Worlds Keep Spinning Round

Six Years Later

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I shot up when I heard my alarm clock going off next to me. I had pressed snooze about six times already and I knew I desperately needed to get out of bed. Stifling a yawn as I did my regular morning stretches, I looked at my clock. Crap, how did it get so late? Megs is gonna kill me!

Untangling myself from my sheets, I got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. This weekend was going to be nuts. You see, after breaking up and getting back together about seven times(with my help five out of those seven times), Megan and Ryan were finally going to tie the knot! I was supposed to be at their house in fifteen minutes to help Megan set up for tomorrow’s rehearsal dinner. Clearly I was going to be late, and I knew Megs was going to flip out. She had been stressing about this wedding for the past year, and I surely wasn’t helping with being late when the big day was right around the corner.

I took a quick shower and stepped out into my adjoining closet. Damn it, why didn’t I pick out my outfit last night? Having no time to decide on an outfit, I grabbed a pair of black Bermuda shorts, threw on a green polo shirt, and slipped on my platinum gold flats. I quickly went over to my vanity, scrunched my hair and put on the matching gold jewelry. Stepping back out into my bedroom, I looked at my clock. Crap, 11:00 a.m. Yup, I’m a dead woman! I quickly grabbed my purse, shoved my phone into it and rummaged around for my keys.

I stepped out of my apartment and was instantly welcomed by the warm California sun beating down against my skin, warming me up instantly. I plunged my keys into the ignition of my semi-new Mercedes Benz and sped over to Megan and Ryan’s house. About a quarter of the way there, I heard my phone ringing. As I pulled up to a red light, I pulled out the sleek device and to my dismay, saw Megs’ name flashing on my screen. “Hello,” I answered.

“Natalie where are you?!” Megan yelled into the phone. So much for a greeting.

“I know I’m late. I’m sorry. But I swear to you I am on my way right now,” I said trying to calm her down.

“Well you better get here quick. I’m all alone here and I really need some help.”

“Where’s Ryan?” I asked pressing my foot against the pedal as the light turned green.

“He picked up some friends from the airport yesterday night and is showing them around San Clemente. They actually left early this morning, so I’m hoping that they will see the sights fast and get their butts back here. Are you sure that you’re on your way?” she asked.

“Yes positive. I’ll see you in a bit I swear,” I said reassuringly.

She let out a breath that I’m guessing had been pent up for a while. “Ok. Bye.”

I hung up my phone and shook my head. Megan had been so worried about this wedding, thinking that it wouldn’t happen. After all, she and Ryan had gone through so much. But he really seemed to love her. That was obvious since he had proposed a little over a year ago and since then has been doing everything in his power to make Megs happy.

I stopped thinking about Megan and Ryan’s relationship when I felt, scratch that, heard, my stomach grumble. Lucky for me, I was passing the Starbucks that I always passed on the way to their house. I was seriously debating whether I should go in, seeing as how I was already late and Megan was freaking out all by herself at home. What the heck, a few more minutes won’t kill her. I made a sharp right turn and drove to the drive- thru.

There were a few cars in front of me and I cursed all the people that decided that they wanted to drive thru on this particular day. As I stared up from the clock that was mocking me for being late, I could have sworn I saw three all too familiar curly heads getting into a car that looked strangely familiar. I haven’t seen them in three years. There’s no way I’d see them now!

JB—JB—JB—JB—JB

It was a cold December morning as I walked across the empty cemetery, guitar case in hand. I felt emptier with each step I took, listening to the dead leaves crunching underneath my feet. This was a tradition that had started three years ago. Reaching my destination, I stopped and faced the lonely looking tomb in front of me. Ruth Ann Gambino. May 4, 1971- December 26, 2007. I wiped away the single tear that I had shed since I saw the name on my mother’s tomb stone. It happened every year. And just like every year, I replaced the dead daisies that were in the vase with a fresh new bouquet.

“Hey mom,” I said talking to the air. “So, it’s been another year. Sorry I haven’t visited as often this year. It’s been absolutely nuts. I have two semesters left and then I’ll be able to become a student teacher and from there, I’ll have my own class. This is so surreal. I wish you were here with me. Time has flown by so fast.” I paused and sighed. Then I cleared my throat to remove the lump that had started to form when I started speaking. “So uh, the guys are graduating this year. That means no more Triple Riot. But I’ll still be writing music, even if they won’t be around to help come up with the beats for the songs. I actually wrote a song for you. Without their help.”

Setting the guitar case down on the ground, I took out the acoustic guitar that Pete had given me for my birthday two years ago. I sat down on the cold December ground. It hadn’t been a white Christmas this year. “This one’s for you mommy,” I said, holding back the tears so that I could sing my song.

Sha la la la la,
Sha la la la la

You use to call me your angel
Said I was sent straight down from heaven
You'd hold me close in your arms
I loved the way you felt so strong.
I never wanted you to leave,
I wanted you to stay here holding me

I miss you. I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear, every once in a while
And even though it's different now,
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go,
And I need you to know,
I miss you
Sha la la la la,
I miss you

You use to call me your dreamer
And now I'm livin' out my dream
Oh how I wish you could see,
Everything that's happenin' for me
I'm thinkin' back on the past,
It's true that time is flying by too fast

I miss you. I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear, every once in a while
And even though it's different now,
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know,
I miss you
Sha la la la la
I miss you

I know your in a better place(yeah)
But I wish that I could see your face(oh)
I know you’re where you need to be
Even though it's not here with me

I miss you, I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear, every once in a while
And even though it's different now,
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know,
I miss you
Sha la la la la

I miss you, I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear, every once in a while
And even though it's different now,
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know,
I miss you
Sha la la la la
I miss you

After I played that last chord, I let all my tears fall. Even though it had been three years, I still missed my mother incredibly. Those years were filled with bitter sweet moments and I wished I could share them with her. I was reminiscing on those moments when I heard a voice say my name. A voice I hadn’t heard in three years. I sat frozen for a few seconds, thinking I had probably heard the voice in my head, but what are the chances of me hearing it twice?

“Natalie?” the voice said again, this time a bit louder, making sure I heard it.

I slowly got up and turned around even slower. And there he was. Standing in front of me, in all his glory, with rosy red cheeks and nose from the cold, Joseph Adam Jonas. I wiped at my tear stained face and then rubbed my eyes, just to make sure that he was really standing in front of me. When I looked up again, he was still there, this time standing a bit closer to me.

