Underneath the Star

Prologue

Tonight was the night.

Melanie could feel it deep in her bones that she was finally getting her ring. She had been waiting since graduation day for a romantic proposal from her long term boyfriend, but three months had passed, and he'd given her nothing but mixed signals. It was such a shame, considering marriage was all Eddy could talk about all through his four years of college. But since he'd made partner at his mother's law firm, marriage seemed unlikely to be part of his plans, despite his promises to make Melanie an honest woman.

She was hopeful, nevertheless.

He had called her from his mother's office early in the evening, prompting her to get ready so he could pick her up for dinner. It had been too long since the two of them sat down together and enjoyed each other's company. They both lived on opposite sides of the city, creating unnecessary distance between them which led to their lack of quality time together. They were only forty minutes apart, but it was good enough reason not to see each other too often. Eddy had always said he wanted time to miss her.

Melanie's heart fluttered when she heard the knocking at the door. She had slipped into a tight, red dress that hugged every curve of her body from her breasts down to her hips, and picked her highest pair of black stilettos to wear. She knew how Eddy loved to see her in them.

Opening the door to her one bedroom apartment, her red stained lips curved into a smile to greet him. He held a single rose out to her and pecked her cheek, making her frown.

He noticed immediately. "Babe, I told you I don't want all that shit on my lips, too. You look good though."

She hummed, accepting his unwelcoming embrace as she took the rose from him. "Thanks, Eddy. So, where are we headed?"

"I made reservations for us at Zola's."

Her smile immediately returned. She didn't need a fancy dinner to feel loved, but it was rare that Eddy took her to restaurants where he could wine and dine her. "Sounds great."

Tucking a strand of her long, dark hair behind her ear, he leaned forward to kiss her forehead and murmured something. Melanie didn't catch any of what he had said, but it didn't matter when he pulled her out of the apartment. He led her down to his parked car and got into the driver side, waiting for her to get in as well.

"So, sweetie, have you thought about what we discussed?"

Melanie pulled on her seatbelt as he drove out of the parking lot and onto the main road. "I'm still looking for a full-time job. In the meantime, I don't find it necessary to quit my job."

"I'm not saying you should quit. I just don't see how it fits in with our degree."

She blinked at him. "My degree, Eddy. You went off to law school, remember?"

He shook his head, scoffing. "Just think about it some more. Your tutoring job with those kids is just taking up time that you could be using to look for a decent job within your field."

She leaned back against her seat and looked out the window. There was nothing more to contribute to the conversation, so the only useful thing she could do was watch as the scenery blended together.

Eddy looked over at her for a brief second before turning his attention back to the road. He knew she was upset, but he didn't comment.

Melanie was just as intelligent and compassionate as the day they met. She was a freshman in high school, and he was the senior set to leave the state for school. But he had fallen for her too quickly and knew he would spend the rest of his life with her, so he stayed behind to study at the university close to the high school. Eddy wanted for them to be the power couple of the city, both of them working more than just entry level jobs after graduating, but her part-time job at the elementary wasn't going to make her successful, nor would it make him look good. She was a tutor, paid by the hour, and he wanted a wife who earned a reasonable salary.