Chapter 28: On the Stroke of Twelve

Tinkerbell was wriggling wildly in my arms. She was attempting to find an escape route out into the snow. I strengthened my grip on her. I heard the snow crunch below my feet as I made my way over to the Chandler house. The wind was especially chilly today. Tinkerbell nuzzled further into my arm, using me as a shield against the blustering breeze. The body heat emitting from her provided me with a bit of warmth.

Tinkerbell was a sweetheart and Luke had better love her right. I almost didn’t want to give her up. She was a cuddly furball who refused to sleep in her makeshift bed in the living room. Tinkerbell somehow ended up in my bed, snoring the night away in my ear. She would crawl under the covers and flop her body onto mine. When I woke up the first night, I was afraid I had crushed her. I was relieved when her eyes opened and she licked my face. Her morning doggy breath reeked. I pushed her away and told her to go drink some water. She happily wagged her tail, did a potty dance, and waited for me to take her out. I did so immediately.

Knocking on the door was no easy task while holding an energetic pug with one arm, a weak one I might add. I heard the clatter of chains being undone before the door opened. “Good morning, Charlotte,” Mr. Chandler greeted. “You’re up awfully early.”

“It’s ten o’clock.”

“Whoops. Sorry. I guess Luke just sleeps in and I think that’s the teenage norm.”

“It is the teenage norm,” I said.

“Ah, I get it. You’re just not normal.”

I nodded. “That’s exactly it, Mr. Chandler.”

He stepped aside to make room for me. I thanked him graciously. “So that’s our new dog, huh?” he asked, nodding towards Tinkerbell.

“Her name’s Tinkerbell,” I whispered in case Luke was awake and within hearing distance. I wanted to keep her a surprise for as Iong as I could. “She’s a cutie.”

“I can see that. I like the bow.”

I added a red bow to her collar for appearance purposes. There almost always was a bow on the said animal when they were being gifted. It only seemed right to follow in Hollywood’s footsteps. Besides, she looked adorable in it.

“Is Luke still sleeping?”

“Most likely. Either that or he’s containing himself in there so he doesn’t have to do chores.” Both possibilities were very Luke-like.

“I’ll go check. Either way, he’ll be awake within ten minutes.”

Mr. Chandler laughed. “All right then. Tell him to take out the trash for me, will you?”

"Will do."

Once outside his door, I cracked it open just wide enough so Tinkerbell could walk through and attack his face with wet kisses. I pressed my ear against the door, not that I needed to to hear him scream.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

“What the--”

I pushed the door open, a huge grin spreading across the lower hemisphere of my face.

He pointed his finger at me accusingly. “You.”

I did a one-shoulder shrug, as if to say I was guilty. “Me!”

He tried to retain his ornery mood. “You brought this demon to wake me.”

“Merry Christmas, Luke!”

“She’s mine?” he stammered, looking uncertainly at her.

“She is now.”

“I don’t know...I can’t have someone messing with my beauty sleep each day.”

I rolled my eyes, flopping down onto the bed. I ruffled his already-messy hair. “You’re already beautiful,” I cooed. “Besides, you have to wake up for school.”

“Ugh. School,” he grumbled.

“Only five more months.”

“Counting the days.”

“You should stop that. It’ll go by much slower if you mark it off on a calendar.”

He yawned and rubbed his eyes. “I’m not actually counting, Charlie. Do you know how much work that would be?”

“Right. Your energy should be vested in giving Tinkerbell the best home possible.”

“Tinkerbell? That’s her name? Did you name her?”

“No! But I wish I had,” I laughed. “Aw, don’t be like that. It’s a cute name.”

“Maybe for a girl!”

“Tinkerbell is a girl.”

“But I’m not.”

“It’s not that girly, Luke. What did you want to name her? Fluffy?”

“Maybe.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but she’s not fluffy.” I patted my legs. “Come here, Tink.” She jumped on my lap obediently and gave my hand a couple of licks. I scratched her head lightly, snuggling her. “Isn’t she adorable?”

Luke shrugged. I handed her off to him. “I guess she is.”

“You’ll learn to love her. I bet she’ll capture your heart by tomorrow.”

“I bet she won’t.”

“Don’t be so grumpy.”

“I’m not grumpy.”

“Fine. Don’t be so stubborn.”

“I learned it from the best.”

“Eeyore?”

“No, stupid. You.”