I didn’t know what he was doing there, or where he had even come from, but just the sight of him brought back so many memories. They all played in my head like a movie reel. The next thing I knew, I was crying again, harder this time. Without even asking if it was ok, he stepped forward and held me in a tight embrace. The tears fell even faster. Strangely enough, I didn’t pull away. At that moment I was filled with sadness because it was the third anniversary of my mother’s death, and at the same time, Joe had shown up out of nowhere, after having no contact with me for three years. Needless to say, I was in need of some comforting, and who else was better than the boy who still my held heart, whether I knew it or not. I couldn’t think of any one else, so I stood there, in an empty cemetery in Wyckoff, New Jersey, being comforted by the boy I once called the love of my life.

I don’t know how long we stood there, holding each other in our arms, as Joe softly rubbed my back, calming me down. As the grief slowly started to wash off me, my crying turned into soft sobs. Joe slowly removed his hand from my back and tilted my chin up, making me look at him. Then he slowly moved his head down towards mine.

My head was screaming at me, telling me not to let this happen. But my heart, lets just say it had other plans. At first, the kiss was a bit awkward, but I quickly let myself give into the softness of his velvety lips. I again witnessed a movie reel in my head of all the times he had kissed me this tenderly. And then I remembered what happened when he went on his European tour. I quickly pulled back after realizing exactly what I was doing and the consequences of what we were doing. He looked at me confused. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

I shook my head furiously. “I can’t do this Joe,” I replied taking a step back and putting my guitar back in its case.

“Do what?” he asked.

“This. Us,” I answered turning back to him.

“Nat,” he said shaking his head. But that’s all he said. I stood there offering the opportunity for him to explain to me what had happened all those years ago. He took it. “I never meant to hurt you. You know that right?” He looked up at me and his eyes were so… vulnerable. I was so tempted to just run back into his arms, but I didn’t. I had spent too many months crying over him. I was past it.

“Then what exactly had you meant to do Joe?” I thought I had forgiven him a long time ago, but obviously I hadn’t because at the moment, I was furious.

“Things got blown up way out of proportion. All those things the magazine article said were a lie,” he started.

“Oh please. It all seemed pretty convincing to me,” I said dryly.

“You know how magazines are always making up rumors. All those pictures were just of us hanging out as friends. I don’t even know who they quoted saying that you and I had broken up and that I was dating her, but it wasn’t true. By the time I even found out about the article, it had been a week. I called you, but you hung up on me. I understood why you were mad, so I gave you time to cool down. But when I went to call you again, I was too scared of what you would say, so I let it be. Everyone was worried about me, but I didn’t care,”

He stopped and looked at me, searching my eyes to see if I believed him. I hoped that my face didn’t show just how badly I wanted to believe that was all true. Obviously I was doing a good job at being angry because he heaved a loud sigh and continued speaking. “But they didn’t understand Nat. They didn’t understand how miserable I was, knowing that you were mad at me. That everything between us was over all because of those stupid lies. I so desperately wanted to call you, but too much time had passed and I figured that you had probably already moved on. So that was the end of it. I moved on with my life, but you have always held my heart.” He let out a breath as he finished his speech.

What was a girl supposed to say to that! He had just explained to me how everything had been a misunderstanding. And at the same time, had told me that he still had strong feelings towards me. I stared at him for a long time, trying to arrange the thoughts that were swimming in my head. After a while, I heaved a loud sigh that came out in a visible puff. “Look Joe. That’s all in the past. I forgave you a long time ago. We’ve both moved on with our lives. Let’s just leave it at that.”

“Can we at least start over? Be friends?” he asked. My heart squeezed as those dreadful words escaped his mouth, even more in that hopeful tone. I wasn’t ready for more heart break, but at the same time, a person can never know how these things will turn out unless we give them a try…right? Heaving another sigh, I nodded. The smile that he gave me was so bright and happy; I was slightly surprised it didn’t illuminate the otherwise gloomy cemetery.

Turning back towards my mother’s grave, I tried to calm my nerves. Joe was back in my life, and I had no idea how this was going to go, or how others would react. “You’re mother was insanely gorgeous,” Joe said, bringing me out of my thoughts. “It’s a shame I never got to meet her. But I can see where you get your looks from.” He smiled down at me, trying to offer me some comfort. Even though we hadn’t spoken to each other in three years, it felt like things hadn’t changed. He could still read me like a book, and at the moment, I knew he could tell just how miserable I was.

I offered a weak smile in response. “I’m sure she would have been proud of everything you’ve done. And that song was really beautiful.” I looked up surprised. He had heard my song? “I didn’t know you knew how to play the guitar,” he said.

“Umm, yea. One of my band mates gave it to me a couple of years ago as a birthday present. I had picked up a few things from Nick but Pete taught me how to play,” I responded.

“Well, it was really nice. I’m sure your mom loved it.” I don’t know why, but his words just brought tears to my eyes. He immediately put his arm around me, pulling me into another comforting hug. Damn, I missed those hugs. A few minutes later, I had managed to compose myself. I pulled back a bit, letting him know I was ready to go. Without removing his arm from around my shoulders, we walked back to my car, and rode to our respective homes.

Of course, everyone was entirely surprised that we had become friends again, and only a select few knew of the kiss we shared at the cemetery. But a few months later, that didn’t matter. We were back to where we had left off three years before, and I honestly thought that we might become boyfriend girlfriend again. Obviously I was wrong. Out of nowhere, we had a falling out and lost touch of each other again. That was the last time I heard of the Jonas Brothers (well, besides them being all over the television and radio).

JB—JB—JB—JB—JB

The toot that came from the car behind me brought me out of my flashback. I brushed those memories aside and moved my car a few inches forward. The last thing I need is to be in a pissy mood today! I ordered my regular drink, paid at the window, and was on my way.

A few minutes later, I was pulling into Megan and Ryan’s house. I was still amazed by the immensity of this gorgeous mansion they had bought a few months ago, but I quickly got over that. I pulled my key out of the ignition, grabbed my purse and my drink and made my way up the steps. Without even knocking, I walked into the house. “Megs?” I called out to the lavish foyer.

“Out back.” I heard Meg’s faint voice and followed it to the back of the house. Setting my keys and purse down on their kitchen counter, I slid open their screen door and stepped onto their backyard. I was welcomed by the sight of chaos everywhere. Over in one corner was a frazzled looking Megan. “Thank goodness you’re here,” she said running over to me and giving me a quick hug.

“What is all this stuff?” I asked as my eyes roved over the mess in the otherwise gorgeous backyard.

