Sixteen
March Fourth
Whitney
“June?”
Whitney poked her head out of her door, her towel wrapped snugly around her. “June?”
she called out again, a little louder this time.
Brittanya’s voice floated down the hall from the living room. “She’s gone for the night!”
Whitney groaned in frustration. “I’m going in her room, then. I just need my dress back.”
She crept into June’s room and zeroed in on the little black dress Fade loved so much, hanging neatly in the closet. He wanted to try the fancy restaurant in town, and she wanted to make it a special occasion.
After slipping into the dress, she perfected her look with elegant eye makeup — sharp eyeliner and just a hint of lip gloss to keep it soft. Her hair fell in gentle, melting curls, and she dabbed on his favorite perfume oil. When she finally emerged, Brittanya’s eyes went wide.
“Whitney, wow!”
Brittanya set her plate in the sink, taking her in with admiration.
“You think?”
Whitney didn’t really need the reassurance, but the compliment was still nice.
“You look gorgeous. What’s the occasion?”
“Fade’s taking me out. He’s on his way.”
Brittanya grinned. “Saffron, right? Fancy!”
Whitney smiled as she buckled the straps of her heels. “Yeah, but no special occasion, at least, not that I know of.”
Brittanya arched an eyebrow. “And should I expect you back tonight?”
“Probably not,”
Whitney said with a little shrug. “I’ve got laundry but I can do that tomorrow.”
Just then, a gentle knock sounded at the front door. “Oh, he’s here!”
She opened the door and beamed. “Hey, baby.”
Fade stood there in jeans and a black button-down, his long hair tied back into a casual bun. “Hey.”
His eyes softened when they landed on her, but he quickly shifted his gaze to Brittanya and gave her a polite wave.
“See you tomorrow, B,”
Whitney called as she led the way out. Fade followed, quietly closing the door behind them.
Before she could get into the car, he stopped her, cupping her face and kissing her tenderly. Then, without a word, he opened the car door for her and climbed into his own seat.
The ride was quiet. Fade drove with one hand on the wheel, his other resting on her thigh. But his face was tense and his teeth tugged at his bottom lip like he was trying to peel the skin away. She watched him, worried.
“I’ve never been here,”
she offered softly as they pulled into the parking lot.
“Yeah, me neither.”
He got out and quickly circled the car to open her door. As she slid out, she tried to be modest, but the short dress offered him an undeniable glimpse of her underwear. She knew he saw, but he made no comment.
His hand settled on her hip as they walked into the cozy restaurant. They were seated quickly at a table for two by a window. Still, Fade seemed distant with his eyes scanning the room instead of focusing on her.
“So… how was work this week?”
Whitney ventured, hoping to break the awkwardness.
“Fine,”
he replied, his gaze flickering around the restaurant.
She waited for him to ask about her week, but he didn’t. The weirdness was getting harder to ignore.
“Do you… want me going home with you tonight?”
she asked hesitantly. Maybe he needed space.
His head snapped toward her, his expression almost offended. “Yes.”
“Okay,”
she said slowly. “You’re just being weird.”
He sighed and pushed his menu aside. “Sorry. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”
He forced a small, tight smile.
“Do you wanna talk about it?”
“No,”
he said quietly. “It’s just… It’s nothing bad. Just something I’ve been thinking about a lot.”
She reached her foot out under the table, brushing it against his leg. “Do you need help relaxing your mind?”
He pulled his leg away. “No, thank you. I’m okay.”
Rejection stung. He had never said no to her like this before, not this much. Anxiety curled in her stomach. Was he reconsidering their relationship? She decided to give him space and focused on their meal, even though her appetite had mostly faded.
When they finished, she laid her utensils down and tried again. “Are you having a nice time?”
He nodded, but his eyes stayed fixed anywhere but on her.
“How was your food?”
she asked, forcing a smile.
“Good,”
he said distractedly, then flagged down their waiter for the check.
As the bill arrived, his eyes finally met hers. “I think you’re beautiful.”
“Thank you?”
Her brows knit together, wondering where this sudden compliment was coming from.
He relaxed a little as they stepped outside, his hand slipping easily into hers. The night air was warm, and the tension that had been coiled so tight in him seemed to ease, just a little.
“You wanna go to the beach?”
he asked, his voice softer now.
She hesitated but took his hand. “Sure.”
Whitney really was starting to get the feeling that he was just trying to prolong his break up with her, thinking what she had done or said to make him feel this way. She sat quietly the whole ride over, wondering what she could say to solve whatever problem was tugging at him or save herself.
Before exiting the vehicle she removed her high heels to save them from the sand. He closed the door and grabbed her hand to walk toward the water. The sun was mostly set, leaving a glow in the sky and orange waves skipping on the top of the ocean. Well I could at least drown myself after he breaks up with me. She thought.
Fade was exceptionally quiet, she felt like she was there by herself. He stopped and turned to her with his back to the water. “Whitney.”
He kissed her lips while his fine hair moved in the breeze. “You know I love you.”
God this was going to hurt. Her eyes watered, flickering between his as her heart capsized into her stomach. Fade backed away and unexpectedly dropped down to a knee.
She looked down at him in disbelief as he fumbled in his shirt pocket and then smiled up at her. “I brought this ring as a reminder of my family and where I am from, my roots. Never did I think I would be finding someone who was missing from my life and more family to me than anyone else.”
Her hand slapped across her mouth in shock and the tear that had been forming along her lash line, fell.
“Will you marry me?”
He lifted the ring higher.
She sank to her knees in front of him. “Are you kidding me?”
She sobbed, grabbing his face and kissing him as his hands gripped her back, pressing her into him.
He leaned back. “Whitney, is that a yes?”
“Fuck yes. Holy shit I thought you were going to break up with me!”
She stammered.
“Here.”
He held the ring up to her finger. “Why would I break up with you?”
“You were being so quiet and rejecting my advances.”
The ring slid onto her finger loosely.
“Oh I noticed them, I was trying to concentrate.”
He kissed her again, pulling Whitney to her feet. She retreated before bouncing her body weight to wrap her legs around him as he caught her thighs. He stumbled backwards and ran his hands up her dress. “I hope you’re not attached to that last name of yours.”
She pulled the tie from his hair to weave her fingers through it. “It was fun while it lasted, maybe we can recycle it with our kids.”
“Kids? Whitney, we are not having kids.”
He began carrying her to the car. “I’m not sharing the time I have with you, with some brats.”
“Fade!”
She smacked his shoulder as he laughed.
He placed her in the passenger seat and dropped into the driver's side, resting his hand on her thigh. She looked up from her hand. “Don’t be offended but this isn’t your exes, is it?”
She waited to see his reaction.
“No. It’s the ring my dad gave my mom.”
He beamed at her.
She stared at its sparkle. “But they never married?”
“Right, I don’t have the greatest examples.”
His thumb caressed the top of her thigh.
“Well, I’ll always have your name tattooed on my ass.”
He laughed. “Should I get your name tattooed on my ass?”
“Yes, let’s get engagement tattoos.”
Fade turned the car into his driveway. “If that’s what you want.”
March Fifth
“Hey Brittanya.”
She closed the door behind her.
“Hey, how was your weekend?”
She sat up from the couch.
Whitney set her purse on the couch cushion. “Couldn’t be better.”
Her lips pressed together to hold back a smile.
“What’d you guys do, besides, you know.”
She brought out her hand to flash her ring at Brittanya. “Whitney! He didn’t!”
She jumped off the couch.
“He did.”
They squealed in unison.
She grabbed Whitney's hand. “It’s beautiful, I want to hear everything. Well, give me the PG-13 version.”