I pushed him. “You’re a jerk.”

“But you love it.”

I shrugged. “I could do without it.”

“So am I supposed to get her food or something?”

“Eventually, but there’s still some in the bag I bought. I’ll bring it over later. You’ll need to get her doggy bowls, though. I’ll even go to the store and help you pick them out! Wouldn’t it be so cute if we got Tinkerbell ones?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled. “So cute.”

I hated to make the comparison, but I couldn’t help it. The scene had ran through my head a billion times before. It was like we were shopping for home furniture or something along those lines. In my mind, it was picturesque and something that all married couples went through eventually. Instead, we would be shopping for Tinkerbell, his dog, not ours.

“Do you want to go to Target or support our community?” I asked.

“Whatever doesn’t break the bank!”

“Target it is.”

***

“Luke, would you stop? That is a bowl, not a hat.”

A goofy grin stretched across his face. “Come on, Charlie. It’s funny! It’s like a bowler hat.”

I clapped and remarked sarcastically, “You are such a comedian.”

He took a bow. “Thank you. Thank you. You may hold your applause.”

“It’s a little too late for that, Luke.” I snatched the bowl from his head, setting it back on the shelf. “It’s a good thing you don’t have lice.”

He shrugged. “They could just wash it.”

“But who’s going to want to buy it? Who’s going to want to come back here after there’s lice there?”

“Those are all rhetorical questions, Charlie. I don’t have lice.” He did a dramatic hair flip. “My hair is too beautiful for those dirty little creatures.”

“You’re delusional.”

“I’m confident.”

“You can be confident and delusional at the same time, Luke.”

“Maybe, but the ladies dig it.”

“I bet they don’t dig lice.”
“Then it’s a good thing I don’t have lice, isn’t it?”

I ignored his comment. “I don’t see any Tinkerbell dog bowls.”

“What a shame.”

I slapped his shoulder, glowering at him. “It is!”

“No, I know! I’m agreeing with you, Charlie.”

“No you’re not! You’re being facetious.”

He blinked. “What?”

“Never mind.”

“Charlie…”

“What about this one?” I proposed.

Luke wrinkled his nose. “We’re not a hippie family. Get those rainbows away from me.”

“Okay. Do you like the stripes? Keep in mind that this is a dog bowl, not a prom dress.”

“I am not a girl.”

“You’re sure acting like one.”

“You know, Charlie, I’m going to take that as a compliment. You take pride in your gender, right?”

“Yes…”

He smirked. “I’ll take this one.”

It was red with a white bone pattern. He picked two up and went to the self-check out. “Why don’t you go to a normal checkout? You’d be supporting humans over robots.”

“It’s faster and it’s not like they’re going to get fired if I don’t go to them.”

“But--”

“Do you have to argue with me on every single thing?”

“Sorry.” I bit my lip and for the most part decided I would be quiet.

“It’s okay. Do you think my mom has a label maker? I’d like to label them food and water.”

“Why are you asking me?”

“I don’t know. I just thought you’d know.”

“I actually think she does. But why use a boring label maker when you can go DIY on that thing and make it look snazzy!”

“That seems like a lot of work, Charlie…”

“I’ll help you! I think it’d be fun.”

He looked at me for a moment before giving in. He sighed. “Okay.”

“Can we stop at the craft store?”

“Why not?”

“Stop being a whiny baby.”

“Stop being my mother.”

“If I was your mother, I’d be sleeping with your father.”

He scrunched his nose and made a face. “Ew, gross. Let’s not talk about that ever again. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

After taking a “quick” stop at the craft store, we headed towards my house. We wouldn’t have the distraction or the trouble that came with an attention-loving Tinkerbell. We set up camp in the living room.

“Can we watch football?”

“Since when did you watch sports?”

He shrugged. “Since never.”

“We’re watching Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.”

He groaned. “Why?”

“You know I love it.” It was my guilty pleasure. Alana was just so adorably redneck-y that I couldn’t not love it.

“Whatever. Let’s get started. Wait. Can we have snacks?”

“It won’t take that long, Luke. You decided to go the easy way and buy stickers.”

“Then what was the point of going to your house?”

“I don’t know. Less walking for me?” I offered. I tossed him a sheet of pet-related pictures. “Go crazy.”

“Hey. How come I didn’t get the Disney one?” he complained.

I held them out. “Take them.”

He shook his head. “It’s okay. I didn’t want them.”

