Groggy, I straightened my arm and realised that there was no one beside me. My eyes fluttered opened and saw that the other side of the bed where Leon's supposed to be was already neatly made. My eyebrows knitted together into a frown as I pushed myself up quickly. Grabbing a shirt that was hanging at the edge of the bed, I pulled it over me and left the room.

I walked towards the glass railings and leaned over to look at the kitchen. Not there either. Out of habit, I bit on my nails nervously as I recalled him being all weird since yesterday. After exiting the kitchen, he had been busy making calls. There were calls after calls and they lasted to the late night. He shut himself in the balcony, not allowing me anywhere near. Honestly, I felt sort of irritated but I do respect his work as much as he supported mine.

Sighing, I walked back into the room and entered the bathroom. I picked out my toothbrush and squeezed some paste on the bristles. Jabbing the toothbrush into my mouth, I brushed my teeth as my thoughts ran towards Leon. It seemed like eight years apart was a long enough time to need to readjust to each other's life. Perhaps he really had a packed work schedule such that he had to work through his weekends too. But I'm sure that I just needed to learn about his current lifestyle and get used to it.

After I leave the bathroom, I went downstairs to the kitchen and pulled open the fridge door. There was a bowl of yoghurt with nicely lined fresh foods and nuts sprinkled on top. It was neatly covered with cling wrap and a small note lay on top of it that read 'Sweetheart, don't forget your breakfast'. 

Smiling cheerily, I pasted the note on the door of the fridge and peeled the cling wrap off. Picking out a spoon, I danced my way out of the kitchen and went out to the patio. Cotton was already there basking in the sun and it purred lazily upon seeing me. I chuckled and relaxed my back against the soft cushion of the patio sofa while enjoying my bowl of yoghurt.

The warmer beside me protected me from the cold autumn breeze and I peered towards the amazing scenery. The quiet and serene morning was comfortable and uplifting enough to shed those worries off me. Just as I was about to return back to the kitchen to place the bowl into the dishwasher, the doorbell rang. I quickly rested the bowl on the island counter and went to the main door to turn on the monitor. 

"Hey sweetie, open the door!" Clara squealed excitedly, her face went so close to the doorbell camera that the screen displayed an enlarged version of her face. I laughed as my finger pushed into the unlock key. As per I expected, I heard hurried footsteps into the house.

"Ahh! I missed you so much!" Clara sprinted through the door and jumped on me. It took me by surprise but I caught her firmly. I heard a sharp inhale from Max before he scolded gently, "Clara, I told you not to do that!"

Tucking my chin in, I glanced down at Clara who's giggling uncontrollably at the moment. "I know Rachelle will catch me, right?"

"Yes?" I frowned a little, unable to grasp the situation.

"I'm pregnant!" she gave a cheeky chuckle.

My eyes widened in surprise and an immense amount of happiness bloomed from within. I beamed, "Really?" 

"Two months old! Wouldn't know if that would be a godson or goddaughter for you yet," she claimed. 

"Well, but I'll still be a godmother regardless," I replied. I raised my hand and flicked her forehead before reprimanding her, "Now I stand with Max! You got to tone down your hyperactive self already. My godchild's at stake." 

"Gee," she sulked.

Then, Max moved towards us and attempted to pry her arms away from me. "Okay there, sunshine," he laughed. "Come on, stop clinging to Rachelle, you can cling on me." 

"Tsk," I clicked my tongue but couldn't contain my happiness when I see them being so loving to each other. I'm so glad that my best friend is truly blissed out in her marriage and Max's really perfect for her. 

"What are your plans for today?" Clara asked, pulling me back from all my thoughts. 

"Nothing?" I shrugged. I invited them into the living area and settled them down on the sofa. "I wanted to go around the area with Leon today since it's the first time I'd been here. But I guess he rushed off to work in the morning."  

"It's weekend today, isn't it?" Clara raised her brows in surprise. "Wow, I guess he's really busy then." 

