Giovanni stood up and stretched, scanning the crowded room. There were perhaps twenty people beside himself, all grinning and partying. That was the point of the get-together, after all. He'd invited them to his apartment for that reason.
"Fifteen 'til the new year!" someone shouted. It was Jerry, a glass of wine sloshing in his hand as he danced with his girlfriend.
A chorus of cheers went up to this. Giovanni himself joined in; it was hard not to. The whole crowd thing… There was always the feeling of being caught up in it.
For once, it didn't seem terrible to be caught up in the crowd. Usually he disliked it, feeling foolish, like a sheep. Tonight he welcomed it, enjoyed it, even. Being part of the group could help to take away problems…
"Gio!" a voice called from somewhere behind him.
A grin spread across his face as he turned around. "Hey, Ashley," he was by her side in an instant, picking her up off of her feet.
It was true that the crowd could chase the shadows away, but Ashley was even better at it. He loved her, honestly and with all of his soul. She was his one love, someone he felt that he could turn to. In fact, she was the only person that he felt he could talk to.
"Put me down! You're hurting me!" Ashley giggled, her emerald eyes sparkling with joy.
"Cry me a river," Giovanni smiled, kissing her firmly.
"My virgin lips!" Ashley gasped when he pulled away, still giggling.
He set her down, his smile spreading. He didn't smile often… Unless he was with her. When he was with her, he felt that he could smile forever. She was sweet, she was funny, and she was caring all at the same time.
"Having fun?" he asked, tilting his head a bit.
"Absolutely," she wrapped her arms around him. "It's a great party." For a moment she stood still, hugging him. Then she seemed to shake herself. "I'd like to introduce you to a friend."
Giovanni laughed as Ashley pulled him towards the kitchen. He nearly tripped over an end table as he followed her, but didn't really mind. Ashley was so enthusiastic… It always got to him, even when he was in one of his classic depressed moods. He loved her for that… Well, that and more.
He'd told her that she could invite a few friends to the party. At first she'd been reluctant to do it. She'd protested that she'd feel as if she were intruding on his party. However, he'd told her quite firmly that she SHOULD invite some of her friends; he'd like to meet them.
After Ashley had realized that Giovanni really had wanted her to invite friends, she'd complied eagerly. So far, Giovanni had known everyone who Ashley had brought along. All three had gone to their high school. Charlene, Valerie, and Janet had been friends with Ashley since before Giovanni had started dating with her, and having them there made the whole party feel even more familiar.
The young woman whom Ashley led Giovanni to was an unfamiliar one. She wore blue jeans, a blue shirt, and had a necklace with a glittering blue sapphire around her neck. "I see a pattern here," Giovanni thought, though it did look right with the woman. She had a humorous, amused face that reminded Giovanni of someone he had known.
"Good evening Madame," he bowed before her, mocking a knight's. Ashley and her friend giggled, and Giovanni stood. "May I inquire as to what your name is?"
" 'Madame' works for me," the woman said, her eyes glittering.
"All right then," Giovanni grinned. "Madame." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Long days and pleasant nights."
This time Ashley lost it, and stumbled out of the kitchen laughing. Giovanni looked after her fondly, than turned to the woman. "Please excuse me, Madame. My fair lady seems to have lost her head. I do hope that you enjoy yourself."
He dashed out of the room, feeling slightly giddy. His eyes darted around, searching for Ashley. When he didn't find her, he stepped over to the refreshment table. The table was a mess after four hours of a party, but the basics were still there.
Giovanni took two glasses and filled them with wine from a half-full bottle, than set the bottle next to a couple of empty ones. He picked up the glasses, and restarted his search for his beloved.
She wasn't in the kitchen, and she wasn't in the living room. That left the bathroom and the bedroom. Giovanni started over to the short hallway to check the rooms.
He waved absently to the people he'd invited over, concentrating on finding Ashley. She was the best part of everything… He wanted to find her.
Why was it that people could become swallowed up in crowds, even if the crowds were small? The crowds seemed to devour people, to hide them in their masses. It was a crazy thought, but it seemed true. On any other day, he could've found Ashley quickly and easily.
He wanted to find her quickly. He [I]needed[/I] to find her quickly. It sounded strange, but he needed to find her, to be with her…
It wasn't that he was using her as a drug against the world's darkness. At least, he hoped not. He didn't ever want to abuse her like that. He hoped strongly that he would never abuse her in any way.
Giovanni wasn't exactly a romantic… far from it. He didn't buy that happy love shit… Though he believed that there was love. Only between certain people, but when it was felt, it was strong. Love was what compelled. Love could, maybe, save.
He shook his head swiftly. Maybe what he needed was some more wines… A party wasn't the time to get into deep thoughts.
Ashley wasn't in the bedroom, and the bathroom was occupied. Maybe she was in there…
He considered knocking, and then remembered the glasses in his hands. He also considered asking if it was her, but… Well, if it wasn't her, he'd feel like an asshole. It was stupid, but he didn't want to make an ass of himself at the moment.
He leaned against the wall by his bedroom, waiting for the door to open. He hoped Ashley was in there. If it was her, he'd have found her, and he knew that he'd be relieved.
The door opened and… Damn. It was just Jerry.
"Hey, man," Jerry waved, zipping his pants up.
Giovanni raised an eyebrow, and then followed Jerry back out into the living room. Where in the hell, or rather, the apartment, was Ashley?
For a quick moment, the idea that she had left crossed his mind. As soon as it did, he felt angry with himself. Ashley wouldn't leave without saying anything; that was foolery. It was… It was almost disloyalty.
"Stop being stupid," he thought, looking around. She was there somewhere… Had to be.
