The Virgin Ceremonies Ch 14

Chapter 14

Virginia: The Beartrap

Quinn and I were in the back of a big black SUV, heading out of the city to the hall my parents rented. I was wearing a cute black and white dress with black pantyhose and black pumps. Quinn wore a nice beige dress. It made her look very elegant and mature.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked. "You're so quiet."

I was staring out the window. "Just thinking. You don't want the details."

Quinn glanced at the driver and then whispered to me. "About him?"

I bit my lip. "Yeah. I've been so busy with finals that I haven't had time to call him all week. He probably thinks I'm ignoring him, but I'm really missing him so hard."

"Jesus, Ginny," Quinn said. "Did you schedule another date with him?"

"Do you really want to know?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Hell, I'm already an accessory. Just tell me."

I was smiling just thinking about it. "Tomorrow night. I'm gonna leave my phone at home. Then, yummy town."

Quinn shook her head. "You really think you can keep this up, meeting every week?"

"I have to try."

"You're playing with fire, nuclear fire."

"I know," I said.

"And he's fine with it? Just sex? What am I saying? He's a man."

"He's actually not fine with it," I said. "He wants more, but he knows we can't."

"Ginny, if he wants more, he'll come for more. This is what I've been saying. It's going to blow up."

"We can make it work. It's just going to take a little time."

"How long can you make it work?"

"I don't know. I only know I'm miserable without him."

"You are so crazy," she said, shaking her head.

Quinn and I chatted as we made our way through traffic. We hit a mess on the bridge and finally arrived around 6:30 p.m. We headed inside, late, and dropped off our birthday presents, two small boxes on a gigantic table filled with lavish gifts for my grandma. Afterward, we looked for our parents.

"I see my dad," Quinn said.

We came up behind Uncle Eric. He was busy talking to someone, his mustache moving a mile a minute, his glasses slipping down his nose. He was cute in the way older men were, wrapped up in his thoughts. He'd always been a loner. He was much older than his wife, Olivia, and very wealthy before they ever married.

"Hi, Dad," Quinn said.

"Hi, Uncle Eric," I said.

"Hm?" he said, glancing at Quinn. "Oh, hello, sweetheart. Have something to eat." He looked back at the man he was speaking to. "Where was I? Yes, the counselor couldn't cite a single precedent, and yet the judge..."

Quinn rolled her eyes, and I shrugged. We moved off, and my parents spotted us. They charged.

"You're late," Diana said, her eyes blazing as they always did, her long red dress like fire.

"We said 6:00 p.m.," my father Jonathan said. He was the same height as my mother, so she never wore high heels around him, but he was a handsome guy. There'd been some unsubstantiated rumors he'd slept with an intern a few years back on the campaign trail. I had no idea if it was true, but I'd lost respect for him. Of course, I was my father's daughter the way I was behaving.

"There was an accident on the Queensboro," I defended.

"Go say hello to your grandmother," Diana said.

"And eat something," Jonathan added.

We found Grandma. The moment she spotted us, she opened her arms.

"Quinn! Ginny!"

"Hi, Nana," I said, hugging her tight. She was the best. I wished I'd been raised by her like my gay friend was raised by his grandma. Of course, I reminded myself Brent's parents had died. I didn't want that.

"You both get prettier every time I see you," Nana said.

"Aw, thanks."

"You look divine, Nana," Quinn said, taking her turn to hug. "I love your hair."

"Thank you, dear. You're back at the top of the inheritance list."

We both laughed.

"I saw your handsome boyfriend over there, Ginny." Nana pointed.

I saw Tom coming across the room, flanked by his parents, Thomas Sr. and Matilda.

"Yup, there he is," I said.

"You go say hello," Nana said. "Quinn, stay with me. The Hollinger's are coming. If I tug my ear, say it's time for my medication."

I headed toward Tom. I really did not want to see him, but I had no choice. I still needed to break up with him. I just hadn't found the time. I had to wait until after this party anyway, or it would be a scandal. Maybe I could do it later tonight before I left. I wanted us over before I saw Beau tomorrow.

Tom hugged me and kissed my cheek. Always so proper in front of his father.

"Hello, love," he said.

