Surprise, Surprise

Jack and I were fighting again. We'd been together for about a year and a half now, and there had been an amazing connection right from the start. But lately, Jack was acting distant and strange, pushing me away when I just wanted to talk. I had a feeling he was hiding something from me. It had driven a wedge in between us, and these days, the only conversations we have are with raised voices. It would always start over the dumbest things; whose turn it was to unload the dishwasher, not being able to decide on a movie you both wanted to watch, seeing other couples who looked happier than us. Whatever it was, it always turned into a full-blown screaming match. This time, it was about his female fans and all the attention he gave them.
“Goddamnit, Jack! I can’t help it if I get jealous of all the girls that are always hanging around you!” I screamed, my throat getting sore.
"Alyssa, be serious! Those girls are just fans! They’re not even old enough to drink, for God’s sake! What makes you think I’d be attracted to them?!”

“Oh, please.” I scoffed. “I see how you act when they come around and want you to sign their tits.” Maybe that’s going a little far, but I can’t stop myself.

“First of all, I don’t do that. Second, we talked about this when we started dating. You promised you wouldn’t get jealous! You knew all along that this was going to be a part of my job. I believe your exact words were “I love how committed you are, and I trust you.”

“I know all that, and yes, I do remember. But that was before your job took you away from home all year! I barely even get to see you anymore! I just feel like the girls following you on tour have more of a connection with you than I do sometimes.” My voice breaking, I let the tears fall.

Jack rushed to my side, wrapping his arms around me. "Alyssa, I'm sorry. Please don’t cry. I’m sorry. You’re right. I didn’t realize you felt that way. Tell you what; I’ll make it up to you. Let’s go out tonight, just the two of us. Anywhere you want."

“Really?” I'm surprised at the quick turnaround of our fight.

“Tell me where you want to go and I’ll make a reservation for us.”

“How about we try out that new Indian place that just opened? Olivia and Nick told me the food is AMAZING there.”

“I’ll go get the number.” Smiling, Jack walks away.

Pretending to look up the restaurant, I walk to the next room and call Alyssa’s brother, Mark.
“She wants to go to that new Indian place. Meet us there. Tell Alex and the rest of the guys and your parents. I’ll stall her as long as I can.”
Without waiting for his response, I hang up the phone and walk back to Alyssa.
“Hey baby, they don’t have any tables open right now, but they said they’d call back if something opens up.”
“That’s fine, let’s just wait here and watch TV or something.”
“How about Peter Pan?”
Grinning, she looks away.
“Sure. Can I be your Wendy?”
“You know I always have to be Wendy”, I tease, grabbing her from behind in a bear hug and tickling her stomach.
“Jack! Stop it!” She squeals, playfully pushing me away and sinking onto her favorite spot on the couch, the one with the sauce stained cushion. I pop in the DVD and snuggle close to her, kissing her forehead.

This is amazing. I had forgotten how considerate and sweet Jack could be. Closing my eyes, I drift off, my head resting on his shoulder. A loud ringing jolted me awake.
“Wha-what is that?”
“Probably just the restaurant calling back. I’ll go check it out. You stay here.”
Stifling a yawn, I nod and close my eyes again.

It was Mark. “Dude, everyone’s here. Are you guys coming or not?”
“Yeah, we’ll be right there, don’t worry.”

“Alyssa, its time to wake up. They have a table ready for us.”
“Huh?” I'm disoriented; the room is barely in focus. As my eyes adjust to the sudden burst of light, I realize Jack is wearing a suit.

“Um, Jack…Why are you so dressed up…?”

“You’ll see. It’s a surprise. You’ll find out when we get there.”
Intrigued, I stood up and follow him out the door, wondering what the surprise could be.

“Can she tell that I’m nervous? Am I being too obvious? Oh God, my palms are sweating! Ok, I really have to calm down…deep breaths, Jack, deep breaths…don’t psych yourself out, you’ve been planning this for months now. It’s going to be perfect.”

“He looks a little shifty…his eyes won’t stop moving around. Seriously, what is going on? Should I ask him? He’s acting really weird.” Shaking my head, I decide against it; he’s clearly planning something special.
Well, I have a surprise for him too, I think, looking at my stomach. I’ll tell him tonight.

“Alright. We’re here. No turning back now.” Stretching out my hand, I help Alyssa out of the car.
“Such a gentleman”, she teased. I stop her and put my hand over her eyes; maybe I’m getting a little too much into it, but cheesy romantic gestures be damned. Leading her into the restaurant, I uncover her eyes, just in time for her to see her family and the rest of the guys yell “SURPRISE!”

