First Post done!

Aaylin’s Adventures is officially open!  The first post is up so go check it out and tell me what you think!

http://aaylinsadventures.wordpress.com/2010/04/03/introduction-aaylin-xiao/

Good News…?

Well, in the end, I wasn’t able to reload my game.  However, I have started something new!  I hope you like it! 

I’ll have the Introduction up soon!

http://aaylinsadventures.wordpress.com/

I also want to thank everyone who has read All My Sims up to this point.  I’m sorry I couldn’t finish it for you!  Hopefully the next story will go a bit better.

Bad News

So I had some issues installing World Adventures and reinstalled the entire game.  I though I backed up all of my games but when I went to put it all back in the right place, everything disappeared.  I’m afraid I might not be able to continue with this story. 

If there’s absolutely no way for me to continue, I’ll do the next best thing: start something new.  I hope I can figure this out.

Distressed!

-Amelia

A Question for You

Hello again!

Sorry I don’t have another post up yet!  It’s been a busy semester!  I’ll definitely have another one up soon, the one we’ve been waiting for, Evangeline’s story. 

In the meantime, I have a question to ask you all that I want you to really think about, especially once the next post is up.

Since Evangeline will be telling her story, I plan on writing it in first person.  I’ve been contemplating writing chapters in first person in the point of view of other characters besides Evangeline as well.  I won’t tell you who!  But I wanted to know what you guys all thought about this.  Should I stick to my third-person prose?  Or should I experiment and try something new?  It might be a cool way to get to know some of the newer characters. 

Leave a comment and tell me what you think! 

Thanks!

~Amelia

This is my face after hours of studying Chaucer.  Feel sorry for my brain please.

<3

Chapter 2.2 – Enter Mr. Cole

Cole…

Cole…

Cole…Cole…Cole…

Gavin Cole…

It wasn’t just a name.  It was a place, a time, a whole world that Evangeline had almost forgotten.  It had always lingered in the back of her mind, planning, brooding and waiting to strike like a closely strategized battle.  Kenneth had been the peace treaty, keeping her mind safe from oncoming attacks.  Throughout their entire marriage, she couldn’t once remember thinking about her past or any part of it that she might have missed.  She was completely happy.  Completely content in knowing she had a family who loved her. 

But now, even the sound of Kenneth’s slowly retreating breath couldn’t calm her nerves as she stared up at the ceiling.  So while he dreamed of Evangeline’s rolling pin and recipes, Evangeline remained awake, thinking, dwelling and hurting.  Gavin Cole was the last straw, the one who finally drove her to leave Riverview.  And now he was in Sunset Valley with his own family.  She could only imagine what his wife and children looked like.  The woman was probably a model or something.  Someone who would fall in love with his money.  Was that being unfair?  Evangeline certainly didn’t think so, despite the possibility that she might be a perfectly charming woman.

It was difficult not to wonder what her life would have been if she had stayed in Riverview instead of coming to Sunset Valley and meeting Kenneth.  But she had no regrets.  That was one comfort at night.  Every choice she made since that fateful night that she left Riverview was one that led to her current happiness.  And no Gavin Cole was going to come and ruin that, right?  Still, she had the feeling that his presence in Sunset Valley was about to interrupt her life in some fashion. 

Wait.  It could totally be another Cole, right?  Cole was a pretty popular name!  She was being ridiculous.  And she should have been happy, what with Nathan finally making a good friend.  With new resolve, she decided Brett Cole would be invited for Nathan’s first sleepover.  Then she would find out for sure.  Brett would have to resemble his parents a little bit, right?  And a parent would have to pick him up in the morning.  Maybe with a little interrogating, she could find out once and for all.

Happy with this decision, she fnally drifted to sleep.

So everything was set up for the sleepover.  Brett gained permission from his parents to come off the bus with Nathan and spend the night.  Evangeline set up the cot in Nathan’s room accordingly:

This way, everyone would be completely comfortable.  Well, almost everyone.  If Evangeline somehow proved to be right about this child’s father, she might not be so comfortable at the prospects of having to most likely see Gavin again.  And Nathan was definitely nervous for his first sleepover.  But this was good!  It was a good thing for her son to have friends and sleepovers.  He was always so shy!  So Evangeline was happy for him.  Really, she was!