“This is all the equipment and tables that need to be set up for tomorrow’s rehearsal dinner. Ryan didn‘t want to pay extra for people to set it up when we could do it ourselves,” she answered.

“Then why isn’t he helping you with this? I could have sworn I saw his truck outside when I pulled in. Isn’t he back yet?” I asked, taking a sip of my drink.

“Yeah, he and his friends just got back a few minutes ago. They went upstairs to change into more comfortable clothes. What is that?”

I looked from her messy backyard to her, to see her pointing at my oversized Vanilla Bean Frappuccino. “My Vanilla Bean Frappuccino,” I stated, taking another sip of the yummy concoction.

“You were running late and you still had time to stop at Starbucks?” she asked, propping her hands on her hips. Clearly she was pissed. At that moment, we heard the screen door open and I saw Ryan step outside. I waved at him and then turned back to Megan.

“Megs, you’ve known me for how many years now? You know I can’t go a day without stopping at Starbucks,” I replied.

“Hmm, seems like some things don’t ever change.” I froze upon hearing that voice. No. Freaking. Way. I looked towards the screen door and standing behind Ryan was Kevin freaking Jonas. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him smiling at me. That means that… Before I even finished the thought, his brothers stepped out behind him.

“Alright let’s get started,” Nick said. He stopped abruptly and then Joe walked into him. My heart stopped completely at the sight of him. Oh my God. Someone please check on me. I think I just had a stroke. Am I breathing? I don’t think I’m breathing.

We all stood in the middle of the yard, staring at each other. Actually, more like everyone stood in the middle of the yard, looking at me, then at Joe, and then back to see my reaction. I just glared over at Ryan and Megan; my eyes were two narrow slits. Megan shot me an apologetic smile, and Ryan, well, his face was harder to read. I looked back at Kevin, Joe, and Nick, standing from oldest to youngest, just staring at me. Well, this weekend ought to be fun!

JB—JB—JB—JB—JB

Butterflies fluttered in Joe’s stomach like crazy all morning. He and his brothers had been overjoyed to receive an invitation to Ryan’s wedding a few months ago. He had been extremely excited as they landed the previous night at the airport. But the butterflies were in constant motion since Ryan mentioned Natalie. It hadn’t for a moment slipped his mind that she was best friends with the bride. The thought of seeing her again after all these years was enough to keep him tossing and turning in his lavish guest bedroom all night long.

The last time he had seen her was three years ago. It was the day after Christmas and that year they had spent it at their grandmother’s house. Like always, he got up before anyone else to go for a jog. He was running past the cemetery when he heard the chords of a guitar. Following the sound to a familiar tomb, he froze dead in his tracks. Right in front of him was Natalie. Even though her back was to him, there was no doubt in his mind that it was her; he’d recognize that voice anywhere. He stood there quietly, listening to her angelic voice sing a song that, considering the situation, he imagined she had written herself.

When she finished, Joe stood there and watched her cry. It tore him apart to see her like that, so he spoke up. His heart beat faster and faster as he stood there and waited for her reaction. She was clearly surprised to see him and if it were a different scenario, he would have laughed at the way she rubbed her eyes to make sure he was really there. A few seconds later, she was crying again. Without thinking, he walked up to her and wrapped her in his arms. Anything to make her feel better. Little did he know he was the cause for her tears.

After a while, Natalie’s tears started to subside. Without thinking, Joe tilted her chin upwards and planted a soft kiss on her lips. He could tell she was trying to resist and was about to pull away when he felt her give in to the kiss. He had kissed her with so much pent up emotion that he found himself trying his hardest not to show the urgency that had built up inside him. They were going at it for a while when she abruptly pulled away from him as if he were poisonous.

Then they had had it out. Natalie was curious as to what had happened all those years ago. Joe explained to her everything that had gone wrong, saying it word for word how he had practiced it countless times just in case that moment had ever presented itself. He distinctly remembered how the beat of his heart hummed in his ears as he waited for her to say something. It took a lot of convincing, but eventually they put it all behind them and had started over as friends. That was extremely hard for Joe because without him realizing it, he was falling in love with her all over again. Then a few months later, they just lost touch of each other. That was the last time he had seen Natalie and he regretted not ever telling her how he really felt.

But now, three years later, he was about to see her again. When he got up that morning, he was surprised to find his brothers and Ryan already up and dressed. “Hey, you’re up. Good. We were gonna go out to breakfast and then go out for a little bit. Wanna come?” Ryan asked.

“Yea, sure. I’ll just go get ready,” Joe replied. An hour later, they were sitting outside a small shop, sipping coffee and eating a hardy breakfast.

“So, you’re finally getting married,” Nick said after taking a sip of his orange juice. “I never thought I’d live to see the day,” he teased.

“Yea, I can hardly believe it myself. But I really love Megan. I don’t wake up in the morning and regret my decision of proposing,” Ryan replied, wiping at the crumbs of toast at the corner of his lips.

“Good. Because if you did, then you would definitely be in a bit of a pickle my friend,” Joe said, swallowing the mouthful of eggs he had stuffed in his mouth. The group chuckled at that. “So, are you excited about Saturday?”

“Of course I’m excited. Megan has been driving me up the wall with all this planning. I just want bridezilla gone,” Ryan stated with a serious face. The three brothers laughed at their friend. “No but really. I am excited. Having all my friends and family there sharing that event with me. It should be great.”

“So uh, anyone we know coming?” Everyone turned their head towards Kevin when he asked the question. Joe in particular wasn’t looking forward to Ryan’s answer.

“Yea well, you guys know Tony, Casey, Taylor. They’re gonna be there. And, Megan’s best friends Natalie and Trisha. You know them. And just a few other people that we’re good friends with,” Ryan replied, sliding a glance towards Joe.

“Sounds like a good group. I haven‘t seen a few of them in a long time. I‘ve missed them,” Nick said. He was pretty sure they all knew he was referring to Natalie.

“So, um, where do we go from here?” Joe asked, desperate to change the subject.

“Well, we can hang out for a bit, but I promised Megan we would help her set up the backyard for the rehearsal dinner,” Ryan answered, sympathetic towards his friends attempt of changing the subject. They all nodded their heads, each going into their own world. After they finished their breakfast, they got up and instead of doing anything else, they decided to just go back to Ryan’s house, with the exception of a stop at a Starbucks for Kevin (which didn’t make much sense since they had just had coffee, but he insisted it wasn’t the same).

When they arrived at his house, they went out back to see Megan glaring intently at a sheet of paper. “Hey babe. What are you doing?” Ryan asked walking over to her and planting a quick kiss on her cheek.