"Too bad for me," I let out a heavy exhale. 

"Don't sigh!" she grinned. "It's been a while since we had dinner together. I know of this amazing restaurant and I think you would definitely love it there!" 

"Well, I had no plans so if you don't mind me crashing your newlyweds time. I would gladly play the role of a lightbulb," I laughed. 

"Rae, please." Clara rolled her eyes in response. 

-

As planned, Max drove all of us to an amazing restaurant in the heart of the town. Looking at the upscaled exterior of the restaurant, I finally saw a point for Clara's fuss over the need to put on a fancy dress. 

"Isn't this going to cost a ton?" I asked, worried. 

"No worries, go ahead and enjoy yourself!" Clara exclaimed. She turned to face the restaurant and muttered under her breath, "I'm not the one paying the bills, anyways." 

"Clara," I whispered her name and frowned disapprovingly. "You shouldn't spend Max's money like that!" 

"It's fine," Max laughed from behind us when he overheard our little debate. "Shall we head in?" 

At that moment, Clara's phone rang and she held an arm out to stop me from entering. "Hold up a sec, I need to take this call." 

"We can wait for you inside?" I mentioned.

"You can't!" She pulled on my arm and halted my steps. She turned to Max and said, "Honey, just hold onto her and give a minute!" 

I looked at Max, deeply confused by the situation but we waited patiently. She came rushing back after the call and we entered the restaurant. The waiter walked us up the beautiful dark-stained timber stairs and stopped before a large door leading to the outside. 

"Rachelle, I prepared a surprise for you," she beamed before handing me a blindfold. "You got to wear this until I say that you can take it off, alright?"

"What's with you today?" I was terribly confused and desperately needed an explanation.

"Just do it, please?" she pleaded, her warm brown eyes shone pitifully. "It's not a surprise if I tell you about it now." 

"Alright," I replied, taking the blindfold from her and put it on. 

"Can you see my hand?" she tested.

"Are you serious?" I laughed. 

"Okay, you are all ready to go," she held onto my hand. "Just trust me and follow me!" 

I nodded and felt her tug lightly on my arm. I followed her through the door and we walked at a slow pace. I was careful not to stride too fast because I can't afford to knock her over. When I felt her stopping, I also halted my step. She let go of my hand and I stood in my place panicking a little. There was a pause but nothing happened. 

"Can I remove my blindfold now?" I asked, slightly afraid. 

"Yes!" she exclaimed but sounded quite distant. 

My hands reached to peel the blindfold off. Light rushed into my vision, blinding me for a seconds before I saw Leon standing right in front of me and we stood in the middle of an opened rooftop garden surrounded by greeneries and flowers. Tungsten light bulbs hung from the trees above, casting a warm orange glow around us. The whole place looked magical and it took me a long while but I still couldn't process the situation. 

"Oh my god?" I breathed, suddenly overwhelmed by what I witnessed. 

"Rachelle," Leon called my name softly and tenderly. 

"What's going on?" I felt a rush of hot, stupid tears. My eyes gazed into his, trying to search for an answer because it seemed obvious but I just had to make sure. 

"What does it look like to you?" The question was once again thrown back at me. Leon reached for his pocket in his suit and took out a small black box. He lowered himself onto one knee and presented a pretty diamond ring to me. "Rachelle Anderson, will you marry me?"

"Wha—" I choked on my words. Happiness and a million other blissful emotions sparked. Unknowingly, warm tears flowed freely from the corner of my eyes as I held a hand out to clamp over my mouth. It was almost impossible to contain the elation I felt within. 

"Don't make me wait any longer, sweetheart," he laughed nervously. "I'm growing impatient."

"Yes, you dummy," I cried, voice hoarse. "Of course, Leon."

He shot up quickly and gripped firmly onto my waist before lifting me up into the air. He twirled me around, laughing as he expressed how overjoyed he was by the answer I gave him. I folded my arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. 

✿

how was your (dream) proposal like?