Ethan and Elena were in the basement where most of the couples were. They had been dancing to the slow romantic songs on the play with some recesses between them. An hour had passed since they had been down there. It was now almost eight o'clock with some few minutes remaining to hit the dot. People were dancing around them, minding their own business for they had each other for the night. Suddenly another music came on, and the two decided to hit the dance floor yet again. But this one would hit a nerve!
"We let the waters rise
We drifted to survive
I needed you to stay
But I let you drift away
My love where are you?
My love where are you?"
Ethan and Elena heard every word from the song. It seemed to reflect on them, or rather Elena to be precise. He had his left hand wrapped around her waist with the other one clenching her palm. She had her right arm on Ethan's left shoulder. They danced slowly and romantically around the arena, with the music washing away all the pains that they might have been feeling before this moment. She was close to him now, more than ever. This felt right. It had to be. He could feel her heartbeat amidst all the noise present in the room. All he had wanted was to finish school and settle down finally after all those years of toiling. He wanted a life with her. He knew she was right for him. He couldn't see it not happening this way. What way would it be not to end such a story on a high note?
"Whenever you're ready,
Whenever you're ready,
Whenever you're ready,
Whenever you're ready,
Can we, can we?
Surrender?
Can we? Can we?
Surrender?"
She felt numb. She felt dumb. All she ever got from him was love and affection. It was no secret that she knew that he loved her. He tried to be the best friend that she could have ever wished for back in high school. He was good to her. He treated her right from the first moment he saw her. He was still rich at that tender age and still treated her as his equal. He didn't love her with money and gifts, he loved her with the purest kind of love she had never received from anyone– not even her own parents. She knew that he loved her for who she was. That girl from six blocks away just seemed okay to him regardless of her background. She had been treated with respect, asked for forgiveness when he wronged her, and helped her whenever she sought his assistance. He had called her out for many dates and alone moments, and she turned him down. Most of them anyway. She knew that he wanted her but she never gave him the chance– not once! She had overprotective parents, that's not a lie, but it was her decision to make of this matter.
"Whenever you're ready,
Whenever you're ready,
Can we, can we?
Surrender?
Can we? Can we?
Surrender?
.........
I surrender..."
"Umm, Ethan," she broke the silence between them. Her head was resting on his powerful chest. The song had them in a certain mood, "can you see a future for us, the both of us?"
"Yeah. You are going to be a successful chemical engineer and invent powerful fuels for NASA's rockets and I'm going to be a hardworking lawyer and put criminals behind bars." He responded, escaping the answer the question demanded.
Elena laughed softly. She knew Ethan's comic attempts. This one was just a good one.
"No, I don't mean that. I mean a future for the both of us– together."
They halted their motion. She looked at him. It was serious.
"I know that there's nobody I'd rather spend with the rest of my life with if it's not you Elena. I'm ready for you. I have always been. You know that. Whenever you're ready..."
"I surrender..." she said after a while, with her hands cupping his cheeks. He got the memo. Loud and clear!
He was handsome. This night more so. She could feel his sudden heartbeat brought in by all the adrenaline from her own response. There's nothing much he needed for this night to get better. It was just as he had hoped for. No drama, no shenanigans, no party poopers, the girl he loved by his side, and the words he had been waiting for over a millennium to hear from her, coming from her. Elena had a diamond ring on her left pinkie. It fit perfectly. She had put it on somewhere between the recesses of their dance. Ethan noticed it now because it wasn't there earlier.
"So you're wearing the ring that I gave you when we were in senior class back in high school?" He asked. All the attention drifted to the ring. They had gotten back to their dance moves. The same song was still on. Some couples requested the female DJ behind it to repeat it one more time.
"Yes." She answered. "You told me it was a sign from you to me that you'd wait for me to be ready for you. I came to this party not knowing what I really wanted. But you changed my mind. I believe that you have waited enough. You have had your patience with me. You've shown me what true love is and now here I am. A finished package."
They both laughed softly. He kissed her on her forehead. She felt his warmth and he felt hers. Locked in a state of mind, everything seemed fine in space and time for both of them. This felt right. It was!
Suddenly Lance and his gang came down to the basement to dance to those slow romantic songs. He had some pretty girl by his side. Mike had some other sexy girl. She seemed drunk. Where the heck was Shallon anyway? Myles had his girlfriend ahead of him. She was dragging him to the dance floor. Ethan saw this and all he could pre judge was trouble, oh trouble. Lance saw Ethan and Elena together as they loved the comfort of each other. He urged his friends to go on and dance. He called for Ethan. Ethan seemed bugged by this sudden call casting. He however did not deny the request. Lance was just past him after all. They began their way out of the basement, Elena following closely behind.
"So what's the issue now, Lance?" Asked Ethan folding his arms exposing the well-built biceps. They had been standing by the door that led to the basement. There was still a lot of noise here of course, but they could still manage to hear each other.
"I just want to congratulate you for winning Elena." Said Lance seeming honest in his words.
"She wasn't a competition!" He responded.
"I'm sorry. Let me correct that. I just want to congratulate you and your girlfriend for the many years to come."
A female waiter who was carrying some glasses with wine passed by and Lance took two glasses of wine to make cheers with Ethan. He gave Ethan one of them. As he was about to take a sip of his wine, he stopped.
So did Lance.
He looked at Lance as if he was examining him. What were you up to you bozo? He took Lance's drink and gave him his.
"Now we can cheers!" Said Ethan as he clinked his glass one more time with Lance's. He drank his wine in three big gulps to be done with him and get back to Elena who was talking to her friend by the third step to the basement. She had a gap of six more steps to the top. He placed his glass on a shelf near the doorway to the basement.
"Elena, are you coming?" He called out to her.
"Bye, Chanel. See you later in the night!" She told her as she raced upstairs. Lance walked into the basement to join his friends.
"So?" Asked Myles. The three men had excused themselves from their dates.
Lance chuckled a bit. He looked at the two. He started to laugh with some soft laughs at the beginning that turned into mediocre hard dry ones. The other two looked at him, confused.
"We have him guys!" He finally said.
"But I saw him take the glass without the things..." Mike said.
"If you want to beat Ethan you have to think like Ethan. Don't worry mates. He drank the wine we planned for him."
A wicked smile drew across his face. He was victorious for whatever he had been planning to do to Ethan. Shallon, the preacher's daughter, joined them a minute later, dressed in the same attire as the waiters.
"What's up guyyys!" She yelled.
Uh-oh!
"Thank you, Mike. I couldn't have done this without you and your girlfriend!" Lance said as he patted Mike on his shoulders.
But what was in the wine? So special?
Ethan alongside Elena was about to head outside the house to the front porch. Just then he bumped into Ingrid! Again, for the second time in a day.
Wait, what was she still doing here? He had even forgotten about her! He had a lot running in his mind. Ingrid surely wasn't a top priority today!
He looked at her. She had freshened up. She wasn't smelling odd as she had been in the morning. Her hair was still unkempt and she had on some oversize sweater. She looked at her brother. She had sunken eye bags. Her eyes were red. Tears were building up in them yet again. She felt jittered and frail to be standing close to him at such a time of the night. Ethan took time with her. He knew something was wrong with his sister.
"Ethan, can I talk to you? Alone?" She asked.
Ethan looked at Elena. She read the cues and decided to leave the two together.
"Mmm...p..." She said her voice breaking to the point Ethan couldn't even hear what she was saying with the loud music and unnecessary noise contributing to the situation.
"What? I can't hear you."
She leaned closer to him, trembling, tears now rolling down her face as she whimpered between the seconds. And there came the bomb!
"I'm pregnant..."