The Not So Innocent Boy ~[Completed]~

Chapter 18.

Clarice took a deep breath. For the past two weeks she was stuck thinking about what was going on. She didn't want to think about it, but she couldn't help herself. She debated if she was angry at Asa or not. All she did was feel sorry for what she had been through in all of this. The stress was finding its way in to her every day life. She disliked it, a lot.

She walked to her washroom and closed the door behind her. She used the mirror to stare herself right in the eyes.

"Okay Clarice. Think!" She talked to herself. "Yes you've been having a hard time. Did you deserve to get dragged in to this? No." She took a second to compose her feelings. "Now what about Asa?" She stole a moments breath. "He deserves forgiveness." She finally said. "But, I haven't heard his side of the story, not completely. I owe him that."

She looked at herself for a few seconds more, then she rushed out of her house and made her way to Asa's. He lived farther then she remembered, or maybe she was scared of talking to him. She couldn't tell. She just had to keep breathing and eventually she found that she was at his front door. She knocked as loud as she could.

"Hello?" Asa opened the door. He saw Clarice and wondered why she was there.

"Don't say anything." She told him. "I'm sorry for leaving the other day. I was upset, but I want to hear it."

"Hear what?"

"Everything! From beginning to end. Tell me all of it and don't leave anything out. I want to hear it." She explained.

"Okay." He agreed. He let her in.

Clarice looked around, his house seemed empty. "Where are your parents?"

"It's the court hearing today. They wouldn't let me go." He told her as he closed the front door.

They both walked up to his bedroom and sat on opposite sides of his single bed. Asa started from the beginning. Why he went to Briar in the first place. He told her why he couldn't stay away from her. It was this incredible feeling he had never felt before, not even with Clarice. The heat inside him told him to never let her go. He was addicted to the burn she placed at the very center of his heart. He loved this dark side he never thought he had. He gave in to it and found that it was okay to feel the way he did when he was with her. All this shielding from his parents for the longest time, he realised that he wasn't living. He chose Briar, he had never had the privilege to choose before. Those few days with Briar would forever be his favorite.

"The night they finally found us," He started, "It was hard. It rained like we would be washed away in a flood. After we heard what the lady said on the radio, we knew that they were talking about us. I took Briar's hand and we ran for our motel room. I slammed the door as soon as we were inside. She just broke down in my arms. We fell to the floor and she cried. It tore me to pieces to see her like that. We had come this far and now they wanted to take it away from us."

Remembering that night gave him mixed feelings. Briar had stayed in his arms for hours. For a while Asa just held her as close as he could. He thought she may have even fallen asleep, but he couldn't let them spend whatever time they had left stuck in that room.

"Briar?" He said.

"Yes?" She replied.

"There's one thing I've got to do before we leave." He told her.

She looked at him, wondering what it was. "What?"

"Get up." He helped her up, then he did the same. "Come." He lead her out the door.

It was completely dark outside. They found it hard to see for a while. The rain had stopped, but everything was wet. They walked down route 132, then down Mont Joli road. The trail at the end was closed, but it didn't stop them from making it to edge of the point.

The moon was shining bright in the night sky. The clouds had all cleared and the stars showed theselves. For a second Briar felt like life could just stop in that moment. She felt the sea air roll over her in such lightness. She stared at the sky, dreaming. She took another breath. Then she turned to face Asa.

"Briar, I love you." He smiled at her. "I'm not going to leave Percé knowing that I didn't do this."

"Do what?" She asked him.

"This." He slowly got down on one knee and pulled a ring from his back pocket. He looked up to her. "Briar, will you marry me?"

She smiled, tears of joy on her cheeks. "Yes! Oh God yes!" She Helped him up and didn't stop for a moment to kiss him.

"Atleast let me put it on your finger." He told her.

She gave him her left hand and he slid the ring on to her finger. Then he pulled out two wedding bands.

"Let's do it right now." He looked at her and she smiled.

They ran off down the road, making their way to the main route then up the road to the church. Asa prayed someone was in there. He knocked on the door once. They waited, no answer. He tried again, this time louder. He heard footsteps as he looked at a bucket of pink roses. He pulled one out and gave it to Briar. Finally the door crept open.

"Hello?" The priest was wondering why someone would be there so late at night.

"Hi." Asa started, "We were wondering if you could marry us."

"Right now?" the priest questioned.

"Yes. We're sort of in a rush." He explained to him.

The priest smiled and invited them in. They walked up to the altar and stood in front of it. A few candles were lit. The priest motioned them to hold hands and Asa gave him the rings. While the priest blessed the rings, Asa and Briar stared at each other. In that moment, they felt like the world couldn't harm them. Briar still had the rose. Asa thought it matched her perfectly. He didn't even hear the priest start the vows.

"I do." She said.

"And do you Asa Parks, take Briar Cole to be your wife?" The priest asked.

Asa looked at her, he thought that she was beautiful. "I do."

They placed the rings on each others finger.

"You may kiss your bride." The priest finally said.

Everything went silent around them. Asa took Briar and their lips touched. He dipped her down as she raised her right hand to his jaw. He brought her back up and they parted.

"I love you Briar." He told her simply.

Without warning, the flash of blue and red lights could be seen through the stained glass windows. There was sirens piercing their ear drums. Hand in hand, Asa and Briar ran for the back of the church to find a way out. Asa found an exit sign in seconds. He pushed the door, under the sign, open and the only thing in sight was a mountain.