“Jack! You did all this for me?? But why…my birthday isn’t until June…”

Not saying a word, I get down on one knee, looking at her beautiful face. Her eyes immediately fill with tears; I’m getting a little emotional as well.

“Alyssa, I never knew that the day we literally bumped into each other on the street and I spilled my coffee on you would change my life completely. I gave you my scarf to cover up the stain, telling you to call me if you wanted to give it back, and you did; but only on the condition that I went out with you. Ever since our first date, I felt a strong connection. Almost two years later, we’re still as strong as ever. I love you more than the sun loves the moon; I love you more that words can say. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Jack…yes. Yes! Yes yes yes, a million times yes!! Oh my God! I…”

Cutting me off with a kiss, he slides the ring onto my finger, amidst claps and cheers.

“I know.”
He grips my hand tightly and we both let the tears fall. The crowd moves forward to give out hugs and congratulations, but I don’t let go of Jack’s hand. My fiancée.

“Mom, Dad…”
“Come here honey, its OK. Let it all out," my mom laughs, gently sliding my hair out of my eyes. I lean against her shoulder, sobbing. My dad joins in on the hug, and we turn into one big crying mess.

She said yes! This is the happiest day of my life! I’ve never felt so close to anyone before. I can’t believe that I got so lucky. Kissing her forehead, we sit down at the table as a newly engaged couple. Everyone immediately wants to hear all the embarrassing and memorable stories that our relationship has given us; so I tell them about the time Alyssa was walking the neighbors’ dog and couldn’t keep up, ending up landing in a ditch, covered with mud. Even though they’ve heard the story a million times before, they all laugh as though it’s the first time. We don't let go of each other’s hands during the entire meal.

After dinner, we say goodbye to everyone and I thank them for helping me plan this whole night. Walking back to the car, Alyssa starts crying again; I wipe her tears away and softly kiss her lips.

“Let’s go home.”

“Wait. Jack…I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Ah ah ah…you’ll have to wait until we get home.” She teases with a mischievous grin.
“Come on, just tell me.”
“Nope! When we get home, I promise.”

In mock frustration, I pretend to walk away. She grabs my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
“It’s only a ten minute drive, you know…besides, I have something special waiting for you at home too,” she says, smiling at me.
.
Overcome with curiosity, I drive home as fast as I can, pulling to a stop in our driveway.

“We’re home. What’s the big surprise?”
“Let’s go inside first.”
“Fine,” I groaned, taking her hand and unlocking the door. She immediately plops down on the couch. I take a seat beside her, looking into her eyes expectantly.

“Look, Jack, there’s a reason I’ve been so crabby lately. To be totally honest, I thought our relationship was headed for the rocks; we’d been fighting a lot and you were starting to act weird. Now I know that you were acting like that because you were planning on proposing in the most romantic way, and I love you even more, which I didn’t think was possible.”

Thinking that her speech is over, I leant forward to kiss her; she holds up a hand, stopping me.

“Wait, let me finish. Don’t you want to know what the surprise is?” She laughs, tilting her head innocently.

“Of course I do!”
“Well…I wasn’t sure how or when to tell you, but right now seems as perfect a moment as any. Getting married means that we would officially be a family, right?”
“Right…”
“Well, we might be starting a family a little sooner than that…”

“Wait, Alyssa, what are you saying? Are you…?”
She took my hand and placed it over her stomach, and I feel something against her skin. A little burst of motion. A…a kick.

“Was that?...”

“Yes. I’m pregnant!”

“Oh my God! That’s amazing! How far along are you?! I can’t believe this…this has been the best night of my entire life, and you just made it better. I love you so much. I’m sorry, I know guys don’t cry, but I can’t help it.”

Choking back tears, I feel her hand smoothing my hair.
“Baby, its fine. Cry if you need to. Just let it all out. You’re not afraid to hide how you feel; it’s one of the things I love most about you.”

“We’re going to be a family…wow.” Pulling her into a hug, I place my hands on her stomach again, kissing her passionately while tears stream down my face in happiness. We break apart, the room completely silent except for the sound of our breathing.

“Alyssa, you are…you’re just the most amazing, beautiful, kind person in the whole world. I don’t know how I ended up with you. I’m so lucky, I…”

“Baby, believe me, I love all these compliments, but I want to show you another reason why I’m special.”
With a suggestive look in her eyes, she grabs my hand and leads me to our bedroom.

“You’ve given me everything I asked for tonight, so I wanted to return the favor.”

Laughing at her choice of words, she wraps her arms around my neck as we fall backwards onto our bed, locked in an embrace.