InsaneJournal

"Thanks, bye!" Josie said, her brother's car barely even rolling to a stop before she was opening the door and jumping out to the curb. It wasn't that she didn't like spending time with Connor, because she definitely did, perhaps the most out of all her siblings, but now wasn't the time. Her hair was pulled back into her hoodie, which immediately got soaked thanks to the weather that had kept them from going south to Virginia Beach. With one wave over the shoulder to her older brother, who was off to a movie with some new girl in his life, she hurried up the sidewalk to the familiar dormitory that she knew to be where Beau was living.

Josie slipped into the building behind a group of girls, then immediately steered off toward Beau's dormitory. With having had to postpone the beach day that she had been looking forward to, she had been insistent on at least hanging out with her boyfriend instead. Her birthday had technically been the day before, but that didn't mean that Saturday wasn't technically open for celebration. That was why, in her oversized bag that she normally had slung over her shoulder, she had a tupperware container filled to the max with leftover birthday cake from her family dinner the night before.

As she reached Beau's door, she pulled her hood down and shook her hair out, the curls bouncing on her shoulders. She bounced once on her heels, then knocked twice on the door.

--

They’d been talking about a beach trip for weeks, so when bad weather changed their plans somewhat unexpectedly, Beau felt responsible for making certain that Josie still had a fantastic celebration. They’d had school on her actual birthday, but the weekend was supposed to be their time to enjoy the momentous occasion. They would still get back to the beach before Fall truly set in. It just wouldn’t be enjoyable with cold rain pouring down on them all afternoon.

He’d done his best to tidy up his small space, knowing that Josie was coming over for the afternoon. His desk had been straightened up, text books and papers in actual order rather than fanned out and cracked open to various pages as they’d been before. He’d made his bed, cleared all laundry into the tucked away hamper, and even vacuumed for good measure. They were probably just going to laze around for the afternoon. Even still, he took at least some small amount of pride in making sure that what space they did have was comfortable and not needlessly cluttered or hazardous, as it was in some of his friend’s dorms.

He had gotten Josie a few things for her birthday. Among them was a card - complete with a pun, as it should be - and a polaroid style camera he’d gotten for her months ago at an after-Christmas sale. He’d tucked it away for this day, but at the time he hadn’t known that he’d also be getting her something else. It was a present that didn’t require a birthday, but it seemed appropriate to give it to her now that she was - officially, finally - eighteen. The promise ring had weighed on his mind for a while now, especially as he’d wanted to give it to her right after he’d purchased it. Still, the timing hadn’t seemed quite right then.

Beau turned down the music from his Spotify playlist when he heard the knock on the door, and immediately went to let Josie in. He had no doubt that it would be her, and a broad grin had already taken up residence on his lips before he pulled the door inward, “Happy birthday,” he said by way of greeting, even though it had technically been the day before. He stepped aside to let her in, closing and securing the door behind them. It was less that he didn’t trust people in the dorm and more that his father being a police officer meant that home security had always been a top priority and was ingrained in him long ago, “It’s not the beach, I know, but…” he gestured to his TV, where he’d set up a revolving screensaver of beach scenes, “under the circumstances, it’s the closest I could get.”

--

Josie grinned when she saw the television, pausing to look at a few of the scenes before she turned back to Beau. "Had I known, I'd have brought my bikini and a towel to really complete the mood." Instead, she shrugged off her still wet hoodie to reveal a plain black tank top that was thankfully still dry. Making herself at home, as she so often did, she draped it across the nearest empty surface and toed off her sandals.

Those chores completed, she reached out for Beau's hands to take them in her own and pull them closer together. "Thank you for the birthday wishes," she continued with a smile, tipping her head back to look up at him. "I would be more let down about missing the beach, but all I really wanted was to spend time with you, so… it would seem that I'm getting my way no matter what and that's the most important thing." Her smile turned into a grin, indicating that she was clearly teasing. She wasn't nearly as demanding as she pretended to be and really was pretty easy-going, all things considered.

