A Fated Autumn*

Chapter 41 ( Proposal )

" Happy Birthday, big brother!! " I wake up and Emily is standing beside me, waking me up. It is my 20th birthday! 

" You are so sweet, thank you, princess! " I kiss her on her cheeks and I get ready for my birthday. My friends are gonna be here in any minutes. By my friends, I mean Cathy, big brother and Scarlett. Well, of course, you can consider Cathy as my girlfriend :) . 

Today is gonna be a vey good day. I know it myself because I actually have something prepared for Cathy. My parents, big brother and Scarlett already knew about it. Yeah, I am gonna be proposing Cathy. We have been dating for many years and I wanna take it to another step. It is pretty sure that she will say yes but I am still very nervous about it. The plan is that I am gonna be celebrating my birthday with all of them and after we have fun playing party games and stuffs, I am gonna be proposing her. I already prepare for the ring with the help of big brother. All I need to do is get down on one knee and ask her..

A few minutes later, I am all ready. I have breakfast that Mom made for me . Right now, Emily asks me to play with her so I am doing as she says. Meanwhile, I hear a knock on the door so I go and open it. 

" Happy Birthday, bro!! " It is big brother. 

" Thanks! Come on in. " I step aside and let him enter the room. Emily is sitting nearby. As soon as he sees Emily, he lifts her up and spins her around. To my surprise, Emily doesn't really like big brother because he teases her a lot. Sometimes, Emily says that big brother is mean and sometimes bully her. 

Big brother let go of Emily and take something out of his pocket.

" Oh here you are! " he hands me a keychain which is a logo of the video game we used to play a lot. 

" Thank you, bro! " I smile at him and take the keychain, putting it into my pocket. 

" So are you really gonna propose Florence?? " he asks me. 

" Yes. I am gonna do it today.. " 

" Ok then. Break a leg! " he smiles at me like he used to do in the past lives. The cheerful smile. 

As Scarlett and Cathy haven't shown up, big brother texts them saying to hurry just because he wants to meet Scarlett. In a few minutes, they arrive. Cathy brings Noowy and Scarlett is holding a cake for me with something like.. " Happy Birthday, Liam! " on it. 

" Happy Birthday, Liam!! Look what I bought you!! " Scarlett hands me the cake with a delightful smile on her face.. It even reminds me of the moment he gave me a bag of donuts. 

" You bought him a cake?? " Big brother gets closer to her and asks. 

" Yeah. Why? " she says. 

" You didn't even buy me one on MY birthday!! It is not fair. Why would you buy him that? " he asks her and his voice gets louder and louder. 

" Well, I didn't buy one for you on your birthday because you irritated me a lot back then. But I baked you a cake, didn't I? And the reason I bought this for Liam is because he is kind which is unlike you. And sometimes, I feel like I am rude to him.. Also.. sometimes, he just seems a bit familiar to me .. I got a feeling like I have met him somewhere before.. He is just a nice guy after all! " she answers. 

" Enough. You have too many good reasons to buy him a cake but you never have a reason to buy me things.. " big brother pouts and acts like a child. Scarlett is looking at him from time to time.. Maybe she wanna gives him a hug or a pat on his head. However, she doesn't do anything but try to ignore. 

" Happy Birthday, honey! " Cathy gives me a hug and a kiss on my cheek. And she gives me a bag. 

" Look what is inside! " I open the bag and take out the gifts as she says. They are a watch and a wallet.

" Thanks, babe! I love them! " I kiss her on her forehead as I say it. 

" Big brother! This dog is so cute!! " Emily shouts at me while playing with Noowy. 

" It is called Noowy, Emily. Do you love it?? " Cathy asks her. 

" Yes, very much! " Emily continues playing with the dog. 

" Hey! Why don't we start celebrating the birthday party?" Mom interrupts as she prepares the plates and candles. 

" Sure, mom! " 

Then, we celebrate my birthday party and eat what my mom makes for us. After that, we play some part games and have fun talking and laughing just like on Cathy's birthday. Now that we have become lovers, we are not nervous about the truth or dares questions. Everything goes well. 

Now, as I have mentioned, it is time for me to propose Cathy. She has no idea about it. Everyone is sitting and suddenly they stop talking. Big brother, Mom and Scarlett look at me and give a gesture to start. I look at Cathy and she is still smiling at me even though she is confused why everyone has gone silent. She looks so stunning today, wearing a nice yellow dress with her hair tied ponytail. Her eyes are sparkling and shining. Her angelic face is cute and pretty... What am I waiting for??

I stand up and walk towards her, putting my hands into my pockets to make sure the rings her there.. I grab the ring box inside and get down on one knee.... 

Suddenly, I feel like everything around me has turned pink.