Suddenly, it struck him. No wonder he hadn't found her; she wasn't inside.
Giovanni crossed the living room quickly, still holding the glasses of wine. He wanted some, but he'd wait for Ashley. As he was passing the couch, Jerry was flopping down, announcing that there were only three minutes until the new year.
He reached the side of the room opposite the doorway which led to the hall, and stood in front of the sliding glass doors for a moment. Ashley was standing on the balcony, her back to him. Her hair blew slightly in the little bit of wind that was flowing outside, making her look even more beautiful, outlined against the darkness…
Resolutely, Giovanni slid the door open and stepped out. The balcony wasn't overly large, though it was big enough to set a few chairs in. Those were inside for the party, however, so the balcony was empty… except for he and Ashley.
Giovanni closed the door behind him quietly. It was warm outside, especially for January. He barely felt a chill, and he was wearing a tee-shirt. It WAS somewhat normal… They never actually got snow in Vermillion. Not that he cared. He was just glad to be out of Viridian.
"Hey, Ashley," He walked over to her and handed her one of the glasses.
Ashley looked up at him, smiling. "Sorry I left," she apologized, sounded completely sincere. "I needed some air."
"Understandable," he nodded, taking a drink of the wine. It didn't taste great, but it felt good. There was a metaphor in there somewhere… He didn't bother to think about it at the moment.
Ashley took a drink of her own wine, and they both continued to look over the balcony. The ocean was nearby, glittering beautifully in the moonlight. Giovanni loved the view he got from the balcony; he'd gotten lucky, that was for sure.
The new year was coming… He checked his watch and saw that there were a mere two minutes until the current year would be over.
Suddenly, he felt a nervous shock that he'd been subconsciously waiting for all evening. The new year was soon… Christ, how had it come so fast?
He'd been thinking about this for a long time… Was it right? He'd thought so. This was the first time he'd felt nervous about it…
Hell, this was the first time he'd felt nervous about anything since… Well, probably since he'd heard his father and brother fighting five years ago. He simply didn't get nervous normally. It wasn't in his character.
He was nervous now, though. He was sweating, for Christ's sake…
Ashley looked at him. "Are you okay?" she asked, kissing him lightly.
He relaxed slightly with the kiss. "Yeah… I'm cool," he said, taking another drink of the wine and looking back into the night.
The time was ticking away… What would she say? He didn't think she'd laugh, but what if she did? What if she rejected him? The worst-case scenarios that flitted through his mind were numerous and almost frightening.
He hated those scenes. Hated thinking like that. Why did he do it? He tried to calm himself and, though it was incredibly difficult, managed to do so… To an extent.
Giovanni had made a resolution, and he intended to keep it. It'd been thought up before the new year had actually arrived, but that was all right. All that mattered was that he did it.
"Have to keep control," he thought, noticing that the hand he was using to hold the wine glass was shaking slightly.
He took another drink of the wine, trying to calm himself. "Composition," he thought. He couldn't lose his head. Couldn't, couldn't, couldn't.
How could he be so nervous? Damnit, how the hell could he be nervous? Ashley was looking at him with concern. "Are you sure you're okay, Gio?" she asked cautiously.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he tried to smile, though the attempt felt as if it fell flat of sincerity. Of course it did; he hadn't been sincerely smiling. It was difficult to smile when he was so damn nervous.
Suddenly, from inside, cheers broke out. Shouts of 'Happy New Year!' resounded gleefully. Giovanni could hear everyone scrambling around, clinking glasses, congratulating, and hugging. Usually he would've thought it was crazy. At that point in time, however, he had something more important to think about.
"Ashley," he began, gathering his courage and turning to her.
She looked at him, her eyes glittering with ever more beauty in the soft light of the night. He felt something click in his throat, and he set his glass down on the railing. "I made a resolution," he said, making an effort not to twitch.
"What is it?" she asked, perfectly honest, sounding as if it were all that mattered to her.
Giovanni reached into his pocket, closing his hand over the small box that he had put there earlier. At least he hadn't lost it… That much was good. "Well…" he began, feeling uncertain.
For a moment, he thought that he wouldn't be able to do it. Then he looked into her eyes, and knew that yes, he could do it. Resolutely, he grabbed the box and pulled it out of his pocket.
Raising his head and leveling his eyes with Ashley's, he slowly extended his arm toward her. She looked at him curiously. "Gio… what are you doing?"
"Ashley… I wanted to ask you something…" he said, stumbling over the words. He felt ridiculous, but somehow he knew it was all right.
He opened his hand, palm up, allowing the mahogany box with its soft, velvety cover to rest upward in his palm. Ashley stared at it for a moment, and Giovanni slowly opened the box.
Sitting inside was the ring he had purchased the day before. It had a brilliant, shining band of a golden color, and a small, deep green stone. The stone was an emerald… It had cost quite a bit, but he'd been willing to spend it.
Giovanni took the ring and slipped it onto Ashley's finger. The woman hadn't said anything yet, but somehow Giovanni wasn't worried anymore. "I wanted to if you would marry me."
For a moment Ashley only stared at him, speechless. He let her take her time; maybe it was better if she did. He could only wait and hope, wait and hope…
"Gio…" she said quietly, as if she were struggling to speak. "Gio… I…"
He stared at her, willing her to say 'yes', hoping she would accept. He didn't push, though, didn't say anything. He waited…
"Yes!" she finally said, flinging her arms around him. "Gio, of course!"
Giovanni's face broke into a wide grin again and he held her even more tightly. "Ashley, I love you."
"I love you," she said, still sounding somewhat shocked and extraordinarily happy.
They kissed again, and this time Giovanni felt that there was more to it than simple affection. This time it felt binding, as if it would hold the two of them together forever.
