Rose 2.26: Surrounded

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A/N:

     I'm back in my Rose legacy! My computer's hard drive melted (not much of an exaggeration), but I had a save backed up! Chain Reaction will still continue, so don't be confused if these two stories bounce back and forth. Believe it or not, I've written up to chapter forty-something in CR. The ones that died are my Brooke legacy, the one where Skye is in Dragon Valley (it was going to be somewhat of one...maybe...I'm doing too much), and Lemming. So, Skye is back in Monte Vista. That'll be odd, but I didn't want to delete him.
     In my saved backup, Donovan is back in the house where they lived with Clark and Ashley. I have to do these semesters over in gameplay, but I'm still keeping the story as it happened.

     Um, one big pig with little pigs falling from the sky along with apples and acorns. Sure, that makes sense. o.O This is Donovan doing his senior year over again, living in the dorm. I'd just make sure his grades stayed up, he didn't die, etc, while I went back and read the last few chapters of this legacy to get my mind in it again. He graduated again, getting the photographer's eye trait again. Again, again, again...

Wow. I haven't done a chapter for this story since September 1, 2014.

Also, to those that read it: SWNT is jammed up right now because I found an enormous hole in the plot for the next five or so chapters. I'm working at getting that sorted out, and then chapters for that story will be released. :) While I worked on wrapping my head around what I was going to do, I fought my frustration by playing Donnie.

recap: Donovan dated plenty of girls at university, the main three being Tiffany, Willow, and Shauna. Tiffany broke up with him because he wouldn't be exclusive. After a while, Shauna did the same thing but under the pretense of also wanting to be serious with someone else. Donovan doesn't know what happened to Willow. He didn't see her at all his last term at university. Struggling for money and building a home from scratch while keeping up his grades, Donnie didn't have much time left for dating. He got depressed. Tiffany texted him one day to ask how he was doing. Then, she came over and Donovan decided that he wanted to have a serious relationship after all.

Now, on with the story! This is a very interesting roll for this generation. If you think the drama ended when he graduated, you could never be more wrong! hehehe
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     I arrive at home, and the Maker finds an evil gnome in my inventory. She has no idea when this showed up, but she places him and the graduation gnome in the house.

     Much of our furniture has to be replaced because it was custom content that the Maker doesn't wish to find and reinstall. The way she sees it, she owns plenty of the store items, so she doesn't need very many things. We buy a table, stove, sink, and countertops, but we use chairs that have either been given as gifts or found at the dump--which works perfectly now. (It was giving me new furniture instead of salvage stuff.)
     Milo and Giselle are in their last year of high school, so they'll be here for only a little while longer. Milo decides that what he wants most out of life is to be a chess legend. Giselle wants to be a fantastic alchemist.
     "When does your flight land again?" I ask Tiffany on the phone. She's coming to Monte Vista. I am counting the hours. I hope she's coming to stay.
     "Around nine in the morning. I can't wait to see you." She talks to me a little while longer before she has to board the plane and turn off her phone.

     I cannot sleep. So, I take my mother's advice and decide to paint. I can't sell my paintings like she can. Some I keep; others I delete. Almost everything she does is a masterpiece now. As long as she paints, the money comes in by the thousands. She achieves the Master Painter skill challenge.
     Speaking of money, I got offered my dream job! Sure, I'm only a game button tester, but it's a start.

     When I leave for the airport the next morning (riding my bicycle of course!), I see this at the side of the house. My parents are still very much in love. I want Tiffany and me to have that kind of love.

     I finally get to kiss my Tiffany with the sapphire eyes that smells like flowers when she exits her plane. Yes. This is right. This is the direction for my life: her. We ride back to the house, her on her broom and me on my bicycle.

      After introducing her to the part of the family that still lives at home, I pull her into my arms, where she belongs. "You are looking overwhelmed, and you have two more siblings you haven't met yet." I smile. She'd met Skye at university.
      She returns my smile. "I'm okay." She runs her fingertips through the hair on the back of my head in quick little motions while I reach up to touch her precious face. "You grew up surrounded. I mean, you'd told me you were number three out of six, but I had no idea how to actually picture that. And...I realize it's what you know: being surrounded."

      I run my hand over her ear, down the side of her neck, and I hold her shoulder. "It is just how it is with my life." She's here. She's here at my house. She's met my parents. She's here! She must stay.
     "And you love it," she finishes her statement. Honestly, I'm having trouble following her, spending all my time looking at her face with those eyes and lips... She said love.
     "I love you," I tell her.

      "That has to be the sappiest thing I've ever heard," Milo says in a droll voice while I kiss my beautiful Tiffany, "and I live with our parents." He sits reading a book.
       Tiffany fidgets like she's uncomfortable Milo is here. I don't care that my little brother sits near us on the couch while we kiss. Ignore him, I tell her with my kiss. Has she forgotten all those parties when we would make out? We weren't alone then, but I guess we were surrounded by people doing the same.
      I pull back momentarily from my beautiful girlfriend to say to my brother, "It can't be. I guess you never had to overhear Link."

