Song: "Figure 8" by Ellie Goulding

"I chased you love around a figure 8. I need you more than I can take. You promised forever and a day. And then you take it all away ..."

I stood in front of the scene before me, completely astonished. As Nancy, Adam, and Eve sang the Happy Birthday song to me, I placed my hands over my mouth as my cheeks became damp. I hadn't cried in so long, but these tears were different. They weren't sad tears. They were tears of happiness.

After they finished their off-key singing, I blew the candles and wiped my eyes. Nancy placed the funfetti cake down on the coffee table and gave me a hug.

"Happy Birthday, Ally!" She gave me a quick peck on the cheek. "We know it's already passed your birthday, but we still wanted to surprise you."

"Thank you."

Adam threw his arms around me and lifted me off the ground. I giggled as I yelled at him to put me down. "Happy Birthday, birthday girl!"

I watched as Lily walked up to me, unsure what to expect. However, all my doubts were diminished the moment she wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"I'm sorry too. It's my fault for breaking the promise," I said, my arms still around her.

Suddenly, Adam placed his arms around the both of us. "I'm sorry too," he murmured. I wanted to savor this moment. My head resting on Lily's shoulder, her's resting on mine and Adam hugging the both of us as if to shield us.

"Now that you're all back together, how about we open up the presents?" Nancy suggested, as we departed from each other.

My friends helped me carry the stuff I had dropped, and we all moved into the living room. I sat in the tan recliner while Nancy stood next to me. Lily and Adam sat on the couch right next to us, their faces flushed from suppressing their emotions.

"I'll go first," Nancy said, handing me a small box covered in purple wrapping paper.

"Thank you, Nancy," I said. As I ripped the wrapping paper off and opened the box, I gaped at the pair of golden pearl earrings.

"Aww, Nancy, they're beautiful! You really didn't need to," I said, holding them closer to observe them.

"I hardly see you wear any earrings, dear. And when I saw this pair, I couldn't resist," she explained.

"Thank you, Nancy."

"Me next," Adam chimed in. He handed me a gift bag with an excessive amount of tissue paper. "I hope you like it."

I smiled at him, as if I would never like anything he gives me. I pulled out all the tissue paper and felt around for the item from the gift bag. "No... You didn't?"

"Yes, I did," Adam smiled with a hint of satisfaction.

"What is it, dear?" Nancy asked.

My hands trembled slightly as I took out the newest edition of the Canon camera.

"Adam...Thank you," I said. "I can't wait to use it already."

It was Lily's turn now, and she handed me a rather heavy package wrapped in a brown paper bag.

"You better like it," she joked. "Took me more than a year to finish it."

"I don't know. We'll have to wait and see," I joked back. I undid the bow, sliding off the package, and then unwrapped the paper. Inside was the scrapbook she had been working on.

"So?" She raised her brows.

"I love it," I said, keeping my eyes on the front cover. I opened to the first page and read the small note written on the center of the page.

For my best friend, Ally. Nothing could ever change that.

I looked through the pictures, all the memories we made page by page. There was one of all of us. It was taken in Seattle at the Pike Place Fish Market. Our smiles spread from ear to ear as we each held a fish in our hands.

Nothing could ever change our friendship. I had to tell them now.

"Thank you everyone. I feel so blessed to have such great people in my life," I said, meaning every word. I glanced up at Nancy, and she gave me a reassuring grin. I took a deep breath. "Lily... Adam, I have something to tell you guys."

"You can tell us anything," Lily assured me, straightening herself up from the couch.

"Anything for you, Ally," Adam also chimed in. "We're here for you."

My gaze fell as I gently placed a hand on my belly. I raised my gaze slightly to examine their reaction as they tried to piece the puzzle together. "I'm pregnant."

Lily placed her hands over her mouth and Adam's jaw fell. At the moment those words left my mouth, I felt a heavy weight on my shoulders lifted.

"Ally, are you serious?" Adam asked.

"Yeah. You're going to be an uncle," I chuckled lightly. "And you, Lily. You're going to be an aunt."