“I’m trying to figure out this seating chart for tomorrow,” she answered not looking up from the chart.

“Well, do you need any help?” Ryan asked.

“Yes. You were supposed to be setting up this stuff,” she exclaimed looking up at the four good looking men. “Now go change and get started. This isn’t going to get set up on its own.” Ryan shot his friends a look that said ‘see-what-I-meant-about-bridezilla’. Stifling a chuckle, they all went up to get changed.

Ryan was the first to finish and the first to step back out into the backyard, Kevin close behind him. “Megs, you’ve known me for how many years now? You know I can’t go a day without stopping at Starbucks,” a familiar voice said as Kevin stepped outside.

“Hmm, seems like some things don’t ever change,” Kevin teased, walking closer to the group in the center of the yard. He knew Natalie had no idea they were going to be there, so he was trying his hardest not to laugh at her predictable expression. Instead, he shot his old friend his charming smile.

Then his brothers came out. “Alright let’s get started,” Nick said. He froze upon seeing Natalie, not prepared to see her there. Then Joe walked out and bumped right into Nick. Natalie’s eyes merely got wider as she stared at the group of brothers. The backyard went extremely quite and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Everyone stared at the old couple, anticipating their reaction. Natalie was sending Ryan and Megan death glares. Clearly she wasn’t happy about the surprise they’d just dropped on her.

Joe, however, had a blank look on his face. Even though he knew she was going to be there, he was surprised at the sight of her. It had been three years since he saw her, and she looked better than ever. Her glossy brown hair was half-way down her back and wavy. And those eyes that made him go weak in the knees, well, they still had that same affect on him. Taking in a shaky breath, he decided to break the ice and said, “Hey Nat. It’s been a while.” And he prayed to God that things wouldn’t blow up in his face.

JB—JB—JB—JB—JB

“I can not believe you guys would do this to me,” I fumed. After Joe had decided to break the silence that had settled among us, I greeted the group of brothers. Needless to say that was the most awkward thing I’d ever done. Then Megan went into bridezilla mode and ordered the guys to set up the tables the way they were on her chart. Normally I would have wanted to throttle her for being so bossy, but in this case I was super glad she had. It gave the guys something to do other than stare at me.

While they occupied themselves with setting up the backyard, Megan and I had gone inside to tend to some other issues. She dragged me upstairs to help her decide between three outfits she had selected for tomorrow. This brings us to me screaming at her in her closet. “I’m sorry,” she replied.

“I mean, first, all those years ago, he just breaks up with me. No explanation, no nothing. Then, three years after that, he just randomly appears back in my life. I, being the nice person that I am, decide to give him a second chance. And just when we get to the point where we might become an item, he up and just loses touch. Like he disappeared off the face of the planet, although I know he didn’t because he and his brothers were all over the freaking radio and television. And that’s another thing. I know Joe and I had issues, but for Nick and Kevin to do the same thing he did? What the hell is up with that? And then you guys just invite them to your wedding and don’t even tell me they’re going to be here? ”

“I’m sorry ok. They’re really good friends with Ryan. What was I supposed to do? Tell him not to invite them because of what happened between you and Joe?”

“Of course not. But you could have at least warned me that they were coming. That way I wouldn’t have been so caught off guard,” I replied, getting more frustrated with her.

“Ok. I understand where you’re coming from. Maybe it wasn’t right for me to not tell you. But maybe it’s a good thing that they’re here. You can finally get the closure you need to move on with your life,” she replied.

“What do you mean move on with my life?” I asked taken aback by her comment.

“You know what I mean,” she said, giving me a knowing look.

“No. I really don’t.”

“Well, you’ve dated how many guys in the past six years? Like three? And you’ve gone on dates with a few that didn’t even make it to a second date. You’re clearly still hooked on him. I think that you can get the closure that you need to put all those things in the past and just settle down with someone,” she explained.

“I am NOT hooked on Joe,” I protested loudly.

“Then why do you still wear the ring that he gave you as a promise ring when you guys were going out?”

I looked down at my finger and saw the shiny metallic ring that had once represented what Joe and I used to share. Crap, it‘s been six years since we broke up. Why haven‘t I taken this off? “Maybe because it was also meant to be a purity ring? And I’m still holding to those values.” She shot me a sideways glance, letting me know she knew I was lying through my teeth. “Look, think whatever you like, but I am not hooked on him. What we had is all in the past.” Averting my eyes from hers, I turned back to the outfits that were hanging up. “I like this one,” I said picking up a royal blue dress. She shook her head at me, but grabbed the dress and went into the changing room in her closet to try it on.

There is no way I still have feelings for him. I just can’t.

JB—JB—JB—JB—JB

“Nat, I freaking envy you so much right now.” I looked into the mirror and saw Taylor sitting on the bed of the guest bedroom we were currently in. It was the day of the big rehearsal dinner. Yesterday had been extremely awkward, after my little reunion with the Jonas boys, uhh…men, and I was already looking forward to the end of this weekend.

“Why?” I asked, scrunching my eyebrows in confusion.

“Just look at you! You look amazing right now,” she exclaimed. I looked down at the champagne colored dress I was wearing. It was a strapless, silky dress. It was snug until it got to my waist, and then flowed down a bit past my knees, accentuating all the curves I worked hard to maintain.

I looked back up into the mirror. “You look equally as amazing as I do,” I replied.

She made a funny noise that I think was supposed to be some sort of snort. “Yea right. I look like a pregnant whale,” she exclaimed. Oh yea, did I forget to mention she was pregnant? She and Casey had gotten married about two years ago (come on, we all knew it was gonna happen sooner or later, I’m surprised it took them this long) and now she’s pregnant with twin boys (God help her if they come out being anything like their father).

“Oh please. You look fabulous and you know it.” We turned towards the sound of Trish’s voice that seeped through the closed doors to the closet. A second later she came out in a dress similar to mine except it was a bright red halter top. “Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you get to fish for compliments.” Taylor crossed her arms and huffed like a little kid. Trish and I rolled our eyes at her and laughed at how immature she was being. “Come on, we need to let Nat finish getting ready,” Trish said, dragging Taylor along with her.

How in the world did I ever become friends with these girls? Trying to contain a smile, I looked back into the mirror to finish my make-up. I froze with the lip gloss stick half-way to my lips. Standing in the door way was Joe. He was leaning against the door frame just looking at me. “Holy crap, you scared me,” I said putting my hand to my chest.

The corner of his lips pulled up into a half smile. “Sorry,” he said walking more into the bedroom and closing the door behind him.

