Callie's POV
"Marry me, Callie," Brandon says, making me jump up in his arms. I look over at him, and his face is lit up with a smile. My heart starts to speed up, and I'm at a loss for words. "Please say something," he adds. "Brandon, we can't get married," I say, letting out a nervous laugh. "We're seventeen, your parents just got on board with our realtionship, and we're still in school. We aren't ready for marriage. That's a huge commitment." "Why can't we get married?" he asks. "Think about it. We love each other. I love you more than anything in this world, and I'm never going to love anyone else in my entire life. It's always going to be you, no matter what. We can make this work, I promise. If you're worried about how my parents will react, then I'll tell them. You don't have to be part of that conversation. But Callie, I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want forever with you. I want us to be together forever, and this is the best way to prove that to you." "I don't have to marry you to prove that you're the only guy for me," I say. "I love you, and I do want to marry you someday, but this all sounds really crazy to me. I need you to help me understand all of this." "I love you, and you love me. If we get married, those rings will show everyone that we love each other. And what happens if we end up going to New York? What if everything changes between us? Those rings would allow us to bring a tiny piece of our world into the big city," he replies. "That's very romantic," I say. "But I can't just give you an answer. I need some time to think about this." "Do you not want to marry me?" he asks, his shoulders sagging. "Of course not," I reply. "But this is all happening so fast, and I need time to think about something this huge. Please, just give me some time to think about it." "Okay," he says. "Take some time to think about it."
Brandon's POV
"We're leaving for the carnival in ten B," my mom says as I walk inside. "Okay," I reply. I head upstairs and walk into Jesus' room. He looks up at me as soon as I walk in, and he knows that something's up. "Hey Jude, why don't you go see if moms need help with anything before we leave?" he asks, looking over at Jude. "Why can't I just stay up here?" Jude replies. "Because Brandon and I need to talk, and it's sort of private," Jesus says. "I'm not leaving," Jude says. "You guys always kick me out, and I'm tired of it. I want to be part of these conversations too. I'm family now, so I have the right to know." "I asked Callie to marry me," I blurt out. Jude's mouth flys open, and Jesus' head snaps toward me. "You did what?" Jude asks. "I mean, it wasn't an actual proposal or anything," I reply. "It was more like we were sitting in the car after we went to see Robert, and I was telling her how much I loved her and then it slipped out." "Did you say 'will you marry me Callie?'" Jesus asks. "No," I say. "I just said marry me Callie. I didn't even think before I said it. The words just came out of my mouth. But I didn't regret saying them. I mean, I love her, and I always will. Why not get married?" "What did she say?" Jude asks. "She said that it all sounds crazy and it's happening fast so she needs time to think about it," I reply. "And you're actually giving her time to think about it?" Jesus asks. "I don't have a choice," I reply. "I don't want to rush her decision. This isn't something she can know right away I guess." "I can't believe you even let the words slip out," Jude says. "Do you guys think I'm making a mistake?" I ask. "I mean, I know you love Callie and everything, but you guys are still in high school. You're not ready for this kind of commitment," Jesus says. "I've always wanted the two of you to be happy, so if this is what's going to make you happy, then I guess I could get on board," Jude replies. "So one of you is against it and one of you is for it," I say. "Great." "I didn't say I was against it," Jesus replies. "I said you guys aren't ready for this, but that doesn't mean that I don't think it's awesome. I know Callie makes you happy, and I know she would make you happy for the rest of your life." "Even if she does agree to marry me, it's not like we're getting married right now," I say. "We could give it a few years and just be engaged." "What's the point of that?" Jude asks. "If you get engaged but don't get married right away, then you're basically just dating, which is what you're doing right now. If that's the case, then you should just continue to date and wait to propose to her later on down the road." "Jude's right," Jesus says. "You need to seriously think this through before asking Callie for her answer. You both need to be really sure that this is what you want."
