| |
Grace
I stared at Noah; he started wobbling on his knee.
"Uh Grace, you're starting to scare me." I snapped back to reality and started giggling. He stood up with the box still in his hand.
"What?" I stopped laughing, stood up and kissed him softly. I let go of him as he looked at me confused.
"Do you really think that I would say no?" He scrunched up his nose and let his hand run through his ruffled blonde hair.
"Well, you're not saying yes."
"Yeah, of course, I'll marry you!" He slid a familiar ring onto my finger. He shook his head and pulled me into his embrace.
I looked out to the breath-taking view of the sea and the waves crashing on the shore. He shook his head and pecked me on the head. "I wanted to ask you to marry me over pizza and hot chocolate while we cuddle at home, but I thought this might be more memorable.”
I smiled; he knows me very well. Pizza and hot chocolate at home near the fireplace, cuddling under a blanket-that sounds like heaven to me.
After dinner, we walked down the narrow street that led back to the hotel. The architecture that surrounded us made Noah stop every now and then to study the lines. I love the way he would look at ordinary buildings and could transform them into a story of his own. I studied his profile in the shadowy light the streetlights were casting.
I saw a smile tug on his lips.
"It's not strange at all when you stare me down from the side." He turned to me and had a cheeky smile plastered on his lips. I playfully hit him in the chest. "I'm not strange!"
"Sure, I believe you." We continued walking down the alleys. I would glance at my ring every now and then, trying to figure out why it looks so familiar to me, but I couldn't place it, "Where did you get this ring from?"
"I'm not going to tell you." He smirked deviously.
"Why not?"
"If you knew then I'm sure you're going to burn it or throw it into the ocean." I frowned.
"Why? Did you steal it from a corpse?" He stopped walking and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Do I look like a person the goes grave robbing?" I shrugged.
"A person has got to have a hobby." He rested his hand on his forehead. "No Grace. I didn't steal it from a corpse or any living human for that matter."
"So why won't you tell me where you got it from?" He shook his head.
"You're strange my dear. You're more worried where I got the ring from than the fact that we are now engaged." I smiled feeling the happiness bubble inside me again. I knew he was trying to change the subject much to my annoyance. I know he'll tell me eventually or I'm going to figure it out. But wherever he got it from, it doesn't matter. I'm marrying him, that's what matters.
My father always says that when you get married, you shouldn't sweat the small stuff.
At the suite, the first thing I did was call my father. I wasn't sure about the time difference, but I wanted my dad to be the first one to know. Noah messaged his brother and called his parents. His conversation was in a hushed tone. I knew Noah didn't want to tell me a lot about his parents but that's why Harper did some digging for me.
Harper freaked out in my ear, she approved of him and was all too happy for me. However, when I told Adam he didn't sound upset but he wasn't giddy either. He said he was hoping to be the first one to get married, but with Sarah’s illness their plans were postponed. I felt the sadness invade my happiness. They had a lot to work through so I can only support them until the time comes that they do get married.
Noah sat down on the bed and started undoing his crisp white shirt and cufflinks. I undressed into my pyjamas. If I knew we'd be going here and that it wouldn't be as cold as, I would've packed sexy pyjamas. I sat down on the bed, with my short pj pants and one of Noah’s baggy shirts with my hair tied up. Noah had already dressed in his green boxers and a shirt.
I looked at my hand again, the ring was stunning, but I knew this ring from somewhere.
Noah was stretched out on the bed with his eyes closed. He wasn't sleeping yet.
"Noah?"
"Mmh?"
"I love you." He opened his eyes and looked at me sleepily.
"I love you too. Don't worry about the ring darling." He turned and gestured to me to come closer. He wrapped his arms around me as I rested my head against his chest. Now, this was more like heaven.
We woke up the next afternoon after sleeping in, I didn't feel too well when I did. Noah tried to comfort me the best he could, he tried to figure out what was wrong with me, but I wasn't even sure, "Maybe it's something you ate?" I shook my head.
"It's not my stomach, it's my everything." I was lying in bed and Noah was holding me tightly as waves of nausea hit me and the jet lag was taking a toll. Air sickness is horrid.
"Then that must mean... I'll be right back." Noah stood up abruptly and strutted out of the door. "That's wonderful, leave your fiancé here to die," I muttered bitterly. I sat up a bit and felt new aches surface. It felt like I was running a marathon that wouldn't end. Maybe I contracted some Mediterranean disease.
I slumped back down onto the bed and clutched the nearest pillow. This is just great. Noah came back with a bag and sat down beside me, stroking my back. I hope he's brought me medicine or at least something to eat. I was in a bad mood and in pain so I'm sure only food would help me. I didn’t eat breakfast and lunch seemed like it would be its own adventure.
He opened the bag and placed a sandwich in front of me, he also placed a pregnancy test beside it.
"Really? Again? Noah, No! Use that as a stir stick. I’m not taking that test." He sighed and shook his head.
"Do you remember not so long ago when we had sex in my living room? It was a spur of the moment thing and that we didn't take any precautions."
"Yes, I remember that, but I told you this before, I would know if I'm pregnant. You know this makes me feel like you want a child more than you want this relationship the way you keep pushing me."
The words just spilled out of my mouth.
That was the truth, it feels like he wants a baby more than anything else and he keeps pushing and pushing. Every time I get sick, he thinks it’s a baby, heaven forbids I get a flu because Noah will bring me pregnancy tests.
"What?" He asked softly as his eyes studied my face.
"I know you're ready for a baby but I'm not yet, it feels like you're pushing me to have a baby way too soon in this relationship, or rather you’re hoping for a baby more than you’re hoping to marry me." I grabbed the test and headed to the bathroom. Moments later I came out with the test and placed it on the counter.
"Grace, I'm sorry. You were the one that told me that you wanted the marriage and the family. That's what I want too, I'm just-"
"Not like this Noah. I love you. I love the person I've become because of you but what will happen once we're married? Will you keep pushing me for a baby or will you leave because I'm not ready? I now remember where you got this ring from, it was my mother's and I remember why I hate it this much. It reminds me that love isn't all dandy, at first it might be, but people change and leave. They leave and they don't come back. Until one day you hear that they died because of a heroin overdose because a baby was what they wanted the most not a relationship."
I slid the ring from my finger and placed it beside the test.
"I'm going for a walk," I turned around and headed out of the door.