Nicole

The cold bed sheet underneath my fingers caused my eyelids to to flicker open faster than they wanted to. 

"Lucas?"

Damn. My own voice sounded like a damn hammer pounding my head hard. 

Refusing to call his name out again and feel the overwhelming feeling of my head on the verge of cracking, I got out of bed and searched the room and the bathroom. Step after step, I went downstairs and walked around the kitchen and the living room, noticing the the droplets of rain on the window pane, but not finding the person I was hoping to see. 

Lucas was nowhere to be seen in his house. There was one place I hadn't checked for him yet - his office. As I walked up the stairs I noticed the door was only open a few inches, and I figured that was where he'd be. 

I gently opened the door and looked inside the room, but no Lucas. I didn't think too much of it though, he had probably just gone out of the house to go to the coffee shop to buy us breakfast or something else I didn't remember.

Everything he wanted to take to California with him was already packed and ready to go, but there was a sketch on top of his desk. I approached the table and picked up the design of an engagement ring. An exquisitely beautiful engagement ring. 

Oh God.

According to Diane,  it was clear that he wants to propose to me and I just had to make up my mind about an answer soon, in case he'd get down on one knee when I least expected him to. 

I quickly ran to get my phone and told her about it - she was one hundred percent sure he'd do it tonight at midnight, but I didn't believe her, or at least I refused to.

December 31st was a weird day. It was the last day of the year, a day when we reflect on what happened in the past twelve months, a day full of lies you tell yourself and a day full of a lot of hope, too. Like I said, it was a weird day. 

But I've been around for twenty four years, I know damn well by now that every promise you make yourself or others on this day only means something on the first day of the next year. Afterwards, all those empty promises mean nothing and you go back to your old ways for another three hundred and sixty three days. 

What I liked the most about the celebration of the new year was exactly that - the celebration. Getting all dressed up and going out with my friends, drinking champagne, seeing the fireworks, dancing until dawn and for the first and probably only time of the year, not having a care in the world. 

The loud thud of the front door closing made me shake in my feet. I put the design back where it was and made my way downstairs, not forgetting to leaving the door closed exactly like it was. I've watched way too many crime shows on TV to know how to hide any evidence of me being in his office fairly well.

"Hey you." He said when he saw me walking down the stairs, still in my pajamas, that by the way, I don't even remember putting on last night.

"Hi." I said, regretting doing so immediately. My right hand rested on my forehead as I closed my eyes and groaned, the sound of my voice being too much for my brain to hear and process.

"I think you have a little hangover that needs taking care of."

I looked at the kitchen table and noticed the croissants, the waffles, two cups of coffee, the eggs, bread, sausages and two fresh fruit bowls. - just like I initially thought so, Lucas had gone out to buy us breakfast. 

"It all looks so good." I whispered this time. It definitely eased the headache a little.

"I figured you were going to appreciate a nice, tasty breakfast after all the fun you had last night."

"Did I make a fool of myself?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

"No, nothing that would make me love you any less."

With my arms wrapped around his waist, I tilted my head back to look at him and show him the wide smile that the power of his words caused to appear on my face.  "You're the best."

We shared a short but sweet kiss before sitting at the table and eating all the delicious food.

According to Lucas, getting a good breakfast, plenty of sleep and drinking lots of water was the triple threat to fight a massive hangover like the one I'm experiencing right now, so that was how we spent most of the day today, only waking up at the end of the afternoon to get ready for dinner with Diane and Trevor. 

Lucas was in the living room watching some boring show or the news (I couldn't tell which was which if I'm being honest), already fully dressed and ready while I was in the bedroom trying to figure out what to wear tonight. I didn't have much of a choice here - I only brought one dress with me specifically for New Years', but thinking at how I was most likely going to be proposed to tonight, I was second guessing my choice.

Looking at my phone, the big white numbers caught my attention and seeing that it was nearing 6 P.M., I figured there really wasn't much I could do, so I put the sparkling golden dress on and applied some make up on as fast as I could. Lastly but definitely not least, I let my feet slide down on my matching golden high heels, fitting perfectly. 

I walked down the stairs, now ready to go out and celebrate and my cheeks immediately blushed at the way Lucas was looking at me.

"You look... stunning." He had gotten up from the couch after turning off the television.

The above the knee dress hugged my body in all the right places, fitting me like a glove, and while it covered my front entirely, it had a circular open in the back, ending in my waist area.

"You're so beautiful. I don't know how I got so lucky."

"You don't look too bad yourself." 

Lucas wasn't one to dress up on the daily basis, but he decided to go all out for New Year's, looking dapper with a fancy black blazer on top of his white shirt and matching dark pants. The fact that he'd dress to the occasion only made me believe even more and more in my best friend's words and butterflies made their way to my stomach again. 

We made our way out of the house and after a busy tube ride and a little walk to the restaurant - that wasn't at all easy in the heels I was wearing, - we met my best friend and her boyfriend, that put me and Lucas both to shame with how good they looked. 

Diane and Trevor were a high fashion kind of couple, always dressed to impress and never without a smile on their faces, which made me feel happy for Diane. This relationship might have never been in her plans, but I'm glad she cave in the pressure of her feelings and is now living what seems to be her best life. 

The lovely restaurant near Primrose Hill, where we'd be celebrating the New Year, served us a magnificent greek dinner and drinks that made the early hours of the night go by fast. At the same time, the more the hours passed the more nervous I was getting. 

