After lunch, we decided to split up again. Ike took my hand, and we walked around the pier. We stopped at a small store. Ike picked up a silver ring with a heart in the middle.
He said, "I know sometimes, when we can't be together, I'll still be thinking of you non-stop. I don't want you to forget me. So here's a ring, this is a symbol of my love for you. I want you to always wear it, so that whenever you look at it, you'll think of me, and you'll know that I'll be thinking of you too."
I had tears in my eyes as I picked up an identical ring, but a little bigger. "Ike," I began,"I don't know how I could possibly forget you. You're on the cover of every magazine I see, and the first thing I see when I walk into a store is a Hanson T-shirt. I'll see you on every talk show, and hear you on the radio. Plus, I have your CDs. It would be impossible to forget you. I'm just worried that you'll forget me. You won't see me anywhere. I'm just your average person, you're famous." I paused.
"Jenn....." Ike tried to cut in.
"No Ike listen...while you're off performing for millions of girls who lust for you night and day, I'm afraid that you might be tempted. I won't be there, so I'd never know. I don't want you to forget me either, so now we'll have the same rings, adn whenever we look at them, we'll think of our love."
Ike pulled me outside, where we stared into eachother's eyes. Then slowly, we leaned towards eachother's lips kissing softly. We held eachother tight, both of us oblivious to what was going on around us.
We walked into the store, bought and exchanged rings, then went outside and sealed our promises with a kiss.
"Don't worry," Ike said, "I could never think of being with anyone but you. And while the fans might throw themselves at me, I won't forget about you, and you'll always be right here," he pointed to his heart.
"All right Ike," I said,"I trust you," and I leaned up to kiss him one more time.
Ike and I walked towards the docks. At the lakefront, we held eachother, and stared out at the water.
Suddenly, we heard someone say, "Isaac? Isaac is that you?" Ike turned to see an attractive girl my age coming towards him.
"Oh my gosh," Ike said, "it's her, Kimberly, my old girlfriend. She dumped me before I became famous. I really liked her, and she broke my heart. I suppose now she wants me back."
Uh-oh, I thought, his old girlfriend? This can't be good. Kimberly had reached us.
"Kim, what're you doing here?" Ike asked.
"I moved from Tulsa to Chicago three months ago. I hear you've made quite a name for yourself," she said.
"I guess so," Ike said modestly, "this is my girlfriend Jen."
Kimberly looked at me with dismay. "Girlfriend? I never thought there could be anyone after me," Kim said, making me feel uneasy.
"Yes, she's my girlfriend, and for your information, I didn't think very much of you after you just left me like that." Ike looked angry, as he said, "Goodbye Kimberly, come on Jen, let's get out of here."
We turned and walked away hand in hand, leaving Kimberly in a state of shock. "So you're over her right?" I asked.
"Yes, I"m over her, and I'll never forgive her for hurting me the way she did," Ike said, "but now I have you, and our love can never compare to Kimberly. I want you to think of me whenever you hear, Minute Without You, I Will Come To You, or Thinking of you. Whenever I play those songs, I'll think of you in return."
"I think that that's a great idea, and I promise that I will." With that, Ike kissed me gently. I melted in his arms, and began to cry quietly, as Ike kissed away my tears.
"It's all right," he said,"I'll never let you go."
All The Way To Albertane
You Are My Hope
Next
Back to chapter 10
