Guides for the Pre-Engagement Life

Okay, so I may have overreacted yesterday, but that was because I hated the fact people were being so secretive, though that day wasn't any different. Michael got worst too, and we even had a bit of a dispute in the morning when I overheard his phone call talking about a party, and when I asked him, he was so defensive that it became a pain in the ass.
I apologized to him afterwards though.
When time came to prepare for the party that evening, Lia and Brunette A came over while Brunette B was supposedly doing something else, but I had a hint as to where she may have gone to, since she was the one Michael talked to in the morning. The two women were playing dress up with me, and I had seriously given up on figuring out what went on and acted like a walking doll throughout the whole time they were over. I seriously had no clue what was happening, and I saw no point pursuing it with my questions as I was shunned away the moment I opened my mouth.
There was no point anymore.

"Anne, smile a bit," Brunette A commanded as she and Lia stepped back, both with their arms crossed and both of them eyed me up and down with their strong gaze. They turned to each other and nodded as they appeared to be pleased with the outfit they chose for me.
They made me wear a simple blue dress that helped hide away the bump that poked out with whatever I wore, though it wasn't a big bump, it was visible. The dress flowed down loosely to just below my knees, the straps were thick so it looked like it could hold my suddenly rounder breasts, and they matched the outfit with plain black flats - due to the risk of falling if I had worn heels.
"Ah, such a pretty Mom-to-be, damn, Michael would fall in love with you even more when he saw you now," Lia smirked as she and Brunette A began to brush my hair and putting light makeup on my face. They really placed a lot of effort to making me look nice, which continued to build up my curiosity. No matter how hard I avoided to thinking more and more about the situation, I just couldn't help it. The two of them just made it even harder for met not to think about it, especially when they commented that they weren't going to be at the party on time and that Michael might be late too.
"Honestly, I don't know what you guys are up to," I thought aloud, the tone in my voice sounded like I was defeated either way. I had to face the music. After all the rummaging, online searching and asking around, I couldn't figure it out.
Brunette A hugged. "Roxanne, you're not going to regret what happens tonight," She whispered into my ears. My eyes shot open as wide as it could go. She just gave me the biggest hint of all time, and I knew Lia heard it as she was teary eyed when I took a peek at her once Brunette A parted from the embrace.
If I'd known better, the two women prepared me for the time I had been excited for since I moved in with Michael Phelps. If I had to put it in a simple sentence, which slipped right out of my mouth, it would be: "He's finally proposing".

Build Up

I waited a whole hour for further instructions. Lia and Brunette A left me not too long ago. They said they had to prepare for the party. I anxiously fiddled about on the sofa, and I vomited a few times too. It was either because of the baby or I was nervous.
Michael hadn't responded to any of any texts, not even the phone calls. He sounded busy, and I was too excited for what may happen that night that I didn't get angry at him. Though I kept my phone close to me throughout the whole time I patiently waited - just in case I received an important message. You could never be too careful, mainly because the event was going to be as important as ever.
As I sat there, I began to think back at the times when major hints were dropped for me along the way. There were actually some major ones that I managed to brush aside without noticing that it led up to the party that would occur that night. Like the reason why Michael may have brought me back to Ann Arbor, and I can't remember how I managed to miss his comments about the fact that we experienced quite a heck of a lot while we were there and how he couldn't wait to take a further step after reminiscing in that place. There were also some minor hints dropped by my closest and dearest friends, who all subtly stated that the party that night was of "great importance". Then there was a random text from Hilary the other day that asked whether or not Michael had forgotten something really grand at his Mom's home, which he then asked to be flown in with the help of Jesse. I found that out because Jesse accidentally sent me the text that he got the "important piece to the puzzle", and if I added that up with the text from Hilary, it only meant one thing.

How could I seriously not pick them up?

