Jace and Kate

Chapter 36

Kaat

I watched as the town car with Jace in tow pulled away form the curb and waved at him until I couldn't see him anymore. As much as I tried, the tears still came falling down my cheeks. I sat down on the step not wanting to go inside yet. I needed to smell the air, even if it was polluted by too many cars. I wasn't sure of the next time I would see him again. It was no telling in the music industry. It could be hours or it could be months. I didn't want to think it was a possibility to go without seeing him for months on end but I knew that it was.

After a couple minutes of sitting dumbly on the steps, I got up to go inside. There was nothing left to do outside and I knew that he probably wouldn't be back soon. I brushed off my butt from all the sediment and turned to go inside.

I was about to close the door behind me when I heard my name being called out in a strangely familiar voice. I turned back around to see Jace's face. I shook my head and turned back around. It must have been all in my head. He was gone. Off to the plane that would whisk him away to Oklahoma.

"Kaat!" I heard again. This time the voice was closer and it was sounding more and more like Jace.

I turned back around and was met by Jace's face right in my face. I jumped back from his sheer closeness.

"Oh my God, Jace! What are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be on your plane right now?" I yelled even though it wasn't necessary.

"Well I should but I forgot something."

"I could have mailed it to you or something."

"You were going to mail yourself to me?" Jace asked giving me his cool smirk.

I squinted at him. What was he talking about 'mailing myself'?

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Ok. I know this is going to sound crazy but, come with me. Come with me on tour. I know that it's a lot to ask but I don't want to spend one day without you by my side and I know that if I don't see you for months on end it will kill me. So I propose you come with me." He gushed.

"Jace, I have to work. I have things that I have to do here. I can't just pick up and leave."

All kinds of thoughts were running through my mind. I wanted to go with him. I didn't want to be away form him for forever either. But at the same time, I just got a promotion at work and I dont want to throw that away just to follow Jace around. And I haven't even introduced him to my family. What would they say about me just picking up and leaving to travel around America and possibly around the world for almost a year?

"I know you think I'm crazy to even think this but I really want you there with me. I want you to be by my side. I know it's a lot to ask. I would get that you wouldn't want to go but I think it would be really great if you could. It would be our own little adventure."

"I'm all for traveling all over the U.S. but I have a job and i just got promoted to have my own column. I can't just leave now."

"You did? Congratulations! But can't you write from the road and send in the pieces? You don't have to be at your desk to write do you?"

"Well no, but-"

"Then what's keeping you here? You could come with me on the road and we could just travel around and you can write! It sounds good to me!" he pleaded.

"What about my apartment? What's going to happen to it? I can't leave it sitting for, what, nine months! I have bills to pay." I argued.

"Are you kidding! You can pay all your bills online now!"

"I don't know if this is such a good idea."

"Please? I know that I'm begging you to take this great big leap, but I think it would be really good for us. And if you got really comfortable you could join me onstage! You could sing your song!" Jace's mind was spinning with ideas while my heart stopped for a minute at his suggestion. Singing in front of thousands of people was not my cup of tea. Sure I was confidant enough but I have never liked being in the lime light. I don't like to be in the center of attention. Jace grabbed my hands and held them delicately in his, staring into my eyes with a pleading look on his face. "Please? I love you a lot, Kaat. And I know that this is moving things really fast. I know that it is a huge thing to think about and it is a really quick decision that you need to make but I think it would be really good for us. We would be able to see each other everyday and learn more about each other."

I sighed. It did sound pretty cool. But what about my apartment. How was I going to take care of things?

"And if you have to get back here to take care of something for work or check on your apartment, I could always fly you here and then we can head back on the road. It's no problem." Jace said as if reading my mind.

"I don't know if I can do it without a commitment. And I am not saying this to trap yo uinto anything, but we are just dating right now. I feel like living together and traveling all across the world sounds like something that cant be based on something flimsy. I don't want to have to leave if we break up. I don't want to have risked everything on something that wouldn't last. I want to know where this relationship is headed first before I make any decisions like this."

Jace's face fell before he had a sparkle in his eye. He had thought of something and was now grinning like an idiot quite frankly. Then as if in slow motion, Jace got down on one knee in front of me, still holding my hands. My eyes widened.

"Kaat, I know this is the traditional proposal form, but I'm not proposing marriage to you yet. I have to wait to meet your family and ask for their approval. But I am proposing that you come with me on this tour. I know that I will be asking you to marry me. I love you with my whole heart and I can't see living one day without you. I want to be with you and I think that this relationship is heading in the direction of a long lived life." Jace said, pausing to catch his breath. "So I propose you come with me and when we get the free time, we can fly over to see your family and hopfully I will get the permission to ask you to marry me for real. I know that this is moving super fast but I like where it's heading."

A tear dripped down my cheek. All my heart could tell me was "YES!" But my mind was thinking of all the things I would have to do first.

"I don't know. You have no idea how much I want to but it is a lot of work to change everything and get everything done to be ready to go and I only have, fifteen minutes?" I asked. "I have fifteen minutes to just pack up the essentials and leave my home behind?"

Jace frowned, figuring out what my answer to his proposal was going to be. He got up off the cement and looked at me forlornly. I placed my hand on his stubbly cheek and looked into his hopeless eyes.

"I know. It was a stupid idea. I just thought-" he started.

"Can you make it twenty minutes?" I asked him.

He looked at me in a confused state for about two second before he cracked a humungous grin.

"You mean-?"

"I will go." I nodded. "Give me twenty minutes to pack. I will meet you in the car."

Jace grabbed my waist and pressed me against the railing to give me a deep kiss. I pushed away from him.

"I need to pack and you're wasting my time! We can kiss in the car on the way to the airport."

I turned, whipping my hair in his face, and made my way up the last step to pack.

'Dear God, what did I just get myself into?'