Forever and Always His

Chapter 1

Forever and Always His

Chapter 1

                                Three Years Ago- Age 14

                “You love me, right?” Everett asked, his forehead pressed against mine.

                A small smile appeared on my rosy red lips, as my nose barely brushed against his. My eyes closed, as Everett pulled me closer to him from my waist. “I love you.”

                A laugh escaped Everett’s lips, hot breath tickling the top of my lip. I shuddered under my skin, as Everett’s hand traveled down to my spine. “Will you be mine forever, Riley Monroe?” he asked.

                “I’ll be yours forever and always, Everett Rosenfeld.” I whispered.

                                Two Years Ago- Age 15

                “I’m so happy that you skipped out on lunch with your parents to cheer me up today.” I sighed, staring at the big, fat D that was written in red marker on the top of my recent chemistry test. “I haven’t gotten anything lower than an A minus since middle school.”

                Everett smiled, as he stirred the marshmallows that were floating on top of his mug of hot chocolate. We were currently in our favorite local café in town, The Gingerbread House. We’ve been hanging around here since we were kids, and each time we came together, we always got the hot chocolate.

                “Well, I know how much your grades mean to you.” Everett smiled. “After all, you are a little nerd.”

                I gave him a playful glare, before I broke out a grin. As much as I pretend to hate it when Everett teased me for caring so much about my grades, I secretly loved it. “Shut up, Mr. I’m Barely Passing Algebra with a C.”

                Everett grinned, as he flicked my nose with his fingers. “You said you would never make fun of me for my grades.”

                I rolled my eyes, as I gave him a teasing smile. “Yeah, but you promised me that-“

                Suddenly, his phone vibrated against the table, as I my eyes darted towards it. “Who is it?” I asked.

                Everett picked up his phone, reading the caller ID, before cursing under his breath. “Crap. It’s my mother.” He sighed. “I was supposed to meet with her for lunch today.”

                My face immediately darkened with guilt, as Everett gave me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll just tell her that I was with you. She loves you, remember?”

                I laughed, before Everett picked up the phone. Immediately, his face frowned. “Who is this? My mother’s in the hospital?” Everett’s eyes widened. “Uh, I’m Everett Rosenfeld, her son. Yes, I’ll be there immediately.”

                Everett hung up quickly, as he jolted up from his seat. My eyes were wide with confusion, as I stood up with him, exiting the café. “Everett, what’s wrong? Your mother’s in the hospital?” I asked worriedly, as we got into Everett’s car. Everett’s hands were shaking as he gripped onto his steering wheel, tears already welling up in his eyes.

                “They told me that she’s in the emergency room. She got into a car accident on the way home to find me.” Everett said, his voice barely on the edge of cracking.