Chapter Two
The following evening saw Haley getting ready for her night out with Nathan. As she made the last minute adjustments to her outfit, she remembered how the previous night, after they had finished eating, she had literally begged him to reveal what her birthday surprise was but he had refused to budge, even when she had threatened to withhold sex. He had simply laughed before using a combination of his tempting lips and talented hands to work her into a frenzy. Then, when she had been on the verge of giving in, he had suddenly stopped, feigning tiredness and after giving her a chaste kiss on the forehead, he had rolled over to go to sleep.
She couldn’t help smiling as she recalled how much fun she’d had convincing him that he wasn’t really tired and that his secret could stay a secret. Not for the first time that night, she had thanked her lucky stars that her birthday fell on a Saturday, although she had a strong suspicion that had it not, she would have skipped her classes today what with him being in town.
Securing her charm bracelet on her wrist, she stood up from her vanity unit and went to stand in front of her full length mirror. She was wearing her pale baby blue silk, v-front dress which had spaghetti straps and a full skirt that just skimmed her knees. Matching heeled pumps completed her outfit and she had decided to leave her hair, which she had slightly curled, down around her shoulders; only pulling the sides back and securing them with blue jewelled dragonfly pins.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Haley couldn’t believe she had finally turned twenty-one. She remembered when she was younger thinking how ancient twenty-one sounded and now here she was studying at college with only another year to go before she was out in the big wide world all on her own. Well, not all on her own because she had Nathan, she thought with a smile tugging at her lips.
Being apart from him for so much of the time was something she absolutely hated but they had persevered. She remembered their first year together as a couple being the hardest and she had been the one to suggest that maybe they shouldn’t continue with a long distance relationship. Even as she had said the words, her heart had threatened to shatter into a million tiny pieces at the mere thought of them not being together. She had known from their very first kiss that he was the only man for her but being away from him for so many weeks… months at a time scared her. The people she had met at college had scoffed when she had talked about him and had told her their experiences of trying to maintain the same sort of relationships with their own boyfriends and girlfriends. They had warned her that for all she knew Nathan was cheating on her with anything in a skirt and although she defended him to her last breath, a tiny part of her was terrified that what they were saying could be true.
When she had put her suggestion to him about them not seeing each other anymore, at least while they were at different schools, he had said nothing for several minutes and she had then heard the click of the phone indicating that he had hung up. She had known it was a cowardly thing to do; to have that conversation over the phone but she knew she wouldn’t have had the courage to do it face to face. That night she had cried herself to sleep not knowing whether she was still with him or whether him ending the call the way he had was his way of saying it was over between them.
The next morning she had woken up to a loud banging on her dorm room door and when she had opened it, she saw Nathan standing in front of her, his eyes as red and tired as hers no doubt were and she couldn’t stop the sob from leaving her throat. Before she knew it, she was safely ensconced in his strong embrace.
She had skipped her classes that day and they had spent the entire time curled up in her small bed, talking and making love. All of her fears were laid bare for him and she recalled how hurt he had been at her thinking he would cheat on her. She had explained that she didn’t really think that but what with everyone telling her their own experiences as well as her knowledge of his colourful past, her insecurities were wreaking havoc on her. He had understood and had even confessed to having his own concerns about her meeting new people and maybe falling for someone else… someone better. It had been her turn then to convince him that there was no one better for her and that he was stuck with her.
Coming out of her thoughts, she glanced at the clock on her nightstand and saw that Nathan was due to be arriving any moment to pick her up. They had spent the entire day together but when it was time to start getting ready, he had told her he had to do something and that he’d be back in a couple of hours to collect her. Picking up her shawl from the back of her chair, she wrapped it around her shoulders and grabbing her purse from her bed, she made her way out of her room and into the living room.
“Wow! You look amazing!” her roommate Ann Marie exclaimed when she saw her. The tall blonde was sitting on the couch reading a book while snacking on some potato chips.
Haley blushed slightly. “Thanks. You don’t think it’s a bit… too much?”
“No way. That dress is gorgeous on you and the colour suits you perfectly, Haley. So, has Mr Scott revealed what your surprise is yet?”
She shook her head. “Nope. He knows how much I hate secrets and surprises and yet he’s still torturing me.”
The young woman laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m sure whatever he’s got planned will be so good that you’ll forget how mad you are at him for keeping it from you. But I’m letting you know upfront, Louise and I are gonna want details.”
