Reverberation - Guns N Roses Fanfiction

FIFTEEN - the surprise

October 7th, 1991

Another week passed—another seven days that I spent drenched in sweet and simple ecstasy with Izzy. 168 hours of laughter and meaningful words; 10080 minutes of deliberate actions to please one of my favourite people in the world; 604800 seconds worth of thoughts about Izzy... and maybe a little bit of work sprinkled in there, too.

I arrived home at dusk, the clouds a brilliant red, setting the sky on fire. Izzy opened the door for me before my hand had even touched the doorknob.

I smiled at him. "Hello—"

"Get ready, woman!"

I furrowed my brows. "What?"

I laughed as he ushered me through the door enthusiastically. "I'm bringing you somewhere."

"Oh?" I put my purse on the kitchen table, then turned to him with a hand on my hip. "And where is that?"

"Somewhere spectacular. Now get changed—I took matters into my own hands and picked out something for you to wear. It's on your bed."

I scrunched my face up some more. "Izzy, this is very fun and I guess a bit exciting, but I really would like to know what's going on."

He approached me with a soft, yet still playful and comedic, smile. "Cassie," he said quietly, his gentle hands on my shoulders, "I need you to trust me."

I rolled my eyes a bit at that. "Don't you remember a few weeks ago when we talked about how we both have massive trust issues for a plethora of reasons?"

He just smiled wider. "I do, but I don't imagine we want to live that way forever? Live in the moment. Trust me just this once, and let's see where that takes us."

His eyes were warm and glowing in a way I just couldn't resist. I melted against him, resting my head over his heart and bringing my arms up to embrace him.

"Okay."

-

Izzy had chosen a magnificently gorgeous dress for me to wear—something that absolutely did not come out of my own wardrobe.

"Where in the hell did you get this?" I said loudly through the bathroom door. I imagined him on the couch with his feet resting on the coffee table—the portrait of carefree ease.

"The place up the street."

"You mean the one where the socks are, like, fifty bucks a pair?"

"I don't know, I didn't really look at the socks. Did you need any? I could g—"

"Izzy." I paused, my hands covering my face. I was thoroughly overwhelmed. "This is way too much. I don't know what you've got planned, but this is just—"

"Just what? Too good for the most beautiful woman in the world?"

"Izzy..."

"It's a gift. Now hurry up—I want to see it on you."

I exited the bathroom and gave him a little twirl upon his request.

The dress was stunning—short and tight, with long sleeves and a neckline that reaches to the base of my throat. Minuscule silver sequins covered the fabric, so it dazzled with my every movement.

Izzy grinned at me. "Amazing. Perfect. Do you like it?"

The question was ridiculous. "Of course I like it. It's beautiful. But... you really didn't have to do this."

"I know; I wanted to, though." he offered me a shy smile, extending his hand. "Now let's get going."

I grabbed my jacket from the back of the kitchen chair and placed my hand in his, and we set out for the night.

-

Izzy shocked me by guiding me to a corner of the apartment's parking lot where a brand new convertible corvette sat idle.

"No."

"You don't like it?"

"You did not buy this."

"You're right, I didn't," he looked down, as though he was disappointed in himself. "I can if you want me to, though."

"No, no! That's not what I meant. Just... where did you even get this?"

"I know a guy."

"Here?" I raised a brow. "In Saint John?"

He smirked a little. "Not exactly. I guess I know a guy who knows a guy... who knows a guy." Izzy shrugged. "Anyway, here."

Izzy opened the passenger side door and took my hand as he guided me into the low seat.

He drove through the city with directions on a yellow sticky note, which I was not permitted to see. He went down streets that were barely recognizable to me, until we reached a dirt road that seemed impossibly steep.

"Izzy..."

"Just hold on," he paused, his hand on the gear shift, "trust me, remember?"

I just watched him for a moment, then I put my hand on his and nodded.

He accelerated and we climbed the hill. Somehow, the car sustained no damages and the ride wasn't as treacherous as I'd expected.

We reached an area where the hilly terrain flattened out into a grassy outcropping. Ahead, I saw glimmers of light and some movement under the dim light of dusk. There was another car here.

Izzy pulled out of the way of the road we'd climbed and then we exited the car. He greeted the people who were already there, but I hung back a bit until he urged me over.

"Everyone, this is my brilliant girlfriend, Cassie," he smiled at me, his arm circling my waist. I tried not to blush. "Cassie, meet everyone."

Izzy introduces my briefly to the two men. They were only there for a moment (here to set up what Izzy had planned for the evening) and then left.

Before us was a picnic-like setting of two champagne flutes upon a thick quilt. An array of platters were spread across the blanket, carrying an abundance of food. Surrounding the blanket were lit candles of various heights and sizes.

I just stared at it. And then at him. And then back at it, and to him again.

"Well?" Izzy said, probing me for a reaction.

I didn't have any. No words or phrases that could explain what I was feeling in that moment.

Joy. Confusion. Shock.

Love.

I just said, "This is a fire hazard."

And he laughed in that way that made my insides melt—the laugh where he leaned back with a wide smile and just shook his head at me as though saying, I can't believe I'm so lucky as to know you.

And then I was on my tippy toes and I was facing him and putting my hands on the back of his head and I was kissing him.

I was kissing him because everything about it in that moment felt right and I knew no other way to tell him that.

—

I think this might be cringey but there's no going back :)

-megan xx