“Uh, that’s ok,” I replied, trying not to focus on how good he looked. Over the years, he had dropped the whole tight pants thing. Right now he was wearing a pair of black slacks and shiny black shoes. He paired them with a light blue dress shirt that was rolled at the sleeves and a skinny black tie.

“You look really nice,” he said, removing a hand from his pockets to gesture towards me.

“Thanks. You look pretty good yourself,” I said, flashing him a friendly smile through the reflection in the mirror before adding a coat of lip gloss.

He smiled back before walking towards me. My heart beat increased as he grabbed my arm and turned me to face him instead of the mirror. His fingers traced a burning path up my arm, and I could feel the goose bumps forming from his touch. He smiled again, obviously pleased with the way I was reacting. He moved his hand to the back of my neck, slowly pulling my head towards his. OMG, is he really about to kiss me right now? If he didn’t hear my heart beat before, he was definitely hearing it now.

I braced myself for the feel of his soft lips on mine. Do I really want him to do this? I had about a millisecond to decide. Right then his lips touched mine and all thought of protesting slipped my mind. I slowly gave into the lusciousness of his lips. I felt his tongue graze my bottom lip, seeking entry. I parted my lips slightly and almost immediately his tongue was in my mouth. I wrapped my arms around his neck as the kiss deepened. Omigod, this feels amazing!

Joe was playing with the baby hairs at the base of my neck when we heard a knock at the door. “Nat, are you almost done in there? We’re all waiting for you,” I heard Trisha say.

Her voice brought me back to reality and I quickly pulled away. “Yup, I’ll be right out,” I called out. I heard her footsteps walking down the hall. I stared at Joe for about another second then walked past him and out the door.

What the heck just happened?

JB—JB—JB—JB—JB

“He did what?” The group of girls stared at me in disbelief.

“He kissed me,” I repeated.

During the entire rehearsal, I could feel Joe’s gaze burning a hole in the back of my head. Afterwards, at dinner, I would catch him staring at me. He was being completely obvious because as I was making my way over to the bar, Megan, Trisha, and Taylor had cornered me and bombarded me with questions. They were speechless as I told them of what happened upstairs earlier that evening.

“Why would he do that?” Trisha asked the question that was undoubtedly running through everyone’s mind, including mine.

“I have no idea,” I answered truthfully.

“Do you think he still likes you?” Taylor asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied running a hand through my hair. “Ugh, he is so confusing.”

“I don’t care what you say, but you are definitely still in love with him,” Megan said.

I rolled my eyes at her. “Whatever. I’m grabbing a drink.” Leaving them to stare after me, I continued my journey to the bar. “One cherry daiquiri please,” I said to the hired bartender. I flashed him a smile with a quick thank you when he handed over the fruity alcoholic beverage.

“That is quite a glass you got there.” I looked up to see Nick and Kevin walking towards me with playful smiles tugging at their lips.

“Yea, I guess,” I said, slightly relieved their brother wasn’t with them. Putting his arm around my shoulders, Kevin turned me around and pulled me back towards the bar and ordered two beers. I know it’s silly because he’s 27 already, but I was surprised to see him ordering alcohol. It just reminded me how long it had been since I last saw him.

“So, it’s been a while,” Nick said, taking a swig of his beer. I stared at him for a while. He was 22 now, and still way taller than me. Even in my heels he had a good two inches on me. But besides all of this, he was still the little Nicky I knew and loved. And missed. “Yea, it has been a while,” I answered after realizing that they were both staring at me.

“So, what have you been up to all these years?” Kevin asked, leading me to the closest table.

“Oh, you know. School and work mostly. What the average adult does,” I answered, shrugging slightly and tucking my straw between my teeth.

“Ryan tells us you’ve been working for two years now? Says all your students love you, which isn’t surprising,” Nick said offering a smile that showed off his dimples.

“Ryan has been talking about me with you guys?” I asked surprised.

“Well, not a lot you know. But we inquire about you every once in a while,” Kevin said in a soft voice, as to not upset me.

You’d think that I would be mad at Ryan for talking with them about me. Or even mad at them for not just talking to me themselves, which I kinda was, but instead, I found myself on the verge of tears. I had missed these guys so much and even though things with me and Joe had gotten screwed up, losing them as friends had hurt just as much as losing Joe as my boyfriend, if not more.

“We really missed you Nat,” Nick said.

I choked back a sob. “I missed you guys too. A lot. Promise me that no matter what, we will never lose touch of each other again,” I asked, offering a smile to each brother.

“Promise,” they said at the same time. I let out a soft giggle. Then they both threw me into tight hugs. Aww, I’ve missed these guys more than I thought. I returned the hugs and then pulled back and offered them another smile, so glad that we had been able to work things out. We sat and chatted for a while more as we caught up in the very important aspects of each others lives.

“Oh my goodness I love this song,” I exclaimed when the classic wedding song “Sway” came on.

“May I have this dance,” Kevin asked, getting up quickly and stretching his hand out towards me. I rolled my eyes at his goofy British accent but placed my hand in his anyways. He led me out to the dance floor that had been set up in the middle of the yard and stopped when we were in the center of it. He twirled me around and then placed his hands on my waist. I threw my arms around his neck and we swayed to the beat of the song for a while. “So, uhh, how’s Sarah doing?” he asked timidly.

After the drama that had happened between Joe and I six years ago, Kevin and Sarah had broken up. Sarah says that she couldn’t take the distance anymore, but I knew better than that. Even though she never admitted it, I knew she didn’t want the same thing that happened between me and Joe to happen with her and Kevin. After her previous boyfriend Brady had cheated on her, she had been a mess. I knew she wouldn’t have been able to handle it if Kevin did the same (which I highly doubt he would have). After Joe and I started talking three years ago, she and Kevin worked things out and became friends again, but they stopped talking when the Jonas’ stopped talking to me.

“She’s good. She has all eight years of school done with. She’s living in LA and works as a nurse in the pediatrics wing of a hospital,” I told him.

“That’s good. So, uh, does she have a boyfriend?”

“Husband actually. Since last year,” I informed him.

His eyes grew big for about a millisecond before they returned to their natural state. “Wow, she’s married. That’s…awesome. I hope she’s happy,” he said.

“She is. Justin is a super sweet guy. He treats her really well and she is genuinely happy,” I told him, flashing him a reassuring smile.

