Chapter Nine
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For the week that Joey was in the hospital time passed by slowly. Once he was out, Chris was over at his house every day, mostly when Michelle was at work. It was as if there had been no fight between them at all.
Since Joey was told not to do much for a while, he and Chris mostly talked. He could tell that Chris was thinking about something important, and he had no idea what it was. He figured he'd just have to wait until Chris was ready to talk.
Chris had been playing cards with Joey, and noticed that it was time for him to pick up Michelle. He excused himself and stepped outside into the cool, misty air. It had been raining earlier that day, so everything was wet, and it looked as if it would rain again at any moment.
Chris climbed into his car and headed to Norr's diner to pick up Michelle. He put the car in park in front of the diner, knowing he had a few minutes until Michelle would come out. He laid his seat back part of the way and closed his eyes, listening as rain started to fall, splashing on the roof and making tiny rivers on the windows.
The sounds calmed him, and he completely relaxed. But his relaxation ended a minute later when he started to have another flashback of Ashley.
~Flashback~
Chris trotted up the driveway of his girlfriend Ashley's house, carrying a bouquet of flowers in his arm. Ashley wasn't expecting him over that night, since Chris had told her he had to work, but after much begging and pleading Johnny had let him leave early. He had stopped to pick up flowers, and then headed straight over.
There were still lights on in the house, so Chris knew Ashley had to be awake. He pulled out the house key Ashley had given him and unlocked the door, letting himself in from the humid air outside.
He set his key down on the table and looked around. He didn't see Ashley anywhere downstairs, so he headed up the stairs. Once he reached the top he could hear faint noises coming from the room he and Ashley shared.
Assuming it was just the TV he was hearing, he walked down the hall towards the room. As the sounds grew louder he realized that they were groans and various other sexual noises. Chris frowned slightly as he reached the door. When he peaked in he couldn't believe what he saw.
Ashley was on their bed, having sex with a man Chris had only seen once or twice before. Ashley had introduced him as an old friend, and so Chris hadn't thought twice about it.
Chris pushed the door open all of the way, letting it bang on the wall. Ashley and the man both snapped their heads up and looked at Chris, both getting that deer in the headlights look. Chris couldn't bring himself to say anything. He just stared at them for a long moment, then dropped the flowers on the floor and left.
~End Flashback~
Chris bit his lip as he opened his eyes. After all Ashley had put him through, Chris couldn't help but still be upset. He still loved her, and he didn't know why. Everything about their relationship had been a lie.
Chris didn't want to mention anything to Michelle. She'd been so great to him, and it just didn't seem fair to talk about Ashley with the girl that he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. He just didn't want to hurt her like that.
We watched as Michelle came jogging out of the diner. She looked around for Chris's car, and when she spotted it she jogged over, climbing in fast, to keep from getting to soaked. Once she was in she looked over at Chris and kissed him. Chris kissed her back, all of the horrible feelings that his flashback had caused melted away.
"Have a good day?" he asked, pulling away from the side of the road and starting on their way home.
"Yeah. It was pretty busy today, probably because of the rain," Michelle replied, taking the clip that was holding her hair up out, letting it fall down onto her shoulders.
Chris glanced over at her and smiled, then turned his attention back onto the road. He had been thinking about taking her somewhere that day, but the rain had him thinking twice about it. After a moment of thinking, he turned off onto a road leading away from his house.
"Where are we going?" Michelle asked curiously.
"You'll see," was all he said in reply.
Michelle sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. She was exhausted, and she just didn't have the energy to question Chris further on the subject.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris pulled up at their destination and parked, turning the car off. It was still raining, but not as bad as it had been. He looked over at Michelle, who had dosed off in her seat. He smiled and watched her for a moment, before unbuckling himself and getting out of the car.
The light raindrops hit his warm skin, and it felt good to him. He looked up to the sky and took a deep breath, forcing down the nervousness that was starting to overtake him.
He walked over to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. he bent down and planted a soft kiss on Michelle's cheek. She moved her head to the side, blinking her eyes a few times to focus them. She looked around, and then looked up at Chris quizzically.
"The beach? But Chris, it's raining..."
"I know it is. Come on, I want to go for a little walk," Chris said, backing out of the way as Michelle unbuckled and got out of the car.
Once he locked the car up, Chris took Michelle's hand and led her down one of the paths leading to the beach. They walked in silence for a while, just taking in the sights and the sounds, the smells and the feeling of the rain on their skin.
Chris led her to a semi-sheltered part of the beach, and stood behind her, holding her as they looked out over the water, turned rough by the weather, but still beautiful.
"Chris?"
"Yes, Michelle?" Michelle turned her head to look at Chris as he pulled away from her.
"Do you really love me?"
Chris looked away from Michelle, staring out at the water for a long moment before turning back. He looked at her, taking in all of her beautiful features, her face tinted with a hint of worry at his delayed response.
"Yes. Yes I do."
Michelle smiled, moving back over to Chris. She rested her head against his chest, sighing deeply. Chris wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. The feeling that overtook him at that moment made him know that what he was about to do was the right thing.
He pulled away from Michelle gently, and took both of her hands in his. She looked up at him and kissed him softly. She pulled away and smiled, and then tilted her head to the side slightly, trying to figure out what Chris was thinking.
"Michelle, I have something to ask you."
"Okay, what is it?"
Chris turned for a moment, pulling something out of his pocket. He looked down at the beautiful ring in his hand, and then looked up at the sky once more, praying to god that he was doing the right thing. He turned back to Michelle and took her hand in his, keeping the ring hidden in the other.
"Michelle, You have been nothing short of amazing to me. You've helped me to get past something that I never thought I could. You've helped me face my fears, and you've never asked for anything in return.
I wanted to let you know just how much you mean to me. Just how much of an impact you've made on my life. I know now that I'll never find anyone as wonderful as you. I've wanted to ask you this for a while now... Michelle, will you marry me?"
Michelle gasped, looking down as Chris opened his right hand, revealing the ring. She looked up at Chris, tears in her eyes. She couldn't find any words to say in response, all she could do was nod.
A flood of relief mixed with pure joy ran over Chris as he slid the ring onto Michelle's hand. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her passionately.
Both Chris and Michelle stayed at their spot on the beach for a while longer, watching the waves crashing onto the rocks below them and holding each other close. When they decided it was time to head home, they both agreed they would wait until the next day to let their friends know. That night, they just wanted to spend time alone.
The End.
| Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine |
