Unproven Chapter Eighty Eight "I'd Go The Whole Wide World"

It was such a beautiful night that she and Grayson opted to take a six-pack to the beach. Weeks ago they had discovered a posted path through some trees that led to an isolated place, and this was their fifth time coming. Whomever the property belonged to, they didn't appear to use it. Most likely it was attached to one of the large houses further down. But due to rocky inclines on both sides of the small sandy stretch someone would have to either swim around the cove or take the same route as they did to discover them, which meant it was perfect.

They spread a blanket on the sand, and Ary sat down between Grayson's legs as he opened their bottles. He handed one over her shoulder and planted a kiss on her neck.

"So, apparently Randy Harris intends to ask me to prom," she told him as she took a sip.

She stifled a giggle as she felt him stiffen.

"Not a good idea to tease me when you're sitting this close, I might have to hold you down and tickle you," he threatened.

She let the laugh out and he nipped her ear.

"Ouch!" She slapped his knee. "That place is sensitive!"

"Don't I know it," he whispered, licking the place he'd nipped and raising instant goose bumps on her arms.

She turned her head toward him slightly. "We've never discussed prom... Are you planning to go?"

He made a noise of derision, "My father will expect it, all part of the school experience I convinced him to let me finish."

"And he won't expect you to take a date?"

"Nah, plenty of guys go stag."

She nodded, "But what about dancing, are you going to just sit at a table all night?"

He shifted so he could see her face. "Where are you going with this?"

She sighed, "I don't know, the girls are just pushing the whole date thing. Apparently Sonya's going with Tim Jenkins and they're getting a limo. And of course Andie and Grant are going with them, and maybe one other couple, so if I turn Randy down he'll ask someone else, which means..." She trailed off.

"There won't be room for you," he finished flatly.

She sighed, “Right. And I'd rather not go at all, but even Nanna would be disappointed if I didn’t, and if I don't go with them how am I getting there? Echh."

He looked away and took a breath. "Okay. Go with Randy."

She blinked in surprise, "Really?"

He smirked, "It's not a big deal. As long as he keeps his hands to himself aside from dancing, and when you do dance you keep some space between you.” He frowned, "It should be us. Getting our pictures taken, drinking champagne in the limo, you all dressed up and beautiful in my arms. It sucks." He took a long swallow of beer.

"Yeah it does," she said sadly. "I can only imagine how devastating you'll be in a tux."

He smiled faintly, "I do look good in a tux."

She snuggled into his chest. "Only two more months, then every night we'll be in each other’s arms."

He kissed her hair and ran his fingers down her arm, "I know, I can't wait. But at least it gives me time to stash more money. I've got about fifty g's already, and I've picked up the pace since Jay's been around, providing an excuse for me to spend more. That’s one thing he's good for."

She looked up at him incredulously. "You’ve stashed fifty thousand dollars? In a month and a half? How is that not suspicious?"

He shrugged a shoulder, "Actually, it's ultraconservative. I probably could have chanced more, but I don't want to draw an ounce of attention. No big withdrawals unless I appear to have something to show for it, or some reason; just a grand here, five hundred there. Plus there's graduation, I'll be getting a bucket load of cash that day. My father invited a shitload of people, and they are some wealthy motherfuckers. Of course it'll mostly be in the form of checks, which means I'll need to deposit them sometime that night then in the morning before we go I'll make a big withdrawal."

She stared at him. "Wow Gray, I thought you were worried about us having enough...At this rate we could live under the radar for years."

He looked at her like she'd sprouted an extra head, then his lips twitched in amusement. "Years? I wouldn't go that far. I've increased my withdrawals but not by that much. With what I have already and what I tuck away over the next eight weeks, plus what I get for graduation, maybe two, two-fifty...Definitely a good year, maybe a year and a half if we're careful."

It was her turn to stare at him as if he’d lost his mind. Two, two-fifty...Her mind boggled. "Um, Grayson, did you know that the average family income in the U.S. last year was something like thirty-two thousand dollars? Family income, as in people with children. And there are those who live on half as much...Granted they probably get some assistance, but that's because they have kids to feed, and houses to rent, and bills to pay. I mean, if you're talking about down the road when we start a family, then yeah, money won't last forever, but as long as we're young and especially while we're camping, fifty grand is a fortune let alone two hundred and fifty grand!"

His brows had raised in the air while she spoke. "Are you kidding me? Families live on thirty grand a year? How? My father dropped a hundred grand on a business dinner last weekend of about seventy-five people...Holy shit, what do those families eat, dog food?"

She shook her head, he had to be putting her on, "Come on Grayson, you've been to burger joints."

He wrinkled his nose, "So they do live on dog food."

