even though it was a long time before I could let go of my guilt.

  David Hayes was still rotting away in jail. I still hold on to hope that one day he'll kill himself or be killed. He'll be in there for a long time, but he will get out in my lifetime. And that's a scary thought. But I realize that I can't live the rest of my life worrying about the distant future. When the time comes, I'll deal with it. In the meantime, I'm just trying to make the most out of what I can.

  Alex pulled into the tiny plaza. "Ooh, you're taking me to Basta!" I squealed. We hadn't been here since I had caught David staring at me through the window.

  Alex chuckled. "Sort of. It's not Basta anymore. They closed last year. Now it's Lucianno's."

  "Well at least it's still Italian. I hope their lasagna is as good as Basta's.”

  We walked inside and were seated in a corner booth. The restaurant had been repainted in red and gold. It made the atmosphere seem warm and cozy. The waiter came by to take our order. I got the lasagna and Alex got the manicotti.

  "This might be better than Basta," I said, shoveling the lasagna into my mouth. Alex watched me, amused. "What?" I asked.

  He shook his head. "Nothing. I just like watching you eat."

  I laughed. I had managed to keep off the weight that I lost, and usually ate pretty healthy, but I made special exceptions for special occasions. Alex ate a little bit of his manicotti. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Is your food ok?"

  He smiled at me. "Yeah, it's good. I'm just distracted."

  "By what?"

  "By you."

  I blushed.

  "I like that after almost five years together I still make you blush."

  "Yeah, well, I warned you that I'd never be good at taking compliments," I replied, grinning at him.

  "Remember our first date?"

  I laughed. "Of course. We came here."

  "We sat in this same spot. I couldn't stop staring at you. You literally took my breath away."

  I smiled shyly. I was still awful at taking compliments. "I couldn't believe you even noticed me, let alone asked me out. I had been in love with you for years."

  "I can't believe I didn't notice you before that. Every time I look at you, you still take my breath away." He stared at me seriously. "I love you, Jadia."

  I smiled at him. "I love you too, Alex."

  He grabbed my hand. "No, I mean, I REALLY love you, Jadia."

  Two waiters with violins started making their way to our table.

  "Alex!" I gasped. My heart started pounding.

  Alex stood up and walked to my side of the booth.

  "Jadia, you are beautiful, inside and out. You are the strongest person I know. Everything you have been through, every obstacle that has been thrown at you, you've somehow come out a more beautiful and better person. You inspire me to be a better person. Those two weeks that you were taken from me were the worst of my life. You are the love of my life. And I never want to be without you again."

  The waiters reached our table and started playing. My eyes filled with tears.

  "Jadia Marie Galvin," Alex said, getting down on one knee. He pulled out a small velvet box. I had a sense of deja vu. But this time, it was beautiful.

  Alex opened the box and I gasped. Inside was the most beautiful white gold ring that I had ever seen.

  "Will you marry me?"

  My hands were shaking. I looked into Alex's eyes. The eyes that were so kind and loving. The eyes of the man that had seen me at my worst and loved me unconditionally. The eyes of the man that I was going to spend the rest of my life with.

  "Yes, Alex. Oh God, yes!" I sobbed. His face broke out into a smile and he slid the ring onto my finger. "It's perfect," I whispered. He reached up and pulled me down for a kiss. "Just like you."

  I sniffed and wiped away tears. I didn't know exactly what my future held. But with Alex by my side forever, I couldn't wait to find out.

  Thank you all for reading my first book! Find more information on my other books and Jadia and Alex’s next chapter at facebook.com/CelistarProductions