Marry Me

Chapter 13

     Two days later, I woke up to a text from Chelsea.

     "Going to the beach with Anthony, do you two wanna come?" I sighed and looked over to Alondra. She still had her eyes closed, and her chest rose and fell in a calming pattern.

     I watched her for a few moments. I stroked my knuckles across her cheek softly before leaving down and kissing it.

     "Hey sleepyhead, you ever gonna wake up?" I whispered in her ear. Alondra sighed and whispered "Only if I have to." I chuckled and kissed her again.

     Slowly her large eyes opened and looked up at me. I smiled when she stretched up and kissed my nose. It was really nice to wake up next to her.

     "Chelsea invited us to the beach with her and Anthony. Do you want to go?" I asked her. She sat up slowly and sighed again. Turning towards me she asked "Do we really have to?"

     Now it was my turn to sigh. I wanted us all to be friends but I knew she was uncomfortable with the idea. Lord knew I couldn't blame her. It had to be insanely awkward for her, which flodded me with guilt.

     I shouldn't have asked her. Why would she want to spend the day with a girl she knew I had been in love with my whole life? I'm trying to get over her, and need to be spending as little time with her as possible. That's what my brother said, and that's what I needed to do.

     I grabbed my phone and started replying to Chelsea. As I typed out my decline, I said to Alondra "No, actually. We don't. I don't really want to spend the day with her, I'd rather be with you."

     Alondra didn't respond. I hit send and put my phone face down on my bedside table. Turning back to her, I was met with a firm kiss.

     I groaned as I felt her tongue slide across my lips. I pulled her close to me and laid her down as our tongues danced together. One hand gripped the back of my hair, while the other slid down my chest. When I felt her fingers slip into my waistband, I knew exactly what I wanted to do today.

*      *       *       *         *
     The sun was just starting to set over the lake when I climbed out of my car. Mom had sent me to the store for a few last minute dinner necessities, and Alondra had stayed home to help cook.

     That made me extremely happy. I loved that I could leave her alone with my family and she would feel happy and accepted. That's all I wanted out of her visit.

    I turned around to head towards my trunk, and froze. Coming up my driveway with a tight smile on his face was Chelsea's fiancee.

     Anthony was a big guy. He was my height but with broad shoulders that reminded me that I really needed to get back into the gym. His hair flopped down into his eyes, so he pushed it back as he stopped infront of me.

     "Chris, it's nice to see you again, man." He said in his deep, booming voice. I offered out my hand and replied "Yea man, great to see you too."

     He didn't take my hand. After a few awkward seconds I let it fall to my side. Suddenly, the air seemed to thicken, and I knew this wasn't just a casual conversation between old acquaintances.

     He crossed his arms and said "Ya know... Chelsea talks about you a lot."

     "Does she?" I asked, mimicking his stance.

     "Yea, she does. I can't say that I'm fond of that, Chris."

     "That sounds like a problem you need to talk to her about, not me." I said. His face hardened, and he took a threatening step towards me. My feet shuffled into a wider position to keep me steady.

     Anthony leaned in and murmured "She claims your her best friend, but I've always seen the way you look at her. I don't care that you brought some Spanish bitch home for the break... I know damn well how you feel about Chelsea."

     My vision went red. Did he really just call Alondra a "Spanish bitch?" He was going to regret that decision.

     I took a step forward too, closing the gap between us. My face only inches from his face, I said "If you ever insult Alondra again, I'll make Chelsea a widow real quick. I don't care about what you think you know... but I know you better get the fuck off my property, while you can still walk."

     Anthony studied me for a few seconds. I kept my breathing steady, but my heart was racing. I was fully prepared to break every tooth he had, but somthing stopped me.

     Specifically, a familiar voice.

     "Everything okay out here?" My mothers voice rang out over the yard. Anthony glared at me a moment more before turning towards my mother. It's like a switch flipped in his brain, because as soon as he looked at her his face broke out into a thousand watt smile.

     "Good evening, ma'am! I was just catching up with Chris here, and challenging him to a little healthy competition." My mom wasn't an idiot. Her jaw was set as she looked us over. Finally she looked to me and said "Chris, I need the rest of that stuff for dinner, so why don't you finish this conversation later?"

     I nodded and looked back to Anthony. He was still smiling, but his eyes were ablaze with anger. I stared at him until he took a step back, then another. As he turned away he said "Stay the fuck away from Chelsea, she doesn't love you and she never will."

     It took all I had not to tackle him then and there. He crossed the street with his hands in his pockets, and quickly disappeared into Chelsea's parents house.

     Once I was sure he was gone I slowly turned towards the car and popped the trunk. I gathered the bags and slammed the trunk with a bit too much force. As I climbed the stairs, my mother quietly asked "What was that all about?" I grit my teeth and responded softly "Just her fiancee unnecessarily marking his territory."

     Mom looked into my eyes for a heartbeat, before she nodded and stepped aside to let me in the house. I took a deep breath and focused on the heavenly smells wafting in from the kitchen, where I could hear Alondra singing to the radio.