He could literally ask me to marry him any minute now. 

"Should we get going? See if we can find a nice spot to see the fireworks?" Lucas suggested and we all agreed. After paying for our dinner, the four of us made our way out of the restaurant and got to the park in less than ten minutes, walking. 

"This part of the city is so beautiful."

"It is." Diane nodded in agreement with my statement. "Uh... Will you two boys wait a second while we have some girl talk before midnight?"

"No problem."

Her perfectly manicured nails caught my attention as her fingers wrapped around my wrist and she pulled me to the side, so we could talk a few feet away from our boyfriends.

"So?" The eagerness was palpable in her voice. "What are you going to say?" She asked right before I could managed to say anything. 

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?!" With a her eyes wide open and her voice betraying her whispers, she almost screamed at my face. 

"I want to be with him, I do." I started explaining her my point of view. "I just... God, I don't know. I think it might be a little too soon for us, I don't even know what he wants for his future. Does he want kids? How many kids does he want? Does he want a big house for us? An apartment? I said yes to Matthew when I didn't know him that well and-"

"Lucas is not Matt!" She interrupted me, trying her best not be heard by the boys in the back. 

"I know he isn't... But I don't want to make the same mistakes I did in the past and jump into an engagement that might end up badly for both of us."

Diane engulfed me in a hug and kissed my forehead. "Aw honey... That won't happen."

A group of teenagers passed right by us screaming and shouting with excitement, with confetti tubes in one hand and in the other, champagne bottles that they were probably way too young to consume. That was our reminder to look at the time and join the guys. 

Midnight was approaching and so was the new year, full of possibilites and hope and a lot of surprises. 

"You two got here in just in time!" Lucas said as he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, his chin resting on my shoulder. 

To say that the park was crowded was a massive understatement, and if anyone didn't believe it, once every single person started counting down the seconds to the new year, the loud voices proved them wrong. 

I felt like I was at a concert, where every fiber of my being is vibrating to what everyone is saying in unison.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5..."

Lucas took his hand to his pocket and my heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest. 

"4..." 

Turns out it was just his phone. I grabbed mine too as we were nearing the final countdown.

"3, 2, 1..."

"Happy New Year!!!" Everyone chanted out loud. 

Every couple shared kisses at midnight, and Lucas and I were no exception, so, after counting the final number, his lips pecked mine and we kept taking pictures of the magical view of the fireworks in the horizon of the city that had definitely changed my life, in more ways than just one. 

 * * *

I wasn't even sure I wanted to do this. To be fair, I don't even know if I was thinking. All I knew was that I wanted to end the whirlwind of thoughts and possible scenarios running through my mind.

First I wasn't sure if he was going to propose. Then, after what Diane and I talked about, I thought for sure he'd propose at midnight tonight, but that didn't happen either. 

All my thoughts and every little ounce of common sense and wisdom flew out of my head after midnight came around. We were in the New Year and still... no proposal. 

"I had so much fun tonight." He said once we were inside the house.  

"Yeah, me too." I answered lightly as my mind was somewhere else and my hands were shaking a little inside the pockets of his blazer that he'd gladly put around my shoulders after I commented I was cold a while ago. 

It was four o'clock in the morning, in January, in London - it was cold as hell.

Lucas walked to the kitchen cabinet to grab a glass and fill it with tap water before he took a long swig at it.

Meanwhile, I turned around in my heels and made my way upstairs to his office. The design was laying there, on the desk. I picked it up and made my way downstairs again to find my boyfriend still in the hallway, taking off his shoes. 

I was biting my lip in nervousness, as my fingertips hugged the paper. 

"Hey, Lucas?" My voice felt so weak and so shaky in my throat that at first when he didn't turn around, I thought he didn't even hear me. Thankfully, he turned around and his eyes traveled down to the ground, where my one knee was.

"Nicole, what are you doing?"

I held up the sheet, the design of the engagement ring facing him, and started saying out loud all the words my heart contained. 

"Lucas, you are easily the best thing that's happened to me-"

"Nicole, -"

"No. Please, let me finish." I cut him off. My eyes were starting to betray me, but I tried my best to keep my tears at bay. "I love you more than I ever loved anyone, and I can't imagine my life without you. You keep me sane, you make me feel alive, you've showed me what love is and I'll never be able to thank you enough for that. I know in my heart that you're it." With a shrug of my shoulders, tears started falling and rolling down my cheeks. "You're the one for me. We're on the twenty first century, if I feel like it's right, I can propose to you, can't I? So, I'm going to." 

His eyebrows almost met his hairline as they shot up after he heard my words. "Lucas, will you marry me?"

His eyes were watery, the iris in his eyes turning a shade of blue brighter. This was in fact the clearest color of eyes I've ever seen and without a doubt, the most beautiful. 

He moved his mouth to speak, but no words were audible. Lucas took a few small steps towards me, and with his hands on my wrists he pulled me up so that we were both standing face to face. Then, without any warning, his lips were on mine, dancing in a passionate kiss. 

When we both felt the need for air, we broke the connection and, looking me in the eyes, he opened his mouth to speak the words I was dying to hear.

 * * *

Author's Note:

HI! I hope you liked this one and I'm hoping you won't be mad at me for leaving a cliffhanger this big but you know the drill... wait for the next chapter! 💕

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Xoxo, Mars