A low growl escaped my throat. “You’re an idiot.”

He had a couple of stickers on his bowl. “Stick it up, Charlie. You’re falling behind.”

Pretty soon, it had becoming a competition. “I won!” Luke whooped, pointing mockingly at me. “I am the ultimate champion.”

I looked at him accusingly. “But yours looks sloppy.”

“Yours doesn’t look much better,” he retorted.

Luke wasn’t wrong. Both bowls looked like they were handled by a sticker-happy child. In a way, they were, but they looked worse than before. “Yeah. These look stupid.”

“Want to take them off?”

“First one with the sticker completely off wins.”

“On your mark…” he started.

“Get set…”

“Go!” we chorused.

What can I say? Old habits never die.

***

It was rude of me to invite myself over to Tyler’s, but it was also rude to try and take someone’s virginity. I thought we were far from even, but I was trying to level out the playing field. “Come on! Give me your address.”

His voice was gruff and husky. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Let’s just meet up at a neutral location.”

“Tyler, I’m not a stranger you met at an online chat room. You know me.”

“Maybe I don’t.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Maybe the real Charlotte is being held hostage right now and being forced to say this right now.”

“Why would I need to go to your house if i was were being held hostage?”

“I don’t know. Some girl might be obsessed with me.”

“Tyler.”

“You could be that girl.” He chuckled.

“I’m not that girl!”

“Then why do you need to know my address?” he challenged.

“I have your present!”

“You already told me that.”

“Then why’d you ask?”

“I don’t know.”

“Fine. I’ll look it up in the phonebook.” I marched to the kitchen, opened the drawer that contained the enormous stalker book, and found the “B” section.

“You won’t find it.”

“Why not?”

“No home phone.”

I scowled. Technology really had its disadvantages. “You suck.”

“So where do you want to go? I’m in the mood for a burger.”

“You mean from Burger King?”

“Do I seem like the type of person who wants a burger that smells like crayons? No. We’re getting some real meat.”

“I’ll pick you up.”

“Nice try, Summers. I’ll meet you there.”

“Where?”

“Burger King.”

He abruptly ended the call without another word. Grabbing his present, which I had stuffed inside a cardboard box so I could wrap it prettily, I drove to Burger King. I parked next to him. When I got there, he was in the corner booth pigging out on four different kinds of burgers. I ordered a double cheeseburger, a medium fry, and a vanilla shake before joining him.

“It’s about time,” he muttered. “You’re late.”

“We never agreed on a designated time!”

“Then you’re a slow driver.”

“I was going the speed limit.”

Holding the fry like a cigarette and winking, he said, “Exactly.”

“You’re such an outlaw.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“I’m not a virgin anymore,” I mentioned casually.

He raised an eyebrow. “No?”

“Nope.” I took a sip of the shake. It was difficult to make it look classy because it was thick. I ended up slurping it, which probably ruined the effect.

“Hm. Who’s the lucky guy? Luke?”

“I don’t kiss and tell.”

“Who says you kissed him?”

“Who says I didn’t?”

“You’re a first class liar, Summers.”

“I’m not a liar!”

He held up his hand, as if to tell me to stop and listen to him. “First, you’re a bad liar. You’re stammering like crazy, your face is red, and you do that weird lip thing whenever you lie.”

I suddenly felt self-conscious when Tyler mentioned my attributes. It also made me more aware of the fact that he actually paid attention.

“Second, if you were going to lose it to anyone, it’d be me or Chandler.”

“Why not Ian?”

“The only reason Chandler is on the list is because you two are close.”

“So if we weren’t, you’d be my only option?”

“Maybe not the only option, but definitely the one that would win you over. And if you two weren’t close, your cherry would be popped.”

He was so blunt about it. It made me somewhat uncomfortable. I squirmed in my seat, eating my food at a faster rate than before.

“But since you are, it’s still intact in that milkshake of yours.” He made a bold move by reaching over and taking the maraschino cherry out with fingers. He popped it in his mouth, swallowing it satisfyingly. “But it’ll be mine before you know it.”

I cringed at the unnerving sight. “You’re an arrogant, disgusting pig. Are you spending time with Ian, by any chance?”

“Tell me something I don’t know. And no, I do not usually associate myself with the other players.”

It sickened me that even they referred to themselves as “players”.  I thought it was just everybody else, but I guess not. It was the first time I really even thought of it as inhumane. It was immoral, definitely, but it was basically rape with pressured permission. I vowed to never let myself give in to that sort of persuasion.