I was taken by surprise. He never called me 'love.' "Hi, Tom. Hi, Matilda. Hi, Mr. Lionel."

"How have you been, sweetheart?" Matilda said.

"Good, really good, actually," I said with a sigh, my prevailing thoughts on Beau.

"I bet you have," she said. "I'm so happy you and Tom have worked through your troubles and are back on track for such a happy future."

I gave half a smile. Tom had been feeding them some big stories. "Oh, sure..."

"Come now, dear," Thomas Sr. said. "Don't give away anything. Let's leave these two lovebirds alone."

Thomas Sr. and Matilda headed off. Tom stayed behind, smiling at me. "I've missed you. You haven't texted me all week."

"Yeah, I've been busy. Finals, you know..." And cheating on you and having amazing sex.

"I get it. And partying with your friends."

"It was a stupid little Christmas party," I said, defending the integrity of my lie. "Drop it, okay?"

"Uh-huh," he said, his hands on his hips. "I'm starting to wonder if you were messing around."

"You're so jealous all the time," I said, deciding to lay the groundwork for dumping him later. "It's very unattractive and pathetic. Do you have self-esteem issues or trust issues? Which is it?"

"What the--" He bared his teeth. "You're lucky we're in public. That type of shit, you don't say that to me, ever. You need to learn some respect."

"I'm just joking. Why don't you go have a drink and cool down," I said.

He stormed off. Breaking up with him was going to be a mess.

As I looked across the hall, I spotted two people I never would have expected here. I walked around the dance floor and came up behind my two favorite baristas. They were carrying trays of hors d'oeuvres and wearing white shirts and black pants with aprons. I was so happy I'd get to say goodbye. Hopefully, I could get a phone number so I could hang out with them.

"One mocha cappuccino, please," I said.

"Hey, there she is!" Colin said. "No coffee until dessert, sweetie."

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.

"I invited them," someone said. Olivia came up over my shoulder.

"Oh, hi, Aunt Olivia," I said. "You did, really? Why?"

"They both seemed capable enough, and I needed some extra staff."

"Great," I said. "It's great to see you both here. These parties are always fun. Wait until we get to the gifts. Grandma is such a hoot."

Brent gave me a sad smile. Something must have been troubling him.

"These hors d'oeuvres are scrumptious," Colin said. "I only took a couple, I swear."

Olivia chuckled, which had to be fake, knowing her. "Help yourself."

"Brent," I said, "I totally forgot, we need to exchange numbers. We're gonna go to a gay bar, right? Colin, you have to come too. I'll bring Quinn, and we'll make a night of it."

"Ooh, that sounds fun."

I looked at Brent. I wanted him to say something to me, anything, but he only said, "My phone is broken."

"Oh."

"I can give you my number," Colin said.

"You can do that later," Olivia said. "These two need to work."

"Wait, that reminds me," Brent finally said, taking a deep breath. "Ginny, I wanted to mention something to you."

"Oh, what?"

"I think you're--"

"Maybe you could save that for later as well," Olivia interrupted. "There will be plenty of time to chat once the guests start leaving, and right now, I'm not paying for chatting. Serve my guests, please."

Brent gave her a confused look. I was confused myself.

"Yes, ma'am," Colin said cheerfully. He looked at me. "Talk later, sweetie."

The boys moved into the crowd, and I chatted with my aunt.

"They're so funny. I think they're dating, actually," I said, so she didn't have any wrong ideas about me hanging out with them.

"You never know, do you?" Olivia said.

My mother soon found me and started dragging me around, introducing me to people I'd known for years, making sure I told them the latest news, going to NYU, living in the city with Quinn, studying hard every day. My mother wanted all of them to be jealous of me, but I really had no idea what there was to be jealous about. If she only knew my secret life, sneaking off to be with a man, having wild sex. God, would her pride in me be destroyed.

I was thinking about Beau again as I shook some politician's hand. He was a state senator, and I didn't care. I wished Beau were here, in his cute little mask, giving me those looks he gave me, that cocky smile that told me he was going to fulfill my every fantasy.

I had to stop doing this, stop thinking about him all the time. It was interfering with my daily life. I was having trouble carrying on a conversation with these random people. I used to be good at talking to boring people, but now when my mind was empty, Beau filled it up.

