Guides for the Pre-Engagement Life

Just because I was out of action for three to six weeks, everyone thought my operation was life-threatening, but I was fine, and people were too busy babying me to even notice.
There was some sort of cycle with the way they took care of me.
My Mom visited with my Older Brother on the first week, my Dad followed - as usual - because he didn't want to miss out on anything and he stayed for most of the week too. I also had Lia on top of all the Parental smothering. Michael's Mom took over on the second week of recovery. Then there was Janet, since her pregnancy and my agreement to be her child's Godmother, she had constantly contacted me, and she once visited me with a picture from her first ultra sound, which actually cheered me up. I also had flowers sent from Fulton, his son painted me a portrait of a photo that he said I left behind, my co-workers sent in a heap of cards, and friends sent me treats.
On top of all of that - when everyone was gone - there was Michael, and through my many moody moments after the operation, he's stuck by me and has done everything for me.
And it was Michael's 25th birthday on Sunday, and I didn't plan anything special for him, because I was caught up with my own thing and I felt like a horrible girlfriend.
I really wanted to do something for him.
And that's when it clicked.

Down in the Dumps

"Derek, I need your help," I quickly said as soon as my best friend's husband answered the phone. I needed help with pulling off a surprise gift for Michael's birthday, and who better than one of his closest friends.
"What for, Monkey? Are you in trouble?" Derek joked.
"Michael's turning 25 on Sunday-"
"-Yes, I know that-"
"-Don't interrupt, Gorilla," I scolded him, which generated a chuckle at the other end. "Well he's done a lot for me and I think he deserves a weekend away. I'll pay for his ticket. I just want him out of here and enjoying himself without any more worrying about me."
"I thought you'd want to spend his birthday together?"
"Yeah, but he's 25, midway through his twenties and he's spent most of his 20s attached, um, sort of like you, and I want him to go have fun in Vegas-"
"-Anne, you're sending us to Vegas!" Derek sounded excited. "Have you called the one man who can probably help you out the most?"
"Lochte is flying here in two days. He's helping you drag Michael out of here - if needed."
"Did you ask Lia for me?"
"Gorilla, who else do you think helped me think up this idea?"
Derek laughed. "Yeah, I figured, this isn't your type of idea."
"Shut up," I growled. "So are you in or not?"
"Monkey, the moment you said that you needed my help, I was in."
"Then get packing!" I said before we hung up.

Michael's birthday weekend away was set up, and all I had left to do is book a hotel suite. There was also the case of telling him that he was going to Las Vegas, breaking the news that I won't be going, and packing his bag. I had a feeling that he wouldn't want to get away from me since I was still in the process of recovery, but as I said before, I was fine.

I turned to the clock and noticed that the conversation ended just in time as Michael always entered the door at exactly six o'clock. I pushed myself out of the bed and made my way to the front door where I saw him enter with a sad expression.
It wasn't what I expected to see when he came home.
Michael had been acting weird lately, and it wasn't just me who noticed, even his Mom and Sisters both asked me if he and I were still in dispute because he seemed to have been distracted each time he was around them. Coach Bob called me too. The other Swimmers asked me what was up with the Olympian. He began acting that was late last week.
"Hey you," I greeted, still pretending that I hadn't noticed him acting up.
"Hey," He replied with a half-heartedly tone. He leaned down to give me a kiss, and I expected a kiss on the lips, but his lips landed on my cheek.
"How was training?" I tried not to get annoyed because the stress wasn't good for me.
"Um, good," He sighed as he tossed the keys on the side table. It was really hard not to get annoyed when he was acting up and not even telling me what was wrong.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I agitatedly grunted. Okay, I couldn't handle it. I grabbed his hand and dragged him to the living room, where I sat him down on the sofa while I sat on the coffee table, just opposite him, and stared right into his brown eyes. They looked rather depressed, and it wasn't to my liking. "Michael, you've been acting up lately, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
"It's nothing, Anne," He tried to shrug me away, but I pushed him back on his butt.
"You have to tell me, and you know how I get when you don't tell me."
Michael smiled, but it wasn't real. It was really faked.
Annoyed, I crossed my arms over my chest to show that I was serious. "Come on," I pleaded. "I can't help you if you're not going to tell me."
He stared at me for a while, he looked like he was finding it hard to tell me what was wrong with him, but I was persistent - I learned it from him.
"Alright," He said in defeat. "Anne, to be honest, I've been unhappy lately-"
"-Unhappy?" I repeated in confusion.
He grasped onto my hand and tapped on it. "Not with you, I mean, I'm just confused right now," He revealed. "I love you, Anne, and I love the idea of us and our future, but I feel so pressured to be this perfect guy for you."
"What are you talking about?" I didn't understand what he was really talking about, and I was unsure whether to interpret what he said as good or bad, since it sounded like he was pleased with me, yet, he wasn't?
"I don't even know how to explain it," He groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck and lowered his head. "Okay, let me start again," He said after a few minutes of silence. All I could ever do was sit there with one eyebrow shifted up and my expression completely at loss on what he wanted to tell me.
"Michael, you have to tell me properly because I have absolutely no idea on what you're talking about," I exhaled, trying to be as patient as I could.
"When you had your operation, and the time when you were discharged... Um, when your Parents, your Older Brother, your co-workers, friends, Lia and my Mom, all came over to take care of you, I couldn't even do anything. I felt really useless, and I wasn't around for most of the time because I had to go training and be the best as I could to make people proud, and then I have to balance that with trying to be a perfect boyfriend," Michael rambled and continued on and on. He was complaining that he had been unhappy due to the amount of pressure people were putting on him. Throughout the whole time I realized that the Olympics weren't until two years later, I didn't ask for him to be perfect, nor did I ask for him to always be at his best, and I didn't ask for him to propose to me either. He added that he began to feel all the media pressure about it. It was probably his training regime since the World Championships, which was a month away.