“Good.” He smiled back at me. Seems that no matter how many years pass by, Kevin will always be the cute romantic one. Besides the fact he himself has a wife (which I know because she is sitting at a table with Selena, who has been going out with Nick for two years now, watching us right now) and besides the fact things had ended abruptly between him and Sarah, he still cared for her happiness. How cute was he? “So uh, what about Kaitlyn? We haven’t heard from her in a while.”

Unlike the rest of us, Nick and Kaitlyn managed to stay together longer after all the break ups. They ended things a few months before their two year anniversary. They mutually agreed that they were more friends than boyfriend girlfriend. As far as I knew, they still kept in touch, but we didn’t talk much about the Jonas’ because that was a sore topic for me. “She’s good. I’m sure you know she’s going out with Shane, Ryan’s younger brother. He actually keeps her out of trouble, which I love him for,” I replied.

He chuckled slightly. “Yea I think Nick might have mentioned that. Why isn’t she here?” he asked, glancing at the crowd over my head to make sure she really wasn’t here.

“She’s in Europe right now. She might be studying abroad for a semester so dad decided to send her over there for a while to see if she would be able to handle the home sickness. By the way things are going, I doubt she’s going to study in Europe,” I answered. Kevin chuckled softly at the comment. I smiled up at him and then felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Hey Nat, are you almost ready?” I turned around and saw Travis looking at me.

“Oh yea, I almost forgot. I’ll be right up,” I told him. Turning back to Kevin I said, “ Thank you so much for this dance Mr. Jonas. But I have to go do something.”

“What?” he asked all too curiously.

“You’ll see,” I replied, shooting him a mischievous smile. Turning on my heels, I made my way over to the stage that had been set up on top of a glass floor in the center of the pool. Tapping my finger on the microphone a couple of times, I succeeded in turning everyone’s attention towards me.

“Hey folks, how are you all doing tonight?” I asked the group of close friends. After a murmur of ‘fines’ and ‘goods’, I continued speaking. “As most of you know, I’m Natalie and behind me are Travis and Pete. Now, we haven’t done this in a few years, but, in order to celebrate this miracle,” I paused as the small group of people chuckled, “we decided to play a set of our old songs.” I flashed a bright smile and waited for my queue to start singing.

After a set of four songs, Travis and Pete made their way off the stage. I, however, made my way over to the keyboard. After the crowd finished their round of applause, I started my second speech. “This next song I wrote myself a few years ago. Now, it wasn’t particularly about you guys, but I think it still applies. So Ryan, Megan, this one is for you guys. I’m so glad you found your happily ever after.” I looked up at the stars that were shining brightly down on our festivities. Taking a deep breath, I looked back down, grazed my fingers on the teeth of the keyboard and played the opening notes of the song. Then I started the first verse.

Oh.
I still hear your voice when you sleep next to me
I still feel your touch in my dreams
Forgive me, my weakness, but I don't know why
Without you it's hard to survive

'Cause everytime we touch, I get this feeling
And everytime we kiss, I swear I could fly
Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last
Need you by my side
'Cause everytime we touch, I feel the static
And everytime we kiss, I reach for the sky
Can't you feel my heart beat slow,
I can't let you go
Want you in my life

Your arms are my castle, your heart is my sky
They wipe away tears that I cry
oh, the good and the bad times, we've been through them all
You make me rise when I fall

'Cause everytime we touch, I get this feeling
And everytime we kiss, I swear I could fly
Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last
Need you by my side
'Cause everytime we touch, I feel the static
Everytime we kiss, I reach for the sky
Can't you feel my heart beat slow,
I can't let you go
Want you in my life

Everytime we touch, I get this feeling
Everytime we kiss, I swear I could fly
Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last
Need you by my side
'Cause everytime we touch, I feel the static
Everytime we kiss, I reach for the sky
Can't you feel my heart beat slow,
I can't let you go
Want you in my life

The whole time I had been playing, I had my eyes closed. After I played the last note, I opened them and the crowd of familiar faces burst in applause. I flashed my brightest smile and thanked them all before stepping off the platform. Nick was the first to meet me once my feet were safely planted on the ground. “Nat that was amazing,” he said throwing his arms around me in a quick hug.

“That was beyond insane,” Kevin said coming up behind me, giving me a bear hug.

I smiled brightly, “Thanks guys,” I said. I forgot that they had never seen me perform.

“We knew you could play the piano and that you had an amazing voice but seriously? We did NOT know that you wrote your own music,” Nick said.

“Yea well, I picked up a few things when I was on tour with you guys way back when. I learned from the best,” I said nudging Kevin with my elbow. They both smiled down at me.

“Nat, I hadn’t ever heard that song before. I loved it,” Megan said jogging up to me in her heels and giving me a tight hug.

“I’m glad you liked it Megs,” I replied.

“That was sick dude,” Ryan said also giving me a hug. Geez, that’s the fourth hug in a row. I don’t think any of my songs have ever gotten this type of reaction before.

I giggled softly at my thought. Thankfully everyone thought I was giggling at Ryan’s comment. “Thanks guys. I’m glad you liked it,” I told them.

Taylor and Trisha walked over and pulled Megan and me aside. “Ok, now that the guys aren’t around, tell us, did you write that song about Joe?” Megan asked. Trisha and Taylor were giving me the same expecting look she was.

I rolled my eyes at them. Here we go again!

“Oh don’t roll your eyes at us. Just admit it already, the song was about him,” Trish said.

“Ok fine. Yes. The song was about him. I wrote it three years ago when we rekindled our friendship. But things kinda went downhill again so I never got to perform it for anyone,” I said.

“Aww, that’s so cute. It was seriously a really adorable song,” Taylor said. Yea, she was the hopeless romantic of the group.

“Thanks Tay,” I replied with another smile.

“So does this mean you’re going to admit to us that you’re still in love with Joe?” Megan asked.

Gee, way to ruin the moment Megs. I heaved a frustrated sigh and turned towards the group of guys that were talking a few feet behind us. “Guys, I think it’s time you share a dance with your ladies,” I told them, pushing Ryan, Patrick, and Casey forward. I shook my head and walked towards the house as my friends stared at me as if I was nuts. I knew that they wouldn’t give up so easily, but right now I needed to arrange the questions that were swimming in my head and figure out exactly what my feelings towards Joe were.

JB—JB—JB—JB—JB

“I can’t believe you did that!” Joe’s head was screaming at him.

After he had worked up the courage to actually speak to Natalie, she had been civil enough to greet him and his brothers. The hug they had shared was extremely awkward considering the events of their past. But those issues seemed to escape his mind as the smell of her shampoo engulfed him as they hugged. She quickly pulled away however and then Megan had gone into bridezilla mode.