Thankfully, Quinn found me, and my mom got distracted by someone else. We snuck off and ate some snacks from Colin's hors d'oeuvres tray.

"Where's Brent?" I asked, chewing caviar. Every time I tasted it, I wondered how this was possibly beloved. I'd been eating it all my life and hating it, but I did it because it was expected. Quinn loved it, or so she said.

"He's on drinks, I think," Colin said. "Can I just say you two look fabulous. I love the dresses."

"Thanks," Quinn said. "I love your hair. How do you get it to stay up like that?"

"Oh, the usual, mousse, hairspray, semen."

We both gasped and laughed.

As the party went on, it was soon time for the best part, the gift opening. I stood near the front of the crowd. I always loved seeing my grandmother's reactions. She was so adorable, sitting there in her chair, laughing and smiling. My mother and Olivia were handing her the gifts one by one.

"A corkscrew? Who got this for me?" Nana said. Some high-level executive at Duclark Enterprises raised his hand. "Simon? You think I have the strength to open wine bottles at my age? I can still empty them, not open them."

The crowd laughed. Simon called, "It has diamond inlays!"

"Oh, an expensive cork sucker, are you?"

Some people gasped and others laughed. I was rioting, nearly falling over.

Next up was a gift card to some restaurant.

"Who got me this? I didn't know my uncle was still alive. Oh, you there, Barry? Thank you, you shouldn't have. I mean it, you really shouldn't have."

Everyone was laughing again, and I held my tummy.

"A gold pen? You want to make sure I have a pen to sign my will, don't you? I use BIC's, $0.10 cents apiece. A collar with diamonds? Is this for my puppy? It's my birthday, not his, and you can't afford to spoil him. He has seven birthdays a year. Mrs. Damon, really, a 1910 bottle. I'll need that rich corkscrew to open this one. The only problem, sweetie, is this damn denture cream makes it all taste like swill."

"Oh, my God, she is on fire this year!" I said, snorting a laugh.

"Dear lord, she's gonna roast me," Quinn said.

Nana picked up Quinn's gift next. "Oh, is this from Quinn, my sweet granddaughter?"

"Love you, Nana!" Quinn called.

"Oh, sweetheart, what is it?" she said as she squeezed the packaging. "It's not a catheter, is it? You know I get those free when I need them."

Everyone laughed.

"You're awful!" Quinn called with a laugh.

"I am, dear. Okay, let's see here... A deck of cards? Yes, it is a deck of cards. Wow, $0.52 cents you managed, sweetheart. Had to save up for this, did you? Olivia, what's her allowance?"

The crowd erupted in laughter. I was crying on Quinn's shoulder.

"They're personalized!" Quinn called. "And they have gold embossed numbers."

"My, my, this will make poker night exciting around the ol' table with the ladies. Brilliant," she said. "I hope they don't steal them. I tease, I tease, we play for candies. Thank you, dear. I did tell her I wanted a deck of cards, and see, she went all out. I would've settled for a store pack, sweetie. You're aces."

Quinn laughed, shaking her head and covering her face. "She's so embarrassing."

"She absolutely buried you!" I said with a laugh.

"Who's this one from?" Nana said. "Oh, Ginny. What did you get me, dear? She's a student, so don't judge her on the price tag," Nana said, and I blushed at the chuckles. She unwrapped it. "Let's see, what is it? A photo album. Oh, she went all out too, still has the $9.99 sticker on the back. Once you're making that lawyer money, you'll have to do better than this."

"Nana!" I said.

"No, it's cute, sweetie. Are these snaps of you and Quinn? Oh, look at that, my two beautiful granddaughters. I see, it's an album timeline, from 1 to 18. She knows her way into my heart, this one, and my will. Next year, buy me a box of pens, dear."

I laughed.

"I tease," Nana said. "You know I hate those damn apps, and you're always putting your pictures on there. I like this. Thank you, dear."

I blew her a kiss. "Love you, Nana."

"Okay, what's next. Is that it? Is the pile finally done? You know I'm past my bedtime, and if I have to open one more card that says you're only as young as you feel, I'm going to sign that will tonight and make some changes."

"You'll live forever, Nana!" Quinn called.