Still, there was one thing to do.  Maybe Emilie knew something about Gavin and whether or not he decided to move.  There was always that possiblity that she still had some contanct with her mother or someone else in Riverview.  So as soon as she could, he headed over to Molly and Emilie’s house and found the blonde, who was surprised to see Evangeline so suddenly. 

“Hey, Emilie.  Sorry to drop in on you like this, but I needed to ask you something,” Evangeline said, fearing the answer to her questions.

“I don’t mind.  I mean, we have to make up for lost time right?” she replied.  “What was it that you wanted to ask me?”

“Well, Nathan came home the other day and was telling me about a new student in his class.  His name is Brett Cole…”  Evangeline hoped Emilie would catch on.

She did.

“Gavin…” she said sullenly.  “You really think he might be here?  The last I heard, he was looking for a summer house for him and his wife.  I forget what her name was…But as far as I know he took over his father’s business.  I don’t think he’d be here in Sunset Valley.”

“But if he were here…and his son were friends with my son…what do you think I should do?” Evangeline asked.  She felt a little better with Emilie’s confidence, but she still couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t Gavin.  A lot could happen in a small amount of time.  Emilie had left Riverview quite a while ago.  It must have been before her son was born.  So who’s to say that after having children, Gavin didn’t decide to move to Sunset Valley?  Maybe his wife wanted to live there. 

Emilie thought about it for a moment.  “Well…in that case, you’ll just have to treat him like it doesn’t matter that he’s here.  Don’t let him see that he bothers you.  I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but I imagine it was pretty bad if you felt you had to leave.  So I understand why you’d be nervous.  Just don’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he has any affect on you,” she advised.  It was good advice.  Why give Gavin any reason to be anymore smug than he already was?  Evangeline didn’t have to be scared of him.  She had Kenneth.  And she had her children.  She could flaunt her happiness quite easily.  He couldn’t intimidate her…right?

Satisfied, Evangeline returned home and changed into more comfortable clothing, which consisted of a green sweater and some jeans.  From within her bedroom, she could hear the front door open.  They were here.  But when she entered the family room, Nathan wasn’t present.  Only who Evangeline assumed to be Brett.  She was almost scared to look at the child, but he began chattering away before she could even register the image of his face in her mind.

“Hey, you’re Nathan’s mom!  You really do have short hair.  Nathan told me you have short hair but I didn’t believe him because most moms have long hair.  I guess it’s nice though.  Sometimes when Mom hugs me, her long hair gets stuck on my buttons.  Your hair probably never gets stuck on buttons.”

Evangeline looked down in shock at the rambling boy.

It was as though she fell backwards in time and was staring right into the face of Gavin Cole.  Gavin’s eyes, Gavin’s mouth, Gavin’s skin.  She could barely think of what to say to him now.  “Oh…um…Brett right?  Nathan’s told me so much about you.  You’re new in town then?” she asked, a nervous sound to her voice.

“Yeah!  We used to live in Riverview in a big mansion with my Grandma and Grandpa.  But Mom wanted to move.  I don’t know why.  Our house is still pretty big, but it’s not as big as the other one.  But there’s a beach here and there wasn’t a beach in Riverview,” he explained.

Evangeline couldn’t help but smile.  Even if it was Gavin’s face staring at her, she couldn’t help it.  This kid was too cute.  “So you like it here so far?”

“Mmmmhmmm…Nathan showed me the playground outside the school.  Lizzy and I used to go to a private school in Riverview….” 

It was clear that Nathan was happy when Brett was around.  All night they talked…

…and talked…

…and talked.

It was sweet, seeing them together.  Evangeline could remember the age when you simply knew a certain person was your best friend.  Why couldn’t adults be that worry-free?  When did people begin to get so judgemental?  What age?  Evangeline remembered feeling that way about Gavin and Emilie.  The moment she met both of them, they were inseperable.  She could only hope that things went better for Nathan and his new friend. 

So far, everything was perfect.

Once they were both asleep, Evangeline was free to retire and find slumber herself.  Of course, the worry about meeting either parent the next morning knawed at her a tiny bit.  If Gavin came, it would be the reunion she most dreaded.  If Brett’s mother came…well, Evangeline would get a glimpse of the woman Gavin conned into marrying him.  Still, she slid into bed next to her husband and fell asleep.  She would need her energy for the next morning.

