Beginnings and Endings [complete]

Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Four

Xavier: Can I call you baby??

What kind of question was that?

You'd think that the first thing he'd ask after getting a girlfriend was 'thank you' or 'I love you' or 'how are you now?' Even 'whatcha doing?' would've been a tad bit more acceptable than the message he sent immediately after the call.

You can call me whatever you like, I thought dryly with a massive amount of sarcasm. But I was feeling too happy to be even the slightest bit mean.

Adrianne: Yeah :) can I call you sunshine?

Okay, admittedly, my brain froze for a while there. But every time I thought of Xavier, I spontaneously thought of sunshine. Maybe it's because his seriously brown eyes looked amber in the sunlight, or because I only ever see him on Sunday mornings, but I don't know, I thought it'd make for a good name.

Xavier: Sunshine????

Oh good, he's as confused as I am.

Adrianne: Yeah...please don't ask why. You can say no if you want, I'll just call you baby too :)

Xavier: Hahahaha. No, I don't mind. So what are you doing now?

Ah, there it was. The boring, monotonous question that is always included in every conversation. Smiling, I replied, and it continued like how we were texting during the holidays, except now I didn't call him Xavier, and he didn't call me Adrianne.

I had to go to church again the following day. Some of us choir members were about to kill the priest already - pardon my blasphemy - because of his obvious prejudice against our choir. I mean, Christmas itself is a handful, but duty week, Christmas, duty week and New Year's is a bit much to ask for. And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his demands.

On any other day, I would've just gone with it, changing into my typical jeans, tank top and shirt, and opening my mouth to sing into the mic when necessary, but today I was having the jitters, worse than Christmas. Today would be the first time I was seeing Xavier as my boyfriend, not just a lover.

He'd been meaning to kiss me for weeks. Last Saturday at badminton, he'd actually dared to hold my hand briefly as we argued about whether he needed to work out every single day, and given me his 'first' Christmas gift. The necklace looked like an upside down heart studded with faceted glass pieces - very pretty. But accordingly, he had something else to give me, something meant to be a surprise.

It kept me wondering for like a couple of days before his hints got way too obvious, just short of telling me exactly what it was. In fact, I was getting it today, behind the church where I met him after Christmas mass.

This New Year's thing is nothing special, I thought absently as the mass drew to a close. Really, I guess it's just to commemorate it. I was practically shaking with excitement when I managed to slip away for a while.

As I stepped under the archway from the packed toilets to where he was, my heart skipped a beat. All he was dressed in was his trademark jeans and loose tshirt but he looked...well, hot. I really have to get used to these feelings, I reminded myself, fingering the necklace on my neck.

My steps were hesitant and uncertain as I made my way towards him, but when he looked up at me from whatever he was doing, a fantastic grin lighting his features like the sun - see, sunshine - all nerves disappeared. I matched his grin as I threw my arms around his neck, my feet losing contact with the ground as he lifted me up and swung me once around.

"You're so light," he noted when he set me back down, still smiling. Me, breathless from the affectionate hug, could only blush and smile back. I barely had any time to say hi to his friend before his arm was around my shoulder, turning me away from public view and pulling me to his lips.

The kiss had been short and sweet, the type first kisses need to be. Lingering, innocent. I never imagined his lips to feel that soft, or look that inviting, but now they did and he left me wanting more. Just as I reacted, moved to touch his face, he pulled back with a sexy smirk. "No," he told me, playing around and trying to be firm.

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, rolling my eyes and whacking him lightly on the shoulder, but I was still smiling. Xavier had that kind of effect on me, you could say. However many times I see him, however long I've known him, he's never failed to make me happy, or turn my frown upside down.

"I love you," he murmured into my hair, muffling his voice.

I grinned into his chest, still feeling slightly exhilirated. "I love you too."

It was hard not to compare the differences between Dom and Xavier. It had always been hard to illicit a romantic response from Dom - he did it when he felt like it. Xavier was all around, 24/7.

Dom almost never admitted his mistakes, and his apologies only began when he saw my expression, like he didn't know whether a decision would hurt or disappointment me or not. Xavier knew me like the back of his hand.

Dom still flirted - or was at least, overfriendly - with other girls, even his ex, even when he knew how I felt about it. Xavier forced himself not to strike up long conversations other than the usual hi and bye basis at least with his exes.

When we didn't kiss, it was like Dom was losing bits of his life. Xavier would wait for as long as necessary.

Dom never used pet names out loud, only in notes and texts. Xavier didn't regard them as pet names, but as like names to publically display that we were dating and that he cared about me. Not to mention he took great delight in saying it aloud.

Dom made long, elaborate speeches of love and promises to let me know about he felt about me, and that only after we fought and I needed comforting, not to say it made me feel any better especially after his newfound feelings for Stephanie. Xavier did it in the little things that made me happy.

Whenever I did something wrong, Dom took all the pleasure in the world pointing it out. He'd say he forgives me, then bring it up a week later when we fought to make me feel guilty. Xavier wouldn't put down the phone until I got over it.

That was just the start of it. I could go on forever, but that would be another story. The new chapter that opened up when Dom so willingly handed me on a silver platter over to the one person who made me smile like a lunatic every single fucking time I see him, made me wonder whether this would be the last chapter in my love life.

Xavier made me happy. His temper, impatience, pickiness was all a part of the one big piece that was all him. I loved him, truly. In a different way than how I loved Dom. The latter was...something I needed to get over all the heartbreaks, the cliche relationship where promises are constant and overwhelming, where you think he's your dream guy incapable of wrong, your perfect Prince Charming.

After a while you realize you were on cloud nine for too long, and suddenly you're back on the ground, wondering what happened but feeling the fresh hurt.

A relationship with Xavier felt real. Where mistakes were the one thing that was constant, but got made up for in the end. Where promises were actually proven and not just spoken. Where I could talk about anything with him and be myself completely without being laughed at.

That was what a dream relationship is supposed to be like, a dream relationship in reality, a dream relationship I finally managed to get.

Sorry for the short chapter, this was more of a filler to let y'all know how great things are between Adrianne and Xavier.

So, in more personal matters, I'm supposed to be getting wifi soon! :D and no, I'm not the one living in the Stone Age, my parents are. Can't wait ^^ as one of my friends put, I just made her life that much easier. Until the next chapter :)

Jenna Ushkowitz as Summer --->

Dedicated to randomvaxandriasmile for being randomvaxandriasmile ;)