“You have horrible taste in seating. The trash can is so far away.”

“It’s like two feet away. The trash doesn’t smell.”

“There is no view from this window.”

“Who goes to Burger King to look at the view? Besides, at least we have a window. You could have an aisle seat.”

“What?”

“It’s a plane reference.”

“When have you been on a plane?”

“Never, but everybody knows what that is. Did you come here to nag me, Summers?”

“Oh! I almost forgot.” I slid the gift across the table. “Open it.”

“No, I think I’ll just keep it closed.”

I gave him a look.

“I’m joking.”

I sighed. “I know. Open it!”

“Geez, you’d think there was a diamond in here or something.” He ripped of the wrapping paper and tore open the flaps on the box. He stared blankly at the contents. I was beginning to think that his present was a silly and childish idea. “What is this, Charlotte?”

“Do you remember when we were talking about pirates?”

“No.”

“Oh. Well we did. So I picked up some pirate goodies for you!”

“Am I supposed to say that I like it?”

I looked down dolefully as my heart dropped. “I guess you don’t have to.”

I felt a tap on my hand. It was clumsy. “Thanks, Charlotte. It means a lot that you would think of me during the holidays.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re welcome, Tyler.”

I noticed that he was smooth when it came to cold, heartless things like the game and making fun of me, but he wasn’t so experienced in the actual feelings field. I think heartfelt things scared him.

“I, uh, I got you something.”

I cocked my head to the side, a faint smile appearing on my face. “You did?” I wasn’t expecting him to get me anything.

He nodded. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. “It’s not in the prettiest packaging, actually it’s not in any packaging, but I hope you like it.”

He presented it to me in his burly hands. His hands were still, steady, and ready to catch the gift if it showed any sign of instability. He was being tediously cautious. Resting in his palms was a golden rose that dangled from a golden chain. The simplicity left me breathless and I still found it beyond sophisticated. “Wow, Tyler…”

“Go on. Take it.”

My hand slowly made its way over to his, grabbing the chain lightly with my fingertips. I let my thumb brush over the dips and curves of the flower. “It’s beautiful. Where did you get it?”

“It was my mother’s.”

My face fell and I immediately extended my arm to give it back to him. “I can’t accept this, Tyler,” I stuttered.

“Why not?” The scrunching of his face showed signs of disappoint and he was clearly offended.

“Because it was your mom’s!”

“Well, now it’s yours. It’s a gift, Charlotte. It’s common courtesy to accept it.”

Feeling like I had no choice, I retracted my arm, murmuring, “Thank you.”

The faintest hint of a smile formed. “You’re welcome. Do you want help putting it on?”

I nodded. Necklaces were a pain. Whoever invented the little latch was an idiot. Why couldn’t they just put metallic velcro or something child-friendly or idiot-proof? Maybe it was a twisted way of separating the nimble-fingered and the clumsy ones. It was like a subtle version of survival of the fittest. Or maybe it just gave guys an excuse to check out a girl’s back.

I felt the lower part of his palm brush over my neck, his short fingernails scraping lightly against the nape. I found it amusing that he was fumbling with the clasp, as he was probably an expert when it came to unfastening bras. The very thought of that sent tingles through my body. I wasn’t sure if they were good or bad.

“Thank you.”

He laughed. “No problem, Summers.”

***

I was never going to get used to the lavish gifts, extravagant dinners, and the limo that showed up in front of my house. Riding in the limo was a completely different ordeal. Ian played in an entirely different game. Unlike the other two, he had money to blow and he didn’t care because he was never going to be milked dry. I bet his family could live for generations without holding a job and still be better off than the majority of American citizens.

I opened the door to reveal Ian holding a bouquet of poinsettias and white lilies. “Merry Christmas!” he chirped.

“Christmas is over, Ian.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t still celebrate!”

I gestured to the flowers. “Are those for me?”

“Oh, yeah.” He handed them to me. “Enjoy!”

Instinct made me take a whiff of them.

“Geez, Charlotte. It’s not like they’re freshly made cookies.”

“Why? Do you have those too?”

He shook his head, laughing. “We can get some.”

I smiled. “Thanks.”

