Run, Girl (If You Can)

On Wednesday one of Keeley's classes got cancelled because the professor had been throwing up all night so Aaron took that opportunity to leave work and take her ring shopping.

They went to a regular retail jewelry store inside a mall like any other normal couple. The ring she chose was a one-carat square cut diamond surrounded by a halo of smaller diamond chips on a platinum band also covered in tiny diamonds. 

The style she chose was one of the most popular engagement ring trends at the time. Thousands of other women had rings just like it, which made it perfect for her.

"Congratulations, the two of you make a beautiful couple," the salesperson told them on their way out of the store.

Did they? Everyone had always talked about how mismatched they were in their first life.

He had taken off his suit coat and tie in the car so he was dressed simply in slacks and a crisp light blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up because it was surprisingly warm out for September.  She supposed he looked a lot more casual than usual and she was wearing a nice-ish blouse for school so they sort of matched.

"Thank you," Aaron said graciously as he linked his fingers through hers.

Keeley examined her pretty new ring as they walked. It sparkled in the sunlight giving off the impression of a thousand tiny rainbows scattering in every direction.

Getting used to the weight on her hand was strange. She hadn't worn any sort of ring since she had died because she had never really been a ring person. This was the second time she was wearing an engagement ring given to her by the same man.

The very thought made her head hurt. This whole thing was weird.

They had talked about boundaries the night of Aaron's birthday. She wanted to ease into things slowly.

They could share a bedroom once they were married but before that she would stick to her room. As for kissing…she told him to give her some time. She still needed to get used to the idea of being in a relationship with him again. 

Aaron accepted her suggestions without any fuss but asked that he at least be able to hold her hand. She saw no reason to reject that request and he had taken advantage of it constantly since then. It was as if her hand didn't even belong to her anymore and it had only been a day and a half.

"I'd like for us to be married as soon as possible. For the baby's sake," he said when they made it back to his car.

He had the right idea. She would look horrible in a wedding dress if they waited for her stomach to show. Keeley had already decided that she couldn't elope because it would break her dad's heart but she really didn't want anything fancy. At all.

The only people she cared about being there were her dad, Jennica, Valentina, Lydia, Jeffrey, and Keisha. If she added in Cameron and Aiden for Aaron's sake that was only ten people total.

"Having been the unofficial wedding planner filter for Jennica I really don't care about anything other than my dad walking me down the aisle," she admitted. "I can get a dress, flowers, and cake from anywhere on short notice. I'm just worried my friends won't be able to come without enough warning."

"Why don't we give it a month then? Your friends should be able to get time off with that much notice."

She made a pained expression. "Midterms are in a month."

"We can do it after midterms. All we'll really need is an afternoon; maybe we could rent a boat for day and do it there. We can save the honeymoon for after you graduate. We can go to Europe like you always wanted."

Aaron could feel the stress radiating off of her and reached over to pat her leg. "Relax. You call your friends and pick a dress, I'll handle everything else."

She relaxed fractionally before remembering she still had to tell her dad. That could be a potentially awkward conversation. Should she bring Aaron with her or not? She wasn't sure whether or not her chances of getting chewed out for out-of-wedlock pregnancy would increase or decrease if he came.

Keeley was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the drive passing them by. Before she knew it they were back at the medical school.

"See you tonight," she said as she shut the door behind her.

Aaron had firmly stated that he would pick her up every day now that he knew she was pregnant. For safety purposes. What if she got pushed by accident in the crowded subway station and fell?

She had a feeling he would be like this so she didn't protest. It got her home a bit faster anyway and she had homework to do.

Her ring reflected the fluorescent lights of the classroom differently than it reflected the sun so she kept staring at it throughout the lesson. It really was a lovely ring.

Keeley had been a bit surprised he let her get something so common, considering what he was like their second senior year of high school. This ring cost about the same as that pair of earrings he bought her on a whim back then.

Jennica's ring probably cost a couple thousand more than hers did. A half smile appeared on her face. Aaron really had changed for the better.

When class ended, she texted all of the friends she cared about being present. She told Lydia and Jeffrey (who already knew what was going on) that she was getting married because they wouldn't just fly to New York for no reason.

It would be better to talk to Jennica and Valentina in person about this so she told them to make sure they were free the second Saturday of October because something very important was happening.

Jennica might have an inkling of what was going on since she knew Aaron was in love with her but Valentina would be completely blindsided. She would have to confess why she was getting married so quickly, which would be a bit embarrassing, but they were her best friends.

They needed to be there when she got married since she didn't have a single friend present at her first wedding.