You and Me and Us | Muffy

Part 9

Buffy's POV

"Buffy, can you grab those dishes and bring them over here?"

My mother gestures to the dinner table, which still holds our dirty plates and glasses from supper.

It's now Friday, so my week of being grounded is nearly over. I can't wait to be able to hang out with my friends again. I've been craving baby taters for days now.

"Here you go," I say as I sit the dishes down on the counter beside the sink.

"Thank you."

All of a sudden, the doorbell rings and I walk over to answer it. Marty's smiling face stands on the other side, holding a daisy in one hand.

"This is for you," he says.

"Thanks." I take the flowers and twirl it between my fingers. "Is this from our garden?"

He grins and rubs the back of his neck. "I only thought of it when I got here."

I laugh and pull his hand to bring him into the house before closing the door behind him.

"Hello, Marty," my mother calls out.

"Hi, Mrs. Driscoll."

"You know my daughter is still grounded."

"I know, Mrs. Driscoll."

"Then what are you doing here?" she asks.

I look at him, awaiting his answer.

"Well, we've still got to finish that project," he says.

I smile and turn around to my mother with longing eyes. "Can I go out? We do need to finish our photography assignment."

"Oh? What's your assignment?"

"We need to take photos of five different settings," I explain. "We have one more left."

She sighs, trying to conceal a smile. "Well, if it's for school, I suppose I should allow it."

I turn back to Marty and reach for his hands.

"I'll be right back," I say.

I dash to my room and grab my purse and from its hook on the wall. On my way out, I notice a shimmer from my dresser and pause to look at the two silver promise rings laying there. I don't have any kind of plan, but the thought of these two tiny hoops have certainly been keeping me up at night. He's mine, I think. I want that to be forever.

The rings clink together as I slip them into a pocket inside my purse.

____________________________________

We pull up against the curb in front of a house I don't recognize.

"What are we doing?" I ask.

Marty shuts off the car as he says, "I forgot my camera." Then he opens the car door and steps out. "Wanna come in?"

I exit the vehicle and follow him up the stone pathway to the pale blue building. The door is made of a dark wood with a stained-glass window to peek through.

"Is this your new house?" I wonder.

He nods. "Not as big as the old one, but—"

"I like it," I interrupt. "It's quaint."

"Glad to hear."

He opens the door, and I go in first, stepping onto the white tiles.

"You can wait here," he says.