After the Sky Fell Down Read online

  “Stop! Stop!” she laughed, almost unable to breathe as he continued to tickle her. “Stop! I’m gonna pee my pants! I swear I’m gonna pee!”

  He finally stopped and as he looked at her, he was smiling wickedly, but then he reached down and wiped away the tears that had escaped her eyes from laughing so hard.

  “You’re a jerk! I hate you!” she said trying to be mad.

  “No, you don’t. You love me,” he said confidently and then bent down and began kissing her neck.

  “No, I hate you.”

  “You love me,” he whispered as his lips moved down to her collarbone and she knew she couldn’t keep up the farce.

  “You’re right. I do love you,” she said softly, wrapping her arms around him.

  He found his way up from her shoulder to her lips. She eagerly kissed him back and she felt his hands fumble with the buttons of her blouse.

  “Ben, we can’t. We’ve got to get to dinner,” she whispered to him and he stopped.

  “C’mon. We can be a little late,” he said softly as he kissed her ear.

  “No, we can’t. Your mom’s making dinner and my parents will be there. We’ve gotta go,” she said reaching up and buttoning her shirt again.

  He sighed, but then sat up.

  “You’re right. I don’t want you to be right, but you are.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  “Fine, but we’ll continue this later,” he grinned and she felt her cheeks flush at the thought. “I do believe you’re blushing Miss Lane,” he teased.

  “I am not,” she said quickly as she stood up and pulled him to his feet.

  “Do I make you nervous?” he continued with a smirk.

  “Seriously, you are such a dork,” she said grabbing her coat and then took his hand as they walked out to the truck. He helped her inside and then a few moments later, he was in the driver’s seat and they were heading to his parent’s house for Sunday dinner. These dinners weren’t new. Kathryn had become a common fixture there since she’d started dating Ben in high school, and her parents had even come over on occasion, like tonight. The Bradley’s had become her second family over the years and she’d always enjoyed spending time with them. Like her parents, they lived in Westerly, about a half an hour away from Kingston, where Ben and Kathryn both were both attending the University of Rhode Island.

  As they drove, Ben reached over and turned up the volume on the radio dial. They had been together so long, that long drives had become routine and they didn’t feel the need to constantly fill the silence with chatter. As he drove though, he reached over and squeezed her hand. She smiled and squeezed back.

  When they pulled up to the house, his grandparents’ familiar car was already in the driveway, but she didn’t see her parents’. Ben parked the truck and then led Kathryn to the front door, which was decorated with an autumn wreath for Thanksgiving.

  “We’re here,” Ben announced when they walked inside.

  “Hey!” a familiar raspy voice said. Kathryn looked up and saw Grandpa Dom’s smiling face peek out from the doorway. A second later, Val joined him. She walked out and first embraced Ben and then Kathryn.

  “How were the cookies? Did he share any with you?” Grandma Val asked.

  “They were so good and yes, he actually shared.”

  “Such a good boy,” she said hugging him again and patting him on the chest before they all walked into the kitchen where Ben’s mom was mixing a salad and his dad was taking the lasagna out of the oven.

  “Hey you two,” his mom said looking up. Ben went over and hugged his mother, followed by Kathryn.

  “Hi Sharon,” she said. “Can I help with anything?”

  “Thanks, but everything’s under control. Glad you guys could make it. I know how busy life can get.”

  “Your lasagna sounded a whole lot better than the mac and cheese my roommate was making.”

  “It’d better be better than mac and cheese,” Ben’s dad, Scott piped in.

  Kathryn glanced into the living room and saw Ben’s younger brother and sister, the seventeen-year-old twins, Allie and Luke, fighting over the remote control. Ben walked over and jokingly slapped Luke on the side of the head, causing him to drop the remote. Allie grabbed it and smiled up at her older brother in thanks. Luke just rolled his eyes.

  “That’s a real charmer you got there Kathryn,” Luke joked.

