Love Does Exist (Ross & Heather Fanfiction)

Chapter 28 Family and Music

In the car, I made my way to my favorite position. Ross squeezed my hand to get my attention. I looked up at him. He looked torn. "What's wrong?" I asked him after a minute of him not saying anything.

"I'm gonna ask that you don't complain when we get here. I'm buying this for you with you picking or not, so play nice, okay?" This didn't sound good. "And, my opinion, don't go cheapest. Price is quality in something like this."

I look at him a little ticked off. "How much are you talking?" I ask him again.

He thinks before answering. "For quality, minimum I would pay is $250." He stares at my shocked face. Than laughs. "What if I promise no more gifts for a while?"

My face straightened some. What could he be buying that would be $250 minimum? I thought about the last part for a second. He was good at keeping promises. "Okay, but no more than that." He smiles and looks back forward again. Like every time I was in his arms, I nearly fall asleep. I always felt safe and secure in his arms.

When he finally squeezed my hand, we were parked behind a brick building. Or it was the front with no windows and a steal door. I was guessing the back though. He pulls his hand from mine and starts scrolling through the contacts on his phone. Putting the phone to his ear, he tells someone named Mark he's parked in the back. Than he says "okay" and hangs up.

"Where are we?" I ask him.

"You'll find out in just a minute. He's clearing the store." He points toward the building. "Too many people in there know who I am."

Okay, I was really confused now. He sees that I am a little frustrated, and only smiles. Just a minute later, a tall man comes to the door. He gets out of the car, and walks around the back to grab my hand. I was really nervous now, wanted to just stay in the seat. He manages to get me out by making me laugh.

"I got to hand it to you, you can get me to do just about anything."

He smiled. "That's what I'm leaning on right now." He walks up to the man at the door waiting for us. "Hi dad." He says wrapping his free arm around him. "Dad, this is Heather. Heather, this us my dad, Mark."

I take this in for a second. Mark extended out his arm when he saw I was a little shy. "Nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you." He looked at Ross. "It is nice to finally meet you."

I was guessing he found out his son was dating from either Ryland or from the television or Internet. He waved us in, but before I could get through the door, Ross covered my eyes. "Hey, what's all of this about?"

"Need help bro?" I recognize Ryland's voice.

"Yeah, help me take her up front. Is it locked up?" Ross asked.

"Sure is. Just had a few customers to finishing tending to before I could." I felt Ryland grab both my hands, "follow me. I'll get you there."

I didn't have to go but a few steps, and my hands were free. He squeezed my fingers too tight, I wiggled my fingers for a second. "Sorry." He said.

I smiled in the direction of his voice, "it's cool."

"Ryland, come help me finish in the back while we have a chance and the store is locked up for a few minutes." I heard Mark behind me, a door open than shut. Opening again, than one last shut.

I sighed. I was still a little nervous around Ryland, and now I just met him dad. I really was shy. Ross leaned his body slightly against me, and I felt his breathe for a split second on my ear when he exhaled. "Still going to play nice?"

I frowned. "Yeah, but is all this necessary?"

"Yeah," he said, adding, "I know you said you would behave, but I wanted to make sure Dad and Ryland were away when you saw, judging by what you're going to see." He whispered in my ear this time, "play nice, and remember, you agreed."

"Okay, deal is a deal." I said, giving into the sweet voice in my ear. He knew how to get to me. One second it was solid black, the next everything was white. After the few seconds it took for my eyes to focus to the change of lighting, I was shocked. This place was huge. A lot bigger than it looked from the back of the building.

There were instruments everywhere. On shelves, racks, stands, sitting on floor and even hanging on the walls. I took a step forward to pass the counter. Ross took my hand. I looked down at our hands intertwined. I lay be head on his shoulder and tear escapes. When I pick my head back up he sees it.

"Wait," he pulls me back to him. "If don't want to, you don't have to." He looked sincere.

I nod to stop him from saying anything more. "It's not that. It's just that," I pause a second, "do you realize the guitar I had before I had to work for 6 months straight for? It's just that, I thought it would take forever to get another, if ever."

Still holding my hands, he pulls me closer to him, leaning his head down resting his forehead against mine. He kisses my nose softly and slowly. I open my eyes enough to see him smiling. "Well, make your pick. I really want to do this. Pick any one you want." He kisses my lips softly, than releasing one of my hands. He walks me over to where the guitars hang on the wall, sit on stands, and some even still in boxes, not yet put on display.

I look at him, knowing I had to rely on him for this. He smiles, pulling me over to a section of the wall with big letters that says Fender along the ceiling. I look at them all. Shiny. Beautiful. Even rub my fingers across a few of them. I have never seen so many guitars in my life, and when you add that to the hundreds of other instruments around the store. I think I was discovering a new meaning for music than what I always thought.

My hand slipped from Ross when one caught my eye. It was a sleek purple, pink and white design, and stood out from the others. From the corner of my eye, I could see Ross smiling and leaning against one of the shelves. I turned around and smiled at him, he smiled back, walking over toward me. He lifted it from the wall and placed the strap over my shoulder. He turned toward the counter and scouted the store. Than looked back at me and nodded.

I placed my left hand behind the neck, and laid my forearm on the top of the body. It was perfect. I decided to impress him a little. I started playing something I wasn't sure if he would recognize, I was a little older than he was. I wasn't sure if he recognized it or not, but his face lit up as he watched my fingers move in speed. Chord by chord, fret by fret. I knew I had found the one I wanted.