Natalie and Megan had disappeared into the house and Joe was forced to set up the backyard along with his brothers and Ryan. That didn’t, however, prevent him from thinking about her the whole time. About an hour into their setting up, Tony, Casey, Shane, and another guy named Patrick came over. Between the eight of them, they finished setting everything up fairly quickly (as in a matter of six hours rather than twelve).

Afterwards, they had all gotten together and gone out to eat at a restaurant. Joe didn’t talk to Natalie then because she was around her group of friends the whole time, but he did look at her long enough to take in every feature about her. At one point during the dinner he saw something metallic glisten on her finger and his heart sank, thinking that she was already taken. After another quick glance, he saw that it was only the ring he had given her six years ago. He didn’t know why she still wore it, but the fact that she did brought a smile to his face. This was just another thing that made that night another restless one. Joe tossed and turned in his bed, not being able to get the sight of Natalie out of his head.

The next day, after Joe had finished getting ready for the rehearsal, he was walking down to the kitchen when he saw Taylor and Trisha walking out of a bedroom. As he walked by that room he saw Natalie at a vanity applying some make-up. He leaned against the doorframe as she looked up. She let out a gasp of surprise. “Holy crap, you scared me,” she said putting her hand to her chest.

The corner of his lips pulled up into a half smile. “Sorry,” he said walking more into the bedroom and closing the door behind him.

“Uh, that’s ok,” she replied, turning back to face the mirror.

“You look really nice,” Joe said, removing a hand from his pockets to gesture towards her.

“Thanks. You look pretty good yourself,” she said, flashing him a friendly smile through the reflection in the mirror.

He smiled softly before walking slowly towards her. He could sense she was getting nervous. He walked up behind her and turned her around. He traced the length of her forearm with his finger. He could see the goose bumps covering every inch of her arms and he couldn’t help but smile. Then he placed his hands around her neck and kissed her. He couldn’t help himself, the sight of her just made him lose all coherent thoughts. She gave into the kiss and he grazed his tongue against her bottom lip. She parted her lips slightly and he plunged his tongue into her mouth. The feel of her in his arms again was more than he could handle. He found himself rushing the kisses and was slightly glad when a knock came at the door. She quickly pulled back and he wasn’t feeling so glad anymore.

She stared at him for another second and walked out the door. That brings us to the debate going on in his head right now. While part of him had loved having her in his arms and kissing her in a manner he never had, the other part of him was cursing himself for rushing her like that. They had barely spoken and he was just kissing her out of nowhere. That was not how he wanted to do things.

Joe jogged down the stairs and found that mostly everyone was down in the backyard already. He took a seat at one of the tables and watched the back of Natalie’s head throughout the entire rehearsal. He proceeded to also watching her throughout dinner. She occasionally glanced his way, but never looked at him for more than a few seconds.

After the tables had been cleared, everyone got up and started to mingle. Joe went over to the bar and ordered himself a Coors Light. “Maybe this will help clear my head,” he thought. He grabbed the bottle from the bar tender and started walking around stopping to chat with a few people he hadn’t seen in a couple of years. He glanced up and saw Natalie walking by herself a few feet away, heading towards the bar. “Excuse me,” he said, walking away from the group he was talking to.

He started to make his way to her but stopped in his tracks when he saw his brothers beat him to her. He stood there and stared at them as they talked at the bar and then moved over to a table. “God I wish I knew what the heck is going on in her mind right now? Does she still have feelings for me the way I do for her? She must if she let me kiss her the way she did.” The battle in his head was never ending.

But his thoughts were interrupted when someone came and stood next to him. “I have no idea how you do it man.” He turned his head slightly and saw that Tony was the one next to him.

“Do what?” Joe asked taking a swig of his beer, and forcing himself to look away from the gorgeous brunette that was hugging his brothers at the moment.

“Make her stay hooked on you,” Tony said taking a sip of the logger he currently held in his hand.

“What are you talking about?” Joe asked confused.

“I’m talking about Natalie still being in love with you,” Tony replied flatly.

“That’s crazy dude,” Joe said shaking his head, shooting a quick glance her way.

“No its not. Trust me. When I met you guys six years ago, it was obvious you were nuts about each other. Now, I don’t know all the details about what happened, but I do know one thing. She is completely head over heels for you man. I’ve tried to get her to go out with me so many times, but she has never been into it. She says it’s because she doesn’t want to ruin our friendship if it doesn’t work out, but we all know its because she’s in love with you dude,” Tony said. He shot a glance towards Joe and saw that his jaw was locked. He didn’t even want to know what was running through the guys head so he said one last thing. “We all want to see her happy man. And you are the only one that can do that.” He gave Joe one last look and walked off to where Ryan, Casey, and Patrick were talking.

Was it possible that Tony knew what he was talking about? One way or another, Joe was going to find out. He started to walk towards the dance floor where Kevin was dancing with Natalie. How he wished he were in his brothers shoes right now. Before he reached them however, Natalie had walked away and headed towards the stage that they had set up above the pool. He once again stopped in his tracks and stood there as she talked into the microphone. Before he knew it, she was performing and he was enthralled by her ease on the stage.

After a short set, Natalie’s band mates had walked off the stage but she didn’t. Instead she went over to a keyboard and talked once again into the microphone. “This next song I wrote myself a few years ago. Now, it wasn’t particularly about you guys, but I think it still applies. So Ryan, Megan, this one is for you guys. I’m so glad you found your happily ever after,” she said.

Joe held his breath, anticipating what the song would be. He stared at her intently as she looked up at the stars, then back down at her keyboard. She closed her eyes and her fingers grazed across the keys. Her melodious voice enthralled him as much as how good she was on the piano. The most effective thing about the song however, were the lyrics. There was no doubt in his mind that the song was about him.

Like the rest of the audience, Joe clapped once the song was over. As expected, she was swarmed with people after she stepped off the platform. He watched as Nick, Kevin, Megan, and Ryan all hugged her. He waited as she was dragged away by Taylor and Trisha, as the four girls talked in a huddle. And then the opportunity presented itself. She was walking towards the house and no one was following her.

“Now is my chance,” Joe thought to himself. He set down the empty beer bottle on one of the waitress’s trays and started to follow Natalie’s path up towards the house. Thankfully no one noticed him. He slid the door open quietly and stood in the kitchen for a few seconds, trying to figure out which way she had gone.

After a while, he heard some commotion coming from upstairs. He quickly went up the stairs and followed the sounds of running water. He stopped in front of a door that, if he remembered correctly, was a bathroom. He took a deep breath and knocked three times on the door.