Was it wrong and a gold-diggerish to use him for his money? Likely. But just as it was with Tyler, Ian was using me to gain a stupid title and bragging rights. I would like to think that he would reflect on this later in his life, maybe when he was married, and see it as immature and a waste of time. Because in my eyes, it was. At least he would say that this was a unique experience, regardless if he was tied with four other people. I just hoped he would never have to go through something like this with his daughter being the victim. He’d  really feel the remorse and shame then.

“I’m assuming you have a surprise in store for us.”

“Your assumption would be correct,” he said. “I’m assuming you want to know what it is.”

“Eventually, but I like the suspense.”

He raised an eyebrow doubtfully. “Really. I find that incredibly shocking. You’ve mislead me in the past.”

“It’s the Christmas spirit. It hasn’t died out yet.”

“Well, in that case, are you ready to go?”

“I have to ask my dad first.”

“What are you waiting for?”

“Right. I’ll do that now. Do you want to come inside? It’s cold outside.” I felt a pang of guilt for not offering him the option earlier.

He nodded gratefully and closed the door behind him. I abandoned him and ran up the stairs to ask my father if I could go on a date. “Sure, I guess. I don’t really know why you’re encouraging this behavior if you’re condoning it.”

“It’s complicated.”

He waved his hand. “Be back before dark and pick me up a hot chocolate.”

“Thanks, Dad!”

“And be safe!”

“I will.”

“And come back with your virginity!”

“Dad!”

“I’m just looking out for you.”

“I’m not going to have sex.”

“You better not. I’m actually surprised you’ve lasted that long.”

I placed my hand on my hip. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m joking! I know I raised you well. Now go have fun.”

“But not too much fun, right?”

“Right.”

I grabbed my coat and shuffled down the stairs. Ian was there with his hands stuffed in his pockets, dutifully waiting for me. He looked up and smiled. “Hey.”

I couldn’t help but mirror his expression. “I’m ready now.”

He opened the door, ushering me through it. His chauffeur was standing on the curb, waiting obediently to drive us to Ian’s undisclosed location. Once in the car, Ian’s chauffeur called out, “Don’t be rude, Mr. Jameson. Offer the young lady a beverage.”

Ian rolled his eyes. “Do you want something to drink?”

“What do you have?”

“Rum.”

I laughed. “Anything non-alcoholic?”

“Warm or cool?”

My reply was automatic. “Warm.”

“Coffee or hot chocolate?”

“Is that even a question? Hot chocolate!”

He filled a styrofoam cup up and offered me whipped cream. I was in no position to turn down such light and fluffy topping. He placed the lid on so I wouldn’t spill it. He got one for himself. Between sipping the scalding drinks and deflecting Ian’s pickup lines, we arrived at our destination in what seemed like no time.

“What is this place?”

All I saw was a small stable and what looked like a cottage not too far from where the limo stopped. Other than that, all there was were trails covered in snow. “They call it the Cinderella Stables,” Ian answered. “And you’ll see why in a second.”

He took my hand, leading me towards the the cottage. It looked like it was some sort of office building. Cinderella Stables was in sparkly white curly letters above the door. A woman in her mid-thirties was sitting behind a desk, scribbling on a pad of paper. She looked up when the bell above the door rang. “Ah, Mr. Jameson. I was wondering if you would ever show up or not.”

“I’m not that late, am I?”

“About twenty minutes behind schedule,” she chittered.

“That’s not a problem, is it?”

“Well, you have about forty minutes left.”

Ian looked around the office and stared into her eyes. “I don’t see anyone waiting for a ride. I think we can have our full time. After all, I paid in advanced.”

“I’m sorry, sir. It’s against company policy. They’re very strict.”

Ian was beginning to look enraged. I don’t think he’s ever been turned down before. “Your boss does not have to know. It’s just another twenty minutes.”

“It’s more now. You’re wasting time. I advise you to go now before you have to book another session.”

Ian nodded. “We’re ready.”

“I’ll have someone out front in five minutes.”

“Thank you.” Ian led me out, feeling bitter.

Trotting up to the path were two white horses pulling an ornate looking carriage. A young woman was handling it, bringing the horses to a halt. She was blonde, wearing a red peacoat, and had an enormous smile upon her face. “Sorry about my mom,” she said, as if she knew what went down in the building. She nodded her head back to the seats. “Hop on.”