But Kenneth was a little restless himself.  He’d noticed Evangeline acting quite strangely ever since their son came home with the news of a budding friendship.  Something that should have made his wife incredibly happy seemed to make her more concerned than anything.  And it wasn’t some sort of possessive trait because Evangeline never got this way when Madison came home with friends.  He’d have to comfront Evangeline about it soon.  Maybe he could help.  With this thought, he turned off the lamp on the nightstand and wrapped is arms around his wife. 

The next morning, the boys were as energetic as ever.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before the knock came to the front door.  Evangeline couldn’t help but bite her lip, even as  the front door opened.  Whoever it was obviously felt it appropriate to let him or herself in.  So she quickly made her way to the foyer. 

She didn’t want to see his face, but she already knew that it was him. 

Gavin. 

“So Evangeline.  I never would have guessed I would find you here,” he said.  His voice was the same as she remembered.  So was his face.  Perhaps he’d aged a little bit, but there was still the same arrogance, the same artificiality that he’d always had.

“Hello Gavin.  It’s been a long time,” she replied, ignoring the smirk on his face.

An awkward moment ensued now that they were face to face.  What could either of them say?  There was too much to say that they couldn’t say anything.  That is, not until Gavin thought of something.

“So I see you got yourself quite a cozy little place here.  Must be much nicer than that dump in Riverview,” he said sarcastically.

Evangeline sighed.  Here it was.  They couldn’t just be civil.  Not with Gavin around.  “I’m perfectly happy here.  Much happier than I ever was living in that mansion,” she replied.

“Yes, I’m sure you’re having the time of your life with some country bumpkin husband to play house with,” he mocked.

Shoving her finger in his face, she frowned.  “Kenneth is no country bumpkin.  He’s the best surgeon in all of Sunset Valley and he happens to make me happier than you ever could.  We don’t need a big house to be happy, unlike you.  I have no idea what you’re doing here in Sunset Valley,” she replied.

“You missed out.  My wife happens to be plenty happy!  I bought a house here just for her.  You could have had the same,” he replied.

Evangeline frowned.  “Have you hit her yet?”

“That was once!  And you didn’t give me the chance to apologize before running away!” he yelled.

“Once is more than enough, Gavin.  And that wasn’t the only reason I left,” she repled. 

A sigh escaped Evangeline’s lips.  “We need to calm down.  I don’t want the kids to hear any of this.  Besides, if our sons are going to be friends, we have to get along.”

Gavin seemed to pull back slightly, looking at her as though he were meauring her up.  “You’re right.  Brett does seem to have some attachment to your son.”

Kenneth chose this moment to walk into the room, along with the two boys. 

He instantly went in for the handshake.  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Cole.  I’m Kenneth, Nathan’s father,” he said with a smile on his face.  There was no evidence that he heard any of what had just happened between his wife and this stranger.

“Of course.  Call me Gavin.  Brett’s been talking abot your son all week.  I’m glad he found a friend so quickly.  It’s tough moving to a new place when you’re young,” he replied, stealing a glance at Evangeline, who remained silent as they spoke.

“Nathan’s been doing the same.  He’s a little shy, so we were ecstatic when he told us about Brett.  They’re both good kids,” Kenneth said with a smile on his face.

There was something odd about this guy.  He hadn’t heard what went on between him and Evangeline, except for some muffled yelling.  He seemed nice enough though.

But as soon as he went to turn away, he thought he caught a glare on the face of this man. 

Pretty soon, Gavin left with his son, leaving the house almost silent.  Brett was such an energetic child that without him, it seemed to quiet.  That wasn’t going to last for long, however.  Kenneth had some qualms with his wife.

He had to ask her.  He couldn’t wait.

“Evangeline, are you going to tell me how you know that man?” he questioned, surprising her.

“Well…”  She didn’t know how much she ought to tell him.  Kenneth had nothing to do with her past.  He was her present, her future, everything that was important.  The past didn’t matter.  “He used to be my neighbor before I came here.”

Something dawned on Kenneth.

“Did you know that Brett was his son?  Is that why you’ve been acting like a crazy person this whole week?” he asked.  “You could have told me, you know!”

“I have not been acting like a crazy person!  And yes, I thought he could have been Brett’s dad,” she replied.