"Stop, it's not that bad!” She laughed. “I mean, no, I wouldn't want a crap-burger every day, but there's such thing as a grocery store, you can pick up a quality steak that feeds two people for fifteen bucks. You just throw on some seasoning and put it on the grill...Okay, I can tell from your expression that you have never seen the inside of a grocery store or cooked anything for yourself, didn't you say you would hunt and fish for food if you had to?"

He smiled widely, "Yeah, and I meant it." He put his arms under hers and tumbled her back on the blanket, landing on top of her. "As long as I get to have this," he ground his pelvis against her, "every night when I come back with a fresh kill." He lowered his voice an octave, "Woman, get your legs in the air, I got us some steaks tonight." He made a manly grunting sound and she started giggling. He smiled down at her, his expression softening. "There isn't much I wouldn't do for the sound of that laughter."

Her giggles faded and she stared at him in wonder. This incredibly intelligent, sexy, beautiful boy loved her. Really loved her. "There isn't much I wouldn't do to hear you say that," she said softly.

He kissed the corners of her eyes, then her nose, then her chin before pressing his lips against hers. He took his time with that, starting soft, almost chaste, before coaxing her mouth open and devouring it. When he pulled back he saw that her eyes were wet. He ran a finger across the underside of them. "Why tears?" He asked.

She shook her head from side to side, unable to put it in words.

He slipped his arms under hers and sat back, pulling her into his lap, with her head against his shoulder and her legs straddling him. He held her tightly for a moment before pulling back to look at her face. "You really think we can live for years off a couple hundred grand?"

"Years and years," she said, nodding.

"Well I'm hoping it doesn't come to that, that I'll find a way to bring in income. I want to buy you nice things, to see your eyes light up like they did when we had our Christmas."

"You think my eyes lit up because of the stuff you bought me?" She shook her head, "Grayson, it wasn't the stuff, it was the thought behind it, that you went to such lengths to surprise me; that you wanted to make me happy. You could have gotten everything from the dollar store, picked out trinkets you knew I would like, and I would have felt exactly the same...Didn’t you like my present?

He blinked at her, "What? Of course I did! I loved it! It was the best gift anyone's ever given me..." His voice trailed off at the way she was smiling at him.

"You see? I didn't spend much in terms of money."

He was nodding, a small smile on his face, "But you put in your time and so much thought and care...I get it." He put his hand on her cheek, stroking his thumb across her lips. "I have never lived a day in my life where if I wanted anything I couldn't simply buy it. Anything at all. I've never even really thought about money until now, I mean my dad spent what amounts to more than three years of the average family's income on one dinner..." He shook his head.

She searched his eyes, "Are you sure about all this Grayson? Putting it in that perspective, do you understand what you're giving up?" He started to speak and she put her hand over his mouth. "Wait, just hear me out. I believe we can live a life of extreme happiness without having material things, but I'm not like you. I've never had money so I'm not giving anything up in that way. I don't want you to resent me later when you realize you can't just swipe a card when you see something you want. That instead of going to a clothing store where you simply point at a pair of pants and they have them tailored to fit you perfectly, you'll have to take something off the rack of places like Jaymart and deal with the fact that it fits your waist but it's too long in the leg."

He smiled ruefully. "Granted, I haven't really thought about any of that. It looks like I'll have to give the money to you or we won't make it more than six months."

His expression grew serious, "You'll have to teach me how to live like that Ary, but don't think for one second that I would change my mind about us because I can't have pants that fit me perfectly or go to an expensive restaurant on a whim. As long as I can do things like this," he swept his arm around to indicate their surroundings, "With you in my arms, I will be happy all my life. And that is not lip service, it's not fanciful. I welcome the challenge of learning to live without things, for me that's just part of the adventure. And if I eventually have to do the nine to five for pennies, I'll find adventure in that too."

Ary laughed, "No way. Even I can't stand the thought of that, at least not for long. Before this, before us, my plans were to get a job, maybe waitress or work as a receptionist, but only until I started publishing novels. The only reasons I considered college was for Nanna and the experience. You and I, we're going to live life on a different scale, where what we do with our time is the focus. I will not let you go to some office for eight hours a day doing something you hate just to make the bills. I'm going to help you discover what you love to do, then whatever money comes, we'll make it work. And yes, we will do plenty of this," she swept her arm, "because in the end, that's what matters. When we're lying on our deathbeds, we'll look back at a long life full of love and adventure, and know we did it right, no regrets."

He looked at her in amazement. "This is why I love you so much. You are special Aryanne. I could search the world over and never find another you." He kissed her and smiled impishly, "For the sex alone I would give up my lifestyle, and that's a fact Jack." He tipped her over backward and the sound of her laughter carried off into the breeze.

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