(A/N: Again, it's short but it's also very significant!)
*Michael's POV*
After a quick trip to the grocery store and minutes of waiting that felt like hours, my heart drops as my eyes make contact with the test on the white tiles of the bathroom counter.
One line.
Nicole isn't pregnant.
She's just as stunned as I am, except it's for a different reason.
For her, she's relieved.
But for me, I'm devastated.
"Oh my God," she whispers lightly. "it must've been something I ate. I really thought I was-" I interrupt her.
"Yeah, me too." I say as I use every once of my strength to fight back my tears. "I'm going to lay down, sweetheart, it's been a pretty long day, don't you think?" I ask her.
She sighs. "Yeah, it's been pretty rough. I'm feeling a little bit better so I'm going to start dinner and I was thinking maybe we could watch 'Peter Pan'? I know I always complain when you put it on, but I figured since-"
I interrupt her again. "No, it's okay. We don't have to watch it." I lean over and kiss her on the forehead before ruffling her hair. "Just come and get me when the food is done, okay?"
She nods while studying my face, almost as if she's trying to read my thoughts. "Okay." she says.
I smile at her one last time before heading into our room and burying myself under the heavy covers of the bed.
The same bed I made love to her in and we became one unit.
The same bed where I prayed I would finally make a child of my own, even though I knew it was unlikely it would happen on the first shot.
I suddenly felt someone's delicate arms wrap around my back.
It's her; the love of my life.
"Michael, what's wrong?" she asks me while grabbing my hand and lacing her fingers between mine.
"Nothing." I say in an attempt to be strong and not reveal the feelings I'm holding back.
"No, I know something is wrong. You turned down 'Peter Pan'. 'Peter Pan' , Michael. You're always begging for me to watch that with you and you just act like me offering to is nothing? What's wrong? You can tell me anything, remember?" She says while burrowing her face into my neck.
I open my mouth to tell her the truth, but I can't seem to force any words out.
She must be able to sense my sadness even though I'm not face-to-face with her because she reaches up and begins to stroke my hair. "Are you upset I'm not pregnant?" she asks me.
The words "not pregnant" instantly permeate my ears and cause the tears to start falling from my eyes. Hearing them said out loud makes it all too real and although it wasn't our intended plan to have a baby this quickly, the small glimmer of hope that I felt within myself when I thought it was happening was enough to make me feel a loss. It was nothing more than a flash in the pan.
"Hey, don't cry. It's okay, I promise." she says while trying to turn me around to face her.
"H-How did you know?" I ask her between sobs.
She sighs. "Your face when you saw the test said it all, baby. I could tell you were upset." she takes a deep breath. "And I know you lied to me about not picking up condoms on the way home; I saw them in the bathroom right now."
I turn to face her. "I'm sorry for lying to you, Nicole. I just-"
She interrupts me. "Hey, hey, hey. I'm not mad at you. I actually think it's really sweet." I see her eyes begin to water. "I never thought someone would want a baby with me and the fact you do-" I see a single tear fall from her eye and she reaches up to wipe it away. "the fact you do just makes me feel so wanted. And, I really want to have a baby with you, trust me, it's just that, I'm so young, Michael."
I sit up "I know that, and I don't want to pressure you into it, but we don't have all the time in the world, even if we had a child now by the time he got to be your age, I'd be like 65-" I stop myself in my tracks, realizing what I've just said. "Jeez, I'm old!" I say, cracking up at how ridiculous our whole situation is.
Nicole looks at me strangely for a second before beginning to laugh through her tears too. "Yeah, you are!"
We simultaneously erupted in a roaring laughter that was, in some ways, completely joyous, but in others, melancholy; like a laughter that you do to hide the pain you're feeling.
And that's exactly what it was for us because in this precise moment, we knew that every second we had together meant the world and we couldn't afford to waste a single one.
And that's why I didn't even stop to think twice about the question on my mind, and in one fleeting moment, the words left my mouth and entered her ears:
"Nicole, will you marry me?"
(A/N: SKSKSKSSKSKSK!!111!!11!!!111!)