“You don’t tell me anything!  God, isn’t this exactly how you felt when you dated John?  I don’t know why you feel the need to keep everything from me.  I’ve never asked you to talk about your past because I thought it was painful for you, but when someone from your past comes here and will be around my family, I’d like to know!  I don’t think that’s too much to ask,” Kenneth mentioned.

“Well it is!”

“Why?  I’m your husband, Evangeline!  If this guy was bad to you, I need to know, especially if his son is friends with Nathan!”

“Brett is nothing like Gavin, so you don’t have to worry about that.  Honestly,” she assured him.

“That’s not the point, Evangeline!  I wish you would just talk to me.  Tell me things like this.”

Evangeline’s face turned red.  “It’s none of your business.”

Evangeline walked away before he could say anything else.  She was fuming.  Her past was really none of his business!  And she didn’t want to tell him about Gavin.  It was too embarrassing.  There was no reason for her to tell Kenneth about that affair.  She didn’t want to even think about that time in her life.  Why would she want to talk about it? 

Seeing her children in the kitchen, Evangeline put a smile on.  However, there was no denying that they’d heard what had happened in the other room.  Their expressions were confused and upset.  But nobody said anything.  It was much easier to pretend that nothing happened.

Kenneth didn’t come to bed that night.

Alone and awake in the bedroom, Evangeline continued to think things through.  Kenneth might have had a point concerning Nathan’s friendship with Brett.  But it would be too embarrassing to go through all of those icky details of her relationship with Gavin, especially with her husband.  She wanted to forget that it had ever happend, that Riverview had ever existed. 

But she had to tell him.  He was right.  John had done the same thing to her.  It was only right that she tell Kenneth about her life in Riverview.

The next morning, Evangeline found her husband sitting in the family room.  Upon seeing her, he stood to meet her.

“I don’t want to fight again, Evangeline,” he said.

“I don’t either.  I was just going to apologize.  You’re right.  I should tell you these things…So that’s what I’m going to do,” she explained.

Kenneth pulled her close into his arms.  “You don’t have to.  I guess I was just a little jealous that this person knew something about you that I didn’t,” he told her.

Evangeline sighed into the embrace.  She could forget all about telling him if she wanted to.  The mystery of Gavin could remain a mystery.  She was off the hook.  But did she really want to do that to Kenneth?  He’d wonder about it if she didn’t tell him.  It would be best to tell the whole story.  No secrets.

Pulling back, she shook her head.  “No.  I want to tell you.  I want you to know everything.”

Kenneth nodded.  “Okay.  Go ahead.”

And so, she began…

Hiatus

Hello everyone! 

I’m so sorry that I haven’t gotten to updating the story after all these weeks!  I’m back at school now, so between classes, work and a social life, I don’t have that much time anymore!  I hope to get a post up perhaps this weekend, depending on how much homework I have.  But I don’t want to make any promises!  So I’ll post as soon as possible.  Thank you, everyone who’s been reading and commenting.  I love every comment I get.  Suggestions and constructive criticism are always welcome.  I’d love to hear what you all think about the characters, the sudden time change or events within the plot. 

Thanks again! 

Amelia

See look!  I’m thinking about my next post.  That’s my thinking face.

Chapter 2.1 – Past, meet the Present

Evangeline hated the first day of September.  It meant sending both of her children to school for the beginning of the new term.  She had to let her babies go back into the academic and social world where cafeteria food, bullies and pop quizzes were the least of her worries. 

Well…she wasn’t too worried about Madison.  She adapted well to meeting other kids and making friends.  She was also a genius, always getting the best marks in her class, from the beginning of her educational journey. 

It was Nathan she had to worry about.  By default, he was a loner, and she didn’t know why.  Even as a toddler, he didn’t want to be around other people.   Evangeline thought he would grow out of it, but even now, he had no interest in making friends.  Whenever he didn’t have to be anywhere, he was always hiding away in his bedroom, enjoying his solitude.  But school forced him to face his anxieties.  No matter how many fake illnesses he came up with each morning, Evangeline had to make sure he got on that school bus.

After watching the bus drive away, Evangeline decided to visit Molly.  She’d been so busy getting the kids ready for school that she hadn’t seen her friend in some time.  So she hailed a taxi.

