A Promise She Wants

"Yeah, I know it's after two days and this year, my Dad wants to celebrate my birthday on a big level because according to him, 18th birthday is very important in every person's life," Melanie uttered on the phone, standing at her window

She was looking at the dark night sky where the clouds were roaring and thundering. The rain was about to fall at any second. 

"Wow, that's sound like this year you're gonna get a lot of gifts," 

Melanie giggled, hearing her friend Cara. 

"Hey, by the way, aren't you excited about Evan's gift?" 

Melanie understood the teasing tone in her voice. She rolled her eyes before answering. 

"He used to be my crush when I was just 12, Cara. Now he's my best friend," 

"Really? Just a friend?" Cara teased her more. 

"Okay fine. I still like him but yeah, I'm not making the first move because I don't want our 6 years of friendship to get ruined," Melanie said, staring at the light scattering all over the sky. 

"Mel, can I ask you something if you don't mind?"

"Yeah, sure?" 

"The thing is you and Adrian know each other for more than 10 years and even living together, have you never catched any feelings for him? I mean he's handsome, hot and almost every girl in our school might have even at least for once thought about being his girlfriend?" 

Melanie scoffed, hearing her friend . 

"Are you on your high, Cara? Me and Adrian? This even sounds funny," She chuckled. 

"We both hate each other so much that I'm sure one day, we'll end up killing each other," 

"Really? Then why does it always seem you both are more than enemies to each other? Are you sure it's just hate?" Cara asked. 

"You know what, Cara. You need sleep to get out of these delusions. Me and Adrian, we don't feel anything for each other and we know, we can never and the way we behave with each other, it just maybe we're too comfortable around each other, as we both know each other for 10 years like you said," She concluded that topic. 

"And besides, I, throughout my life have always liked one guy, Evan, who's my best friend now," 

"Fine...fine, Miss Gomez. Hope you and your Evan get together soon," 

Melanie chuckled, hearing Cara and then noticed the rain had started falling. 

"I'll talk to you later. The rain has started. Bye," Melanie said and hung up the call and then dashed out of her room. 

"Anie, where are you going?" Melissa asked, watching a running Melanie, who was storming towards the garden of the mansion. 

"It's raining, aunt Lissa. The best time to dance and enjoy," She shouted back while running outside in the rain. 

"The frog inside her has come out finally," Adrian taunted, who was leaning against the door. 

Ignoring his comment, Melanie grabbed his arm.

"Let's go and enjoy the rain," She gave him a big smile. 

He rolled his eyes and uttered. 

"No thanks," 

She scoffed and leaned closer to him. 

"Do as I say, Salvatore or else I'll tell Aunt Lissa that you had stolen my notebook that day and because of you, I got detention," That little devil smirked, earning a deadly glare from Adrian. 

And then she happily dragged that poor victim of her evilness. 

Melanie was singing, dancing and jumping in excitement in the rain. One of the most favourite things of her life, getting drenched in rain water. 

He was just standing in the rain, with a scowl on his face. What a psycho? He concluded. 

"Melanie, Adrian come inside, kiddos. You both will catch a cold," Her dad shouted from the window of his room. 

She shook her head and smiled widely. 

"No, dad. Nothing bad will happen to me in the rain," She said, spinning happily because Melanie and her mother used to dance in the rain because she had some blurred memories as at that time she was very small. 

Her mother used to like rain a lot. She had heard about it from her father, so by being in the rain, Melanie used to feel like she was in the arms of her mother and that was the reason, Melissa and her father had never stopped her from getting in the rain. 

A cloud bursted loudly and the rain turned more heavy but she didn't stop. She giggled, smiled, danced, sang and enjoyed every second of it. 

Her golden skin had started shimmering with the rain. Her mid length chestnut brown hairs had sticked to her drenched body. The happiness of that moment was shining in her hazel eyes and in her wide beautiful smile and those green eyes became the evidence of that moment, which was on her. 

Melanie ran towards him and spoke. 