  “Oh, she knows,” Ben said reaching over and putting his arm around her and kissing her on the head just as the doorbell rang.

  “I’ll get it. It’s probably my parents,” Kathryn said and headed back down the hallway to answer the door.

  When she opened it, her parents were standing on the porch. Her father was wearing the same blue coat he’d had for years and his brown hair had traces of gray in it that she didn’t recall seeing the last time they were together. Her mom, however, was wearing a new mauve sweater under her black pea coat and Kathryn could tell she’d just had her blonde hair highlighted.

  “Hey Kate,” her dad said as her parents walked in. They took off their jackets and hung them on the coat rack and she leaned over and hugged them both.

  “How’ve you been? How’s school?” her mom asked as they walked towards the kitchen.

  “I’m good. School’s good.”

  “How are your grades?” her dad asked.

  “They’re fine,” she said with an eye roll. “You don’t need to worry.”

  “I’m your father. I’ll always worry.”

  “Okay Dad,” she said ignoring him and then changed the subject. “It’s been a while since we all had dinner together.”

  “Yes, it has, but I’m glad Sharon called. We don’t get to see you and Ben enough,” her mom pointed out.

  “I know, Mom. I should come home more.”

  “Well, we know how busy you are,” she said as they entered the kitchen.

  “Maggie, Brian…It’s good to see you. You’re just in time. Dinner’s ready. Why don’t you go have a seat,” Sharon called as she took the corn off the stove and everyone made their way to the dining room.

  ****

  After dinner, Ben and Kathryn helped clear the table. Everyone had congregated from the dining room into the kitchen and living room. Both rooms were now filled with chatter and Ben and Kathryn sat down to talk to Scott as he loaded the dishwasher.

  “So how’s school?” Scott asked.

  “Not bad,” Ben answered.

  “How’s that astronomy class you two are taking?”

  “I love it,” Kathryn answered and she saw Ben stand up from the stool he was sitting on. “Where’re you going?”

  “Dad just reminded my about the Leonids.”

  “The Leonids? What’re you talking about?” she asked confused, although she knew the word sounded familiar.

  “The meteor shower Dr. Weaver told us about in astronomy.”

  “That’s right!” she exclaimed, remembering the lecture from a few weeks before.

  “I think tonight’s supposed to be one of the peak nights for it. You wanna go check it out?” he asked taking her hand and motioning toward the back door.

  “Yeah,” she agreed standing up.

  “I’ll go get our coats. Be right back,” he said and left the room, returning a few moments later and she slipped on her jacket.

  “We’re gonna go check out the meteor shower, anyone wanna join us?” she asked the group.

  There was a mumble of no’s and headshakes and she heard Grandpa Dom grumble, “It’s too cold to go stare at the sky.”

  “You sure? It’s supposed to be incredible,” she said trying to lure them along, but no one took the bait. “Fine, your loss,” she said and she followed Ben to the backdoor. He slid it open and they stepped outside. It was cool, but it wasn’t cold, definitely not cold enough to keep her from checking out the meteor shower.

  The Bradley’s had a large back yard and she held Ben’s hand as they walked away from the house until they came to a break in the clu
ster of oak trees. The house was far enough away from the city lights so they didn’t interfere when they looked up into the clear night sky at the mass of stars.

  “So when is this thing supposed to start?” she asked.

  “I think it’s already started.”

  “Didn’t Dr. Weaver say it would peak around midnight or something?”

  “Yeah, but we should still be able to see some meteors,” he said as he continued to hold her hand as they searched the sky. “Just keep looking.”

  They were quiet as they waited. Kathryn had always loved looking at the stars. It was so calm and peaceful and magnificent.

  “Look!” Ben exclaimed a few minutes later as he pointed into the sky. “I just saw one.”

  “What are you talking about? I don’t see anything,” she said, her eyes straining towards the sky.

  “There’s another one!” he said pointing again.

  “I still don’t see anything.”

