Her head vaguely tilts.
“We get to practice water sports more, now.”
Her eyes narrow before she removes a hand from the back of my neck, taking a finger into her mouth and slowly drawing it out. Next thing I know, she is jamming that same finger into the canal of my ear.
“Ah! Why?! Violation…”
Cindel throws her head back and laughs. “Oh okay… so, I can squirt all over your face, but a wet willy draws the line?”
The lights abruptly blink on and we find ourselves no longer alone in Sugar Drop. Time’s up.
Just as I set Cindel down, my brother, sister, Connor, and even Andrea invade our once intimate space. Shouts of “Congratulations!” and “I’m so happy for you two!” fill the space.
However, as soon as they reach the area we occupy, the comments quickly morph into, “What the fuck?!” followed by, “Dear god!” Cindel’s sparse patches of pink became a more uniformed shade of red, much like the gummy bear statue near the front of the store. I honestly couldn’t discern if her new wave tears are from happiness or horror.
“Man… if Theo were here, he’d kick your ass!” Eamon announces, before turning right the fuck around and exiting the building with a clearly amused Connor at his side. Andreasimply stares at the lollipop still protruding out of the wooden barrel, then looks to Cindel, finally landing on my luster face. Promptly, she excuses herself to the little girl’s room. Mairead however sticks around, grabbing a tootsie roll from the drum of candy, unwrapping the chocolate treat meticulously, and popping it into her mouth.
She holds out a hand to Cindel. “Well… let’s see it!” Mairead demands. Cindel looks from me to Mairead. The spirited redhead proceeds to pick up a fist full of tiny rolls and starts throwing them at me. “You didn’t get her a ring?!”
I hold up my hands, trying to block the onslaught of chocolate chews, pelting me in the face with incredible accuracy.
“Woah! Ow! Woah! There’s a ring! There’s a ring!” I try to speak as loudly as possible.
Dropping the remaining ammo, she proceeds to put her hands on her hips, in aWELLkind of stance. “It’s just… indisposed at the moment.” I admit.
Cindel’s hands pop up, covering an audible gasp. Mairead hops in place while clapping her hands loudly together. “You. Two. Are. So. Fun. Together! I need to tell Andrea about this!” Mairead all but runs toward the restroom, leaving Cindel and I alone once again.
“Are you seriously implying… that there is an engagement ring in my…” I reach out, squeezing her butt cheek, causing her to squeal and swat my hand away.
“Not implying. Your engagement ring is unequivocally in your ass.”
Her mouth falls open and I can’t help but imagine what else I plan to put in there, once we get home. “Ah, one more thing…you can only remove your trinket, after I feed you and show you the 2009 film,The Proposal,starring Ryan Renyolds and Sandra Bullock. Andrea’s rule.”
Before she has the chance to object to anything, I sweep her off her feet, scoop her in my arms, and carry her out the back door. I am anxious to get back and show her the ring. I set her on her feet; her smell is intoxicating. Before I can open the car door, I pin her against the side of my Camaro, delivering a punishing kiss. It was unshakable, a promise passed from lips to lips. Mine.
Just then, the alley door screeches, stealing our attention. Andrea and Mairead pop out into the night, hand in hand, stopping just before us. Cindel is the first to speak.
“Really?... a Sandra Bullock movie?”
Andrea’s eyes narrow. The corner of her mouth turns slightly upward. “Sandra should always be included in important milestones! Even if we aren’t living under the same roof anymore.”
Cindel’s lengthy breath forms a cloud from the plummeting temperature. At that she holds out her arms to wish the two farewell. Mairead falls into her open arms, with giggles and squeaks, but Andrea however stays in place.
“Raincheck on the hug. I’ll get you next time you’re… washed.” Cindel sticks out her tongue at her stubborn friend, just ahead of climbing inside the car. I round the vehicle, as Mairead and Andrea walk in the opposite direction toward the street.
“You’re no Keanu—” Andrea calls out to me. “But you're not so bad either.” I turn to find her walking backward down the alley, my sister skipping beside her in the dirty, week-old snow. “If you hurt her though… there'll be nowhere you can hide.”
I don’t doubt that. Giving her a curt nod, I lower myself into the driver’s seat. I can still make out Mairead’s voice. “Why don’t you ever threaten me like that?!” she whines to her partner.
Slamming the door before I’m subjected to more of their squabbling. They’re like oil and water, but somehow, they’re meant for one another. Looking at my future wife in thepassenger seat, I remember something. Removing two uniquely shaped keys from my ring, I set them in her lap.
“What do these go to?” I throw the car into reverse, ignoring the initial request. Heading toward our apartment, I take corners with enough liberty that Cindel has to grab the ‘oh shit’ handle on a drifted turn.
“How else am I going to open the Lotus?” I confess. Her mouth falls open making it extremely difficult to keep my eyes on the road. I am greedy. Needing the prerequisites out of the way and my sweet Cindel beneath me. The ring was just a symbol. We’ve belonged to each other for a lifetime.
An extra thousand gets added on top of renting out the candy store, for ‘damages’ to inventory, along with cleaning expenses. I may have also added a thousand on top of that for discretion.
Cindel’s parents are still very powerful within this city, and they don’t exactly need to know what was entailed with their daughter’s proposal. The Lombardi’s took back their full last name, since there was no longer a threat against their family. They keep to themselves in the Catskills, although they come around a lot more than in recent years. Most weekends they’ll make it a point to drive out to us, fabricating excuses about how they had a meeting, or the Murrays needed them. I know why they really visit. With Eamon, Connor, Garron, Mairead, and I handling most business affairs these days, it allows the Lombardis to make up for lost time together.