--

“It seems that keeping it a surprise has backfired on me,” Beau teased, chuckling a little at the thought of the two of them stretched out on beach towels in the middle of his dorm room while rain pelted against the windows. It was quite the thought. He didn’t mind that she didn’t even think about asking where she should put her things. It spoke of the comfort level between them that she could do as she pleased and it didn’t bother him in the slightest.

As she took his hands and pulled him closer, that easy, content grin was at home on his features as it usually was when she was around, “All your wishes should come true on your birthday weekend, so long as we’re able to manage them. Except maybe wishes for ponies or dolphins. That’s a bit out of my grasp.” He leaned in to press a few sweet kisses to her lips, though not ones that would easily let him get carried away like it was so easy to do, “I have presents, and all of Netflix and my personal collection of movies or music is at your disposal. It’s your day, Jo. Where do we begin?”

--

"Hmm," Josie started, making a big show of trying to decide what she wanted to do first when she obviously had already decided that first had to be presents. As much as she loved to just sit and watch movies with him or talk nonsense while they listened to whatever music he had discovered on Spotify, she couldn't turn down presents. She was only human, after all.

"I think," she continued, pausing just a moment to push herself up onto her toes to steal another sweet kiss before finishing her thought, "that we might be obligated to do these presents you speak of first. It's a legal obligation when it comes to birthdays."

--

He waited patiently, though he had a fairly decent idea about what she was going to choose. She’d only been asking him what he had gotten her for her birthday for the last month or so. He had a feeling that her patience had exhausted itself at this point, and the temptation would be too great to resist.

As she kissed him, he leaned slightly down to meet her, “I had a feeling that might be what you chose,” he admitted, nodding sagely along, “It’s just as well because I’ve been just as eager as you’ve been for you to see your presents, I think.” He gestured for her to take a seat. The only seating in the room was really either the desk chair, an oversized chair that he’d managed to squeeze into the corner of the room, or his slightly elevated bed. Still, he’d let her pick wherever she wanted to make herself comfortable. He retrieved the box that was wrapped that had the camera inside, and the card that rested on top. The other box wasn’t in plain view just yet, mostly because he didn’t want her guessing what was in it until after the first portion of present-giving was over.

--

Following his gesture, Josie considered her options for a split second before bouncing onto his bed and sitting on the edge, one foot tucked under the other leg. She smiled happily up to him, holding out her hands to take the box and card, bouncing yet again, just once, to convey her excitement. It was hard not to get excited about birthday presents when you only got to enjoy them once per year, so she wasn't working all that hard to contain said excitement.

She looked at the card first, laughing and aw-ing at the front before setting it aside for the main event. Wasting no time, she unwrapped and opened the box to find the camera. Her eyes went wide and she grinned. "Oh my god, Beau, this is awesome," she declared immediately, turning it over in her hands. "Way better than Instagram."

--

His absolute favorite part of gift giving was seeing the reaction of the recipient, which was what he was most nervous about today, at least in regards to his second surprise.. He knew she would like the camera. She was bubbly and excited about presents in general, and he loved that about her. Josie’s emotions were never put on. She was always genuine, or if she was teasing, her jest was never concealed. He leaned in and dropped a kiss to her temple as she looked over the box the camera was in, “I thought you would appreciate it, as much as you love taking pictures. There’s something special about polaroids. Not only are they back in style, but they have that retro feel too. I got you about a dozen rolls of film to go with it. I figured you can put them anywhere you want. So many people never have physical pictures these days. They’re all digital.” He shrugged and leaned his hips slightly against the frame of the bed.

“There’s something else,” he admitted, retrieving another small box that wasn’t wrapped this time. The box that held the promise ring he’d gotten her actually contained two rings - one for her and one for him - but the full impact of the design didn’t really come together unless they were side by side, he thought.