I sat in my own embarrassment and got a bit distracted with my own thoughts that I got delayed in answering a few phone calls. I accidentally ended some of them just because I thought it wasn't Michael - but it was. I managed to find my lost confidence and answered the phone after the sixth time he tried to call me again.
"Anne, were you asleep?" He first said when I pressed the phone to my ear.
"Um, hello to you too, Michael, what's up?" I innocently questioned without hinting that I figured him and his suspicious activities out already. "How long do I have to wait until you come and get me? I'm all ready to go." I added.
I heard some people at the back, they sounded rather busy and constantly called for him to hurry up, but the Olympian told them to hush down as he was on the phone. He cleared his throat and finally said, "I'll be home in an hour. I'm still caught up with something. Will you be okay to wait for me a little longer?"
I tried not to get moody, and it was hard pushing my moodiness aside because I was an impatient person, so being told to wait while I was already waiting pushed a button. "Um, yeah, I guess," I stammered and got a bit tongue tied, but that was so I wouldn't say anything that would make me regret later on. "I'll be here, Michael."
"Thank you for playing along with me. I'm sorry for making you wait, Anne. I love you," He ended before he hung up on me.
I stared at my phone with a bit of spite as I threw it into my purse and stood up. I thought I may as well wreck my outfit by taking a nap, although I slightly jumped as a knock came from the door. I touched my hand on my chest as I made my way over and opened it, but no one was there. I furrowed my brows and sighed, my head lowered a bit along the way, and that was when I noticed that there was a big note that read, "To my impatient Anne, I knew that you won't wait for me without blowing a fuse, so here's something for you. Go downstairs and see my first out of many surprises. Love you, Ms Miller."

That man knew me too well.

As instructed, I went down the building and was met with a male driver and he led me to Michael's SUV, which I really thought was with him all that time. I sat in the passenger's seat with my hands neatly pressed against my thigh, my back straightened and I sat very prim and proper as the awkwardness floated in.
I didn't know who that man was, but he claimed that he was instructed by Michael to drive me around to various places, so I had to trust him. I managed to ask him questions, but like everyone else, he wouldn't say anything. Instead, he changed the subject, turned the radio louder, pretended to be too concentrated on the road, and my favourite, acted like there was someone else on the other line of his phone. If I wasn't so excited, I would've been on full attack towards this guy to tell me what was going on.
However, something made me shiver when he answered a phone call. He had nodded his head up and down before he replied, "Oh, alright, but doesn't that mean it'll be delayed even more? Why's it taking so long?"
There was mumbling and a long explanation from the other person on the end of the line.
"I supposed, well, if there's nothing else, I might as well," The Driver said as he pressed a button to end a call, and he glanced my way right after. "I'm being told to take you to a fancy place, but because the person you're supposed to be meeting isn't going to turn up, I have to sit with you while you get something to eat."
"You're going to watch me eat?" I questioned him and his motives. I crossed my arms and shook my head. "If that's the case, you're going to have to eat too," I debated, since it'd be odd for him to watch me while I ate, and I figured if he had something to eat as well, he'd be more open about the plans. It was worth a shot, I guess.
So we went, and I was greeted by the Maître-D, who said that everything I ordered will be billed to someone. I only knew one person who would pull off the same stunt twice. I was led to a booth and situated myself opposite of the Driver, who looked uneasy with the whole situation. I ordered, he ordered, and we gave each other uncertain looks.
"What's your name, anyway? Since you'll be around me for most of the day, I can't keep calling you driver when you really do have a name." I struck a conversation.
His brown eyes looked away and back towards mine, he bit on his nibble lip, fiddled with his thumbs and breathed heavily. "Um, I don't know what to do. I was only hired to drive you around, so I'm not even sure if I should even be here. This is too fancy," He stuttered.
He clearly wasn't used to being invited in with a client. "Okay, well, driver, I don't like the whole formality of this, so you're going to have to humour me. One, because I'm pregnant and I can get really moody," I sounded like I was threatening him, but I really wasn't. I tapped on my second finger and continued, "Two, because I am really blanked by this whole thing that I don't know what we're doing."
He seemed to have gotten the point. He rubbed the back of his neck and nervously nodded towards me. He looked younger, probably a University student who needed extra money to pay for things for his course. "Okay," He mumbled under his breath. "All I know is that my client is some rich guy who used to attend the University, and when I think of rich and popular, I think about those Swimmers who came back here and planning a whole shindig," He revealed. I was shocked that he actually fell for my false threat!
"Who's the one leading it?"
He picked up a breadstick and snapped it in half. "Oh, well, there's that Olympian guy, Michael Phelps, I don't know if he's the one really leading this," He went on. He didn't recognize me - thank God, which was probably the main reason as to why he opened up to me about all those things. "I can't say my client's name because it's against policy, but all I can say is that this person must really have something big planned up for you if they're making you go around town, dressed so nicely.
"I don't even know anything about it," I groaned. "I've been at it for days, and my friends, who I thought would tell me in a heartbeat, pushed me into the shadows about the plan."
"Maybe you're going to get engaged?" He blurted out. "Eh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I just assumed that you weren't married."
"One day," I smiled.