I watched him as his expressions changed, his hands waved around and his mouth continued to open and close with all these words coming out. It wasn't the first time I've seen or heard him rambling on about what's troubling him, but that was the first time I've ever heard him open up to me.

I placed my hands on both sides of his face to interrupt him. I smiled and gave him a kiss to relax him, which did work. I parted from him and said, "Michael Phelps, all I said was that you're acting weird, and you're going on and on about all these things that it's sort of hard to get right through my head without losing track of what you said. And I didn't know that you were so pressured by me."
"I just want to make sure we're working."
"Who said we weren't? Hmm? Tell me, so I can go have a word with them."
Michael lightly chuckled. That was a start.
"Hon, I don't expect anything else from you other than you," I explained. "And you make me come off as high maintenance, am I really that hard to look after?" I tried to lighten up the mood a bit too, which started to work because a smile was starting to curve. "Michael, I love you. I'm not a perfect girlfriend-"
"-You are-"
"-I'm not." I tapped on his face to stop him from speaking. "And I don't want you to feel so pressured about being a perfect boyfriend either. I get how you could feel useless, I mean, when you were sick, everyone came barging through our door to check up on you as well, and I couldn't do anything about it because I have to work. The only time I ever get to spend with you is when we're in here, without anyone else bothering us."
"Anne, I don't know what to do with myself. Last week, I was thinking, what would happen after I retire from swimming? What do I do then? Am I just going to lounge around at home while you go off and do your thing?"
I shrugged and let go of his face. "I don't know what to do with myself either," I fessed up. "I thought that the first thing you would do, once you retire, is enjoy it. Since you made a name for yourself in the history books, you accomplished what you wanted to do and you have so much money that you don't have to work a day in your life."
"Yeah, I know, but what do I do with myself when I stop swimming?"
"Who says you have to stop? You could teach future swimmers at the Aquatic Club, or build up some sort of charity to help people," I suggested. "Nothing's stopping you from doing what you want to do."
"You're pretty wise, Ms Miller," Michael complimented.
"I do what I got to do," I smiled. "So are you sorted now?"
"Not really..."
I sighed and stood up. I began to pace back and forth trying to figure out what was wrong with him, and then I remembered.
"I'm sorry to bring this up to you, Anne," He apologized.
"Michael, I think I know what's wrong with you," I realized. "Remember when Derek turned 25 last year?" I reminded him, and he stared off to the floor for a bit before he nodded. "Lia said it was some sort of mid-twenties crisis that most males go through, well we probably will go through it too, but it affects most guys."
"How does she know that?"
"Google," I answered in a snap of a finger. "I think you're going through it too."
"No I'm not," He denied.
I nodded. "Yes, you are. Derek apparently went through this too, but he was pressured about being a husband and when he would finally marry Lia properly with their family and how he would be retiring after London and what not. He's a year older than you, but he went through the same thing as you when he turned 25."
"What am I supposed to do then? How'd he get through it?"
"You should know, since you were the one dragged out of here to Miami for the week."
"What are you suggesting?" Michael looked at me with a suspecting look.