When she walked up to Molly’s front door, she was let in almost immediately.  It seemed like something was going on.  “Come on in, Evangeline,” Molly said, opening the door.   “We have a new mother here today.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, just in time too.  Fiona and her daughter are getting ready to move out.  Come on, though.  I’ll introduce you,” Molly offered, ushering Evangeline into the house.

“Evangeline…” Molly started.

“…Emilie von Sicher.”

Evangeline’s eyes widened.  “Emilie?”

“Evangeline!” Emilie exclaimed.  She certainly looked different, but it was definitely the same Emilie that Evangeline had known as a child.

Emilie acted first, taking Evangeline into a hug.  “How are you?  I had no idea that you moved here.  Nobody told me anything when you left Riverview,” she told Evangeline.

“That was sort of the point, Emilie,” Evangeline admitted, feeling guilty for not telling Emilie where she was.  “I couldn’t stay in Riverview anymore, so I came here to Sunset Valley.”

Emilie looked surprised.  “So you just left and started your life here?  Maybe there’s some hope that I can do the same,” she said, looking thoughtful.

“Why exactly are you here, Emilie?” Evangeline asked.

So Emilie explained.  “My dad kicked me out.  He set me up with this guy, Mark, and everyone agreed we’d be married by last summer.  I liked him too, so I didn’t mind that it was arranged.  And well…he knocked me up, I guess.  When I told my parents, my dad was furious.  My mom was okay, but you know how it is in my house.  She can’t go against him.  So he kicked me out.  I’ve been kind of bouncing around since then, from shelter to shelter.  Then I had Evan and I knew I couldn’t really do that anymore.  And so I found myself on Molly’s doorstep.  And here we are.”

“I’m so sorry, Emilie,” Evangeline said, so angry at Mr. von Sicher for this.  “I’m glad I got away when I did.  And now that you’re here, everything is going to be fine.”

“I know.  Everything feels so light here.  I think I can be happy here,” Emilie replied.

“Can I meet Evan?”

“Of course.”

Evan was a beautiful child, just like his mother.  Evangeline loved him the moment she picked up him into her arms.  She felt like he was family, her nephew.   Well, she wasn’t so far off her mark.  She and Emilie had been as close as sisters when they were children.  And now they had the chance to have that again.

When she put him down to let him run free, Evangeline returned to Molly and Emilie. 

“Whenever you guys aren’t busy, you should come visit my house.  I’d love to introduce you to my husband and children, Emilie,” Evangeline said.

“You’re married?  With kids?”

“That’s right.  Nathan is seven and Madison is six,” Evangeline explained.

“And your husband?  What does he do?”  Emilie couldn’t hide her happiness in hearing that Evangeline was happily married with children.

“Kenneth is a surgeon over at the hospital.”

“So he makes quite a pretty penny!  You did far better than you would have done by staying in Riverview,” Emilie mentioned.

“And Kenneth’s cute to boot,” Molly mentioned with a laugh.  

 

“Yes, well, I’d better get home.  School will be over soon and I have to be home to hear all about it,” she said,  frowning.

“Nathan will be fine, Eva.  He’s just a little shy,” Molly explained to Emilie.

“Thanks.  I’ll see you two later then.  I’m glad you’re here, Emilie,” Evangeline said before running out the door. 

Unbeknownst to our heroine, Evangeline was in for more than just one surprise that day.  As she said, she went home immediately, just catching her children coming off the bus.  After making them dinner and helping them with their homework, she found Nathan and asked him about his day. 

“How was your first day of school, Nathan?”  She was almost scared to hear his answer.  What if he had another bad day?  What if he never made friends?  Sure, he liked to be alone and that was fine, but social interaction was a very important part of life. 

“It was great!  I had music class today and I got to play the drums,” he said with a big smile on his face.  Evangeline was a little relieved.  “And there are two new students.  One is in my class and he’s super nice.”  Evangeline was really relieved now. 

“Oh yeah?  What’s his name?  We could have him over if you want,” she offered.  She was just so excited that there was someone that her son liked. 

“Can we really have him over?”  He sounded excited, another good sign.  “His name is Brett Cole and he just moved here from Riverview.”

Cole?  Riverview?

Cole?

