"No!" Brian screamed, jerking up surrounded by pitch blackness. The darkness was banished by a lamp clicking on.
"Brian what’s the matter? Oh, what happened, your shaking." Stephanie asked, suddenly awakened by her boyfriend next to her. He looked over at her as if she were a ghost.
"Stephanie? Oh God, you’re here. I love you so much." He suddenly embraced her, squeezing her body to his. She hugged him back, stroking his hair softly.
"What happened, Brian? Why are you shaking, Baby?" She asked again, pulling back to look at him.
"I had a really realistic nightmare and it was terrifying… and…" Brian faded out, caressing her face as if he hadn’t seen her in a ten thousand lifetimes. He kissed her sweet mouth unhurriedly, not wanting to part with her again.
"It’s okay Baby, it’s over. I’m right here." Stephanie soothed, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the sheets of his waterbed.
"Please, don’t leave me… don’t ever leave me again…" He sobbed onto her shoulder, keeping her as close to him as possible.
"Baby, I’m not going to leave you. Calm down okay. What happened in the dream to make you so upset?" She asked in a soft voice, kissing the top of his head. She felt him barely tremble and pulled his face up to hers.
"I was a vampire and we met each other at a party and fell in love, and you got pregnant and then Lou Pearlman killed you and I killed him…" He started shaking harder, tears running down his cheeks in tiny rivers.
"Baby it was just a dream. I’m right here. I guess we shouldn’t watch ‘Interview with a Vampire and Bram Stoker’s Dracula at bed time anymore. Do need something to drink?" Stephanie smiled at him sweetly, kissing his nose. His mouth was dry and his throat was scratchy but he shook his head, refusing to let her away from him again. "Okay, then let’s try to get a little more sleep, it’s only 4:30. Okay?"
Brian nodded and laid back down in his waterbed, pulling her with him. She reached over and switched off the lamp, then snuggled close to his bare chest.
"Baby?" he asked softly.
"Mmm…"
"I love you."
"I love you, too Brian." She smiled, strifling a yawn and kissed his neck softly. She closed her eyes and started to drift off to sleep.
"Baby?" Brian murmured, knowing he would find sleep any more that night.
"Yeah?"
"Marry me." He smiled when Stephanie sat up suddenly.
"What?" She whispered in disbelief.
"Marry me. I wanna love you forever and start a family with you and stay in your arms every night." Brian whispered into the dark sitting up with her and coaxing her to him. He kissed her sweetly over her face until finding her lips.
"Yes, I will. I will marry you. I already know I’m gonna love you forever." Stephanie replied, hugging him tightly. Brian grabbed the remote to his c.d. player and hit play on the first track of the c.d.. Jessica Simpson’s high voice filtered into the room.
You set my soul at ease,
Chase darkness out of view,
Put your desperate spell on me,
Say you feel it too,
I know you do…
They laid back on the bed and made love to ‘I Wanna Love You Forever’ until the sun came up, a first time for them both.
***~~**~~***
"Oh my God! I can’t believe he asked you! Congratulations!" Theresa hugged Stephanie tightly.
"I know, it surprised me too. He just woke up from a bad dream the other night and asked me to marry him. Then we…" Stephanie drifted off, watching the guys walk in, Lisa and Nick barely making it in the doorway, they were too busy staring at each other to see the door. "Hey fellas!"
She hugged everyone happily, noticing their confused but happy faces.
"What are you so happy about?" Aj asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.
"Everything, Alex! Everything." She simply smiled, walking out of the room to check on dinner.
"I think that girl is on drugs!" Nick laughed, sitting down on the couch and pulling Lisa onto his lap.
"Well, love is a rather powerful drug…" Theresa murmured, smiling still, noticing everyone’s confused looks. Aj walked up behind her and wrapped his arms about her waist, kissing her neck softly.
"You know something we don’t, don’t ya?" He snickered, tickling her neck with his goatee. She nodded proudly and pretended to zip her lips shut.
***~~**~~***
"Hey Baby Girl, are the guys here?" Brian asked, sneaking up behind Stephanie. She nodded shyly, turning around and peeking up at him. They smiled at each other, keeping a sweet secret between them. He kissed her lips hungrily and probed her mouth with his tongue. When they pulled apart, he led her back to the living room. The couple noticed everyone trying to get Theresa to spill the beans and quickly intercepted in the conversation.
"If you wanna know so bad ask them. I’m not allowed to tell you guys!" Theresa laughed as Aj continued to tickle her mercilessly. Everyone turned to look at the couple and waited.
"We umm…"
"We’re…"
Brian and Stephanie started at the same time, and started laughing. "We’re getting married." They smiled together, waiting for whatever reaction their friends had. Lisa was the first to jump up and hug them both.
"Oh, that’s so sweet. It’s about damn time!" She got everyone laughing and the rest of the gang got up to congratulate them.
"I agree with Lisa there, Cuz’, it’s about damn time!" Kevin patted his cousin’s back and picked up Stephanie and spun her around. "Welcome to the family, Babe."
"Thanks Kev!" After everyone had said their piece, the subject changed and Theresa felt one question on the tip of her tongue.
"So, Brian, what did you dream about that night that you proposed?"
"Oh, it’s kinda silly now that I think of it I guess. But me and the guys were vampires, and you and Aj got together and he made you one too. And Kevin was a complete asshole and kept hitting on Stephanie…"
"That part ain’t a dream!" Lisa teased, getting a mock-anger look from Kevin.
"Well, as I was saying, he was an asshole until he found out Lisa was his daughter. And Lou Pearlman was like the one who made us and Lisa had this plan to kill him and it worked, except Lou wound up killing Steph in the process." Brian finished, leaving out a few choice details. "But it was so real, it was scary." He added, holding Stephanie on his lap as the rest of the gang exchanged glances. Everyone was silent for a while until Stephanie spoke up.
"Hey, can I get anyone a coke or beer?" Everyone spoke up with a chorus ‘yeahs’ as everyone loosened up a little. Stephanie and Brian exited and retrieved a few beers and a few cans of coke and sat them out on the coffee table.
"So, where do you two plan on going for your honeymoon?" Lisa asked, taking a sip of her coke and handing Nick a beer.
"Wherever my baby wants to go…" Brian smiled, kissing Stephanie’s cheek softly. She just gave a cheeky grin and snuggled closer to his warm chest.
"When are y’all gonna get hitched?" Theresa asked, in her little country voice. Everyone laughed a little at her accent.
"I was thinking about September or October. Gotta have time to make the arrangements and tell the public." he answered, keeping his hands on his girlfriend’s small stomach.
"Okay, then what’s gonna be the song you play for your first dance?" Nick asked, jokingly.
"I Wanna Love You Forever…" Brian and Stephanie smirked, keeping their secret smiles to each other.
The End
I Wanna Love You Forever
Kit Kat's Stories