“Uhh, just a second,” Joe heard her say through the door. After a bit more commotion, she opened the door and said, “All-” she stopped upon seeing who was at the door.

“Hi,” Joe said, offering her his radiant smile.

JB—JB—JB—JB—JB

Do I still have feelings for Joe or don’t I? That is the question that has been running through my head for the past twenty-four hours since I saw him and his brothers walk out onto Megan and Ryan’s backyard. And it is the same question that has brought me to sit inside a bathroom. While everyone else is outside celebrating, I am sitting on a toilet trying to figure out the answer to that damn question.

Well, Megan had a point yesterday. I haven’t exactly dated many guys since Joe. But I’m sure he’s not the reason for that. There were a couple of losers amongst that group. Nah, I don’t have feelings for him. But then again, that kiss… my God he has gotten better at that. Why does my heart have to race so fast whenever he’s in the vicinity? Does that mean I still have feelings for him? Ugh, this is giving me a headache!

I got up from the toilet seat and stood in front of the mirror and looked at my reflection. I could see the answer to my question in my face, but I didn’t want to admit it to myself, or anyone else for that matter. “Ugh.” I looked back down and caught a glimpse of my left hand. Why the hell am I still wearing this ring? I should have taken it off yesterday when Megs pointed out that I still wore it. God please tell me Joe didn’t notice I’m still wearing it!

I tugged on the ring. It wouldn’t move. “Great,” I muttered. I opened the tap water, applied some soap on my finger and tried to get the ring off again. Then I heard a knock on the door. Great, I knew it wouldn’t be long till Megan came looking for me. “Uhh, just a second,” I said to whoever was outside the door.

I yanked on the ring one more time and it came right off. I closed the tap, went over to the towel rack and dried my hands. I pulled the door open and said, “All-,” I stopped abruptly when I saw Joe standing in the door way.

“Hi,” he said, offering me his radiant smile. I blinked a couple of times, not completely comprehending what he was doing here. In my state of shock, he pushed me back into the bathroom, closed the door behind us, and locked it. He turned back around and we just stared at each other. God, he’s gotten more gorgeous since the last time I saw him. No. Natalie, stop thinking like that.

“Joe, what are you doing here?” I asked, snapping out of my dazed state.

“Well, in case you haven’t noticed, Megan and Ryan are getting married tomorrow and we are celebrating that with a rehearsal dinner slash party,” he stated taking a few steps closer to me.

I backed up the same amount of steps. “I mean here, in this bathroom,” I said.

“Well, you and I haven’t had the opportunity to talk since yesterday. I saw you walking towards the house all by yourself and thought now was as good a chance as ever,” he replied taking a few more steps towards me.

“What could you and I possibly talk about?” I asked walking backwards. I felt the edge of the sink make contact with my lower back. Crap, now I’m cornered.

“Oh, I could think of a couple of things,” Joe said in a husky voice, standing right in front of me.

“Li-like wh-what?” I stammered. He was too close for comfort and I found all coherent thoughts slipping from my head as I took in his scent, which surprisingly was still the same. How I’ve missed that scent.

“Like what happened upstairs earlier,” he stated flatly, planting his hands on the sink, making me stand even closer to him.

“Hey, you started that,” I snapped, pushing him slightly.

“I know,” he said looking me straight in the eyes. The intensity of his gaze was too much for me to handle so I looked down. He heaved a sigh and sat down on the toilet seat I had been sitting on just a few minutes ago. “Look Nat, I thought I would be ok seeing you here again. Throughout the years I’ve been ok without you and I thought I could handle seeing you here. But I can’t,” he said looking up at me. “Nat, I…”

“Joe, you don’t have to…” I started, but he cut me off.

“No. I love you Nat. There, I said it. I love you more than I’ve loved anyone in my life. I’ve dated quiet a few girls since you and as cheesy and corny as this might sound, none of them can be compared to you or what we had. I hit the jackpot when I met you. I’ve lost you and found you multiple times through out the years and I don’t want to lose you again. It’s hard finding you and I don’t want to try anymore. I want us to have what we used to have, but better. I want to be with you, mind, body, and soul,” he said. He stood up and walked back over to me. He took my hands in his. “I want this, you and me together, forever,” he finished.

My heart swelled as I heard his speech. It was his best one so far. “Joe, I…. I have no idea what to say,” I said truthfully. I mean seriously, what was someone supposed to say after a confession like that?

I looked up at him and found his eyes searching mine for the answer he wanted so badly. But could I give it to him? “Nat, I know you and you know me, what more is there to say?” I stared back at him, not sure what to say. I was about to open my mouth when his face turned to one of realization. “Nat, I want you to know how serious I am about this. I want you forever.” He pulled me in and kissed me, hard. I let him kiss me for a while, as I felt him groping his pant leg for something. He pulled back and I gave him a quizzical look.

He looked down at the box in his hands, and then back at me. I glanced down at his hands and my eyes got huge. At that moment, my heart didn’t know whether to flutter like a hummingbird, or stop altogether. It stopped for a millisecond and then started beating so fast I thought it would burst out of my ribcage. It only fluttered faster when Joe got down on one knee.

“Oh,” I breathed. “My,” I breathed again. “God.”

“Natalie, every word I have ever said to you has been true, every single one. I’ve never been flighty or shady with you, and, contrary to what a certain magazine said, I never cheated on you. When I say I want to be with you forever, I mean forever.” He opened the turquoise box in his hands and I threw my hands up to cover my mouth.

Oh My Freaking God!!!

I stared at the shiny ring inside the box. It was a white gold band with a HUGE diamond on it. It matched the promise/purity ring he had given me a long time ago, that, by the way, was still in my left hand.

Joe took the ring out of the box and grabbed my left hand. The other ring clinked down to the bathroom tile, but I didn’t even care. Joe, however, gave me a quizzical look and picked up the other ring. He looked at it and smiled to himself, setting it down beside him. He looked back up at me and slipping the engagement ring onto my left ring finger said, “Natalie Marie Anderson, will you marry me?”

My heart burst all the way. I loved Joe and he loved me, I mean he just proposed for heavens sake. I nodded my head slightly as tears blurred my vision. “Yea,” I croaked.

He smiled brightly back up at me and it was a smile I had never seen on him before. One of triumph, completion, and pride. He got up and threw his arms around my waist. I threw my arms around his neck as he smashed his mouth on mine. He twirled me around a couple of times and held me in a tight embrace. One, which I am glad to say, I would never be let out of.