The relief she felt a moment ago was replaced by fear.  In one day, everything that she had run away from came back to her.  And now these people who she had almost forgotten were becoming part of her life again.  First Emilie now…now her son was befriending the child of her worst enemy.  He was the one that drove her out of Riverview. 

And now he was here in Sunset Valley.

Her only hope was the possiblity that it was a different Cole from Riverview.  That had to be it.  Otherwise it would be a huge coincidence that he and Emilie both left Riverview to come to Sunset Valley. 

Still, the aching in her gut didn’t disperse.  He was here.  She knew it.

Help!

Hello everyone!  Thank you so much for reading thus far! 

Unfortunately, thanks to a couple of viruses, I have to find all of my custom content again! 

I can’t find Evangeline’s short hair.

I also can’t find some of the following hair meshes.  I know these aren’t characters I’ve introduced so far, but you lucky ducks get a bit of a sneak peek!  So if you know where I can find these, please help me!

If I can’t find these soon, I’ll just change their hair styles somewhere in the middle of chapter 2.  Hope you don’t mind.  Ugh.

Chapter 1.8 – Happy Endings and New Beginnings

So Evangeline and Kenneth finally got married, having a small ceremony with some friends at the house.

Here are some shots from the happy occasion.

And that night…

…they had their own celebration.

Neither of them could believe how lucky they were.  After all they had been through together, they were finally married.  They finally had the chance to be with one another for the rest of their lives, through sickness and in health until death do them part.

However, they wouldn’t be alone for long.

Within the next month, Evangeline was quite sure she was pregnant, thanks to her frequent morning sickness.  At first, she wanted to say there was a bug going around.  But it didn’t quite go away.

Kenneth was absolutely ecstatic when Evangeline told him the news.  It was a great relief to Evangeline, who wasn’t sure how ready he would feel to have children. 

So Evangeline got bigger and bigger.  It seemed to only spur Kenneth’s excitement about being a father.  He even went so far as to have the house worked on, to make another floor on their house.  Their children were going to have their own rooms filled with all the toys Kenneth and Evangeline could afford.  He wanted the best for his children. 

And it was finished just in time, for Evangeline went into labor the very same day.  Kenneth almost panicked, but calmed himself long enough to get Evangeline to the hospital.

After twelve hours of labor, Nathan Thomas was born.

Evangeline and Kenneth were instantly thrust into the world of parenthood.

And then…

…Evangeline discovered that she was once again pregnant.

This time, they got their baby girl, Madison.

Both parents couldn’t be happier with their perfect nuclear family.

They both seemed to grow so quickly.  In no time, Nathan had grown into a child, ready to go to school and Madison was a perfectly healthy toddler, learning to walk and talk.

Having heard that he was an uncle, John Thomas sobered up and decided to play his part correctly.

He apologized to both Evangeline and Kenneth, both of whom gave their forgivness with the hopes that being an uncle would do wonders for John’s life.  And John really grew fond of the kids.

So fond, in fact, that he was invited to Madison’s birthday.

It seemed like nothing could ruin their happiness.  They had two beautiful children and a loving family.  They had finally found their happy ending.

But will Evangeline’s past come back to haunt her?

Find out in Chapter 2.

Chapter 1.7 – The Proposals

No matter how hard she fell…

…Evangeline still felt…

…so afraid.

It had started when John burst his way back into their lives, but Evangeline knew the fear would have surfaced eventually regardless.  Even though a family was the only thing she really wanted, it was so difficult for her to get close to someone, the way she wanted to be close with Kenneth.  She loved him.  She would do anything for him.  But whenever she thought of marriage, she felt nauseous.  It wasn’t something to be taken lightly.  She’d learned that much through her parents anyway.

So when Kenneth asked Evangeline to meet him at the beach one day after his shift at the hospital, she was very wary.  He said he wanted to talk about something.

What did he want to talk about?  Was it something serious?

The first thing he did was kiss her.  It was the kind of kiss that took your breath away.

Taking her hands into his own, he smiled.  She gave him a slightly feigned smile in return, nervous about what he would say to her.  “Evangeline, I wanted to talk about something kind of serious.  We’ve been going out for a while now and I want you to know that I love you more than I could love anyone.”

As he continued, Evangeline felt herself getting more and more nervous.

“I can’t imagine my life going anywhere without you.”  Oh God.  No.  Please no.

