Will and I walk up to the house together. It's a small, yellow town house in the suburbs of London. Flowers line a window, traveling up to the walkway. I look at Will, feeling nervous. He looks completely calm. Easy for him, he's met his parents before. I'm the one that has to meet them now. And he doesn't have any siblings to make it easier for me. I can deal with siblings.
My nice green shirt is a little snug and my gray jeans come just above my ankle, following the current trend. Hopefully they like style. They won't even realize that I've changed out of my usual attire of crappy, worn out t-shirts, leggings and soccer shorts for them. Unless Will has shown them pictures. Crap, he probably has shown them pictures! Crap! Crap! Crap, crap, crap!
Will looks at me knowingly, "Stop it."
I look at him, "I'm not doing anything."
I raises an eyebrow, "You're thinking negatively, stop it."
"Can't help it." I mutter.
"Can too." He nods, "They will love you and if they don't - that's too bad."
"They're your parents. They raised you. They raised you to be who you are, they raised you to marry a specific girl they had in mind. They want what's best for you, what if they don't think I'm the best?" I say, stumbling over my words.
He wraps an arm around me, urging me towards the front door, "I've told them all about you. They already know you're too good, and too smart for me. Shoot, they looked up Harvard. And do you know the acceptance rate for Harvard?"
The answer immediately pops into my head, and being the nerd I am, I answer in a split second, "On average there's an eight percent acceptancy rate." I blush at the fact that I just KNOW that.
Will grins, "Exactly. So she figures you must be pretty dang smart."
"Well....." I mutter.
Will continues smiling, as we walk towards the door slowly, "And my Dad thinks you're pretty, so you're set."
I smile a little, "You were probably too nice in describing me."
We steps up to the front door, "Sidney, my vocabulary is not large enough to describe how perfect you are."
I'm not quite sure how to respond to that, so I just wrap both arms around him, giving him a tight hug. He kisses the top of my head before I pull away and look up at him.
He smirks, "Ready to go in?"
"I guess." I say, sliding my hand into his for comfort.
"Right." He says, walking right in without knocking and pulling me along, "Onwards."
"Wait," I whisper, quickly, "Shouldn't you knock? Will! Come back, we should knock, it's-"
"William!"
Will looks up to a short blonde woman. He grins, happily, "Mum!"
He steps over to her, embracing her, "Ah, I've missed you, Mum."
She smiles, patting his back, "My sweet boy, I've missed you too."
She pulls away, looking at me, and stepping over to me, "And you must be Sidney."
I step forward. I'm unsure of what to do, so I hold my hand out for her to shake, "Yes, ma'am, it's so great to meet you."
She looks at my hand and laughs, "I'm not having any of that, I'll give you a hug."
She steps forward, wrapping her arms around me. I'm a but surprised at first, but I wrap my arms around her, accepting her hug. Will stands behind her, so I see his face. He grins, obviously pleased at how our greetings are going so far. He looks at me, his eyes filled with warmth, which makes me just want to kiss him really hard. It takes everything in me not to jerk out of the hug and attack his face, but I remain strong.
She pulls away, "Will has told me loads about you. Harvard and soccer, he says they're your passions."
I smile, trying to remain friendly even though i'm majorly socially awkward, "Yes, I also like to travel. I've liked London very much so far, it's amazing just being here with Will, plus getting to see everything."
"She's terrified of driving." Will says, stepping up and wrapping an arm around me, "She turns white as a ghost. Doesn't like being on the Americans wrong side of the road."
Mrs. Poulter smiles, "Oh, poor dear. I'm not sure I can offer any advice that would help you with that. Other than you'll get used to it."
I smile, blushing, "Oh, I'm sure I'll be fine. Will is a good driver and I trust him. Speaking of Will, I'm very fond of him. You did a great job. He's a wonderful man."
Will smiles, looking smug. Mrs. Poulter smiles, "Aw, you're so sweet. Thank you. But Will has a personality of his own. He may be a mothers child, but he shaped his own life. I will admit, he is a very good young lad. But not good enough for you, whatever did he do to deserve you?"
I laugh, looking at Will. He pulls me closer unto his side, "My Mother loves me so much. But, I'll admit I ask myself every day."
