Guides for the Pre-Engagement Life

"Author Note: WARNING, this contains some sexual contents."

Earlier in December, Michael and I decided to spend some time with our Families so that when it hit Christmas and New Year's, we would have a reason to say that we weren't able to make it to them because we already spent time with them. Surprisingly, they didn't mind that we wouldn't be able to make it to them because they had plans of their own.
The week before Christmas, both my Parents and their respective second spouse flew out of the country. My Dad went somewhere in England with my Step-Mother and her Son to her side of the Family, and my Mom went on a sunny honeymoon on the other side of the world with my new Step-Father. My Older Brother stayed in Long Beach to watch over our Dad's house while my Younger Brother took care of Mom's.
Michael's Mom went on a trip to another country in Asia a few days after I heard the news of my Parents whereabouts, and his Mom took Hilary with her as Whitney passed on the offer because she wanted to stay with her family.
Michael and I were alone for Christmas.

Christmas Eve

A video chat was how we communicated with our Parents. We used it to greet my Mom and Dad, and, his Mom and Hilary a 'Merry Christmas'. When the video chats were turned off, it was roughly around noon, and we decided to have a mini gathering amongst our friends for dinner and spend Christmas together. But they weren't expected to arrive until three to four, so Michael turned to me while holding mistletoes above our heads, his lips curved as he tapped on his lips and said, "Pucker up."
I shook my head and laughed at his cute gesture.
"Rules are rules, Sweet Cheeks" He whined as he wrapped his arm around me and pulled my body against his, and his lips were quickly onto mine. I placed my hand flat on his chest before I slithered them up to his shoulders and down to his hands, where I grasped onto them and pulled his hold off of me. My lips left his and giggled at his displeased groan.
"We should leave it at that before Herman turns up again," I teased, since it became that dog's habit to ruin moments. I took slow steps backwards and I looked around to see if Herman was anywhere near the hallway or close to the bedroom. I still held onto Michael's hands and led him to our room.
"We better make sure to close the door this time," He whispered as he turned me around and wrapped his arms around me, my back pressed against his toned chest while his hands slid up and down my body, he left kisses on my neck while we made our way to the room. Once we did, he used his foot to close the door and he didn't hesitate to take off my sweater, and tossed it to the side. His hands slid into my bra and squeezed, but I quickly pulled them out and tugged him onto the bed, where he sat down and looked at me with a grin as his eyes scanned me up and down. He grabbed onto my waist and with a bit of a yank, I ended up straddling him. I flicked my hair to the side and away from my face, my hands on either side of his face as our lips made contact again.
One by one our clothes were being taken off, and we were left in our undergarments.
I still straddled Michael by the time he was just in his boxers, and I knew he was getting excited too. His lips were travelling down from my lips to my neck, to my collarbone and towards my chest. But I stopped him, I held onto his hands and forcefully laid him onto his back and pinned him onto the bed.
A chuckle escaped his lips. "You can't tease," He complained.
I only smirked and teasingly grinded against him, and I knew he didn't want to hold out when he began to squirm. I left trails of kisses from his lips as I slid down, my hands trailed after me. I was headed south, and I wasn't stopping...

"Merry Christmas Michael and Anne, we're here!"

Both of us narrowed our eyes.
"Oh my God, I forgot Lia and Derek were coming!" I nearly yelled as I hastily picked up my clothes and put them on. I had to check the mirror to fix my hair so that I didn't look too obvious. But with the panic, I put on a beanie instead.
I didn't even make it to where I planned to go before they decided to arrive.
"Oh shit, oh shit," Michael cussed and picked up his clothes too, but he suddenly stopped and called me. He beckoned down to the bulge in his boxers and asked me, "Babe, what the hell am I supposed to do with him?"
I covered my mouth to stop a giggle come out. "I guess you'll have to sort it out in the bathroom," I suggested. He wasn't pleased with it, but he knew I was right. He shook his head and mumbled how he could've forgotten about Lia and Derek after they reminded us constantly that morning. I apologized to him with a kiss on the cheek and promised him that I would make it up to him later, and he seemed rather distracted to realize what I said as he rushed out of the door and into the bathroom.

We got too distracted with the fact that we'd be spending our first Christmas together that we forgot that my best friend and her husband wanted to help prepare for the party, as they were technically the co-hosts. To be honest, I really wanted to spend some time in bed.