To Evangeline’s horror, he knelt down onto the sand…

…took a small box out of his pocket…

…and presented a ring.

“Will you marry me, Evangeline?”

Her mind rushed with all the different things she could say.  She could say yes, but would that be fair to Kenneth?  She shouldn’t say yes until she was absolutely positive he was the one.  She didn’t want to be trapped in an unhappy marriage.  But how should she put him down?

“I can’t, Kenneth.”  His face fell instantly as he stood.  “It’s not because I don’t love you.  I love you so much.”

He looked down at his feet in embarrassment.

“I just don’t think I’m ready for it yet.  And I don’t want to marry you until I’m ready.  That wouldn’t be fair to either of us,” she mentioned.

“But I do love you.  And I think we’re on the right track,” she admitted truthfully.  Even though she feared marriage, she knew that someday she would take the risk.  Hopefully it would be with Kenneth, but she wanted to wait just a little longer.

When Kenneth took her into his arms, she was relieved.  He wasn’t mad.  “I understand.  Thank you for being honest with me, Evangeline,” he said.

To be honest, the proposal made Evangeline feel rather passionate.  So when the couple returned to their home, she brought him straight to the bedroom.  At first she wondered if it was just because she felt guilty for not answering in the positive to his proposal.  But it wasn’t.  She wanted to be with him.  That was the only reason she needed.

She needed to be close to him.

Looking up at him, she smiled.  “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” he replied.

After they made love, Kenneth waited until Evangeline was asleep to slip out of bed.  He looked down at her for a moment, wondering exactly what was going through her mind.  There had to be some reason she’d refused his proposal.  And maybe he hadn’t acted hurt, but he was.  He knew she loved him.  That wasn’t the issue really.  It just surprised him how little he knew about Evangeline.  Of course he knew what she liked and what she didn’t like.  They’d even talked about how she wanted a family someday.  So why didn’t she want to marry him?

These questions continued to bother him throughout the week.  He tried going along with their normal routine of being together whenever they were both home, but it was hard to see Evangeline without wanting to ask her these questions.

But one day she surprised him as soon as he returned home from work, kissing him before he could even remove his shoes.

Pulling him close, Evangeline sighed.  “I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve just hung out.  Can’t we just sit together and watch TV?” she asked.  Of course, she was worried about him.  She expected him to be a little bummed out that she’d rejected his proposal.  But she hadn’t expected him to start avoiding her again.

“Yeah, okay,” he replied, following her to the couch.

“So how was work today?  You’ve been pretty busy lately,” she mentioned.

“Work was good.”

Yes, it was awkward.  It shouldn’t have been.  At least, it didn’t have to be.  Evangeline wasn’t ready for marriage.  Kenneth tried to tell himself this over and over again.  Somewhere in his mind, he couldn’t process this thought.  There had to be some reason behind her refusal.  He had to know.  It was clawing at him.

“Why won’t you marry me?” he suddenly asked.

Evangeline’s eyebrows raised, and she managed to keep the smile on her face.  This didn’t need to turn into an argument.  “Ken, I’ve already told you.  I’m not ready to take that step yet,” she said.

“That’s bullshit, Evangeline,” he said before abruptly standing from the couch.

Evangeline followed him.  “It’s not bullshit.  It’s how I feel.”

“You’ve always wanted a family, Evangeline.  That’s all you talk about!  Well, why don’t you want it with me?” he asked her, furrowing his brows.

“I want to make sure that you’re the one for me before making such a commitment, Kenneth.  Marriage isn’t something you just jump into.  I’ve seen so many unhappy marraiges,” she told him.  It was true.  Her childhood was littered with these disturbed relationships.  She couldn’t make the same mistake they did.

“I love you.  I don’t know why that isn’t enough for you,” Kenneth told her.

“It is, Ken.  But what if over time that goes away?  I won’t put any children we might have through living with two parents who don’t love one another,” she said.

“So you’re not even going to try?  I want a family to, you know.  And I don’t know how long I can wait.  I can’t be with someone who’s just wasting my time!” he yelled.

This stung.  She was just a waste of time?  Just because she didn’t want to get married immediately?

Evangeline couldn’t stay any longer.  She had to get out of the house, away from Kenneth.  So she ran out the front door.  Kenneth didn’t stop her.

