Beck

The wedding isn't until later in the afternoon but I got here early with Andre so I could check on how everything was coming together. I decided to let Jade sleep in instead because I could only imagine her screaming at the workers every time something was the slightest bit out of place. I could see that being bad. And besides, I wanted her to sleep in and relax this morning and not see her until she was walking down the aisle.

The hotel is on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean near Venice Beach, a particular favorite place of mine and Jade's. We'll be getting married on the actual beach at three o'clock and then having out party on the tent deck that leads to the beach. I proposed to her on this beach after spending the day together.

We had spent the whole day together doing whatever she wanted. I woke her up in the morning (we were living together) and made her favorite breakfast in the kitchen with her. We saw a movie about a little girl who goes missing and is found murdered (not my choice of movie, but since it was Jade's day I went with it), we went in the hot tub in my apartment complex and had lunch at her favorite restaurant. The only plans she couldn't make were dinner. While we were doing what we wanted that day I had Andre and Tori help me out. They took a table and place settings, candles and all, and put them on a private part of the beach (I knew the guy who owned it). They put out the food when I texted them we were almost there. Jade was so surprised. She loved being intimate, having moments and dates that were just us and no one else. After dinner we laid out a towel on the beach and cuddled. We were looking at the stars when I heard her say, "I wish this could be everyday". I smiled and knew this was the moment.

"Well, what if it could be?" She smiled and laughed.

"Jade, I love you. I've loved you since the day I met you in Sikowitz's class freshman year. You're different. You're edgy and smart and aren't afraid to stand up for yourself. I don't ever want to spend another day with you. That time we spent apart was torturous. Jade I want you in my arms every day." She turned to look at me, eyes wide.

"Jade, will you marry me?" I opened the ring box and slid the ring on her finger. A small diamond, princess cut with the word "forever" engraved on the inside. I didn't get down on one knee because I knew she would find that lame and embarrassing. I just said it, looking straight into her eyes. She began to smile and cry.

"I don't know, what do you think my answer should be?" Only Jade would toy with me when I was trying to propose.

"I think you should say yes."

"Well then, yes. Yes I will marry you Beck Oliver." She leaned in to kiss me and in that moment never looked more beautiful.

Jade

Cat and I are sitting on my living room couch drinking coffee and looking through my scrapbook. It's amazing to see how much time has gone by. The beginning is all she and I as kids: us on the playground, the bus stop, and birthday parties. There's one in particular of me sitting on the floor with Cat trying to rip the heads off one of her Barbie's. She doesn't look too happy about it. As we get towards the high school pages the faces of the other people in the pictures are mostly of our group of friends. There's one under freshman year that I particularly love. It's from one of the first time of the first times I ever met Beck.

It was a rehearsal for our first show for Sikowitz's class. It was Death of a Salesman. I had a small part but Beck was playing Biff, a lead. The kid taking headshots had left the camera on set and walked away. I was sitting in a chair on set playing with my scissors when I saw a flash go off. I was already having a bad day and I didn't need some kid to make it worse. When I looked up and saw it was Beck Oliver I wasn't so angry. He was good looking and seemed to like me.

"What the hell?" I said to him. He smiled at me and looked into the camera screen.

"You look pretty. It really captured you," he said.

"Oh yeah, and how do you know what 'me' is?"

"Strong defiant, angry, beautiful."

"You make me sick."

"Smile!" He kept snapping the camera as I began to laugh a little and pose on occasion. Cat came running over.

"Oh photo shoot! I love photo shoots!" she squealed as she ran into the shot giving me a hug.

"Ugh Cat get off" I yelled as Beck kept snapping the camera, laughing his head off.

"No I like this. This is the real Jade." As he kept snapping pictures more of the class started jumping in. I gave up fighting it and started goofing off with the cast. Beck finally put the camera on timer and hopped in. There is one with his arms around me as I almost fall off the chair. We are looking into each other's eyes and we are both genuinely smiling. The next day I ran up to Beck, smacked him with my books and asked him what the hell he was doing. He handed me a stack of all of the pictures. I looked through them, saw him smiling at me and kissed him.