Mrs. Poulter smirks, looking like she knows something we don't, "You two are adorable."
Will and I share another awkward, but loving glance, smirking.
Mrs. Poulter smiles, "Your Father is in his study, but Will, if you'll go get him, we can eat dinner."
He nods, "Alright, Mum." He turns and heads down a hallway, walking towards the stairs.
Mrs. Poulter looks at me smiling, "Okay, dear. I'll go ahead and take you to the kitchen."
: : : : :
Will POV:
I smile as I pull into my driveway, "See, it wasn't so bad."
Sidney smirks a bit, "I guess not."
I pat her leg, "Good. What did you think of them?"
She smiles, "Your Mom was adorable. You're a lot like your Dad. And he seems really smart, so I think you've got something in that handsome head of yours."
I grin, "What a vote of confidence from the Harvard student."
She smiles, the corners of her eyes crinkling the slightest, "It's true."
I place my hand on her cheek, leaning in and giving her a soft kiss. I rest my forehead to her temple, "Come on inside, it's getting late."
She sighs, "M'kay."
We clamber out of the car, shutting the doors and walking up to my front door. As I walk I feel the weight of an item in my pocket hold me down. I mentally scold myself - telling myself that's it's not the appropriate time for something like that. It's not appropriate AT ALL, but I still couldn't stop myself from getting it. The secret I have has to stay a secret.
I open the front door and let Sidney in. As she passes me, she stops, a concerned look on her face. She furrows her eyebrows, "What's wrong?"
I look at her, panic seeping into me, "What?"
She shakes her head, "You look.....I don't know, pale?"
I look away, shaking my head and smiling awkwardly, "Oh, nothing's wrong. I just have a.....stomach ache. Probably something I ate at Mums."
She locks her fingers with mine, a worried expression on her face "You want me to get you some TUMS or something?"
I shake my head, "No, I'll be alright."
She stares at me, still giving me that motherly look. But finally, she nods, "Okay then. I'm going to get a shower."
I nod, "Alright, ace."
She steps in the house and walks down the hall to the bedroom to gather her pajamas.
I take a deep breath, closing the door and leaning against it. I tilt my head back and close my eyes. My stomach does churn, but it's not from what Mum made for dinner. I hear the bathroom door close and the shower start. I sit there for a minute longer, thinking deeply.
Out of all the things i'm thankful for, I'm most thankful for her. In a way, she saved me. I wasn't sure I was ever going to find someone. I thought I would always be too caught up in my work, but our relationship obviously proved that wrong. She's always busy with school - just as I am in filming, but we made a way for each other. And that way was so simple, the bumps and curves seemed so small. At least they seemed small compared to what really mattered to me -Sidney. I still wish that guy, Zeke, would go jump of a bridge, in the least resentful way possible, but in the end, Sidney will always come first.
I pull the velvet, purple box out of my pocket and find the silver banded diamond ring sitting in between two cushions. It looks like it's just waiting for me to ask her. It practically screams, why has it taken you two weeks to ask her? What are you afraid of? She either wants to marry you or she doesn't!
And I couldn't agree with it more. It's just hard to find the right time. Every time I have the impulse to pull it out and ask her, I stop myself and wonder if I will be good enough. It's been a very frustrating process. Seeing how every five seconds, I wonder if NOW is the time.
I huff out a breath, slowly and sit down against the front door. I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and dial a numer I've typed in many times when I needed advice.
It rings five times before he picks up, his thick and familiar British voice ringing out.
"Sup, Will?"
I sigh, "Hey, Thomas. How you been doing, man?"
Thomas sounds cheerful, "Great! Thanks for asking! Iris is going to explode any time soon, so I'm a little anxious about that. But, anyway, what about you. How you been?"
I inhale, "Good, I guess. Good. But, um, I need a little advice, seeing as you've been in a relationship and you know things."
I hear dishes in the background, clanking, "Sure thing, man. You and Sidney get in an arguement or something?"
I blink, "Uh, is Iris around?"
"Nope." Thomas says, popping the P, "She is taking a well deserved and much needed nap. So if you're worried about secrecy, Iris will not be a problem."
I nod, "Right, well, how did you propose to her? I mean, I know HOW you did, I saw the video, but how did you know that the time was right and how did you finally just make yourself do it?"
