'Proposal'

The door to my hospital room opened, dragging my attention and mom's. Philip placed one hesitant foot inside the room and with his fingers wrapped around the door knob, he stepped no further.

Mom gave me a knowing look and excused herself, nudging Philip away from the entrance.

I snatched my hair from under my neck which was becoming a little bit sore. Why didn't I come with a hair tie or something?

Philip was still standing at the entrance watching me with caution.

"Come on in, I'm not going to spit lightning bolts at you."

His lips tugged up in a smile. "I just had to make sure." Then he took casual steps to my bedside.

Looking up into his eyes, I noticed that they were coloured a slight shade of red, and there were eye bags beneath. Apparently, he hadn't had much sleep and had been wallowing in alcohol.

"So, I felt we have a small talk as adults. Yeah, what's been done is done and it doesn't matter if we break up. We should clear things up."

Philip caressed the top of my pillow. "Who says that I want to break up with you?"

I observed his fingers inching closer to my hair. "Well, seeing what happened, it's only natural we broke up."

"I'm sorry-"

I lifted my fingers to hush him. "Why did you do it?"

Mom was right when she said I needed to hear Philip's side of the story. Even if there was no proper justification for what he did, I still needed his explanation.

"You want to hear why?" He asked in disbelief.

I nodded. "Yes."

"I needed some form of outlet for the stress I was going through. My dad and I had a fight, the weight of my company was becoming unbearable, Florence-"

"Why didn't you come to me?"

Philip rubbed the side of his face in despair. "I didn't want to bother you. We got into a fight remember? I assumed you'll think me selfish for coming to you with my problems when you clearly have yours."

My heart sank. Why would he think like that? "You know I'll never push you away. I could never do that. You've never left my side when I encountered difficult problems. Why do you assume I can't do the same for you?"

Philip's lips tugged up. "You're an amazing person, Florence."

My cheeks heated at his compliment. I think he noticed because he reached out to touch my cheek.

"Thank you."

"So," He drawled out.

"I guess we're good here."

Philip raised a brow. "Does it mean you've broken up with me?"

A smile stretched my lips. "It means I've given you a second chance."

His face was illuminated with a bright smile. "Really? Do you know how wonderful this is?" Philip paced around the room, running excited fingers through his hair.

"Don't ruin it." I warned.

He nodded and hurried back to my side. Picking my right hand, he planted a kiss on it. "I would never."

***

"Mom, why am I doing this again?" I complained, managing to look at mom who was before me.

"Just don't talk, you'll ruin everything." Mom lifted my chin with her finger and ran a lipstick across my upper and lower lips. Then she held the side of my face tilting it towards the lit wall bracket in my room to survey her job on my face.

It's been two days since I returned from the hospital. I've been at home resting just as the doctor said, but today, Mom invaded my room with her weapons and pulled me towards my dressing mirror where I was forcefully shoved down into a chair and suffered an attack on my face.

"Mom, I don't need this," I gestured at my face "Afterall, we're only going to meet up with our long lost relatives."

Mom rolled her eyes. "That's more reason why you should dress to impress. You don't wanna show up looking like some homeless freak."

I sighed as Mom twirled my chair around. My eyes widened at my image on the window. The stranger staring back at me was extremely pretty. With perfectly toned cheeks, smokey eyes, pinched nose, and lips covered with red lipstick, she looked stunning more like a Greek goddess. Her hair was raised elegantly in a simple bun while jewels adorned every inch of it. On her neck hung a diamond necklace while her ears had matching earrings that glistened in the mirror.

"Wow." I whispered.

Mom towered behind me with her hands on my shoulder. "Yes, you look good. come on, let's go or we'll be late.

I rose to my feet and viewed my prominent curves. My red gown was a masterpiece, suspended off my shoulder and stretching towards my knees in a graceful manner, hugging my body tenderly. It was a simple gown, yet exquisite and I loved it.

Placing my hand on my waist, I turned about sixty degrees to the right to view my backside. Splendid.

"You don't want to keep the family waiting." Mom reminded.

My eyes narrowed when I took in her outfit. She had on only a pair of black jeans and a white shirt with black circular designs all over it, her feet were encased in a pair of grey flats.

"Mom, I get to dress up like Cinderella and you get to dress casually?"

She nodded with a grin and pulled me out of my room. "Yes, sweetheart."

After locating mom's black Honda Accord car outside my house, we climbed into it and mom turned on the engine.

"Mom-"

She glared at me. "If you're about to whine about how uncomfortable you feel, suck it in."

With a sheepish smile, I sucked in my complaint and sat back in the car seat, watching my mom ease her car out of the driveway and into the road.

Close to twenty minutes later, mom parked beside a beautiful park.

"We're here."