"One more," Diana said, handing my grandma a very small square box.

Olivia lifted her hand, and I saw Brent and Colin appear off to the side holding trays of champagne.

"Who's it from? Oh, Tom?"

Tom stepped forward, smiling big. I was confused, because Thomas Sr. had already given a gift to grandma from their whole family. Why would Tom give a gift himself?

"Let's see, what is it?"

Nana unwrapped it, and I stretched my neck to see. It looked like a jewelry box.

"Wait a moment, wait a moment. I think this one was mixed in with mine accidently," Grandma said. "This isn't mine, you silly boy. Take it back."

Tom stepped forward. "It's not yours? Oh, I'm sorry, Nana. This belongs to Virginia."

I was in shock, complete mental shutdown, as Tom approached me, and dropped to one knee, and opened that little box. A storm of ice froze every skin cell on my body when I looked down and saw that ridiculously large diamond blinding me.

"Virginia Duclark," Tom said loudly with everyone around me gasping and oohing, "will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?"

I didn't speak. I couldn't. What the hell was he thinking? I was going to break up with him in an hour, and then tomorrow I was going to be in Beau's arms, making love all night, thinking how amazing he was and that I never had to touch Tom again. How on Earth could he possibly assume I would want to marry him? Was he insane? Was he absolutely nuts? I had no words. I didn't know what to say.

The crowd seemed to notice my long pause, and then Nana spoke up. "See that? It's my birthday, and she gets the best gift." Everyone chuckled, and Tom chuckled too, glancing around, his smile starting to falter. Then Nana shouted, "Say, yes, you silly girl."

"Yes," I said, because I had to, because everyone in the room was looking, and if I humiliated Tom tonight, there would be hell on Earth for our family. Tom looked more relieved than I'd ever seen him. The crowd awed and clapped. The ring slid onto my finger so effortlessly. My hands were shaking. I was engaged. Oh, my God, how had this happened?

Tom kissed me right on the lips. I was surprised, because public displays of affection were very uncommon in our family. Maybe it was different now that I was his fiance. My God, I was his fiance. He could do whatever he wanted, and if he wanted to kiss me, what could I say, what could I do? I let him kiss me. The clapping was so loud it hurt my ears.

"A toast!" Thomas Sr. said. "To my son Thomas Bartholomeus Lionel II."

And then my father stepped forward lifting a glass of champagne. "And my beautiful daughter Virginia Anne Duclark."

I realized Colin was holding a tray out to me, and I had to take some champagne. Tom took one and lifted it. I looked around, feeling so dizzy. I wanted to faint. How was this happening?

"The perfect match," Thomas Sr. said.

"May our families grow richer together as one," my father said.

"Here, here."

"Here, here!" the crowd echoed.

I looked at Quinn, at something that felt familiar. She was smiling so big. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Huh?"

"Congratulations, Tom!" Quinn said. "You're both so lucky."

We were? I was? Quinn knew the truth though, knew everything. Didn't she know how horrified I was? Quinn leaned in and hugged me tight and kissed my cheek, whispering, "He's your future. Forget the past." And then she pulled away, raising her glass. "To the maid of honor, me!"

A few people laughed.

"Watch out for her, Ginny," Nana said. "She gives silly gifts!"

"Nana!" Quinn laughed and whined. "I'm never coming over to play canasta with you again!"

"Oh, hush dear, you'll be playing with me over Christmas, or I'll take you out of my will."

"I'm so happy," Tom said to me. He was still beside me. I looked up at his face.

"You are?"

"Of course. I know we've had our problems, but now that we've, you know, bonded, my dad told me this is what's best for our family, and he's right. You and I, we've been through it all, ups and downs. Let's make it permanent. Why wait to start our lives together?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I had never felt so trapped before, like a wolf in the forest, her leg clamped by steel. I couldn't move. My limbs were broken. What could I do? How could I end this? What if I couldn't? What if I was stuck with Tom for all time? Could I... still see Beau? Just once in a while?

I stared at Tom's grinning face. If I could have Beau, if I could love him in secret, maybe I could somehow survive a life with Tom. But would Beau still have me if he knew? I could never tell him. I could never risk him finding out. I was so... fucked. Absolutely fucked.

"Kittens," I said.