Red Side of the Moon

XI

"Hurry, my parents are gonna be home soon," I said.

Phil slammed the door behind him and backed me into a wall. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. He gripped my hips as I hopped up and wrapped my legs around his waist.

We continued with our make out session as Phil struggled to carry me to the casual dining table. He set me down and leaned down to kiss at my neck. I nudged him up so I could take his shirt off—he did the same to me. He kissed down my chest and latched onto one of my nipples. I ran my fingers through his hair and slung my head back.

"Dude, we eat there," Adrian said. I twisted my neck and blinked aimlessly a few times. "Don't give me that look. It's true."

He threw his backpack down and walked into the lounge. I pushed Phil off of me and grabbed our shirts. I quickly kissed his cheek before following Adrian into the living room. Phil and I sat down on the loveseat and cuddled up with one another.

"Hey, Ade?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you keep a secret?" I asked.
"Depends."
"No, it doesn't. Can you keep a secret."
"Yes, jeez, my god. What's your stupid secret?"
"Phil and I are engaged..." I pursed my lips.
"Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining. What's the real secret?"
"No, Ade–"
"Shut up for a second," Phil said. He held his hands over my ears and brought my head to his chest. "So, you know how this idiot is graduating a year early?" Adrian nodded. "Okay, we're planning a party for him. My house tomorrow."
"Alright," Adrian shrugged.
"Good." Phil kissed my head and let go of my ears. "Love you, sweetie."
"You guys are gross."

***

"Phil, what are you doing?" I giggled.

He was covering my eyes with his hands as he led me through a door. I tripped a bit as I continued walking to wherever the hell I was going.

"Phil!" I laughed.
"Congratulations, baby," he whispered as he kissed my cheek.

He took his hands away to reveal a huge celebration... all for me. There was a banner that said 'congrats, grad!' and my entire family and friend group were gathered around with party crackers.

I held my hand over my mouth and started smiling uncontrollably. I turned to Phil and playfully hit him a few times before he pulled me into a tight hug.

"Oh my goodness, thank you so much, everyone," I beamed. "Did you plan all this?" I looked up to Phil.
"Yes, ma'am," he smirked.
"Thank you..."
"You're welcome," he whispered. He kissed my cheek and turned to my family. "Okay, have fun everyone," he said.

My family dispersed as Phil and casually walked around the house—his arm was wrapped around my waist as we made casual conversation with some of the guests.

As the night went on, my family and Phil's seemed to be getting closer and closer. Once the party seemed like it was dying down, Phil thought it would be a good idea to grab a glass of champagne and stand up on a dining room chair.

"Everyone!" he called. All the guests turned their attention to my stupid boyfriend. "I would like to thank all of you for coming on such short notice. Tonight we are honoring the ever so lovely, Daniel James Howell." He looked to me and I blushed. "I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but he is. At sixteen, he managed to graduate secondary and get accepted into a kick ass nursing program at Manchester.

"So I say, let's all raise a glass, whether it be filled with alcohol or water, and toast to the love of my life on his phenomenal success." He raised his glass in the air and waited for everyone to follow suit. "To Dan!"
"To Dan!" Everyone chanted.

He hopped off of the chair and wrapped his arms around my waist. He pulled me in close as I slung my arms around his neck. He gave me a sweet kiss before giving me another warm hug.

"You two are so cute," Mrs. Lester smiled.
"Thanks," I giggled.
"Congratulations, Daniel."
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Don't call me ma'am. It's too formal for my taste."

She pinched my cheek and walked off. I looked to Phil and sighed. He flashed me a fake pouty face before pressing a kiss into my right temple.

"Why the long face?" he asked.
"I wanna tell everyone..."
"Don't you think it's a little soon?"
"How do you mean?"
"Well, we need some time to come up with a little white lie on how we got engaged."
"Excuse me?" I scoffed.
"Okay, sweetie, do you really want the answer for 'how'd you two get engaged?' to be: Oh, it happened right after he fucked me for the first time. It was so romantic, don't you think?"
"You make a point," I sighed.
"I couldn't help but overhear," Carrie said, "are you two really engaged?" We nodded. "No way! How exciting!"
"Keep your voice down," Phil said.
"Sorry," she whispered. "How exciting!"

***

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" I asked. We were walking hand-in-hand into Phil's dark apartment.
"You've said it once or twice," he smiled as he closed the front door. "Hey..."
"Yeah?"

He turned on the lounge lights and grabbed my hands. He brought them to his lips and lightly kissed them.

"I love you... more than you could ever know. I can't even put it into words how much I care for you..." He took in a long breath through his nose before uttering, "Mio bellissimo principe... ti amo... ti amerò fino al giorno in cui morirò. Quindi, ti chiedo..." He got down on one knee and flashed me one of his dopey smiles. "Will you marry me?"
"Did you learn Italian just for that speech?"
"Answer the question!" he teased.
"Yes, you idiot, we went over this last week," I chuckled.
"Yeah, but it was never made official," he said as he pulled a ring out of his pocket.

It was a black, matte ring with a thin gold rim. I cupped my mouth and took a few steps back. Tears dripped down my cheeks as I fell to my knees—I wrapped my arms around his neck and forced him into a kiss. We were both smiling ear to ear as he tried deepening the kiss. Phil pulled away and smirked.

"So I take it you like the ring?" he teased.
"Shut up," I giggled.

I yanked him back in and we both laughed. Without separating, Phil slid the ring onto my finger, and it was a perfect fit. I leaned forward a bit and made Phil fall back first onto the floor—I straddled his waist and sat up. I ran my hands up and down his chest as I cocked my head to the side and grinned.

"I love you," I whispered.
"I love you too..." He pulled me down into a soft kiss. "And I am so, so proud of you."
"Thank you," I blushed.
"Hey," he smirked. "Wanna consummate our engagement?" He raised a brow.
"I mean, if we have to," I chuckled. "Now, do you wanna stick with the floor or maybe move to an, I don't know, softer surface?"
"Don't be an asshole," he laughed. "And personally, I'd prefer the bed. Now get off me."