Marry Me

Chapter Ten

Graham

Lexie and I go our separate ways so that I could get to "work" on time and she could show up to her party without any suspicion.

As I sit in the car, pretending to listen to my father speak about my game, I think about what she told me.

It probably was the hardest thing she ever witnessed, her dad cheating on her mom. Sure, the Montgomery's weren't the closest family, but I figured it was just because of the big business. I would've never guessed that Walter Montgomery would give up his perfect wife, a wife that he married out of an arranged marriage, to cheat on her. If any of the media heard about this, all hell would break loose.

Lexie asked me earlier, what she should do. I told her to not worry about it right now. It was the best advice I could give, given our current situation. Lexie wasn't even supposed to witness her dad with that other woman. Or was she?

"So that's what you should do next time Graham, does it sound like a plan?" My dad asks.

"Uh, yeah sure Dad." I say.

"You have no clue what I'm talking about, do you?" He asks suspiciously.

I laugh, "Not a clue."

"I think it's because of that girl I saw you with. Graham, as your father, I'm supposed to cheer you on when you like a girl and talk to her, but we can't afford any distractions right now." He tells me.

Shit, my dad saw Lexie and I. That was never supposed to happen.

"Don't worry dad." What I want to say is, you'll have plenty more things to worry about in the future with me, but I bite my tongue.

I keep on thinking about the way I left her. She was still crying a little bit and we reluctantly let go of each other, me being the voice of reason, for once. I told her I'd see her at the party. Hopefully then we can get some alone time like we did yesterday. We agreed to meet in the same room after I got dressed.

And that's where I'm heading now. The room that Lexie pulled me into yesterday, which fills my heart with hope because I knew that the person I loved most in the world is stuck in this crazy loophole with me.

I open the door and notice more about Lexie than I did yesterday. I notice how her dress fits tightly against her olive skin. I notice how she's wearing the necklace her mom gave her when she was twelve and performed in a dance recital. The necklace was in the shape of a butterfly with tanzanite stones in the wings. I remember how I played with it the first time we had, well you get the picture.

She's also wearing her wedding ring. I saved up so much money to buy that ring for her. I worked so many extra jobs, skipping football practices periodically. She wore it with pride ever since I gave it to her on the night of graduation.

I take her hand, the one with the ring, and kiss each tip of her fingers. She drawls in a breath, as if we're still teenagers, living this moment of innocence.

I pull her closer to me, using the hand I was kissing. She wraps her arms around my shoulders instinctively. I kiss her as passionately as I can, like I've been away from her for years when it's only been an hour. She kisses me back with as much intensity. I part her lips with my tongue. Our tongues move in sync. We fight to get closer. My arms are wrapped around her waist, tempted to remove the soft material from her body. I wish I could do more with her, go farther with this moment of intimacy, but it just feels wrong at this age. For now, I enjoy the feel of her arms around my shoulders and beautiful girl in my arms.

She pulls away and looks into my eyes. I stare back into hers with so much hunger, too much for my fifteen year old body to handle. He eyes are flooded with sadness. She's upset about her parent's relationship, how she never gets to see them anymore, and this mess that we got into. I now realize that I'm the cause of two of them, but I know she'll never admit that.

"I love you," I blurt out. I don't say it enough, not anymore. With work and the bills, I barely payed attention to Lexie. Now, after these past two days, I've thought of nothing, but her. It's been nice to be young again, to not have to act like an older adult that has to worry about bills and payments and work.

Lexie blushes and looks down on like she always used to do when I showed her affection. She smiles a shy smile, showing off her two beautiful dimples on her tan skin. "I love you more," She says quietly. It reminded me when we were younger and full of love. She never did things like that anymore back at home, in 2018.

"I love you most," I say, kissing the tip of her nose. She leans in to me and we stay like that for a moment. My arms around her.

It still was crazy to me that I went to bed in 2018 and I woke up in 2012. I feel like I hit my head or something, that I'm suffering from a brain injury, but when this girl is in my arms, the weight of this new world is lifted. Although it's only for a few moments each time, it has been keeping me sane.

Lexie

When Graham and I part, it's like pulling a tooth. I don't want to go out into the crowns of the party and face Tommy, my mom, and especially now my dad.

I let out a deep breath, looking at my reflection in the mirror that stands in the hallway of my home. My old home. I observe the youth in my eyes, that will fade away in the next couple years when Graham and I were forced to grow up too quickly. I look at my smooth skin and the expensive makeup that coats it. I smile at my reflection, the happiness and sadness of it reaching my green eyes. I never felt emotions that way anymore. My twenty one year old self was a hollow shell, but at fifteen, I was still full of life.

I take one last glance in the mirror and leave the hallway to go face the party.