He swallowed past a lump in his throat and a considerable amount of butterflies, “I love you. I have since the first time you laughed at one of my stupid jokes in the library so loud that we nearly got kicked out. This isn’t a proposal, but it is a promise for a future on the same path. It’s a symbol of the depth of the commitment that we have. You’re my someday and my forever. So if you’ll accept it, if you want it...this is yours.” He opened the box and extended it to her, but he remained standing. He wasn’t fantastic at the whole impassioned speech thing, but he thought that he at least conveyed the important parts.

--

It took every bit of restraint within Josie to not interrupt Beau once as he spoke, even just to return some of the sentiments. Instead, a smile just slowly bloomed across her face with every word. She didn't even glance at the box, which she felt was worth some sort of medal or trophy.

At least, she didn't look at the box until he opened it and held it out to her. They were promise rings, that much she could tell between there being two, the design, and everything that he had just said to her. Josie had stopped trying to guess what Beau had gotten her for her birthday and it was clearly good that she had as she'd have never guessed that. The surprise was obvious on her face, but it was at war with the smile that wouldn't fade.

"Beau," she breathed, her gaze lifting from the rings to his face. She wasn't sure what she could say that wouldn't pale in comparison to everything he had -- it was a rare thing when Josie Reed was speechless, but it only seemed to be Beau that could render her such. "I love you, too."

--

It seemed that he had inadvertently rendered her speechless, which was no small feat. He relied on her expressions and body language to show him how she was feeling about this particular revelation. Her radiant smile was a good indicator, he thought. She obviously hadn’t seen this gift coming, and that was a good thing in a way, right? She had told him that she wanted it to be a surprise.

“I know this is probably a little unexpected, but it feels right, I think? We still have a lot we need to do before we take other steps, and I know that. I’m looking forward to every bit of the next few years. For anyone who says we’re too young to know what we want, I am happy to challenge them otherwise. When I saw the set, it seemed perfect.” He took a deep breath, smiling still, though his nerves hadn’t entirely faded, “So...will you accept my promise, Josie Reed?”

--

"Of course I will," Josie breathed, sliding off of the bed and getting to her feet so she was standing in front of him. It meant pushing him back just a step, but she figured it was worth it. He was already so much taller than her and she needed to be on equal footing, at least for a moment.

Reaching out, Josie took his free hand and brought it up to her face, so she could press her cheek to his palm. She released a breath, then looked up at him and said, "I want to promise you the same, you know. When I think about my future both minutes and years and years down the road, you're my constant. You're always there, no matter what other things might change. And I don't give a crap if people say I can't know that for sure at eighteen, because I just do."

She glanced at the rings and smiled again, clearly excited. "Can we wear them now?"

--

As much as he’d been sure she didn’t hate this idea, Beau had still needed to hear her actually say it. He let out a relieved breath and shuffled back just a bit to give her some room when she decided that standing was favorable to keeping her seat on the bed. As she leaned her cheek into his palm, he brushed his thumb gently over the crest of her cheek, unable to wipe the smile off of his face as she returned his sentiments, “Hey, no matter what they say, we’re both technically adults now. I think we know what’s best for us a lot more than anyone else does.”

He nodded, slipping his fingers down to her chin for just a moment so that he could lean in and steal a kiss, grinning against her lips before he finally plucked the rings from the box. They were cool in his palm, but he just picked up hers between his fingers and took her hand into his, “You can wear it on any finger,” he told her, “I don’t really think the significance changes. Wherever it fits best...and it should fit. I might’ve snooped in your jewelry box a few months ago just to be sure.” Still, he slid it onto her ring finger for now, his heart thudding haphazardly against his ribs as it settled there, seemingly a rather perfect fit.

--

Josie wouldn't have been able to describe how she felt as he slipped the ring onto her finger. Pausing, she held her hand out in front of them, so she could see just how perfect it looked on her hand. It wasn't an engagement ring, as he'd already said, and that was good -- she loved Beau, but they had their whole lives together. Making a promise regarding those whole lives, though, felt pretty good. Amazing, even. They were the same people that they had been only moments before and her feelings toward Beau hadn't changed, but there was something special about hearing them affirmed, having this physical proof of their love for each other and their hope for the years down the road.