I could see Lily trying not to squeal in her seat. She belt out a little yelp as she exploded out of her seat and threw her arms around me. "Ally! You don't know how excited I am!" My best friend exclaimed, swaying us side to side.

Adam came over and sat on my other side, putting his arms around me as well.

I quietly chuckled as my eyes became even more damp. Adam and Lily weren't too far from crying either. And for a long time, I suddenly felt at ease. To have our friendship restored, having them beside me again -- it was one of the best feelings in the world.

.....

The next morning, on my way to Adam's and Lily's apartment, I dropped by the post office before it closed at noon. Both of them had planned a surprise for me today.

There was a couple people ahead of me in line and as I anxiously waited, my eyes dropped to the brown envelope in my hand. I wasn't brave enough to give it to him in person, so I decided mailing it would be my best bet. Just thinking about stepping back inside that house gave me a vindictive sense of fear.

When it was my turn, I handed the envelope to the postal worker behind the counter quickly. He asked me about my day, and I told him it was going well. He looked at the address then eyed me suspiciously for a moment.

"Signature?"

"No, thank you," I replied. He typed something quickly and printed the sticker to place it on the envelope.

"Take care of yourself, Miss," he said with a genuine smile, and I was caught off guard, pleasantly.

"Thank you. You too."

I arrived at my old apartment a little after noon. It felt unfamiliar knocking on the door of my old apartment since I was so used to opening the door on my own before.

"You're here," Lily said, as she opened the door, greeting me with a big smile.

"I'm here!"

"Adam's just finishing his hair. Did you want to drink anything? Are you hungry?" She interrogated me and I laughed.

"No, I'm fine, Lily," I said, walking around my old home. Nothing about it has changed. It was as if I never left. Even though I left over two months ago, everything was still the same. I walked into my old room. There were only a few boxes scattered here and there. They must belong to Lily or Adam, I thought.

.....

"So what's the plan for today?" I asked.

"You like Cirque Du Soleil?" Lily said, turning around to face me from the passenger seat.

"You're kidding?!" I said, unable to contain my excitement. I have always wanted to see that play, but I never had the chance nor the luxury.

"That's where we're going tonight," Adam chimed in.

We headed out to grab lunch at Gordiano's in downtown Chicago. The restaurant was nearby the arena where Cirque Du Soleil will be performing. Adam ordered a big supreme pizza for us to share.

"Have you thought about names yet?" Lily asked as we waited for the pizza.

"No, not yet. It's still a little early to tell the gender so I haven't thought of any."

"It's never to early," Adam said. "If it's a boy, how about 'Adam'?"

I laughed. Of course, he'd want the baby to be named after him.

"Ally's not going to use your name, Adam. It has to be something beautiful like ... Isabelle or Nathaniel?"

I laughed inside as I listen to them argue over the names, but my mind drifted to the time when Henry and I shared a pizza at the Farmer's Market last year. I quickly shook him off. I didn't want to be thinking about him for the rest of the day. Or the rest of my life. He and I had nothing to do with each other anymore.

When lunch was over, we headed out to the United Center. Adam dropped Lily and I off at the front before parking the car. In front of the building was a huge display for Cirque Du Soleil. I was growing so excited that I could barely keep my feet on the ground.

When Adam caught up to us, we went inside together and located our seats near center stage.

The first half of the show lasted an hour and every minute was so worth watching. The vibrant colors, the electrifying lights, the energetic and spirited performers. It was everything I expected it to be. During intermission, I went to use the bathroom.

"Ally," I heard someone call my name.

Immediately, I spun around to see Katherine, the Operations Manager at Pearce Hotel and Resort, walking up to me.

"Hello, Katherine. How are you?" I asked, after she gave me a hug.

"I'm doing good. How are you, Mrs. Cavill?" She asked. The way she addressed me by that name, I was confused for a brief moment. I forgot that it was still my name, unfortunately. Even though Henry and I are still married by law, I was still wasn't adjusted to being called that.

"Pretty well. Are you enjoying the show?"

"Yes, spectacular. Isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Do you miss him?"

"What?" Her question caught me off guard. Was she talking about...

"Mr. Cavill hasn't been here in the last few weeks. He hasn't informed me of his whereabouts so I assumed you two went off somewhere or something...Can you tell me where he went?"