  “Just let your eyes relax. Don’t try so hard,” he said as he let go of her hand. She did what he suggested and waited in silence until out of the corner of her eye she saw a flicker of something moving. She gazed up to her right and saw a small light shoot across the sky, followed by another and another.

  “I see them now!” she said excitedly pointing to the cluster of falling stars that seemed to be multiplying by the second. “It’s beautiful,” she said quietly.

  “It’s awesome,” he agreed and then took her hand again.

  “It’s so amazing. It’s like raining stars,” she said in awe as she continued to watch the shoots of light. “It almost looks like the sky’s falling down or something.” She continued to stare up, completely lost in the moment, until she heard Ben’s voice calling her name.

  “Kathryn,” he said quietly, drawing her back to him. She pulled her gaze away from the sky and noticed he was staring intently at her.

  “What is it?”

  He gently took both of her hands in his and she thought she felt him trembling.

  “I love you Kathryn,” he began quietly.

  “I love you too,” she said smiling at him.

  “I want you to know how much you mean to me. You’re everything to me. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

  “I feel the same way,” she said softly, and then he let go of one of her hands and gently placed his finger on her lips to silence her. She could still feel him trembling and she was starting to worry.

  “I want to be with you forever,” he continued and then began to fumble in his pocket. He pulled something out and then in one steady motion, he took her left hand and got down on one knee, never breaking his hazel eyes from her gaze. She felt her heart begin to pound in her chest so loudly she was afraid she wasn’t going to be able to hear him and she felt herself begin to tremble just as Ben was. “I know you have reservations Kathryn. I know you think we’re too young. I know you worry how we’d manage, but I promise you, we’ll be okay. I will never let you down. I will always be here for you. I’d do anything for you Kathryn, if you’ll just do one thing for me.”

  He held his free hand up to her and her eyes focused on the beautifully simple ring he was holding, the solitary diamond sparkling in the starlight.

  “Will you marry me, Kathryn?”

  Her eyes filled with tears and soon she couldn’t see anything. Ben and the ring were just blurred images until she blinked and then she saw he was crying too. She was too stunned to say anything and she felt herself began to tremble more.

  “I’m not saying we have to get married tomorrow. We can wait for a while, but I just need to know that someday we will get married,” he said as held the ring up higher. “Will you be my wife?”

  A surge of joy washed over her and she couldn’t believe this was really happening. To see what they had talked about so many times actually unfolding before her eyes was completely overwhelming and she couldn’t be happier. She swallowed hard and then found her voice again.

  “Yes!” she exclaimed as he managed to steady her shaking hand enough to slip the ring on her finger. When he stood up, she leapt into his arms so hard, she nearly knocked him down.

  “I promise to love you every day for the rest of my life and even after that,” he said stroking her cheek and then he leaned in and kissed her softly as if to seal that promise.

  “I love you,” she said reaching up and drying her eyes and then pulled back to admire the ring, which looked as if it had always been there. “It’s so beautiful.”

  “I know it’s not much,” he said nervously.

  “No. Don’t say that. It’s perfect,” she said and she meant it. The platinum band and small solitaire diamond were simple and uncomplicated and beautiful.

  She reached up and kissed him again.

  “So, you’re happy then?” he asked a moment later as they held onto each other.

  “This is the happiest day of my life!” she said smiling up at him and gently touching his cheek, letting her hand run slowly down his smooth skin as she continued to stare into his hazel eyes. He kissed her again and then took her hand in his.

  “We should go inside. I know everyone’s dying to know your answer.”

  “Wait,” she laughed hesitantly. “You mean to tell me, they’re all in on this?”

  “Yeah, everyone knew, well…everyone except you, of course.”

  “Even my parents?” she asked and he nodded.

  “I spoke to them a couple of weeks ago.”

  “I can’t believe you were able to keep this from me.”

  “Me either. I was so afraid you were going to say no.”

  “What?” she exclaimed. “Are you nuts? Why would I say no? I’ve wanted to marry you since like our third date!”

