Never Say Never

Chapter Seventeen- Tom

My fingers became jittery as they caressed the velvet box back and forth. Today was April and I's one year anniversary, and I had something special planned that could change everything. We've been so steady, and I couldn't do anything to get the public to ever possibly hate her. Hypothetically, if she ended our relationship, people would come at me, asking what horrible thing I did to have her break up with me.
         She never ceases to surprise me, especially when she won over the public so fast, that shocked me the most, especially with how she slapped me at Comic Con. But nowadays, that's ancient history. People only post pictures now of us kissing there to reminisce on our 'first kiss', when April and I don't even count it as that. That kiss she gave me last year at the beach, that was the first one in our book, even though the original is never to be ignored, but is rather laughed at by both of us nowadays.
           I might be moving too fast, but I feel in my heart that this is the right thing to do. I never want to stop being the victim of her out-of-the-blue charms, it's what makes life with her so amazing. I looked around, waiting to see if she had come in. Thankfully, she managed to get an earlier shift at the restaurant she works at so I was sure that she would be coming. 7:05 rolled around and I only became more and more jittery as the seemingly slow seconds passed.
          A minute later she strolled in the restaurant, looking as stunning as ever. I stuffed the box in my pocket upon her arrival so that she wouldn't accidentally see it. She wore a little black dress that was paired with heels that matched. Her hair was tucked in the back of her head loosely yet still remained elegant. Her makeup was done in such a way that it looked beautiful while still appearing natural.
          I stood up in awe of her presence, grabbing her extended hand as she came closer, giving her a kiss. I looked her up and down in shock as we parted, unable to get over how gorgeous she was, even though she was always ravishing in my book.
       "Hey," she greeted joyfully, staring at me with wide, green eyes.
       "Hey," I replied breathlessly, my mouth still a tad open in shock.
       "You look like one of your crazy fangirls when they see you somewhere," she giggled, causing me to do the same while blushing.
        "I just can't take my eyes off you," I smiled, getting her to jokingly gag.
        "Are you Brits always this corny?" she asked in a loud whisper, letting out a grin.
        "Afraid so," I laughed, extending my arm to show her to her chair.
        We sat down and ordered our food soon after, getting lost in our conversations until it arrived. "To us," I grinned, holding up my glass of champagne so she could set hers against it.
       "To us," she beamed, picking up her glass and softly clinking it against mine, both of us taking a sip immediately after.
        ~ ~ ~
        Dessert finally came after an eternity of waiting in my perspective, only making me clamier while trying to pretend everything was normal. Even though I'm an award-winning actor, I'm horrible without a script. My hands became shakier by the second while my heart never stopped beating more than 1,000 beats per second, or at least it felt like it. I barely even touched my piece of cake because I was so focused on April finishing hers because the minute she finished, it was my 'time to shine'.
        She took the last bite, telling me that my moment was fast approaching, only making me more nervous. I cleared my throat, getting her attention as she set her fork on her plate. I looked up from the tablecloth and stared deep into her green eyes that made it hard to not lose my train of thought. She gazed back, a confused look sweeping across her face. I took a deep breath, steadying my shaking hands by forcefully folding them in my lap.
        "April," I started, nearly getting lost in her eyes as they stared back at me with perplexity. "Since the moment I first met you, I knew you were different. We have many...let's just say 'odd' occurrences together, all of them extremely unpredictable. But that's what you do, April. You're a constant tornado of surprises, amazing me with each thing you unexpectedly decide to do. You never cease to shock me, and I've always loved that about you," I told her lovingly, gazing into her welling-up eyes.
        "So, tonight, I thought I'd turn the tables and surprise you," I said warmly, reaching my hand inside my left suit pocket, slowly pulling out the box while I saw her mouth and eyes widen out of the corner of my cornea. I sat up, holding the box out in front of me with both hands, flipping open the top. She let out a loud gasp as she saw the shiny engagement ring, only making me grin wider.
         "April Lynn Justice, will you do the honor of being my constant surprise forever?" I asked, my eyes widening in anticipation as she held her hand over her mouth in shock, looking down at the ring then back at my eyes.
         "YES TOM!" she burst out, grin upon grin sweeping across her lips. "Oh Tom!" she beamed, getting up and running to my side of the table, wrapping me in a hug from behind.
           The whole restaurant erupted in cheers, leaving us both smiling from ear-to-ear.
          "I'm honestly kinda surprised you said yes," I laughed, looking at her face beside mine.
          "And why is that?" she inquired, letting out a grin.
          "Because of how you hated me," I told her honestly while standing up to give her a proper hug, laughing as we entwined our hands.
         "Oh Tom, I may not be one of your screaming fangirl drones but I am most definitely your biggest fan," she grinned, leaning in and giving me a deep, passionate kiss as we heard more shouts of joy around us.
        "CONGRATS MATE!!!" we heard voices yell as they came up next to us, interrupting our kiss.
          I looked behind her and laughed, wondering how I was so stupid to think that they would stay at home and not get involved.
        "Hey guys," April greeted the trio of misfits, causing me to let out an eye roll in their direction.
        "What are you doing here?" I asked in an unbelieving tone while releasing a laugh, staring at the twins and Harrison.
        "We couldn't just stay home while you were out here partying!" Harrison beamed, patting me on the back as April hugged them.
         "Yeah it's a real club over here," I snickered, looking around the timid restaurant.
         "Whatever, we're just so happy for you," Harry grinned as I started to partake in the round of hugs.
         "You haven't even given her the ring yet, mate?" Sam questioned laughingly as I embraced Harrison, looking over his shoulder to see the box still on the table.
        "Oh, right." I smiled, reaching over and grabbing it. I popped it open, letting the four of them gaze at the center diamond. April giggled and held out her hand, gesturing for me to put it on. I grabbed it and slid it on, both of us gazing at each other the whole time after partaking in a celebratory kiss.
         The crowd around us cheered once more, only causing our grins to widen. I've never been fond of people who hated me, no one is. But for some reason, this girl always struck a chord in me that normal critics never have. She never faded from my mind, and I wouldn't let her.
        We were in it for the long haul now, and I hate to break it to all the girls who thought they were going to marry me, but I found someone far from stereotypical. She was someone who I never saw coming, but caused me to be glad when she arrived. That's what makes her unpredictable. That's what makes her her, and I wouldn't want her any other way.