"Uh," I paused, unsure of whether to tell her the status of our relationship. "Henry and I, we're not--"

"Ally!" My head turned to the direction of Lily coming towards us. "Come on, they're gonna start soon."

"Okay," I said to her before turning to Katherine. "It was nice seeing you Katherine. If I see Henry, I'll let you know."

"Thank you, Ally."

I walked down the aisle back to my seat, my thoughts latched onto her words. Henry wasn't here. Where could he be? Though I told myself not to worry, throughout the remainder of the hour, I grew more and more worried about him.

.....

"Did you have fun today, Ally?" Nancy asked as I walked through the door.

"Yes, I did," I said, setting my bag on the counter. After pouring myself a cup of milk in the kitchen, I came back into the living and sat next to Nancy on the couch.

"The show was amazing and extremely entertaining. You should come with us next time, Nancy," I said, setting my cup on the coffee table.

"Next time," she said, smiling to her herself. " I'm so happy to see you like this."

"Why do you say that?" I asked, quite perplexed. Did Nancy not think I was happy?

"It's just..." She halted, taking one of my hands in hers. "I haven't seen you like this in a while."

I placed my other free hand over her's on mine. "I am happy, Nancy. I may not show it that much, but I am, and I will do my best to keep it that way."

"I'm glad. Ally, you're like a daughter to me."

"I know, and you're like a mother to me too. I don't know what I would do without you."

We exchanged heartfelt smiles. Rarely did we ever say these words out loud so hearing them come out so naturally comforted me. Nancy sighed as she stared at my stomach.

"When are you going to tell him?"

A sense of dread quickly replaced my temporary bliss as I pulled my hands from hers. "I don't know yet. What do you think I should do?"

"He is the father of your baby. He needs to know."

I nodded. I knew I needed to tell him at some point. And it wasn't something that could be done with a letter or text or a phone call. I knew I had to see him, face to face.

"When the time is right, I'll tell him. But for now, I think it's better this way," I replied, taking a deep breath. "I'm not ready yet."

"Okay," she nodded.

.....

Nancy's words rung in my head throughout the rest of the week.

He is the father of your baby. He needs to know.

I had to tell Henry sooner or later about the baby. I could no longer delay the inevitable. The only thing I feared was losing this baby. He had the audacity to destroy my family and my relationship with my friends. What's going to stop him from taking this baby away from me too. He didn't care about me. Why would he care about this baby?

If he cared at least a little, he would've come visit or call. Yes, if he cared, he would have done those things. But he hasn't done one thing.

I was eating dinner in the kitchen when Nancy walked into the room, her purse on her shoulder.

"Oh good, you're already home from work. I was just about to call you."

"Why? You seem to be in a rush somewhere?"

"My mom is in the hospital," she briefly explained. "The doctors say she doesn't have much time left so I'm catching a plane to see her."

"I'm so sorry, Nancy." I got up from my chair to give her a hug.

"It's okay," she said, pulling away frantically. "It was going to happen sooner or later. Will you be alright by yourself for a couple of nights?"

"Yes."

"Well, if you feel lonely, call Lily to come and stay with you."

"Nancy, I'm a grown lady. I can take care of myself."

"Alright," she said, placing her warm hand on my cheek. "I'll call you when I get there."

I nodded and watched her pull out the driveway. We waved goodbye to one another until she disappeared around a corner. Just as I finished the rest of my dinner, I heard a knock on the door.

When I opened it, Nancy stood there, almost out of breath. "I forgot my ticket. Could you bring it to me dear? It's on the counter."

I hurriedly rushed to the kitchen counter to retrieve her ticket. "Okay, I'm really going this time. Bye, Ally."

"Bye Nancy!" I waved to her goodbye again, watching her leave from the window.

But just as I was about to go review some of the work I had brought home, I heard another knock at the front door. I chuckled to myself, thinking Nancy must have forgotten something else again. Maybe her driver's license, I thought.

I unlocked the door, the smile on my face vanishing within a second when I realized I was staring into an unmistakable pair of sea-green eyes.