"Let's dance," 

"I don't dance," He muttered but she was in the mood to listen to him. 

Melanie grabbed his one hand and placed it on her waist and intertwined her palm with his other hand while clutching his shoulder. 

"I'll teach you. Just follow my steps," 

The happiness and excitement in her face was feeling so beautiful that even his defiance gave up to it. 

Melanie guided him and they both started dancing. He almost broke her toes by stepping on them uncountable times but then ended up enjoying whatever she was making him to do. 

"Yes, just like that, my Rian baby," She teased him, making him spin his eyes. 

He clutched her finger and then started spinning her as she instructed him and then he surrounded his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. 

They both leaned their heads against each other and breathed heavily, after their dance finally came into halt. 

For a brief moment, they both just heard each other's fast beating hearts and breathings which were beautifully synchronising together along with the sound of that rainfall. 

"Wow, that was so good," She pulled back and tittered and he just stared at her. 

"You're not that bad dance partner, Rian," She chuckled and then stepped away from him. 

"Now let's get inside. I'm hungry after our dance tutorial," 

He also smiled and then they both went inside the mansion, unaware of those vicious eyes which had witnessed everything that night. 

"Please, please, dry my hair. I am eating, please, Rian," She pleaded him. 

After she got done changing her clothes, he came into her room after changing his wet clothes, while carrying a tray of noodles with him which Melissa had sent for her. 

"Please, Rian," She extended the towel to him. He growled in frustration but ended up listening to her. 

Now, she was sitting in front of her mirror while eating her noodles and he was patting and drying her hair. 

"Ouch.. Be gentle, Salvatore. They're my hairs not a rope," She blurted out, chewing her food. 

He sent her a glare through the mirror, who was smiling at him innocently. He intentionally pulled her hairs, making her hiss. 

"You je#k," 

He chuckled at her cursing and then continued patting her head. 

"By the way, do you remember, I've my birthday in two days?" She asked before shoving the spoon of noodles inside her mouth. 

"Why the heck would I remember that day when my life had cursed me?"

Her eyes widened at his statement. She peered at him through the mirror, who was smirking at her. 

Melanie detached his hand from her hair and bit it harshly. 

"You b#tch," He yelled, hissing while snatching his hand away from her mouth, making her to grin satisfyingly. 

He smacked her head lightly and she faked a cry. Melanie started yelling. 

"Aunt Lissa, he hitted me," 

His eyes enlarged at her shouting. He immediately palmed her mouth and glared at her. 

"Shut this f#cking mouth of yours," 

Her brows furrowed. She stuck out her tongue and started licking his palm which was tapping her mouth. 

"The hell," He made a disgusted face, watching her saliva on his palm while she giggled at his reaction. 

"If I caught your germs, I'll choke you, Gomez," He warned her, rubbing his palm on his pants. 

She laughed and then showed him her tongue and turned around to face the mirror and again started eating. 

"Now, tell me what you're going to give me this year on my birthday?" She asked. He scoffed. 

"A damn knife so that you can slit your throat on your own,"

She narrowed her eyes at him, making him chuckle. 

"Yeah... yeah.. I'm giving you nothing this year like always because you already have everything you want or you can have anything you want on your own," 

She stopped eating after hearing his words. She knew what he exactly meant. 

"There are tons of people in this world who have a lot of money but they still can't have the things they want and there are a lot of people who don't have money but still they have everything they want," 

Her reply made him shut. He knew she was talking about her mother, whom she missed and loved more and more, with each passing day. 

He sighed and leaned down. He placed his chin over her head and then looked at her saddened face in the mirror. 

"You know you look more ugly when you make this face, Doll," He tried to cheer her up but the sad pout didn't leave her face. 

"Ok fine. Tell me what do you want from me as a gift on your birthday?" 

Her face immediately lightened up at his question. She was going to be 18 and yet, the little things excited her so much like a kid, especially if he was the one doing it. 

"But keep in your mind my budget," 

She scorned her face at his remark and uttered. 