Ian lifted me up, like the gentleman he almost never was. The girl introduced herself as Emily. She didn’t inquire about our tardiness like her mother. We went at a steady pace down the trail, Emily quiet and Ian’s hand intertwined in mine. Ten minutes or so into the ride, my head was nestled in the crook of his neck. Before that happened, I tried to push all of my hair to my other shoulder so he wouldn’t be forced to have a hair sandwich. It was almost like a fairy tale, although the carriage was the big part of that. I didn’t even know a carriage place existed around here. Except for movies and weddings, carriages had been obsolete in my mind.

“How did you find this place? It’s so out of the way.”

“My parents. My mom’s a huge romantic and my dad took her on a lot of dates here.” He chuckled to himself. “She fell head over heels for him each time they visited.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “That’s really sweet.”

He nodded. “My mom thought so. My dad would take her there whenever he he did something wrong to make up for it.”

“Are you serious?”

He nodded again. “He wants to make sure she doesn’t file for divorce. It’d be messy and would ruin his and the company’s reputation. He tries to brand himself as a family man.”

I remembered Ian saying something about that. “And he’s actually succeeding?”

“I guess so. No one’s really talking about it. But enough about my poor excuse for a dad and let’s talk about some happier things.”

“Well, how was your Christmas?”

“You know, big tree, presents, family. The usual. How about you?”

“It was just Dad and I. We don’t have a huge tree, but it’s enough for our presents to fit under it. It’s decorated with ornaments that I made in school. I think only a couple are store-bought. He threw one out whenever I brought one home.”

“He sounds sentimental.”

“I guess he sort of is. What about you? Any childhood decorations?”

He shook his head. “Mom likes everything to be picture perfect, especially her decorations. I’m sure the ones I’ve made are in a box somewhere.”

“That’s so sad.”

He shrugged. “Maybe one day I’ll take them out and put them on a small tree of my own.”

“That’s a good idea. You should do that next year.”

“Maybe I will. But I’ll be in college then.”

“Oh. I forgot that we were graduating this year.”

“You seem depressed about that,” he noticed. “Why so?”

“I don’t even know what I want to do with my life, Ian.”

“So go undecided.”

“I still need decide which college I want to go. I already applied, but it’s nerve wracking. I bet you have it all figured out.”

“I’m supposed to take over the family business.”

“But you don’t want to.”

“No, but I guess I really don’t have a choice. My SAT and ACT scores weren’t that good.”

“And I’m guessing you don’t have a 4.0?”

“Lost it freshman year.”

“You can still get into a college.”

“I know I can. That’s not the problem. The problem is finding a job that I’ll enjoy.”

“You’ll find something, Ian. I’m sure of it.”

“You’re also sure you won’t lose your virginity.” He winked.

I threw my head back and groaned. “And we were having such a nice conversation.”

Ian shrugged. “It has to end sometime. Oh! I almost forgot your present.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a black ring box.

“Please tell me that’s not an engagement ring.”

He paused. “Rejecting a guy before he asked. That’s cold, Charlotte.”

“Ian!”

“No, it’s not an engagement ring, you fool. Although, if it were, would you have sex with me?”

“If we were married, I guess.”

“Hm, interesting. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’m not going to marry you, Ian.”

“Not yet. You’ll see, Charlotte. Your last name will be Jameson before you know it.”

“Charlotte Jameson?”

“It has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it?”

“Sure, Ian. Sure.”

He handed the box to me. “Merry Christmas.”

I opened the lid, hearing the quiet pop of the hinges. It seemed as if the go-to gift for girls was jewelry, but I had nothing against it. A pair of diamond and sapphire earrings were resting on the velvety cushion that was glued to the box. They sparkled as the sun’s rays touched them. I welcomed the glitter. “This must’ve cost you a fortune.”

“Do you like them?”

“They’re beautiful.”

“That doesn’t answer my question. Do you like them?”

“Of course I do! Why wouldn’t I?”

He shrugged. “Some girls aren’t into that kind of stuff.”

I almost slapped myself when I realized I had left Ian’s present at home. “Sorry. Your present’s at home.”

“I wasn’t expecting anything.”

“Well I got you something.”

“What is it?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I said mischievously.

“ I would!”

“This is how I feel every single time we go on a date!”

“So how does it feel to have the upperhand?”

I grinned. “It feels pretty great.”

He pulled me in closer. “You feel pretty great.”

“It never stops, does it?”

“Never ever.”

 I was unsure if the carriage had turned back into a pumpkin or if my fairy tale was still beginning.