So she ended up on Iliana’s front doorstep.  It had been a while since she’d seen Iliana as their schedules didn’t match up very well, but she knew she could rely on her in emergencies.

Iliana came to the door and let her in.  “Evangeline?  Are you alright?”

They moved into the living room where Evangeline felt comfortable talking.

“I just needed to get away.  Do you mind if I crash here tonight?” she asked, not wanting to get into anything too specific. Iliana had enough to worry about without Evangeline dumping all of her troubles on her friend.

“Of course, Evangeline.  You’re always welcome here,” she replied.  “I’ll show you to the guest bedroom.  I imagine you’re pretty tired.”  It was true.  Evangeline was exhausted after her fight with Kenneth and walking to Iliana’s.

“Thank you so much, Iliana.   I owe you one.”

That night, Evangeline stared at the ceiling of Iliana’s guestroom for quite some time.  She couldn’t get Kenneth out of her head long enough to fall asleep.  After she refused his proposal, she didn’t think he would have this much of a problem with it.  Of course, it was expected that he would be upset.  But it seemed like he didn’t trust her to make her own choice.  It hurt.  But at the same time, Evangeline missed him so much.  She missed having him right next to her as she fell asleep.  She missed the way he sometimes brushed his fingers through her hair so gently when he thought she was asleep.  She missed him.

Kenneth wasn’t faring much better.  With the spot next to him empty, it was difficult enough for him to fall asleep.  But even when he did, all he could do was dream of Evangeline.  he couldn’t believe he’d said those things to her.  Of course he was willing to wait for her.  She was the only woman he wanted.  She was the only woman he would ever want.

So, as soon as she woke up the next morning, Evangeline dressed and thanked everyone at the Langerak household for letting her stay.  She departed quickly, eager to see Kenneth.

But when she got home, he was already at work.  She’d forgotten.

Evangeline tried to pass the time until he got home.  Around five in the evening, she realized that his shift would have ended hours ago.  Maybe there was another emergency at the hospital.  Or maybe they asked him to stay and work overtime.  All she knew was the longer he was gone, the more anxious she got to see him.  She wanted to tell him so much.

When he wasn’t home late in the night, Evangeline went to bed.  She slept on what was usually Kenneth’s side of the bed, smelling his scent on the pillow as she drifted off to sleep.  She could at least pretend he was there that way.

This is how Kenneth found her when he finally got home.  He was so relieved to see her there, half expecting to come home to an empty house, all of Evangeline’s things gone.  He knew he hadn’t been fair to her.  Slipping into bed next to her, he thought about all the things he wanted to say when they could finally talk.

Staring up at the ceiling, he sighed.  He’d really fucked things up.  But looking over at Evangeline assured him that everything would be okay.

In the morning, they finally had their chance to talk.  Kenneth found Evangeline in the living room and immediately launched into his apology.

“I’m so sorry, Evangeline.  I never meant to blow up at you like that.  I was just embarrassed I guess.  But I don’t care how long I have to wait for you to be ready.  I want to be with you.  I can’t be with anyone else,” he told her, rambling on and on.

Evangeline stopped him before he could go on.  “You were right though.  I guess I’m just a bit scared of getting married because my own parents didn’t have a happy marriage,” she told him, surprising him.  Evangeline rarely mentioned anything from where she grew up.  She never talked about any family or friends from the past.  This was a first.  “But I do want to marry you, Kenneth.  I don’t know what I was thinking when I doubted how happy we’ll be together.”

Taking his face in her hands, she smiled.  “So when you’re ready, propose to me again.  I’ll be sure to make the right answer this time.”

Kenneth smiled.  “Hey, let’s go to the beach.”

“I’m going to do this right this time,” he said to her as soon as they stepped onto the sand.  Maybe it was better it turned out like this.  There was no doubt in his mind that Evangeline would make him the happiest man in the world.

“Will you marry me, Evangeline?” he asked.  She smiled.  She couldn’t help it.

“Of course I will,” she replied.  Giggles escaped her throat as he slid the ring onto her finger.

There was no more fear.  Evangeline knew this was the right choice.  She and Kenneth would be happy together.  She had no doubt of it now.

She leaped into his arms, laughing.  “I love you Kenneth.”

“I love you too.”