He sounds surprised, "DUDE! Are you proposing to her!?"
I shush him, "Quiet, Thomas! Your wife is taking a much deserved nap or whatever."
He ignores me, "You're getting married to Sidney!?"
"Only if I can ever ask her and she actually says yes."
"Will! That's awesome! Sidney is great! We'll be cousins! What is it you want to know exactly? How I asked her?"
"Yeah."
Thomas thinks, "I just.....did it. I was terrified as heck, but I did it. I knew that she was what I wanted, and I hoped I made her feel the way she made me feel. It's going to sound selfish - but in the end relationships always do - I did it for myself. I knew I couldn't be without her, I knew I wanted to marry her. I knew I had to try. I had to try for myself and my own happiness. When you're about to get married, that's what you ask yourself. That's the only time in a serious relationship when you ask am I happy? Until then, it's about making her happy. So do you think you'll be happy, or are you just doing this for her?"
I ponder. I'm doing it for me. She is what makes me happy. There are a lot of possible futures I could have, but the only ones I'm focused on, are the ones where we're together.
"Okay."
I can hear the smile in Thomas' voice. He's one of those people where you know when he's smiling. You can hear the emotion in his voice, "Alright?"
"Yeah." I nod, "Thanks for the pep talk. I'm going to go."
Thomas chuckles, "Okay. And Will?"
"Hmmmmm?"
"You can do this. You're ready."
My mind remains cloudy and anxious, "Thanks. Bye."
"Bye."
His words send chills up my spine.
I'm ready.
I'm ready?
Oh, crap, I am ready.
I'm going to ask Sidney to marry me.
: : : : :
Sidney POV:
"Ace, are you ready?" Will calls from down the hall.
"Yeah, just a minute!" I yell back.
He seemed to be feeling better this morning. He'd looked ill practically all of last night. We went to bed early, which gave us some time together to talk and whatnot. But he's still been acting weird, and it's making me feel weird and oh-my-gosh- what if we don't travel well together!? What if he thinks I don't like his place or his family? What if he thinks i'm not appreciating him enough? He doesn't think that does he?
My worries bounce back and forth in my head like a ping pong match.
"Ace?" Will calls again.
"Comin'!" I call over my shoulder, slamming my suit case shut and running down the hall wearing my the usual - yoga pants and a black T-shirt. I race towards the entry way, bumping into Wills thick frame when I emerge. I jump, surprised, "Oh! Hey!" I grin. I look up at him, his short hair spiked up, his pink lips twisted into a small smile. Gosh, he's gorgeous.
Will looks a little startled too, but he breaks into a smile, chuckling, "Ready to go, Speedy Gonzalez?"
I give him a cheesy smile, "Sure thing, sweetheart."
He smirks, leading me towards the front door. He answers back with equal cheesiness, "Come on, sugar lips."
I scrunch up my nose, "Oh, ew. We've got to stop, it's getting weird."
Will and I walk out the door. He grins, teasingly, "What, you don't like it when I give you nicknames, honey buns?"
I cringe, "Oh, my gosh. Will, stop."
He smiles widely, "No way, I found something that embarrasses you! Aw, look at you! My little baby doll is blushing!"
"Will!" I whine.
He laughs, blue eyes sparkling, "Okay, I'm done. For now."
I raise my eyebrows, "You mispronounced 'forever'."
He smirks as we get in the car, "I don't think I did."
I smirk, "I think you're forgetting that now, I know where you live."
He flashes a brilliant smile, laughing his deep rumbling laugh, "Except you hardly tolerate riding passenger on the road! What would happen if you were to try and drive on it?"
I open my mouth to rebuke him, but realize I can't think of any valid argument. I scowl, "Your point is fair."
He smile, "Trust me, i'm aware. Maybe I should go to Harvard."
I shadow my eyes, "Sure, Will. Give up your dream of acting for college. I don't think you would."
"I would if you wanted me to." He says.
"Well, I forbid it." I say, "It makes you happy and there's no way I'm taking that away from you."
He looks over at me and smiles, "If that's what you want."
I look at him and nod, "It is."
He looks at the road as he drives. One hand is on the steering wheel as the takes mine. "I'm in love with you, Sidney Shark."