"I don't care about your budget because the thing I'm going to ask you to give me is precious to me," 

He looked at her a little curious about what exactly she wanted from me. 

"And what exactly is that precious thing?" He asked. She smiled before answering. 

"A promise," 

He looked at her, untidily. 

"A promise?" He sounded confused.

"Yes, a promise. A promise that you will never try to take Aunt Lissa away from me, by leaving me," 

Adrian turned stunned at her wish 

"Because I still remember that day, when you had broken my doll and threatened me to take Aunt Lissa away from me by leaving from here," She glared at him. 

He, for a while, just gazed at her before breaking into a fit of laughter. 

"Your reaction was precious that day. I still remember it," 

She scowled at him and spat. 

"Yeah... cause you're a f#cking f#cker, so now promise me you won't take her away from me,"

He smirked, deviously and crossed his arms against his chest. 

"I'm not making any such promises," 

She clutched her jaw and dazzled. 

"You're, Salvatore," 

He looked at her amused and leaned closer to her ear. 

"Are you threatening me, My Doll?" He rasped. 

"Yes, I'm so you better listen to me before I chop that d#ck of yours," She gawked at him. 

He sniggered and leaned back. 

"Let your birthday to come first, then we'll decide whether you deserve that gift from me or not, Gomez," He flashed her a wink before throwing the towel at her face and then left her room with a grin on his face. 

She pucked up her lips in disapproval but then decided to finish the rest of her noodles. 

........ 

"Please... . Please... . Please... come with me, Rian.. Please," Melanie was whining around him like a puppy. 

"Hell no. I'm not going to that so-called chit chat party of yours," He denied her. 

Melanie was pleading him because she wanted to take him with her to a restaurant where her friends had decided to get along together after a long time. 

"Please, Rian.. 

" No, Gomez, besides your friends hate me and I'm in no mood to endure their hateful gazes," He uttered, buttoning his shirt. 

She dashed towards him and started helping him in closing his shirt's button. 

"Please, Rian. You also hate me but that doesn't mean you stare at me hatefully," 

Adrian dropped his hand, at her words. He looked at her pleading hazel eyes. 

"Please... " She gave him her tiny requesting pout. 

"Only if you promise to not rat me to mum for a month," 

She was stunned at his condition. 

"You.... "

"Dare to curse me then go there on your own," He shutted her. She cursed him through her eyes and spat. 

"Only for a week," 

"Deal done, Miss Gomez. I'll gladly come with you to meet your friends but there won't be any promise that I won't break their damn faces if they said something irrational to me," He smirked. She rolled her eyes. 

......... 

"Oh.. Hi! Adrian. You also came with her," Kylie said, who was Melanie's friend, almost drooling over Adrian. 

"No, I'm still in my home," Adrian breathed out, irritated. He hated girls like her. 

Melanie shoved her elbow in his abdomen and gritted out. 

"He means to say, yes, we're here," Melanie sent him a warning glare and then they joined the table where her other friends were sitting. 

"So, it's been a while. We all have gathered like this," Evan said, making Melanie smile whereas Adrian just yawned. So damn boring. 

"By the way, today's gathering was Evan's plan. He wanted to surprise you, Mel," Cara said, making Melanie confused. 

"Me?" She trailed her eyes at Evan, who was smiling at her and then nodded at her 

"Yeah.. I want to say something to you, Mel, especially before your 18th birthday and I thought it would be best if I say it in front of our friends," 

Now he had everyone's attention on him, even Adrian's. 

Melanie was confused as to what he wanted to say to her, until she saw him getting up from his chair and then extended his palm to her. 

She hesitantly gave her hand to him and then he made her get up from her seat. Everyone's eyes, along with the other people who were present inside that restaurant were starting to stare at them. 

Melanie started getting more untidy until she saw Evan taking out a rose from his jacket's pocket and then he kneeled in front of her and his words made Melanie shocked and Adrian to clench his fist. 

"I like you, Melanie. Will you be my girlfriend?"