My Annoying Yet Possessive Bad Boy

Chapter 26

Ben opens the box revealing a princess-cut blue diamond halo engagement ring; the light on in the box pretty much amplified that I was being proposed to, and it was no joke.

"Crystal," he says, and my breath hitches. "From the first moment our eyes met, I knew life was about to take an unexpected turn. You see, you've got this way of making my heart race in a way no one else does. It's like you've stolen the key to its rhythm, and now it beats to the melody of your laughter." I give a lighthearted chuckle, and he continues, his tone light and teasing. "You're the missing piece to my puzzle, the plot twist in my story. And, well, I figured it's about time I made things official. So, here I am, on one knee, ready to embark on the wildest adventure and best decision of my life." He adds with a playful grin. "Will you be my partner in crime, my co-conspirator in all things fun, love, and debates? Will you join me on this wild ride called Forever? Because, you know, life's just too short not to share it with someone who makes your heart skip a beat and your smile a little brighter."

At this moment, my makeup should be ruined by the annoying tears that refuse to stop sliding down my cheeks like a fricking slide. I inhale and then exhale. "Damn it! Yes!" I exclaim, and his smile becomes brighter than the fireworks. He takes the ring from the box and slides it onto my finger. The ring sparkles in the moonlight, a never-ending reminder of the choice I just made. He stands from his position and looms over me; he caresses my cheek before he lowers his face to mine, and I hear utensils and a pot hitting each other.

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! I spring out from my lying position, and my head spins a little before I see that Laura is in my room and using a wooden spoon to hit a pot while singing "Rise and Shine." I have two options or maybe three:

1: Throw my pillow at her and end this concert she is putting on in my room.

2: Cover my head with the pillow and do my best to imagine them as noise-canceling headphones.

3: Get out of bed and do her bidding this early morning.

I decide to go with the second option and cover my head, muffling the noise a little but also the 'shut up' I fling at her.

Two seconds later, the noise finally stops, and I raise the pillow a little to see she stopped and instead has my alarm in her hand. I squint and see that it reads 8:10. OMG!!!, I HAVE A CLASS IN 40 MINUTES.

I dive out of my bed and into the bathroom, taking the quickest shower on earth and rushing back into my room to see that Laura is sitting on my bed, one leg crossed while some clothes lay beside her. My bed itself is arranged, and I give her a quick thanks. She gets up and walks to my door. "Edward and Nora will be picking us up in 10 minutes; I'll be downstairs in the kitchen helping mom make your breakfast. By the way, in case you're wondering, yeah, I have eaten," she says and then closes the door.

I use five minutes to get dressed and the other to eat breakfast that Mom prepared. Soon we hear Edward's car parking, and Nora meets us at the door. "Morning, Crystal's mom," she says to her. "Morning, girls," Mom says, and Laura and I hug her and greet her before we kiss Mom's cheek goodbye and head to the car.

Since Laura was the girlfriend, she sat in the passenger seat while Nora and I took the back seat. "Hey, babe," Edward says and kisses Laura on the cheek. Nora and I aww, and Laura turns a shade of red and turns away to stare out the window instead.

Soon we arrive at school in the parking lot, and as we're getting out of the car, I notice a speck of midnight hair from the corner of my spectrum. I physically stiffen as the dream I had bombards my mind.

"Hey, guys," Ben waves and gives Edward a pat on the back once he reaches us. All of us are rooted to the pavement, mouths open, and this encounter makes me wonder if the Ben encounter at the grocery store wasn't actually a dream.