love, simon

❰ 18 ❱

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"Wh-What?" I blanked. What was the hell happening here? Was Bram serious? He really wanted me to marry him? I couldn't look him in the eye. I wanted to, I really did. There was just so many obstacles, like my parents, COLLEGE, and graduation. Where would we live? He'd be in Canada for college... I'd have to wait for four -- or more! -- years to marry him. To LIVE with him. I just didn't see it working out.

Then... I look at Bram. My boyfriend. The guy I had been terribly in love with. My parents would come around to the idea of me getting married. We could make it work. We could get an apartment together after college. He could work as an English teacher at the local high school... and I could do... whatever I'll be doing after college. This could work. This could work...

I was silent for a while. "I asked you if you wanted to get married," he told me, as a recap. I could see the hurt growing on his face. Was this me rejecting him? Was I saying no? I didn't want to say no. I wanted to say yes. My lips weren't working. How did I say yes? How did people DO this? The people in those romance movies said "yes!" and got married in the next scene. Even though they were just sprung up with the question of marriage. How did you say YES?

"Oh," I looked back to Bram. "What did I say?"

"You haven't decided -- You don't have to decide now, Si," he whispered. He stood up, grabbing my hand and putting the box in my hand. "Think about it, I didn't want to spring it on you like this. I just -- If you need time to think... think," he reached for my hand, and I let him take it. I slipped the box into my pocket. If time is what Bram was giving me... then time is what I would take... time.

Bram and I walk into the gym, holding hands. Bram's making some serious eye contact with Leah. I can feel Leah's eyes looking for my hands -- to see if I'm wearing the ring or not. When she must have noticed I was not I could feel her disappointment from across the room. "You missed it," Leah waved us over as soon as we were close enough to hear her. "Nick and Abby just had this big fight, like right here," she waved her hand in front of the crowd of people. I sighed, there were two kinds of PDA's I didn't like. Public Display of Affection and Public Display of Arguments.

"They just left you?" I asked. Leah shrugged. Whatever that meant. "What were they fighting about?" I decided to ask a question that seemed to matter more. I watched Bram switch leaning on his left foot to his right. I looked back to Leah.

"Something about college and how long distance would never work for them," Leah combed her hand through her hair. I looked over to Bram who looked downright miserable.

"You guys just wanna go?" I looked at the exit. Whishing the world I could just walk out the doors and drive away from here. "We drank the chlorine-punch, we danced, that's all Prom is right? Why not we spend the night how we want it?"

I ended up driving Bram and Leah to the nearest sushi place. It was much more fun than standing in a stuffy gym all night. While we ordered Leah and I tried to teach Bram our restaurant-games we made up as kids. "So the first waiter you see walk by you have to say one thing you like about them," I told him, "Liiikee, that one," I pointed to the waiter with my straw, laying it on the table so he didn't see.

"Okay, I like his hair,"

"AND?" Leah pressed.

"It's on his head?" Bram giggled as I slapped his hand away from mine.

"No points for you!" I announced, tossing my straw-of-secrecy to Leah. "Your turn," she pointed the straw to a blonde waitress. She complimented the girl on her eyes. "UGH!" I whined "you always go for the brown eyes,"

"So do you!" she laughed, tossing the straw to me. Bram winked at me. With his perfect stupid Brown Eyes.

Our food came, and as we ate I noticed how happy I felt near Bram. When Bram was distracting Leah with a blue-haired waiter, I put his ring on. So maybe I did want to marry Bram. Sue me.

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