      She succeeds in pulling away. I don't mind. She still stands in front of me. She's here. Does she know how much I want her to stay here, to be part of this picture? I think about the small box in my pocket while her beautiful eyes look over my shoulder, probably at Giselle as she walks into the room.
     I continue to gaze into the sapphire eyes as I tell Milo, "It is not 'sappy' to tell the woman you love that you love her. She needs to hear it." Tiffany blushes, and I smile.

       "I didn't say that," Milo retorts. "That is not what I meant. I meant your timing after what she said. That was sappy."
       I shrug, still looking only at my Tiffany. "Then I am sappy." If she didn't have all that makeup on her face, I'd want to lick her cheek, but she thinks she needs the makeup. "Perhaps it is sappy for me to say that I'm so happy she's here that I don't care how I look or what I sound like." She smiles and looks down at the carpet. She needs to have a moment to get away from my family. I want to go with her.

     The twins talk about something behind me while I ask Tiffany if she'd like to go to the fairgrounds. She nods in a relieved way. I was right.

      We stink at ice skating. I hate the cold. I hate the outside. But if Tiffany is more comfortable now, I'll take it.

      Later, we get something warm to eat and drink before the food stand closes, and after we finish eating, I stand before her with questions in my eyes. "I'm sorry my family was overwhelming."
      She shakes her head no very quickly. "No, no. They're fine. I was just realizing, just figuring out something about you. You went to university, far from home, without that large family around you." She pauses. Of course, she's right, but I wonder what exactly she means. "The.... The point I'm trying to make is that you created somewhat of a support system." She huffs. "You, you needed the attention. Sure, you weren't much different than any other horny guy, but you were also looking for that...affection...you'd get from your family, even the teasing."
      I smile. "Maybe. Maybe I was also like a child in a candy store and wanted to try every kind of candy before he chose a favorite."
      She fidgets. "Well, yeah, that's what I meant by the 'weren't much different than any other horny guy,' but I think you might've done it on another level as well."
      I should not have mentioned candy because my favorite candy is her skin, and I want to unzip her jacket right now to get at it. "Perhaps," I say to make her feel better. I still don't know if I agree with her, but I want to change the subject. "But I am so glad you are here, even if my family overwhelms you."
      "They don't! I was just thinking that whole time. It's...it's a habit of mine to try and figure out what makes you tick." She blushes in the semi-darkness.
       I reach up to stroke her cheek. "All that time. The girl that fell into me at the bowling alley door." I've stated this to her before, how I still marvel that I should've stopped right there. I also think that all that time she hurt because I wouldn't be serious.

      "I don't want anyone else, Tiffany. I am so happy you are here. I want you to stay. Will you stay? It will kill me if you should leave." I search those sapphires and find surprise.
      "Donovan, I, um, I mean I'll..." She stops talking, not knowing how to finish. I'm guessing she doesn't know what she's going to do. "I mean I could, I guess I could find a place here in Monte Vista."
      "I know a place," I say quickly.
      "You do?" she asks, surprised.
      "Yes." I pull the little box out of my pocket and put one knee into the cold snow.

       "Wait. What are you doing?" she asks quickly, her hand on her chest to try and slow her rapid breathing. I chuckle. "Donovan, are you...?" She can't finish.
       "I know a place, Tiffany." I reach out and take her free hand, and someone nearby gasps in surprise. "With me."
        Her voice shakes with happy tears that haven't been shed yet. "Donovan."

      "I want you with me, wherever you go. There could never be anyone else but you for me. I love you like I could never love anyone else. I beg you to stay, to marry me." Still holding her hand, I have the gall to go ahead and put the ring on her finger.

      The ring looks beautiful on her small, soft hand. That's where it belongs and where it should stay. Please, say yes.
      Her voice shakes even more now as she says, "I...I will."
      I look up at her with childlike glee. "You will?!"
      She laughs in a hiccuping way down to me, and I get my knee out of the horribly-cold snow.

        She breathes deep, shaking breaths while I kiss her. Tiffany: my future wife. I take a deep breath, and my soul relaxes while I breathe in her delicious smell and taste her candy lips. I'll have these lips the rest of my life. Tiffany is going to marry me.

      Knowing I'll have them the rest of my life does nothing for the intense hunger I have right now. She's ill-prepared for the way I kiss her. Sure, I have kissed her in a crazy manner before, but I also held back, knowing I wouldn't get to take it as far as I'd like should I kiss her like this. After several long, delicious minutes, she whimpers a plea for me to stop or at least calm down. I don't want to, but I remind myself that she is still innocent.

      For her sake, I pull back and then pull her closer to me in a tender embrace. She shakes as she holds onto me. My Tiffany is staying.

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