  “I don’t know. You just seemed a little hesitant when we talked about it.”

  “Let’s make this clear. I was nervous about the logistics of everything, but I’ve never been hesitant about wanting to marry you. You’re the only person I could ever imagine sharing my life with. There could never be anyone else.”

  “I love you,” he grinned, scooping her up and kissing her eagerly.

  They held onto each other for a few minutes, letting the silence dance around them. She felt safe and secure and her heart seemed to be completely full for the first time in her life, knowing she’d have him forever.

  He took her hand and they began walking towards the house. Kathryn could see everyone gathered in the living room, just as they’d been when she and Ben had gone outside. She still couldn’t believe they’d all known about it and had said nothing.

  When Ben opened the back door, everyone’s heads seemed to whip around in unison, all waiting for her reaction.

  “Well?” Grandpa Dom’s voice boomed when they walked inside.

  “She said yes!” Ben announced excitedly.

  There was a chorus of cheers and claps and Kathryn turned to look at Ben who smiling back at her. She squeezed his hand and then focused on the faces of their families. Everyone was smiling and then Luke stepped towards them and embraced his brother.

  “Good work, Brother,” Luke said in his usual joking manner as he slapped Ben on the back.

  “Thank you, Brother,” Ben joked back and then Luke turned to Kathryn. He leaned down and hugged her briefly.

  “I still don’t know what you see in him,” he laughed. “You could do so much better.”

  “Nah, I don’t think I could,” she returned, slugging him in the arm and then he hugged her again.

  “I’m just kidding,” he said softly in her ear. "I’m happy for you guys.”

  “Thanks, Luke,” she replied before pulling away from him and facing her parents. They were standing at the back of the room, looking like a mix of emotions. She slowly walked over to them.

  “Congratulations,” her mom said as her voice cracked.

  “Thanks,” she said as her mom leaned in and hugged her. “I can’t believe you didn’t say anything.”

  “We were
n’t going to spoil this for you.”

  “And you’re okay with this? I mean, with me getting married. I haven’t even finished college yet and you always said you wanted me to have a career and be settled and it’s not like we’re getting married tomorrow…” She was speaking quickly now, something that always happened when she got nervous. She only stopped talking when she felt her mom’s hand rest on her arm.

  “Kathryn, relax.” Her mom was smiling reassuringly. “Yes, we’re okay with this. Of course we wanted you settled with your education and a career, but we knew this day was coming and we know how much you love Ben. We love Ben too and if being with him makes you happy, then we’re happy.”

  She felt her eyes brim with tears at her mother’s words and then turned to look at her dad. She thought she saw a tear in his eye too. He didn’t say anything. He just pulled her to him and held her for a moment. She felt a hand on her back and she instantly knew it was Ben.

  “You’d better take care of her Benjamin,” her dad warned in a stern voice, but then smiled. Everyone knew he didn’t need to say it.

  “Of course I will,” he said putting his arm around her. She wrapped her arm around his waist and squeezed him back.

  Grandma Val approached them then. She looked so small, yet her smile was so big.

  “Well, it’s about time,” she said playfully grabbing Kathryn’s left hand and looking at the ring. “It looks even more beautiful on your hand than when Benny showed it to me.”

  “It’s perfect,” Kathryn said admiring it.

  “Yeah, I thought you were gonna blow it last night Grandma when you were pestering Kathryn,” Ben laughed.

  “Oh, I knew what I was doing,” she said gently slapping his arm. “I probably threw her off actually. Did you have any idea Kathryn?”

  “No. Not at all,” she said honestly. “I was shocked.”

  “Good,” he said swooping in for a quick kiss, causing her cheeks to flush and then she turned to Val, who had a serious look on her face. She took each of their hands in her own and stared at both of them.

  “Be good to each other. Cherish each other. Never take each other for granted,” she said seriously.

  “We will, Grandma,” Ben said with a smile.