JeffMads Modern AU | Year 1 {Complete}

The Proposals

"Martha, this is my friend, James Madison. James, this is Martha Skelton." Thomas smiled nervously. 

"Hello." She smiled, holding eye contact with me more so than she did with Thomas.

Weird. 

"Thomas, how would you like to go and catch up? Alone." She looked over at me and Maria. 

"Uh... sure." He slowly nodded. "I'm going to use the restroom real quick." 

He left me alone with Martha.

She looked back at me. 

She was... cute. I mean, she was sixteen. She was an actual child. Although, she didn't really look it. She had on simple, natural makeup and wore a light pink ballgown. Her dark hair hung in loose ringlets on her shoulders. She looked like she was ready to go to Homecoming. 

"So... James, was it?" 

I nodded. 

"Do you go to school with Thomas?" 

I nodded again.

"Cool. Have a girlfriend?" 

"Uh... no." 

She bit her lip. "Cool." 

Oh no. 

"I'm going to be honest for a quick second, is that okay?" 

"I guess..." 

"There's nothing there between Thomas and me. I have to marry him for... well, reasons." She laughed at herself. "But... I don't think he'd care if I messed around with men that I actually liked." 

She was awfully close to me.

"Uh... I don't think--" 

"Shh." She put a finger on my lips.

I grabbed her wrist and gently lowered her hand.

"Listen, Martha, trust me... you don't want to do that."

She stuck out her bottom lip, like a toddler. "But I do."

"I'm gay." 

Oh fuck oh fuck.

She took a step back, reevaluating the situation. 

"Ha, silly me." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Suddenly, shock played across her face. "You're in love with Thomas, aren't you?" 

"Uh..." 

"Does he know?" 

I didn't know what I should've done. 

"Oh my god! You have to tell him!" 

"Actually... he's already my boyfriend..." 

"So Thomas isn't actually into me? He's just pretending?" 

"Uh... yeah?" 

"Oh, thank the lord above!" She threw her hands in the air. "This changes everything!" 

I quickly glanced around for Thomas and saw him talking with his father. His father looked stern.

"I won't have to marry him anymore, will I?" She giggled to herself. "I can finally get a real boyfriend!" 

Thomas started to make his way back. 

"Okay, listen," he whispered to the two of us. "Martha, I'm dating James and--" 

"Oh, I know." 

"What? Nevermind.... my dad thinks I'm going to propose to you in a few minutes, but I don't want to do that." He took a deep breath. "So play along... until I announce I'm dating a man. Then this will all be over." 

"Sounds easy to me." Martha picked at her acrylic nails. 

"Are you sure?" I asked him. 

"It has to be done. This has been going on for far too long." He opened his arms for a hug then gave me a discreet kiss on the cheek.

He then took Martha by the hands, into the middle of the ballroom.

When he got down on one knee, the whole ballroom collectively gasped.  I even saw Maria and her girlfriend in the doorway. 

"Martha Skelton..." He stood back up. "I would like to thank you for being a great friend. And..." He looked around at all the wealthy people in the room. "...I would just like to say that this marriage is not going to happen as I am already dating someone." 

Thomas' father was making his way to the middle of the ballroom.

"And I love my boyfriend very much."  

The second gasp was even louder than the first.

I would've smiled or clapped or something if it weren't for Mr. Jefferson looking like he was going to murder his son.

Fortunately, for us, Alexander burst into the ballroom, a large grin slapped on his face.

"She said yes!"

Everyone froze.

"Betsey said yes!" He jumped up and down like a little girl.

Elizabeth was nowhere to be seen. 

"You're all invited to the wedding! It'll probably have to pretty soon because we want to have it before the child is born... but we'll work out the details later. My email address is..." 

I pretended not to hear him and made my way to Thomas.

"C'mon, we have to go." I grabbed his forearm. 

He nodded. As fast as we could, we weaved in and out of the crowds of people as Alexander was still rambling. Martha followed. 

Good, Alex. A little longer. 

"Go to the garden." 

I let him take the lead. 

It was cold outside. Goosebumps crawled up and down my arms. It was dark, the only light coming from the moon and the small round lights that lined the paths.

"My mom is going to be furious." Martha paced back and forth. "She's worked my whole life to make this work."

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Martha." Thomas gave her an empathetic smile. 

"As I'm sure you will be. I think I'm going to get a taxi and go back to the hotel. Thanks for tonight, Thomas." 

"Yeah, no problem." 

"You really aren't that bad. I just really didn't want to marry you." 

"The feeling is mutual."

She smiled and took off her heels before leaving through the way we came out. 

"Can I kiss you? I really want to kiss you right now." 

"Yes," I said. "Yes."

He cupped my face in his warm hands. For a few seconds, the rest of the world melted away. Neither of us thought of what might happen with Thomas' father. We only thought of each other. 

And, in that moment, that was enough.