Cinnamon & Rubies // The Outsiders

thirty-two

Caroline thumbed through the mail as she pushed open the door to her house. She hesitated as she passed over the same spot that always made her pause. It had been four months since her mother passed and the pain never seemed to ease. Some days were easier than others, but the grief still clung to her.

She tossed the mail on the table and ripped open one envelope. The letter was smudged and the handwriting messy, but her heart thudded painfully against her chest when she saw the sender.

Caroline,

I'm sorry to hear about your Ma. Darry wrote me to let me know. Sorry if this takes a while. The mail service here isn't as good as it is in Tulsa.

I'm doing okay, Care. I've been doing a lot of thinking over here. I wish I'd done better at school. I'm not as brainy as you and Darry and Ponyboy. When I get back, I want to see if I can finish out school. Would you help me?

Hope everyone's doing well. I'll see you all soon. I promise.

Sodapop.

Of course she would help him. All they needed was for him to come home. The boys missed Sodapop so much. She wiped away the few stray tears that had escaped as she read and focused on the other mail.

Bill. Bill. Junk. Lawyer. Junk. Bill.

Lawyer.

Caroline's hand darted out and she snatched up the letter, ripping it open without a second thought. The words blurred together on the page before she threw the paper down and sank into one of the kitchen chairs. Caroline stared at the paper for a long time before picking it up once more.

"Dear God," she whispered. "Dear God, this can't be true."

She clasped her hands together, bowed her head, and prayed.

Darry shoved open the front door to the Curtis home with a barely suppressed groan. Sweat clung to his skin thanks to the humid Tulsa summer and his back ached something fierce. He tossed his tool belt down on the ground and toed his boots off alongside it before heading towards the kitchen. He needed to drink some water to wash the dust out of his mouth thanks to getting it blown into his face all day at work.

Twisting the handle of the faucet, a thin trickle of water escaped and then promptly stopped. He swore a blue streak and crouched down to look under the sink to see what was wrong. He paid the water bill, Darry was sure of that. Something must be wrong with the pipes. With a muttered curse, he retrieved his tool belt once again and set about working under the sink.

It was only a few minutes before the front door slammed shut and hurried footsteps entered the house.

"Dare?" Caroline called.

"In the kitchen, sweetheart!" His hand slipped and a stream of water shot him in the face. He spat it out and let out a small cough, shaking his now soaking hair out of his eyes. Darry raised his head to find a grinning Caroline kneeled down next to his legs.

"Need any help there, Superman?" She was still dressed in her uniform, the hem of her dress brushing along the tops of her thighs. Her hair was still up in a ponytail with stray tendrils falling in her face.

"Just sit there and keep lookin' like that," he replied, a grin plastered on his face. "That's the only motivation I need. I'm about done here."

"Okay. Soda sent me a letter."

"Hmmm?" He focused on tightening the junction of where the two pipes met, having found the culprit in the form of a loose socket in one of the wall pipes. He was glad it wasn't something more major that required time and money he didn't have. Instead, it was a quick tightening of a few parts.

"He's doin' alright," she continued. "He said he promises he'll come home."

"War's gotta end at some point," he agreed. "All done."

Caroline scooted back so he could slip out from under the sink and stand, offering a hand to her that she gladly accepted. He was sweaty, greased up, dust covered, and soaked in water but Caroline still leaned into him.

"I got another letter today too," she murmured, playing with the collar of his black shirt. She looked up at him with those big brown eyes and he pulled her closer, his hand resting comfortably against the small of her back.

"What's wrong, sweet girl?"

"Nothing's wrong." Caroline blinked up at him. "Will you ask me again? What you've been asking?"

He bent down to settle a kiss across her cheek. "So you can break my heart again by sayin' no?"

"Just ask me, Darry."

One hand on her waist and the other cupping the back of her head, he held her close to him. He was covered in sweat, dirt, dust, and grease. She was wearing her worn blue dress and apron, the smell of grease and bacon clinging to her skin and hair. His blue eyes traced over the lines of her face, from the small scars on her jaw to the soft smattering of freckles that dusted across the bridge of her nose to the curl of her lip that he loved to press kisses against. He wanted this for the rest of his life. He wanted it so badly that it ached.

He would ask her a million times if it meant just one chance of hearing her say that three letter word.

"Caroline Marie, I know I can't give you much. I can't give you a fancy house and a diamond ring. I can't give you a big weddin' or anythin' like that. All I can give you is myself. Please, Caroline, say yes. Marry me."

He waited for her rejection. He understood why she said no, even though he hated it. Caroline bit her lip, fighting a smile as she threaded her fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck.

"On one stipulation," she murmured. "You enroll in college."

"We can't afford that."

With her free hand, she pulled a letter out of her apron pocket and unfolded it. He took it from her with a raised eyebrow and quickly read over the words on the page. He stilled and she watched as his eyes read the same line over and over again before he looked up at her, his expression one of disbelief.

"They both had life insurance and I never had any clue," she whispered. "We have enough for your tuition and Ponyboy's too. Oh, Dare, you gotta promise me that you'll start college as soon as possible."

"Which will protect me from the draft." He instantly caught onto her line of thinking. "And Ponyboy, too. Caroline, this is your money. We can't accept this."

She grinned, her hand coming up to stroke along his jaw. She pulled him down to meet her lips in a sweet kiss. "You already asked me to marry you. Can't take it back now, Curtis. What's mine is yours."

He hauled her up onto the kitchen counter and peppered her face with kisses. Caroline laughed under his touch and wrapped her arms around his neck. Equal grins lined their faces and she let out another quiet, softer laugh.

"I love you, Darrel Shaynne Curtis."

He dipped his head down to kiss her collarbone, right next to the chain of that necklace he gave her months before. "Caroline Curtis."