“We’ll see,” she teased.
Just then, the doorbell rang and Haley felt butterflies in her stomach for some strange reason. Walking over to the door, she opened it and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Nathan standing in front of her wearing a smart black suit with a pale blue shirt underneath. He had obviously decided against a tie and so the top two buttons were left undone and she was given a glimpse of his lightly tanned skin. In his arms he carried a beautiful bouquet of flowers which must have cost him a small fortune.
“Happy Birthday, Hales,” he said handing over the flowers to her and stepping in close, he covered her lips with his and kissed her softly.
“T-Thank you,” she replied a moment later when she had caught her breath. “These are gorgeous, Nathan.”
“Not as gorgeous as you.”
She giggled and said, “You’re so cheesy.”
“Hey, I’m trying to capture the moment,” he teased. “Seriously though, you look amazing. That dress makes you look even more stunning than you usually do.”
“Nathan!” she said, blushing even more than she already was.
“What? I’m paying my girlfriend a compliment.”
“Well thank you, kind sir. Do you want to come in for a minute or…”
“Actually, would you mind if we get going? It’s just that I’ve got plans for us for after dinner and we need to get started.”
“Are you going to tell me what you’ve got up your sleeve for tonight yet?”
“Nope.”
“Ugh! Fine, let me just go and put these in water.”
“I’ll do that for you, Haley,” Ann Marie said coming up to stand behind her. “Hey, Nathan.”
“Hi,” he replied, giving the blonde a smile.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I am. I was planning on taking a break now anyway. Go on, go have fun and enjoy your birthday. And don’t forget what I said earlier.” She gave Haley a wink and then grinned when she blushed.
“What’s she talking about, Hales?”
“Nothing,” she quickly replied before the other girl could say anything. Handing the flowers over to Ann Marie, she then bent down and picked up the overnight bag she had placed by the door. “Thanks, Annie. I’ll see you sometime tomorrow, I guess.”
“Have fun, you two, and don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do.”
Nathan opened his mouth to respond but Haley quickly pushed him forward. “Keep it buttoned, cutie, and get that tushie moving.”
He laughed loudly and took the bag from her as she said goodnight to her roommate and a second later, her hand was clasped in his free one and they were walking out of the building and over to where he had parked the car.
* * * * *
“What are you thinking?” Nathan asked after they had left the restaurant and were on their way to the next part of his surprise. His arm was wrapped securely around Haley’s shoulders while hers was wrapped around his waist.
“I’m just thinking how perfect that was,” she told him, looking up at him and giving him a soft smile.
“You really liked it?”
“Of course I did, Nathan. It was wonderful.”
“It was just a meal,” he replied almost shyly.
“It was a lot more than that.”
As soon as she had entered the restaurant with him, she had known it was going to be something special. She recognised the music playing in the background as being one of her favourite songs so she knew he must have asked the management to do that specially; the table they were seated at was in a secluded corner and there were white, pink and red rose petals adorning the simple lace tablecloth together with dainty little tea-light candles floating in a bowl of water. The whole atmosphere was magical and it meant so much to her knowing that he had gone to all this trouble to make their meal there extra special.
The food had been delicious as always and he had made sure that all of her favourite things were included on that night’s menu. She had never been that big of a drinker but she had stuck to her promise from the previous night and had a couple of glasses of the wine he had ordered. Another surprise though was when a bottle of expensive champagne had been brought out with their dessert and when she had glanced over at him, she saw the surprise etched on his own face. The maître d’ had told them the champagne was a gift from them and after opening the bottle and pouring it in the glasses, he had wished her a happy birthday before leaving them alone again to enjoy their desserts.
Now, as they walked through the town, she couldn’t help wondering what he had in store for her next and she felt those pesky butterflies fluttering like crazy in her tummy. She felt slightly light-headed from the alcohol she had consumed and she had a feeling that it was also partly behind the reason why she couldn’t stop giggling.
“Hey there, tipsy. You okay?” Nathan’s voice broke the comfortable silence as he glanced down at her.
“I’m not tipsy… well, not too tipsy. Where are we going now? Back to the apartment?”
He shook his head. “No, we’re not going back to the apartment tonight.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot.”
Nathan frowned slightly. Damn, she sounded more than just tipsy and the last thing he wanted was for her to be intoxicated, not when he had something important to talk about with her. Maybe he should have ordered them another coffee before they had left the restaurant, he thought to himself.
