Scarlett 'Arranged Marriage'

Chapter36

When I woke up, I could tell that we were back on the plane. Christian and I were sprawled out on a huge bed in the back. I cautiously rolled over, and managed to slide off the bed without waking him.

I pulled back the curtain, and was greeted by a flash of sunlight in my eyes. I groaned.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Drake said from the attached kitchen, as he flipped a pancake.

“Hey guys,” I said, as I flopped down on Mickey’s lap. He was watching the news from a fluffy armchair in the “living room” of the plane. He immediately wrapped his arms around me, and I placed my head on his chest.

“It’s actually kind of disturbing how comfortable you’ve become with us,” Drake chuckled, as he handed me a plate.

I took it gratefully, and drowned it in syrup. Mickey stole slices from my plate.

“Hey!” I shouted. “My pancakes!”

“My lap,” he retorted, and slid more pancake in his mouth.

“Fair enough,” I sighed, as I sat back.

Drake laughed.

“You two are almost like brother and sister,” he said, as he sat down across from us with a plate of burnt pancakes.

“Um, why-?” I started, but Mickey cut me off and said, “His system can’t tolerate food unless it’s burnt to a near ash like substance.”

“Oh,” I said, and filled my mouth with more syrupy goodness.

“Where are we going?” I asked, as I got up and started making dish water. I walked around and grabbed Drake’s plate too.

“You know we can’t tell you that. We’ll be landing in half an hour anyway,” Drake said, swiping the remote control from Mickey and changing the channel to ESPN.

“What are you doing?” Mickey asked.

“The U.S. Open is coming on, and I’m not gonna miss Serena kick some tennis butt,” Drake replied, as he settled into the couch.

I chuckled, and watched them as the argued over the importance of tennis, thinking of how they had become my new family. I loved them, just as much as I loved any of my brothers, and would die for either of them. It surprised me just how much they actually meant to me.

Before I went to take a shower, I kissed each of my new brothers on their cheeks. Neither of them said anything, they just allowed me to do it. And although they acted like they didn’t care, I knew they felt the exact same about me. They didn’t have to say anything, the things they’d done for me said it all.

The plane landed roughly, and my tube of lipstick flew across my face and into the toilet. I’d seen what type of monstrosity my own brothers inflicted upon a toilet, so there was no way I was gonna try and get it. As far as I was concerned, it was lost forever.

I sighed and wiped it off, settling for lip gloss instead. Christian pounded at the door.

“Babe, come on! Spain awaits us!” he called.

Within seconds, I was outside and breathing in the fresh, Spanish air. Drake laughed.

“You know, this ‘Spanish air’ is no different than the air we got at home,” he said, between chuckles.

“Shut up,” I said, as I pushed him.

Mickey and Christian slowly climbed out of the plane.

“Come on babe, we’re gonna go site seeing first,” Christian said, taking my hand in his.

“Where are they going?” I asked, curiously.

“Back to the hotel,” Mickey said shortly. “This is something that we think you guys should do alone.”

“Alright,” I said, and let Christian lead me down a cobblestone road that overlooked a lake. The sun hit the water and reflected against all the building on the street, coating that part of the city with a fiery gold color. It was breathtaking.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Christian whispered.

“I didn’t know that two complete opposites like the sun and a lake could create something so gorgeous,” I said quietly, not wanting to disrupt the moment. He looked at me and smiled.

“Baby, I was talking about you,” he said, and made me blush.

We walked in silence down the golden street, me fascinated with its beauty, and him fascinated with me.

We came to a stop in front of a store that read, “Una de una Clase,” or “One of a Kind.”

“What’s this?” I asked, as he opened the door.

“You’ll see,” he taunted me, and pushed me gently through the door. “Hey, Julio!”

A little bald Spanish man came from the back room.

“Oh! Hey, Christian! I was wondering when your flight would get in. I’ve got that surprised right here for you.”

He reached behind the counter and pulled out a box of diamonds.

“What are these?” I asked.

“They’re moon diamonds. When moonlight hits them, they glow. It’s quite beautiful really,” Julio, said.

I took a step away from the counter.

“And quite expensive too, right?” I asked, as I scanned the glass counter.

“Well, yes, but that’s not a problem,” Christian said, looking at me weird.

“I don’t think so, but thank you any ways,” I told Julio.

Christian pulled me to the side.

“What’s up with you?” he asked.

“I don’t need an amazing ring, Christian. Those types of rings are only made for people who like to show off, and that’s not me. All I want is a ring that we both put time into to create and that shows that I have somebody out there thinking about me. You could give me a ring out of a Cracker Jack box, and I’d be happy so long as you were thinking about me. I just want a nice, pretty ring, nothing flashy,” I finished.

He blinked.

“Ok, say something,” I said, after a moment.

“I’m sorry, I was just reminding myself how much I love that quality. You’re not like other girls who want the biggest, brightest rings. I’m sorry, I forgot that my fiancé is una de una clase,” he smiled, and kissed my forehead.

“Let’s find one that’s right for you.”

After about an hour and a half, we’d found the perfect rings. Both bands were solid platinum and immensely beautiful, but that’s just about where the similarities end.

My ring had a beautiful, clear cut diamond in the center, surrounded by two bright red rubies.

Christian’s was sprinkled with tiny diamonds and rubies that were embedded into the ring.

Engraved into each of them was the quote, “Te amor para seimpre,” or “I will love you forever.”

Both rings were completely different, but they were placed together, they looked as if they were made for each other.

Just like us.