I twisted my lips and surveyed the area. "Mom, this doesn't feel right. What's going on?"

Mom sighed and lowered her eyes to her thighs. "Just get out of the car, Florence. Trust me."

How could I trust her when she brought me to a park which clearly wasn't my relatives house.

I opened the car door and put one foot outside. "Mom, I'm not comfortable."

"You'll be fine, I assure you."

Taking a deep breath, I left the safety of the car and straightened out my gown. I clutched my black purse under my armpit and gazed at mom inside the car.

"I'll be waiting here, go on in." She gestured at the park.

"Mom, we're not here to see our relatives right?" I demanded and mom nodded in response.

Determined to face whatever was in the park, I moved past the entrance of the park and walked through a path bordered by trees. Shuddering as the cool evening breeze hit my skin, I continued walking down the path with my eyes wandering, searching for the slightest movement of a human. None. The entire park was dead silent.

All of a sudden, the trees started lighting up in a cascade. No, not the trees, tiny lightbulbs suspended in the trees. They were just like little fireflies. A feeling of deja vu washed over me but I cleared it away, concluding that the lights meant nothing. Maybe, my relatives liked doing things this way. Or not.

Inhaling a gust of air, I followed the direction of the glowing lightbulbs till I reached a dead-end.

What now?

A human figure emerged from between the trees in a creepy way. My hands started dancing and my heart beat faster as adrenaline crept into my system.

When the person had reached sufficient light, I got a better look at his face. Philip. Wait, what?

I cleared my eyes in case I was hallucinating. But I wasn't. Philip was really standing a couple of feet away from me with his eyes boring into mine. He was dressed in a tuxedo with matching pair of designer shoes. His corporate dressing rang several bells in my head.

First, why was he alone in a park at night? Second, was he responsible for the lightbulbs on the trees? The answer to that question was indisputable though.

"Undoubtedly, you're wondering what you're doing in a park by nine in the evening and why I'm here."

I nodded. "I need answers, yes."

Philip chuckled and edged closer to me, stopping at barely ten feet away. "I couldn't stop thinking about a certain woman. She's the last person I think about at night, and the first person that crosses my mind in the morning..." I gulped as he covered the remaining distance between us. "I thought I lost her at some point but I didn't. It was hard to believe but then, she's standing before me right? The most beautiful woman I've ever set my eyes on, you."

Like a hormonal female, tears started pooling in my eyes. "Philip-" My voice was barely a whisper.

"Florence, I don't want to lose you, ever again." Philip's lips tugged up in a smile as he studied me for awhile. The only sound crossing my ears was the sound of my heavy breathing as Philip gazed at me with fiery passion. I would have loved to say a few words but at this moment, no words could suffice to convey my emotions correctly.

Then, Philip went down on a knee, causing my heart to do multiple somersaults. He retrieved a small red box and fiddled with it as if he was unsure of what it was. Then he glanced up at me.

"Florence, I can't imagine my life without you in it. Honestly, I can't. So, I kinda suck at this but I'll try," Philip held my hand. "Florence, will you marry me?" He uncovered the red box, revealing the most beautiful ring I've ever seen.

No, this can't be happening for real. It's a dream I'll awaken from.

"This is a dream right?" I looked down at Philip with tears obstructing my vision.

Philip shook his head. "No, It isn't. Florence, I ask again, will you marry me?

Managing to take control over my heart, I laughed out my answer. "Yes, yes, I will marry you."

Philip grinned and rose to his full height. Then he removed the ring from the box and slid it down my ring finger.

I twisted my fingers, admiring the glitter of the ring. "It's beautiful."

"I knew you'd like it," Philip wrapped a hand around my waist and brought me closer to his chest "I love you with every bit of my body and soul, Florence."

I sobbed. "I love you too."

Then I waited as his face leaned towards mine, slowly. When our lips connected, I had the most amazing feeling ever. The feeling of flying in the air, the feeling of freedom.

Then I heard cheers and clapping around us. Startled, I pulled away from the kiss and stared in the direction of the noise. There were several people seated in chairs with smiles on their faces. How did they get here?

"I invited them for our pre-engagement party." Philip whispered in my ear.

I shifted my eyes back to him. "You're full of surprises."

He cocked his head to the side and chuckled. "I know right?"

"Get rid of your ego, would you?" I teased and we both burst out laughing.

"We have an engagement party to get to, let's go, shall we?" I slipped my hand in the crook of his arm and we advanced towards the excited people.

We advanced towards our future.

Unbelievable, but it's true, this book is finally over but as you know, there will be a third book in the series which will be in the teen-fiction category. I'm still thinking about a title though.

That book will be like a continuation of this one, but it would be told in the perspective of Florence and Philip's daughter.

So, keep your fingers crossed for the best.