Because I Love You

chapter fourteen.

Maybe it was the disappointment in the fact that he could smell the alcohol in her breath or the fact that he could practically read the fact that she cheated on him from the look in her eye. She didn't know, but they sat on the couch silent for more than half an hour. The tension was practically killing Melissa. Finally, she decided to speak first, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn't make out a word.

"What did you do after your party last night?" he asked her, noticing the fact that the silence bothered her. When she didn't answer, he continued, "because you and I both know that your mom would have caught you if you were drinking at the party."

"I-" she started but her eyes teared up.

"You what?" he asked, clearly desperate for an answer. He needed to know. His curiosity and worry was killing him inside.

"I don't remember," she finally said. Knowing that she lied to his face, she began to feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. She knew that he always told her not to keep secrets because he would never judge her, but this one.. Melissa couldn't imagine his reaction. He would kill him she thought.

"Were you drugged? Last time I checked, people don't black out after a sip of alcohol. Where were you when you left the party? I'm starting to get worried about you. You don't drink, this isn't you!" he said frustratingly.

"Fine. I went to Gemma's alright! I went to Gemma's and we got drunk. We got drunk and I liked it okay? You and I both know that you drink too. What is the big deal?!" Her anger was clear in her voice. She used it as a distraction from the fact that she would burst into tears any minute. Melissa loved Elijah and she knew what happened between her and Tyler was a mistake.

Elijah clenched his jaw, unsure of what to say next. This wasn't the Melissa he knew, he knew her too well, and he loved that Melissa, and he couldn't help but love this one as well. "I need to give you something."

"What?" she asked, confused. She thought maybe he would give her a speech, leave, or maybe even break up with her, she knew she deserved it, but a present? That was the last thing she expected as a response from what she just said.

Elijah grazed her dark brown hair behind her ear and reached into his pocket. For a second, a split second, she thought maybe he was proposing and then she would really break down into tears, but what came was a bittersweet surprise.

"I saw this in the jewelry store and thought of you, I couldn't resist." He opened the box, only to reveal the most beautiful ring she had ever laid her eyes on. It was sterling silver with two sparkling gems intertwined in the front, one Elijah's birthstone which was an emerald, and the other Melissa's, an opal. The swirls were decorated with little diamond looking gems. The two big stones were absolutely stunning. On each side of their birthstone read their names. "Do you like it?"

"..I love it," she said with her eyes wide open.

"Look at the inside of the ring." As her finger grazed the ring, she looked in the inside rim to find an something else engraved: three words, forever and always. She smiled at the little saying. She had never received anything like this before, she almost teared up.

"Forever and always," she read. "It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you liked it." He smiled back.

"But why did you get it for me?" she asked curiously. "You already got me that gift card as a birthday present and this is far too expensive to just be another one."

"It's a double gift," he said. "It's a birthday present I guess, and a present for both of us, a promise." She looked confused. "It's a promise ring."

"Well I'd promise you anything," she said, so brainwashed by the idea of them being the perfect forever couple that she almost forgot what she had done.

"Well you can't promise me that we'll be together forever and that our love will never fade because I know you can't control that but please, promise me that you'll never forget me if you do leave me...and don't do anything stupid while you still haven't." They both laughed. He slipped the ring on her right ring finger and hugged her tight.

"I can promise you that," she said confidently. "and I love you, I hope you know that."

"I'll always love you," he answered back. For the moment being, they were perfect. If only they could feel the storm coming their way soon would they ever have a worry.

---

Melissa's phone vibrated so suddenly that she almost jumped up. She and Elijah were busy watching that new romance movie that everyone was talking about, her pick, as he called it. "Is that your mom?" he asked with his mouth full of popcorn in the dark theatre. She reached into her pocket to check quickly and was thoroughly surprised to find a text from Tyler.

Tyler: we need 2 talk ASAP

"I- yeah, it's my mom. I need to call her. I'll be back," Melissa said, panicking. When was she ever going to tell Megan or Bella? When would Tyler ever tell Gemma? As the questions started to race through her mind,she rushed out of the theatre and into the restroom in no time. She was way too close to having a panic attack to have to be wondering all of these things, she had to know the answers. And so she locked herself into a stall and hit the 'call button'.

"Hello?" Tyler answered in less than two beeps.

"What do you need to say? Whatever it is it better not be about last night because I'm over it, I'm with my boyfriend, and for once in twelve hours I don't feel like shit so will you please have the decency to say something smart for once?"

"Damn," he said at first. "Ok, it's something pretty important and it is actually smart so I need you to listen to me for a second."

"What?" she said impatiently. Melissa was eager to get back to Elijah, she didn't want him to get suspicious about anything, it was his first day back. In the back of her mind she couldn't help but think that maybe she should tell him, but part of her just could not bear the thought of it.

He breathed heavily before saying anything. "I-I wanted to know if you took the morning after pill. I know that I used a thing but you should always just be careful. I wouldn't want for you to-"

"If by 'thing' you mean condom then I don't think I need it," she said, interrupting him.

"Condoms can break," Tyler said starting to sound a bit worried. "I just don't want you to regret not taking it."

Melissa rolled her eyes. "Look Tyler, I didn't take the morning after pill, and I'm not going to, okay? You used protection and there is a very, very, unlikely chance that I get pregnant so if that's what you're worried about, don't be. I only called you because I thought it was an emergency. It's sweet of you to be worried about me and all but that's not your job, it's Elijah's."

Before Tyler could add to her statement, she ended saying, "Have a good night" and ended the call. Melissa hoped that that would be his last call to her because last night was just a one night stand. She had a boyfriend and couldn't let Tyler all up in her case. She thought that it was ridiculous that Tyler would ever think she could be potentially pregnant and found it surprising that a guy like him would even care. "Because it could be his and he's just self-obsessed." she thought as she made her way back to the row that Elijah was still sitting in at the theatre.

"Everything okay?" he asked, grabbing her hand.

"Everything is perfect," she lied and looked towards the screen. Melissa wasn't going to let anybody, not even Tyler, ruin her relationship with Elijah.