A Bright Future [REGGIE]

[RC Manne]

RC didn't know what to do. He just didn't. One minute he'd been surrounded by his family, getting congratulations, everyone smiling. Then they'd left him for a moment of alone-time with Reggie and now everything was...bad. She was so upset and he just...couldn't figure out why! This was supposed to be happy! RC was so sure she'd be excited, but things had been going so strangely since their first kiss now he didn't even know up from down. All he knew was that something was wrong and he couldn't fix it and it was killing him. He reached out and ran his cool hand over Reggie's arm.

"Reg I just...I don't get it." He asked quietly when she had taken a breath from her mile-a-minute speech. "What's going on?" he paused for a while, his stomach tying in knots. "Did I do something wrong?"

[Reggie Earle]

It was now or never. RC was set to go off to some exotic place without her and she just...she couldn't fathom her future without RC in it. Not the near future anyway. They'd just had their first kiss! He couldn't go away!

Could he?

So there she was, pouring her heart out to him, all her words jumbled into one incoherent sound, just hoping, praying that RC understood and would not leave her.

"I just don't want you to run away to some foreign land just because I kissed you because I can take the kiss back if that meant you'd stay here with me because I don't want you to go and I don't want us to breakup and I don't trust other girls around you because you're perfect and you're mine and I just don't want you to leave me here."

Reggie couldn't even look at RC as her hands turned into different shades of red within a second. She just hoped it was just her hands.

[RC Manne]

Bewildered, RC gently gripped Reggie at her biceps, running his hands soothingly over her as her skin flashed strange colors. "Reg your uh...your colors they're---Wait foreign land?" RC drew back from her, his face screwed up in confusion. Where did she think he was going off to? Sure he wanted to pursue his french, but...foreign land?

He shook his head slowly and put a finger up to her lips, before she off on another launch. "Reggie I'm...I'm not going anywhere." He explained. He smiled slightly, almost laughing nervously as he often did around her. "And if I wanted you to take that kiss back you'd have to make sure I wasn't crazy first because that's just...well it's crazy." RC's smile quieted to a lopsided tick of a grin. "I could never leave you. That's why I accepted the swim scholarship to U.Vermont."

[Reggie Earle]

Though RC's hand on her soothed her a bit, it did not stop her from going on with her tirade. Until that was he actually put a finger up to her lips. She stopped talking and started to breathe.

As RC spoke, Reggie could feel her heart beating even faster than it had when she first started talking. A smile involuntarily crept up her lips when she finally tuned in to the last bits of what RC said.

"You're not going anywhere." Reggie repeated, the smile growing every second.

"You accepted...you're...you're going to U of V. We're..." she paused to think about the implications of having her boyfriend on campus and the smile just about split her face as she jumped up with her arms circling RC's neck and her legs wrapping around RC's torso.

"You're not leaving me." She whispered, burying her face in RC's cold neck. She placed kisses along his neck and jawline before planting one on his lips. Long and hard, she slipped her fingers through his hair, not really quite believing she was going to get to see RC every day.

[RC Manne]

He laughed again, relieved Reggie's face broke once again into her beautiful smile. He stumbled backward and let out a surprised "Woah!" when she jumped him. He latched on to her, for fear of dropping her, and crushed her close. "Gosh, Reggie I'm so--rmph." His eyes flew wide open as she planted one him, a good one on him right in publish. They weren't much for PDA, but the kiss was earning them a few hoots.

When it was done, RC sighed. "G-gee Reg." He stammered, laughing again to let out the butterflies fluttering in his stomach. "I...I guess I was just so excited I forgot to tell you. I'm so sorry."

[Reggie Earle]

There was no care in her mind right then other than the fact that RC was actually staying in Pilot Ridge. That she didn't need to worry about some European chick falling for RC's sweet charm and naivete. That she could hold on to this for a long time without the added burden of distance.

When she parted, she could hear the whoops and hoots. She released RC from her stranglehold and dropped down to the ground and straightened his robe, pushing his hair off his forehead affectionately.

"Don't be sorry. I just...I'm so glad you're staying." Despite her dislike towards PDA, she just...she couldn't keep her hands off RC as one hand cupped RC's cheek.

And then realisation hit her. "I hope you didn't turn down everywhere else just because of me. I don't want you to have given up a huge chance just because I can't imagine you anywhere else but in my...you could still go where you wanted to originally right? I'll...I'll get over the distance if you need to go somewhere else. I mean...I don't want to get over it I just..."

[RC Manne]

RC bit his lip for a moment as Reggie went off again. He shook his head and took her hand. Reaching in his robe, he pulled off a necklace from around his neck. The chain was long and thin, and at the end was a simple silver ring with a bright green gem.

Before she was done ranting, RC bent down on one knee.

"Reg...I don't care about any place else. You are my...you're the number one thing in my life." He smiled down at the ring, small enough to fit on Reggie's finger. "I've had this for a while and I wanted to give it to you as a chastity ring...but now I think. Well I just..."

He took a deep breath and looked up at Reggie. She had always given him strength. She was just always there and he---well he needed her. "I want to be with you the rest of my life, Reggie. No matter what it takes. I know we haven't been together that long, but I've never been so sure of anything and I haven't asked your Dad or your brother or anything yet but I just...I can't wait."

He squeezed her hand. "Reggie, Will you marry me?"

[Reggie Earle]

Reggie was in the middle of her rant when she realised she was no longer talking to RC's chest. She even had to look down a little because RC was on the ground, fiddling with something in his finger that eerily looked like -

Her heart felt like it was about to soar out of its cavity in her body as she tried so very hard to concentrate on RC's words rather than the glinting ring in his hand. The smile on her face once again threatened to split her visage. She knew people were already crowding around them but she couldn't have cared less about them than she was fixated on the look on RC's face.

The last time she saw that look on anybody's face was on her parents. Towards each other. There was no mistaking it. Her eyes burned with the pending tears as she dropped down to her knees and cupped RC's head in her hands. "Baby...I can't imagine anybody else but you in my life anymore. You're my version of perfect and why would I say no to my very own perfection?" She planted kisses first on RC's cold forehead and moved down to his eyelids. She slowly made her way down to his lips before hugging him, burying her face on his neck.

"I will marry you, RC Manne." She whispered against his neck.

[RC Manne]

RC was crying.

Or melting.

But he was probably crying.

He just couldn’t tell, he was so excited and frightened and happy and proud and flattered all at the same time. He crushed Reggie against him and hugged her tightly, never wanting to let go. And now he wouldn’t have to. A crowd had gathered and he didn’t even care.

RC stood up, hauling Reggie with him and sweeping her up in his arms to cradle her against him. “She said yes!” he shouted, beaming like an idiot.

In the crowd of people, many had their camera phones out to take video of the excitement. For those who didn’t have full hands, they clapped and cheered.