One day, but that night, was when Michael would ask me.
I hope I wasn't bringing myself up for nothing.

The Proposal

Around seven o'clock, the driver dropped me off at Stefanie's old house, where people already gathered, and I felt out of place when I didn't recognize anyone there. But Lia spotted me once the car stopped in front of the house, and she rushed out in her red knee-length dress and heels and nearly pulled me out of the car. She held onto my hand tightly and asked me all these questions about what I did and why I took so long.
Heck, I didn't even know there was a party or anything about it, so I couldn't really tell her a proper reason other than I was at the restaurant with the driver and he told me all the things he knew about the event.
Driver was pretty surprised when he realized who I was, and he apologized and turned really red when he realized that he told me everything. Though he probably wasn't invited, I grabbed him by the hand anyway and tugged him inside with me so that he and I could feel out of place together - which I thought about and felt rather mean.

"Anne, holy crap, you're blooming since I last saw you!" Stefanie greeted me along the way. Then Brunette B hugged me like I was dying and apologized for the day before, but really, I wasn't mad at her in particular, it was everyone who wouldn't tell me what was going on. Everyone was dressed up really fancy, like it was prom, and they all drank, greeted, caught up. They were the same bunch or people, who attended the early mixer, before the New Year's Eve party back in 2004. The only people I befriended and interacted with outside after that party were two female swimmers that Lia introduced me to, another female journalist who was a year ahead of me, followed by Jesse, Derek and Michael.
"Wait," I paused. "What's the date today?" I asked Driver as soon as I remembered why it felt rather familiar. Driver scratched his head and reached for his phone, he peeked at it briefly before he muttered, "I don't know, um, October 24th, why?"
I slapped my forehead and leaned against the wall. I knew what that day was, and it wasn't the day Lia and I moved in, it was when we were accepted and were invited to a gathering while we were touring the Campus.
It was the first time I ever met Michael.
Everything began to piece each other together and gave me a headache that I excused myself away from the fancy-dressed people and walked out to the backyard where the same old garden and same old playground swing remained. I slightly wobbled the first few steps outside, but I caught my balance and made it to the swings, where I sat down on one of them and stared at the ground. My gut - and probably my baby - were making me feel a bit nauseas and guilty that I didn't listen to either one of them.
I pushed myself gently on the swing and rubbed my belly. "You're only making me moody because you knew what your Dad was up to, weren't you?" I whispered to the baby. "And I'm sure he told you while I was sleeping, that's why you're getting jumpy and made me feel very angry at your own Dad."
"I may have said a few things to him."
"M-Michael," I stuttered and stopped moving on the swing. My other hand gripped tighter on the rope that held the wooden plank and stared at the man, who was dressed in a semi-formal get up, with his hands in his pockets. "Where have you been?" I suddenly frowned.
"Did you enjoy my way of distracting you for a while?" He changed the topic as he took a seat on the other swing and turned it towards me. I only nodded as he turned his head up to the night sky. "Funny how the first time I met you, you were right here."
"What are you talking about? I was in there when we got introduced," I recalled as I also looked up at the sky. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as the stars were able to sparkle brightly towards us, and the moon gave us a mini spotlight. I couldn't help but smile.
"Yeah, but we were right here," He insisted. He tapped the ground with his feet before he gave himself a small push to swing just a few times. "We just didn't talk to each other. And if I was correct, you were by yourself and doing the same thing as what you're doing now."
"I wasn't pregnant then, so I wasn't talking to a baby," I hissed. "But I was talking to myself..." I admitted. And if you had seen me then, well, if I had seen myself back then, then we would've seen a really insecure, shy and slightly lonely me.
"Come on, you should have better memory than that."
I began to swing slowly back and forth as I turned my attention to him. He had a bright smile, he looked embarrassed and nervous actually, and I could only imagine how much pressure he must be going through throughout the time. I remembered that Nick told me how it felt double the pressure as to when they first asked the first date.
"We met here, we first dated here, our first kiss was here, we had our first fight here, and we also celebrated our first year here. Ann Arbor is a pretty significant place, if you asked me." He stopped swinging and twirled the ropes as he turned towards me. He reached for my hand and caressed my fingers before he took off my Promise Ring and focused on it as he pressed it between his fingers. "And now we're taking our next step in Baltimore, and Baltimore will be where we experience a few firsts too. Like when you first moved in with me, which means that we're living in our first home, and we're about to have our first child there," He continued as he turned away and looked like he was busy doing something.
"Michael, I'm happy to experience all these things with you," I smiled at him, and at the same time, trying to peek at what he was doing. But I failed. I sighed and began to play with the swing as he did his thing.
"Can you stop for a minute?" He suddenly asked.
I did what I was told, and when I was in a complete stop, Michael turned around and went down on one knee. My grip on the ropes got tighter as I could feel my heart race against my chest, my breath was held back, my cheeks started to tint, my eyes narrowed and my lips parted. He was about to ask me. I couldn't speak when I wanted to ask him what he was doing on the grass.