"Merry Christmas, you two," I smiled and gave my best friend a hug and a kiss on the cheek. The two had returned from North Carolina to spend some time with Lia's Family, and they were set for Florida next week for New Year's with Derek's Family.
"We didn't interrupt anything, did we Monkey?" The male swimmer asked as I led the couple to the kitchen, where they began to unpack their grocery bags. They were set to cook the meals since they planned the shindig and we merely agreed to have it at our place because it was bigger than theirs, and knowing my best friend, she loved organizing parties. She even set it as a semi-formal - typical Lia.
"No- Uh, I was in the spare room," I lied and avoided to look at either one of them, in case they saw right through me. I was bad at lying.
Lia laughed. "Oh, if you two were up to something, we'll just be here, we won't listen to whatever you two are doing in there," She coolly teased while beckoning towards me with the spring onions in her hands. "As a matter of fact, where is Mr Phelps?"
"I'm here, I'm here," Michael entered just in time. He was fully clothes, his hair slightly wet and his skin had traces of water still drizzling down, and his bulge had been well taken care of, but his face showed his frustration. I saw it, and he tried his best to hide it behind the smile curved on his pursed lips.
"Good, and thanks again for letting us use your love nest, our place is only half the size of your place. So, um, well, Derek and I got all these things sorted in the kitchen," Lia announced. "So, what do you two want to do?" She questioned.
I merely looked at my boyfriend for guidance, but he looked at me too.
"You two can finish up with whatever you two were doing before we got here," Derek commented as he cut up some carrots. "You can do it at our place if you really want to."
"Sick, Gorilla, that's just sick," I criticized.
"Then what are you two interested in doing?"
Michael randomly grabbed my hand. "We'll go buy some drinks," He suddenly said as he took me out of the couple's way and back to our bedroom. He peeked through the door for a brief moment before he pinned me against the wall and aggressively kissed me. He pulled away not a minute later and mumbled, "I'm frustrated, and you know why."
"How'd you get rid of it?" I curiously asked.
"Cold shower," He sighed as he went to get his wallet and things from the top of the drawer, and he handed me my bag before he kissed me again. "Ah, this is your fault."
I cocked an eyebrow up. "Huh? Why is it my fault?" I questioned as I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him for answers. Michael shook his head and grasped my hand, he led me out of the room and said farewell to the couple in our kitchen before we were out the door. He didn't say anything until we got to the car, where he locked the doors and turned a bit hostile and grumbled over some things that I didn't understand.
I reckoned he was sexually frustrated - poor guy.

We got home an hour or two later. We didn't just go to the store to buy the drinks and snacks, he ended up taking me to the Inner Harbour and we sat on one of the bench to stare at the view. I didn't question why he had an impulsive idea to go to the harbour, but I assumed it was so he could relax and not be so aggressive. We didn't talk much either.
I haven't seen him this frustrated since, well, ever.
I supposed he had been before, but not as bad as that.
Couldn't blame him, we haven't exactly been together since the beginning of December, we were with our families. And we haven't had any activities in the bedroom.