I smile, "I'm in love with you too, Will Poulter."
It's about fifteen or twenty minutes later, when we pull up to a small shop. There are only two other cars out front. It's one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen. It looks like a little cottage with wide windows, and lace curtains. Flowers grow in two beds lining a stone walkway. From what I can see of the inside, every wall is a different color- all pastels. A a pale blue pastel, a green pastel, a pink pastel. It's so cute.
We get out of the car. I look over at Will as we meet in front of the car and grab each others hands, "What is this?"
"This is Sandys cupcake shop." Will answers, looking at me excitedly, "They have the best cupcakes ever. Seriously, they're amazing. You will love them almost as much as you love me."
I chuckle, "I have very high expectations then."
He smirks, looking at me softly, "Have I ever mentioned just how much I love you?"
My heart swells as I smile, "Yes, you have. Several times today actually."
He squeezes my hand, pulling me towards the cupcake shop, "Well, I do love you. A lot. I don't tell you enough."
We step into the shop. Mismatched couches and chairs sit around mismatched coffee table, and small french tables. A lot of the furniture has been redone in pale colors. On the right wall there are pictures of random, but beautiful paintings, as well as magazine articles that Sandys has been put in. Against the same wall, a small metal bookcase that's been painted white, sits with board games and puzzles, ready to be played.
On the left wall, there is a huge book case, covering nearly the entire thing. Promotional T-shirts lay on the white shelves, with aprons, onesies, and other things relating to the area. There are also books. Baking books and auto biography's of famous chefs.
On the far wall and part of the wall with the large white bookcase, is a counter, with mass amounts of pies, puddings, and of course, cupcakes. There are loads of flavors of cupcakes, with cutsie names, like Tomboy, which looks like a peanut butter flavor, and Prozac, which looks like chocolate and chocolate.
Behind the counter stands two young, bubbly girls. One mixes icing in a bowl, and the other girl laughs at something the other girl must've just said. In a corner, by the window, a mother sits with her little boy and baby, enjoying cupcakes, and building a puzzle.
The scene is perfect. It has a small homey feel to it. Everyone here is enjoying themselves. It's just a happy place. It makes me happy at least.
I mutter under my breath, "I've died and gone to heaven. Where's Jesus? That's like the only way this day could get any better."
Will looks at me grinning, "The only way?"
I nod, "Do you see this place?"
He smirks, "Yeah. It's a pretty fantastic place."
A girl behind the counter with a brown pony tail smiles, "Hello! Can I help you?"
Will smiles and looks at me, "Cupcake?"
I raise my eyebrows, "Yes, please."
"You have to try the Prozac." He says. He looks at the girl, "Two Prozac for here, please."
The girl hands us the cupcakes and Will pays. Jeez, this place is so cheerful. Where are the happy elves dancing around? There should be rainbows and unicorns - those are happy things too.
As Will promised, the cupcakes were amazing. They were moist to perfection and the icing was real, not the store bought fakey kind. It was honestly the best cupcake I'd ever tasted - which is saying something, because my Mom and bake.
We talk about Harry Potter while we eat our cupcakes, because we can and as it turns out, we both ship Harry and Ginny really hard. When we finish eating, Will looks at me, "Do you want to play a game?"
I look at the bookcase with boardgames on it, "Sure. You want to pick?"
"Yeah." Will says, standing up to get a board game.
I look around and find a water cooler in the back of the room as he sits back down. I look over at him, "I'm going to get a quick drink. You want one?"
He glances up at me, "Yes, please."
I nod, "Be right back."
I walk over to the cooler and fill up two glasses of water. When I turn back around, I see Will setting up a game of Cranium Treasure Hunt. I chuckle as I walk back over and hand him his glass, "Cranium? Really? This is a little kids game."
He looks up at dignatly, "Um, excuse you, this game is fun. He starts pointing at all these pieces, " See, remember, when it's your turn, you open one of the lids built into the board game, and then if you find one of the rubber balls, you put it in the tube on the side and whenever you get all the plastic balls, it triggers the little button at the end of the tube and it opens the treasure chest to reveal the treasure!" He looks up at me proudly, like a little five year old.
I smirk, chuckling, "Okay, so you want to play Cranium Treasure Hunt?"
