Fall With Me (UIC 2022)

14 - Vows

"Promise that you won't laugh?"

Sawyer paused outside the door to Caleb's bachelor's cottage. They'd just extricated themselves from a two-hour wedding conversation with both mothers and grandmother. Just thinking of the term "wedding" had Sawyer's head spinning. It's not that she wasn't happy—she couldn't have been more excited—but she had never been one of those girls planning her wedding from age five. The whole process left her feeling slightly terrified.

"Why would I laugh?" she asked Caleb as he unlocked the door. "Don't tell me that you're secretly a slob."

He chuckled and shook his head. "No. You'll see."

They went inside and Caleb flicked on the light. A five-headed bendy lamp illuminated his small living room, showing off dark wooden floors, a large navy blue sectional couch, a couple of folding tray tables, a wall-mounted 75-inch TV, and a large entertainment center the same color as the floors.

Sawyer peered around the room, trying to discern the source of Caleb's embarrassment. Was he worried that the place smelled? Because all she could smell was a lilac Febreeze dispenser up on the wall next to the TV. Glancing down, she finally noticed it. The entertainment center was stacked with a Nintendo Switch, Playstation, and Xbox, plus an ungodly amount of games for each platform.

"That?" she laughed, jerking a thumb towards the entertainment center. "That's nothing! You've seen my comic collection!"

Caleb shrugged diffidently. "I didn't know if you'd still be into all of this."

Sawyer wandered over to the entertainment center and picked up the latest copy of Mario Kart, reminiscing about all the times she and Lee had laughed and argued in their living room over an earlier version. "I am, as far as I know," she told him. Losing interest in her favorite things had been one of her biggest fears coming back home. She'd done without for so long, only to be confronted with physical reminders of her past hobbies strewn around her room. But as she picked up a figurine or read one of her comics, she felt the same dopamine rush. "We'll have to play sometime."

Caleb's strong arms wrapped around her from behind and he nuzzled her neck. "I knew I picked the right woman."

"Because I'm a geek?" she asked, leaning against his chest.

"And more," he replied, pressing his lips to the underside of her jaw.

Sawyer closed her eyes and reveled in the feel of his hands as they slowly slipped up her shirt to cup her breasts. Wriggling her ass against his groin, she murmured, "You said that you had a bed."

"I do," he rumbled, arousal growing against her bottom. "Do you want to see it?"

"Mm-hmm."

Reluctantly pulling his hands out of her shirt, Caleb walked over to the wall and turned off the light. "I have something for you," he said as the room plunged into darkness.

"More than this?" she asked playfully, holding up her left hand. She'd never been much for jewelry, so it was strange having the weight of a ring on her finger. But it was the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen! It was a little loose, but Caleb said that they could go back to the Hillsboro store where he bought it to have it resized.

Caleb chuckled. "Yeah, it's in the bathroom." He gestured to his bedroom and pointed at the closed en suite bathroom door.

Cocking her head curiously, Sawyer walked ahead of him and opened the bathroom door. "You got me lingerie!" she exclaimed, grinning. A folded piece of light blue fabric sat on his white vanity.

"Yeah."

Swooping down, Sawyer picked it up, holding the simple silk nightie out in front of her. No strange straps, no cut-outs, no lace—just as she would have picked out for herself.