Looking around her, Haley realised where he was taking her and she smiled. She should have known. Every time they went to Amalfi’s, they always ended up here afterwards; enjoying the night air and just catching up on everything that was going on with them as well as their families and friends.
She hooked her arm through the crook of his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. The park they were in was one of her favourite places and had been from the first time she had discovered it. It was only about twenty minutes from her apartment and it was a great place to just sit and watch the world go by. In the summertime, she would buy herself an iced coffee and sit under her favourite tree while writing one of her letters to Nathan or just reading a book.
As they followed the path around a corner, Haley’s eyes widened as she took in the gazebo which stood in the centre of the park and which was lit up with white fairy lights. She’d never seen it all lit up before and she wondered why it was like that tonight. Glancing up at her boyfriend, her eyes met his as he was looking down at her and she saw what she could only describe as a nervous expression written across his face.
“N-Nathan? What’s going on?”
Shaking his head, he took her hand in his and interlaced their fingers. “Come on,” he simply said as he led her up the stairs of the gazebo and to the bench in the centre of it.
Her eyes wandered from him to looking up at the pretty strings of lights that decorated the gazebo and back again. “Did you do this?” she asked quietly.
He smiled at her. “I didn’t personally put the lights up but yeah, I organised it. I wanted us to be somewhere special when I gave you your present.”
“I, uh, I thought dinner was my present,” she said shyly.
“Nope, that was us celebrating your birthday.” Reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket, he removed a long, slim box which was perfectly gift wrapped and handed it over to her.
“What is it?”
Chuckling at her question, Nathan replied, “Why don’t you open it and find out.”
Haley took her time opening her gift, wanting to savour the anticipation she was feeling in that moment. She gasped when she finally opened the box and saw what lay inside it on a cushion of dark blue velvet.
“Do you like it?”
With tear-filled eyes, she looked up at him and nodded. “It’s beautiful, Nathan.” Her fingers delicately fingered the silver heart-shaped locket and turning it over she saw it was engraved with, ‘Always & Forever’. She gave him a watery smile and leaning forward, she pressed her lips against his and kissed him sweetly; the taste of chocolate from his dessert still evident.
“Here, let me put it on you,” he said taking the necklace out of the box and moving slightly on his seat so he could place it around her neck and secure the clasp. Cupping her cheek in his palm, he drew her in for another kiss and when he broke it a few moments later, he rested his forehead against hers.
“I didn’t put a photo inside the locket… I figured you could choose.”
Rubbing her nose against his, she returned his smile. “I know just the one.”
“Oh yeah? Which one?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” she teased. Moving to kiss him again, she frowned when he moved back slightly.
Taking a deep breath, Nathan said, “I-I’ve got you another gift… Well, it’s sort of a gift for me…”
Haley was just about to speak when she watched him move off the bench completely and sink down onto his knees… actually one knee to be precise. Her heart was racing double-time in her chest and the butterflies were fluttering around like crazy in her stomach. She held her breath as she waited for him to say something.
Putting his hand into his pants pocket, Nathan brought out a much smaller box this time but before he opened it, he took Haley’s hand in one of his and held it tightly as he looked up and met her gaze.
“I love you so much, Hales. You’re the only girl I’ve ever loved… will ever love and I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I don’t even want to imagine my life without you in it,” he told her adamantly before continuing. “But as well as being the love of my life, you’re also my best friend and I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone. You’re the one person I know I can rely on to tell me the truth and you never let me get away with any crap,” he said, a smile playing on his lips at that last part.
“Nathan…” She felt a tear slide down her cheek as she listened to the things he was saying but before she could wipe it away, his hand came up and his thumb caught the tiny droplet.
“I know you’re still pretty young but I can’t wait to ask you this any longer.” Slowly removing his hand from her face, he opened the box and held it out in front of her so she could see the contents of it.
Haley stared at the simple white gold band which was adorned with a single diamond in the centre of it. It was gorgeous in its simplicity and just what she could envision picking out for herself.
Plucking the ring out from it’s velvet cushion, Nathan took her left hand in his and with his other hand he held the ring poised on the end of her finger. “I want to spend my life with you, Hales; I want us to be together… I want you to be my family and for me to be yours.” With a final deep breath, he asked her the question he had wanted to ask her for over a year now. “Haley James, will you marry me?”