By the time we got home, there were a few people that had arrived earlier than expected. It was fun and I met new faces from the Swimming Club, and I befriended their girlfriends that shied away whenever it came to talking to Olympians - especially Lia.
Everyone left around two in the morning, there were sober drivers, though some had fallen asleep on the floor, there were three Swimmers in the living room, one Journalist passed out in the laundry room and a mutual friend of ours was sound asleep beside Herman in the spare bedroom. Lia and Derek told us that they'd return the next day to help with the cleaning since they were a bit drunk to do anything else. I didn't drink as much because I was the sober host that evening after losing in a game of Guitar Hero, so Michael didn't wait to get intoxicated. His face was red and he wobbled around the place calling for me. I was in the kitchen, I placed a few things into the dishwasher and arranged all the bottles and rubbish bags before I went to him when he slurred into the living room.
"You're so drunk, Sweetie," I cooed as I made my way over to keep him steady, but his body weight leaned against me by the time I was within his reach. He pulled me into a big hug and mumbled, "Babe, I'm sorry for being an asshole before."
"You weren't an asshole," I replied and aided him to the bedroom. He landed flat on the bed, but because his arm was flung over me, he dragged me down with him. We landed on the bed with small giggles. He stared at me with an apologetic stare and caressed my cheek, and he gave a half-drunk smile and whispered, "You gave up so much for me."
"What do you mean?" I wasn't sure what he meant.
"If you hadn't met me, I bet you would've been living in New York right now, but instead, you're here, with me," He managed to say with a few words unclear. "And I can't even change everything around about myself that easily for you."
"Don't say that," I sighed. "You've been an amazing boyfriend, you done more for me than I have done for you." I pushed myself off of him and sat up. I looked down at the promise ring around my finger and mumbled, "I'm surprised that you even want to marry me."
"I have something for you, but I don't think it'll be enough." Michael stood up. He swayed slowly towards the drawers and opened the top one. He rummaged through it and pulled out a box. I thought it was probably the engagement ring, but when he turned around, it was a bit too big to be holding a ring inside.
"What's that?" My head tilted to the side.
Michael placed it on my lap and asked me to open it.
"Um..." I bit my lip as I untied the ribbon and lifted the box. I flicked the paper away and found two flight tickets. I slightly furrowed my brows as I lifted them from the box, and I opened one of them and read through one of them. "Michael, you bought two tickets to New York and we're leaving in two days. What is this for?"
"My Christmas gift to you," He knelt down and leaned his head on my lap. "We're going to go celebrate New Year's in New York," He yawned.
My eyes widened, my hands started to shake. "Why? I'm perfectly fine spending it here," I continued to question. I combed my fingers through his hair and occasionally fiddled with the beard he started to grow.
"I bought it because I want to." He struggled to get on his feet as he tossed himself back on the bed, and he pulled me down with him once more. He lay on his stomach, I lay on my back, but we both stared at each other.
"You spend so much on me, and the gifts I give you are-"
"-Really valuable," The Olympian cut in. He shuffled closer and pecked my nose. "I'll make it up to you when we're in New York. I promise."
And just like that, Michael fell asleep.
Even when he's drunk, he still thought of me.

New Year's Eve in New York

We spent a week in New York, and Michael surprised me with plans every single day. So he always had something up his sleeve every time I woke up. He said that it was making up for the years we've dated and never had a proper Christmas or a New Year's together because he was with his Family and I was with mine, and he said that for every day we were in New York, he would do something to surprise me because he wanted to make up for the times he was never around due to his commitments.
I teased him that he overdid the New York trip, but seriously, I felt like my heart just went over the moon for the guy who held it in the palm of his hands.
Michael treated everyday like it was a first date.

- Day One, I woke up to breakfast in bed, the afternoon at Ice-Skating and the evening we watched a Broadway show - even though he wasn't particular interested for most of the time due to his lack of interest in the area, but he mentioned that he only went for it was because he knew that I was interested watching Broadway.
- Day Two, Michael took me to a rather fancy breakfast, had a picnic at Central Park and tried a carriage ride, and for a whacky evening, we went to a Karaoke Night at a pub where he actually went on stage and sang a song - it was sweet because he publically announced to the many people there that night that he dedicated his half-drunk performance to me, but it was embarrassing at the same time. The paparazzi enjoyed his performance and so did the many people who videoed and placed it online, though Michael said he couldn't care less as long as others saw that he was willing to go on the stage and sing a song for me.
- Day Three, we went and spent a day at the spa, it was the first time for me to try those couple treatments that Lia's told me about so many times, and I have to say, it was very relaxing. We got home a bit late and ordered in, we got too lazy to go out after the massage treatments and facials and mud baths and hot pool swims, the winter temperature made us stay in our hotel for the rest of the day.
- Day Four, I tricked him into sleeping in so that I could make him breakfast in bed as a 'thank you' for his effort. He then took me to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and the 'Ripley's Believe it or Not!' Museum where we both felt like it was some class trip. Both a bit naïve, we had our curiosity get the best of us that we practically forgot the time and got home late again. His planned dinner out was postponed.
- Day Five, I felt exhausted and overwhelmed by all his surprises that I asked him if he planned something simple that day. And he did, he figured that I would've been more interested in shopping. So all of day five in New York, we went shopping. Though in the evening, we ate at a comedy nightclub, I've never heard of it, but I couldn't stop laughing throughout the whole night with the comedians exploding the scene one by one.

