Beneath Your Beautiful // Michael Clifford

32

Michael

I wake up next to Ali who was fast asleep. I play with her hair before her eyes slowly flutter open.

"Why are you here?" She snaps in a groggy voice.

"Cause I love and care about you." I tell her not sure why she was questioning this.

"That's a lie." She argues.

"No it's not."

"Yes it is! You are just pitying me, I know that for a fact." She says sitting up.

"Why would you think that?"

"Your life was fine till I came. I ruined your friendship with my brother for awhile, you got bad again because of me, you got beat up and almost killed. I have made your life a mess." She began cry, hugging a pillow.

"Don't say that." I bring her into my arms as she continues to cry.

"But it's true and I feel like such a terrible person." Her head now rests on my shoulder as I try to comfort her.

"But ever since I've met you I've been happier and a better person. Yes I got bad again, but that was because you weren't by my side and I was pretty sure you hated while I was in love with you. And when I saw you asleep in that hospital bed, my whole world crashed. I thought I was going to lose you and I would have no clue what I would do without you." I begin to tell her.

"I love you." She moves her head so now her chin is resting on my chest.

"And I love you too, so much. In a few weeks we'll graduate and then I'll travel the world with the most beautiful girl. And I can't fucking wait."

"I can't wait either." She sniffles grabbing my hand.

"Let's go get breakfast."

"That requires me to get ready." She groan.

"Throw one of my sweatshirts you have, put your hair up and done." I explain. "You look more beautiful without makeup so you can skip that step."

"Michael.." She buries herself into my chest.

"Come on. Please!!"

"Fine."

//

Ali

Here I say in a small café, while looking like I just woke up, which I basically did.

"Are you going to have to go to a therapist?" Michael questions.

"No." I shake my head. "We tried that a few years ago and it did nothing but make me feel worse about myself."

They would talk through my problems and asking me a billion questions which made me over think things, leading me to feel worse about myself.

"Oh, well at least you know what's best for you." He nods as our food comes. " I have something for you." He gets up from is chair.

"What are you doing?" I kinda freak hoping he won't make a huge scene.

He gets down on one knee with a ring in his hand. I almost fainted. "Don't worry. This isn't a marriage proposal, this is a promise ring. This is a promise that we'll always be there for each other and to continuously love each other. I hope to do this one more time in a few years but for now, promise you'll stay with me till then because I wanna spend my life with you. I know you're the one, even at eighteen. You are so beautiful and I love you so damn much. So what do you say? You promise?" He stuck his pinky out like a three year old would.

I was in shock. All this took time to process. He wants to spend his life with me. I connect my pinky with his. "I promise." I say almost in a whisper. "I love you."

He slips the ring on. "I love you too, bud." There were a few cheers and claps heard in the café. I blush as Michael brings me into his arms. His scent filling my nostrils as I sat there with the love of my life.

"I wanna spend the rest of my life with you too." I mumble.

"Good, cause you weren't going to get much of a choice." He chuckles.