He nods, dignified, "Yes, I do."
I grin, sitting down, "Okay, you're going to loose."
It's a rather short game. It is for little kids after all and seeing as we're in our early twenties..... Yeah. Just as I predicted, I got the last one - a blue ball, which was ultimately the key to opening the chest.
I smile, pulling the ball out of the hole. I look at Will smugly, "I won."
He scrunches up his nose, looking a little.....nervous, "Ah, too bad. Go ahead and put it in the tube. You won the treasure."
I smile looking at the tube, "Okay, I'm going to reveal the great treasure! Who wants to bet that it's the plastic ruby as always?" I pull the board game a little closer to me and push the blue ball into the tube. It triggers the button at the end, and slowly, the lid to the treasure chest begins to open.
First, I see the plastic golden coins build into the tiny treasure chest, the small light bulb built inside it makes them shine, and then I realize somethings missing - the ruby. And instead, where the ruby should lie is a.....diamond .....ring..... It has a silver band, and the diamonds are small, sort of shaped like leaves. It reminds me of a laural.
I realize everything all at once. This is why Will wanted to play this game. This was why he'd been acting weird. It explains the nervous and jittery looks. He was planning on.....he's.....proposing to me. Will Poulter is proposing to me.
I look up at him in shock. He smiles softly, getting down on one knee. He takes the ring out of the chest and holds it in front of me, "Sidney Carrie Shark, we've only dated for nine months, but I am in love with you. I don't know what you see in me, but I can tell you what I see in you. You're loving, modest, unselfish, determined, you love your home and your family, which I adore about you. You're so smart and adventurous. I'm in love with you. You'll have my heart forever. I'm yours. No matter what. Sidney.....will you marry me?"
A battle of emotions rages in my head. Excitement, shock, fear, happiness, appreciation. I sort through the pro and con list I'd been making in my head since the first date. And even with that, I've known for a while now, that if he were ever to ask, what I would say. I know I want to be with him. I know he makes me happy. I know I want to marry him, start a family with him. Even though I'd told myself since I was a little girl I would ask the man who wanted to marry me for time to think, I've had time to think. He hasn't even asked me and I'd already thought about it. I don't know exactly when I fell in love with him. It could've been yesterday, or last week or last month or last year. But some part of my heart has always loved him. Even the idea of him. I knew he would come up in my life and I would love him for it. For simply existing and being there. And I would think about him today, and yesterday and tomorrow. And every yesterday there will ever be. My answer seems easier than it should, but nonetheless, it's my answer -
"Yes."
Will looks at me, a smile spreading across his face, "Yes, you'll marry me?"
I laugh, "Yes, Will, I will marry you."
His smile wisdens and he stands, sliding the ring on my finger. I hear a cheer and squealing from the girls behind the counter and the mother with her children claps. Will grins, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me up so my feet don't touch the floor. He holds me close, and I can't help being so happy that I just laugh and I don't stop laughing or smiling, even when my cheeks start to hurt from smiling. When he sets me down he kisses me gently, causing the teenagers from behind the counter to clap some more. One of the girls squeals, and I think she even snaps a picture.
Will pulls away and looks at me as if he's a blind man that is seeing the sun for the first time in his life. He presses his forehead against mine and whispers, "Me and you. Always."
I smile and kiss him quickly.
The mother gets up and congratules us, the girls bring over cupcakes that are free "due to the occasion". The girl with the brown pony tail seems even more excited than I am, voicing just how romantic she thought that was (" that was the most adorable thing I've ever experienced in my life time!")
And even through all the congratulations and the excitement, Will and I can't take our eyes off each other.
I'm engaged.
I'm marrying Will.
Me and Will.
Always.
Author:
OMGGGGG
SOMEONE RIP MY HEART OUT - HELP DULL THESE FEELS!
WHERE IS REGINA WHEN I NEED HER?
Anyway, so this is a very long chapter, you are welcome.
Hopefully this chapter will make up for the lameness of the last one. :-P
So they're engaged, and everyone is happy, for now.
Tomorrow is April fools, and boy, do I have plans. :-)
Not for you guys, i'm not that mean, but my family won't know what hit them.
So I'll let you guys go - I hope you loved this chapter.
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-MK