"Ms Miller," Michael coolly started. He looked like he was in a state of panic too. "Thank you for the five wonderful years you put up with me, for carrying our baby inside of you, and for the heck of a rollercoaster ride that I don't want to get think I'll want to get off of," He continued as he reached into his right pocket and pulled out a blue box, which he nearly dropped from being nervous. I covered my opened mouth with both hands the moment he opened the box and revealed a square diamond ring that had the Promise Ring cleverly attached to it.
I couldn't help but gasp. It was beautiful, and it sparkled thanks to the moonlight above us.
"I want to keep riding on our rollercoaster of a life. I'm willing to put up with your moody, overwhelmed, overreacting, overjoyed, suspicious, clever, mischievous, and loving moments if you are willing to put up with mine. I want you to always cheer for me every time I swim. I want you to be the one I last see when I go to sleep and the first when I wake up. I want to... Well, Anne, I just want to spend the rest of my life with you," He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and reopened them the moment he finally asked, "Roxanne Miller, will you marry me?"

I cried. Who wouldn't?

I nodded and sobbed.
"Is that a yes, Anne?" He teased.
"Of course I'll marry you!" I sniffed as he reached for my left hand and slipped in the ring into my ring finger, but before he could stand up, I wrapped my arms around him and fell to my knees as I sobbed against his shoulder. His hands were pressed on my back as I heard him chuckle and whisper, "Thank God, if not, I probably just looked like an idiot in front of everyone watching right now."
I blinked, wiped my eyes and lifted my head a bit to peek behind him. And as expected, everyone inside had witnessed Michael proposing. I let out a laugh in between my sobs and mumbled, "You planned everything didn't you?"
"To be honest, I wanted to give you the mini-flashback about the first time we met. On this exact date, on the exact time and at this exact place," He explained himself. "Clever, right?" He praised himself.
I pulled back from him, grasped his face by pressing both hands on the sides of his face and pressed my lips against his. I then parted and slapped him on the shoulder. "Why did you make me wait so long?" I complained.
Michael caressed my cheek, rubbing away the loose tears and replied, "I needed the perfect reason and moment to do it."
"You drove me crazy-"
"-In a good way," He chuckled before he kissed me one more time. "I love you, Anne."
"I love you too, Michael," I grinned.

Goodbye Pre-Engagement life.
Hello Engagement!