A Crimson Rainbow

Chapter 21

6pm honestly couldn't come any slower.  I had rushed home, gone through my closet to find an amazing outfit to wear, even though I had no clue as to what was going to happen, so I didn't know if I should be in a dinner suit, or assless chaps.  Eventually, I settled on a pair of jeans that had designer rips, and a white t-shirt with a dress shirt unbuttoned over it.
By the time I had showered and gotten dressed, I still had an hour to wait, so I went on Facebook and responded to each birthday post I had received.  Mum was working a late shift, and Dad was too busy being .. well, him ... so I didn't have to do much else. My sister was busy with homework, so I was basically left alone to get ready.
Eventually, after what seemed like eternity scrolling through cat/dog/rat/fricking/any/animal videos on Facebook, I got a message from Jared to come to the door.  I walked down to the door, calling out to my family that I was going, opened the door, and there was Jared, looking possibly the hottest I've ever seen him ... at least, with clothes on.
Wearing a dinner suit (shit, I knew I should have done that) with like zero wrinkles, his hair slicked back perfectly, right hand in his pocket, left hand holding a bouquet of flowers, and a twinkle in his eye, my boyfriend looked like he stepped out of a Hollywood romance film.  He was absolutely perfect.
It took me a moment to pick my jaw up off the floor, but when I did, all I could do was stammer. I wanted to say that I felt under-dressed, but Jared put a finger on my lips, smiling, then slid his hand down to grab mine, and lead me out to the street.
My jaw almost hit the asphalt when I saw where I was being taken: a horsedrawn cart was waiting for us.  As we approached, the driver tipped his hat to me, and Jared lifted my hand to help direct me into the cart.  I sat there, gobsmacked, at a total loss for words, which, as you may have gathered, is one hell of an achievement!
Jared lifted my hand to his lips, kissed it, then looked at me, smiling, and said "Happy birthday, my sweet."  Cue the waterworks again.
I grabbed his face with both hands, and pulled him in for a kiss.  "I thought you had forgotten," I admitted, becoming embarrassed.
Jared grabbed my hand, which was resting against his chest.  "Are you kidding?  I've been planning this since we first got together.  I wanted to make up for all the birthdays I missed, and them some.  I needed to do it in a way that represented not only the life we have had together since we were little, but what I hope it will become."  He looked at me, and must have seen the shock.  "I honestly thought you must have had a clue, given you heard me planning some of it."
I looked at him quizzically, then the realisation hit me.  "You mean that night you were in the basement-slash-cave-thingy?"
Jared laughed at that. "I mean, that is a pretty accurate description.  But yes, that night.  I heard footsteps, and you were the only other one in the house, so I figured it must have been you."  He looked at me cautiously. "I mean, it was you, right?"
This time it was my turn to laugh.  "Yes, it was me."
"Well," Jared sighed.  "Here's hoping all this planning was worth it!"  He then leaned forward and tapped the driver, letting him know it was time for us to make our way.
I looked at Jared, suddenly realising the gravity of what he had just said to me.  "Wait, where are we going?"
Of course, Jared just smiled his charming smile, and said "You'll see."

What followed was a 5-course meal at one of the most expensive restaurants in the entire city (and let me tell you, while some people would need to take out a mortgage just to eat there, it was worth it!  Best meal of my life!), a cruise along the river, which had a window up to the sky that somehow managed to block out the city lights so all you could see was stars, a stroll along the cleanest private beach I have ever seen (not that I've ever seen a private beach before), and finally, the horse-and-carriage back to Jared's house.
As we pulled up to his gate, Mum sent me a text simply saying "Hope you two are having a wonderful night.  Love you both xoxo".  I showed it to Jared, just as I picked up on what she had left out.  "Hang on," I said, holding a finger in the air.  "Did you plan this with my Mum?"
Jared giggled like a kid who just got caught in the cookie jar.  "Well, I mean, I did the planning, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't stepping on any plans your parents had, so I told them about it when you were showering before school last week, and they gave me their blessing."
Ok, so let me get this straight.  I had never had a real, proper boyfriend before, and the first one I had not only took me out on a date that could probably NEVER be beaten, but asked my parents permission first, so that he wasn't ruining any plans they had for me?  At the realisation of this, 
I pulled Jared in for the biggest, tightest hug I could muster.  The waterworks had started again, but this time, I didn't care.
"You are amazing, you know that?" I whispered in his ear.  He responded by grabbing me tighter, holding me until the cart came to a stop.
Jared grabbed my head in both hands, looked me in the eyes, and whispered, "You deserve it all, and so much more."  He pulled me in for a soft kiss, then turned his attention to the driver of the cart.  "Thank you for your services tonight, Harry.  Please give my love to Stella."  He put his hand on Harry's shoulder, with Harry putting his own hand on top.
As we bid farewell to Harry and Marla the horse, Jared and I looped our arms around each other, making our way to the house.  "If you think you've had a good night so far, just wait til you see what else I have planned," Jared turned to me with a look in his eye that made my pants get a little tighter around the groin.
At that, he let go of me and started running towards the front door.  Turning around, he called out to me, "Unless you're too tired."
Oh, that cocktease.  He wasn't getting away with that.  I started running after him, laughing ... until he was knocked over by someone - or something - that jumped out of the bushes, turning the laugh into a scream.