By Day Six, it was New Year's Eve.
"Time Square?" I repeated what Michael said. "Uh, well I guess the last time I visited Time Square on a New Year's countdown was when I was 13, when it was the Millennium countdown. I was here with Dad, Mom, my Brothers and Lia, which was actually the first time Dad agreed to come along and be on mutual grounds with Mom for the sake of it. Um, then I didn't bother going afterwards because it wasn't as special as that moment."
"My first Olympics was in 2000," He pointed out. "And I still lived with my Mom." He added with a chuckle. "But would you consider going with me?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Good, because I didn't have anything else planned if you didn't want to." Michael grinned as he wrapped his scarf around me and tugged me closer to him. It was around eleven in the evening, people had already piled up around the streets in Time Square, but because the guy I was dating knew people, he somehow managed to borrow a friend's apartment that overlooked where the ball would drop. It had been a whole decade since I was last there.
It felt nostalgic.
I sat down on the carpet, opposite the window and stared down at the view. I let out a small sigh and mumbled, "You come here a lot, don't you?"
"The last time I was here was a year before I moved to Ann Arbor, that was it, but I was here because Mom wanted to see the ball drop at the countdown." He landed his bottom beside me. "I wonder how many guys you've kissed every midnight."
I nearly choked. "Are we going to talk about this?" I asked in confusion.
He only nodded. "Yeah, since I'm going to be the only person you'll kiss for the rest of your life," He proudly announced. "So you'll have to tell me."
"Michael, you know very well that I had my first boyfriend when I was a Freshman," I reminded him. "And that lasted until the end of Junior year, so I kissed a guy I had just met in a party because we were the only ones without a partner. Then it happened again when the ball dropped was during Stefanie's New Year's Eve party in Ann Arbor."
"Fair enough," Michael leaned back and used his arms as a support. His legs were crossed and his eyes didn't look away from the amount of people below before he started laughing to himself. I turned to him and asked what was funny, and he revealed, "You just reminded me that I kissed you before we started dating."
"What are you talking about?"
"I was at Stefanie's party, remember. And it was leading up to midnight-"
"- Wait, so you're saying we kissed at that party? You're going to have to remind me because I swear I kissed a few guys that night..."

Remember when I said that I had a stupid moment at a Cheerleader's party?
Well, a few guys meant that at Stefanie's party back before I started University in Ann Arbor, it was a mixer and I was only invited because Lia wouldn't go if I didn't go. That night, I first met Brunette A and Brunette B, and the stupidest challenge I ever done was to agree on a bet to see how many guys we could kiss that night. The three of us went around kissing people, well not exactly a French kiss, but a peck on the lips. I won, people recognized me as a non-stuck up person and the 'it' crowd knew that I wouldn't go down on a challenge. I also had a bad reputation for the first three weeks in because of it.
Anyway, I was embarrassed to say that I didn't regret kissing 24 guys, because one of them happened to be the guy I ended up with.

Michael knew what I meant by that. "I know, that's why I'm afraid of getting you drunk," He sighed. "But you don't remember?"
"I sort of do, but I'm not sure if it's you." I shook my head and looked down to fiddle at the ring around my middle finger. "I remember that I kissed someone at midnight, but that was it, then everyone began to mess with my head. I'm sorry if I embarrassed myself."
"You made me have some silly crush on you after that," He muttered and slightly poked me on the arm. "During the countdown, everyone stood in pairs, then everyone started kissing, and I was standing next to you-"
"-Don't tell me that you didn't have anyone to kiss. There were plenty of girls there."
He poked my arm again. "Don't interrupt," He laughed. "You stood beside Lia who stood beside Derek. I stood beside you and there was a guy beside me, so there was no way I'd be kissing a guy in the first place. And they said you have to kiss someone so you'd get some sort of luck throughout your year, and I got pretty lucky in 2005."
I focused my stare at him. I was trying so hard to remember. It made me look like a child as I sat there with my arms and legs crossed, my brows slightly furrowed. Michael stared back at me with the same amount of focus before he interrupted my thoughts and beckoned to the countdown. I looked away for a brief moment and got caught in the countdown that I forgot what we talked about, and when the clock reached zero, we greeted each other before Michael cupped my chin and planted his lips on me.

That was when I remembered that I did kiss Michael Phelps at Stefanie's party, and I had no interest in him whatsoever at that time. And that particular kiss became a talk around the Campus because it wasn't just a peck on the lips - we actually made out that night.
Few months after that kiss, we began dating.

Was that a Coincidence or Fate?