"I love it," she said after a few silent seconds, glancing up toward Beau's face with a smile. Then, she reached for the other ring, her gaze dropping to look down at it as she twisted it slowly between her fingers before taking his hand in hers and slipping onto his corresponding finger. A warmth spread through her, originating from her heart, as she saw it there. Again, she looked up to meet Beau's gaze and smiled.

--

Beau would be lying if he said that he hadn’t tried his ring on already. He’d never worn it for long, and he always insisted to himself that it was because he wanted to know if it would fit. Even as she slid the ring onto his finger, his eyes caught on her ring and how beautiful it looked on her. Without seeing them together, they just both looked like they had a small crescent engraved into the metal, but together they formed that heart. It was something only they really needed to know.

He grinned and flexed his hand a little with the ring finally in place, “You know, I always thought it was a little silly that guys didn’t also wear rings to symbolize their commitment up until the point of actual marriage. It seemed like a double standard...I’m glad to wear this one.” He knew that it might be several years before they were ready to take that step. At the least, Josie needed to finish high school, and they might even wait until they were both finished in college. He didn’t know yet. They hadn’t planned out that far, but he knew that whenever they talked about it, they would come to an agreement that they were both happy with, “That concludes presents. What’s your next birthday wish?”

--

"It looks good on you," Josie decided, taking his hand and holding it in front of her, a smile on her lips as she looked at the ring. "I especially like that it might keep hot college girls from looking at your butt." She immediately grinned to indicate that she was kidding; for all her faults, a lack of trust in Beau was definitely not one of them. If there was even a flicker of worry about the strength of their relationship or his commitment to her, she knew that they wouldn't have lasted this long. They lived in the same city, but sometimes it felt like they the distance was more with him at the university and her at the high school.

She tipped her head back, considering again what she wanted next on this, the day after her birthday. "I think that the first order of business, after all of those nice things you just said to me, is a kiss. Maybe two, if we're feeling crazy. Then it's movie time."

--

“I mean, I have a nice butt,” he offered with a teasing grin, laughing even as he squeezed her hand, “Even if anyone did look, I’m not looking back. I’m perpetually captivated by you and only you.” He knew the hint of jealousy that could come from others ignoring that they weren’t interested and were already in a committed relationship. They hadn’t had any particular challenges of that nature, but just the thought of it made him a little uncomfortable. Even still, he trusted Josie implicitly, and he was well aware that they couldn’t control the actions - or line of vision - of other people. All they could do was be true to themselves, and their promises to one another.

“We can do that,” he promised, lifting his hands to frame her face, “If two kisses is all we have at a maximum, we should make them count.” His grin didn’t fade until his lips met hers in a kiss that he fully intended on savoring for as long as she would allow him.

--

Josie pushed herself up just a bit straighter, meeting him in the kiss and almost immediately feeling a sense of relief that she wouldn't ever be able to explain. It was that same sort of homecoming feeling that she always felt whenever Beau's arms were around her or they shared sweet kisses, but perhaps even more poignant than usual after his gift and the even firmer ground than usual that it felt their relationship was on. Her hands lifted, grazing over his where they framed her face, then moved as one pressed to his chest, the other to that spot her fingers always seemed to find in his hair.

"I might have to amend my previous request," Josie breathed a few long moments later, the kiss barely broken as she smiled against his mouth. "I'm very greedy, you see. And I don't know that two kisses are going to be enough."

--

Kissing her was heady and sweet. It was more powerful than any altering substance ever could be, and he wasn't really ashamed to admit that he would willingly succumb to an addiction to her. “You're allowed to amend. Your birthday wishes are exchangeable.”

They would put on a movie, he was sure. They would probably also ignore most of it in favor of kissing, only catching random parts of the plot. For the moment, he just obliged her immediate request for another kiss,unworried about what would happen next. No matter what their parents or anyone else would say, there was an inherent rightness about their relationship. Beau’s faith in that was unwavering. Loving her was as easy as breathing.