I wanted to wait to reveal to him my surprise, probably until Ryan barged through the door with his ready-to-party attitude, but his upset expression and the vibe he gave off was starting to make me worry.

"I'm sending you to Las Vegas this weekend," I announced. And as I suspected, he was both ecstatic and not wanting to go. "You and your close buddies. I told Derek this morning, and he's already packing. I called Lochte too, and he's headed here in two days. I still have to make a few calls to your other pals."
"Anne, you didn't have to... A simple dinner would've been fine-"
"-You're midway through your twenties, and you spent most of your early twenties with me. I still get you for the rest of my life. So why don't you go to Las Vegas and be free for one weekend, I'll give you a pass."
"Why are you doing this?"
I sat back down opposite him and leaned closer so that our faces were just a few inches apart. "Because you took great care of me while I was out of action," I whispered. "And I can't do anything special for you because I'm not even fine and dandy yet."
"That's why I should-"
I shook my head. "See, this is why I called Lochte and Derek in."
He caressed my cheek and smiled.
"Just behave yourself, you're only semi-single," I warned him. "And if you come back unhappy, I'm going to Los Angeles without you."
"That's a bit harsh, you can't leave me here," He chuckled and giving me a smooch. "So I get to go to Vegas with a bunch of guys for me birthday?"
"I guess so, unless you want to add in a stripper?" I suggested, but he quickly rejected the offer. Though it was the least I could do since I couldn't celebrate it with him properly.

Party Mode

Ryan arrived a day early, and he claimed that he wasn't going to wait another day before he got to party with his friend-slash-rival. He took custody of the spare bedroom and always nagged Michael for being such a party pooper whenever he was scolded for playfully flirting with me, even though I played along with it.
When the time came that they would be off to the airport, I wasn't allowed to drive, so the three Swimmers and I squeezed into Michael's SUV with Lia being the substitute driver for me. The other guys who were agreeing to go were already at the airport and constantly called Michael to not delay the whole process of going to Las Vegas.

"All the guys are way too excited for my liking," Lia commented as she stole a glance my way. She didn't have trouble letting Derek go to Vegas, but it was his excitement that bugged her and she was actually pleased that he was finally going.
"They're all experiencing some sort of mid-twenties crisis," I laughed as the three males at the back seat had grins on their faces and wouldn't stop talking about how much fun it would be, since they haven't gone to Sin City in quite some time. I shook my head when I peeked at them and overheard their plan to sleep throughout the entire flight so that they could last the whole night. Lia shook her head also.
When we got to the airport, the Olympians were greeted by mutual friends, most of them were also Swimmers and they all knew each other. There was only one guy who wasn't a Swimmer, but they all knew him through Michael either way. Lia and I greeted some of the Swimmer's significant others, who were on their way of leaving when they were sure that the guys were in good hands.
"Passport, luggage, your goofy grin and your excited laughter, I guess you're ready to go," I spoke to Michael when drifted from the other guys. "Have fun, and remember-"
"-Behave. I know," He laughed. "And I'll remember to buy you a big bag of M&Ms. I know, babe, you repeated it so many times."
I wrapped my arms around his neck and tiptoed to press my lips against his. "Have a safe flight. Remember, don't call me unless it's life-threatening," I reminded him as I tapped on his chest. Ryan had started to call everyone to hurry up. I peeked his way and poked my tongue out as he reacted the same way and wandered into security. Derek stood by the doorway waiting for the birthday boy.
"See you on Monday," Michael grinned as he walked out of my grasp and lugged his bag over his shoulder. I was about to walk off to chase after Lia, but I heard my name.
I turned around and was kissed.
"I forgot to kiss you goodbye," He whispered before he rushed off after Derek, who had been calling him over and over.
I touched my lips and I watched him turn the corner before I turned around. A middle-aged woman smiled at me, she was working security. She tapped on her chest, on the left side, just above her heart and said, "That kiss came from here. That man really loves you."
"Does he?" I played clueless.
The woman nodded. "You can see it. Everyone can see it. He loves you."
I felt really touched by her comment. I simply smiled back before I went after Lia, the phone at my grasp as I didn't look back. It was when I reached the car park when my phone vibrated and I received a message from Michael.

"I forgot to say I love you, damn."

My heart just melted.