“Going where?” I asked, as he stirred me around the school campus, towards the parking.

“Where are we going?” I asked again when he didn’t respond to my questions.

I huffed, giving up. I knew he wasn’t going to tell me anything anytime soon anyways, so there was no point in asking him again and again.

“Gave up already? I was expecting a little more than that,” he said from behind me.

I stopped in my tracks suddenly, causing him to bump into me. I turned around then and glared at him, “I know you’re not going to tell me anything no matter how much I ask, so I gave up.” I told him.

“Aw, now you make me feel guilty”

I chuckled, “Sure, if only”

He turned me around after rolling his eyes, and pushed me forward until we reached his car. He opened the door for me, being the gentleman he rarely is. I felt my cheeks fire up, even though it was a small gesture, it made my heart flutter. I obediently sat in the seat beside him as he made his way around to get into the driver’s seat.

That reminded me, “Ash, I’m going to take driving lessons from Jer, he said it was high time I learnt how to drive. I told him I already knew how to, and I just didn’t feel like pursuing it after mom…but he refused and said I was making excuses. So he offered and I accepted”

Ashton turned his head to face me, “That’s great news Anns! It really is high time you get your license. You’re 17, you should have got one last year! And Jeremy is an amazing driver, so I don’t see any problem in that.”

“You’re okay with it?” I asked. I don’t know why I did.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Since I didn’t ask you…” I offered

“Nah, I would have had to refuse you anyways. Between finals and soccer, I don’t think I’ll have time in my hands.” He said

I gave him a small smile, “I thought so too, which is why I let Jer”

He kissed my cheek, “You worry over nonsense things, really. Go ahead, but you’re taking me out on a drive first when you get your license.”

I nodded, “Of course baby”

He smiled at me, not the usual boyish smirk. Then, he turned the keys into ignition and we sped off to some place I didn’t know just yet.

We drove for another 40 minutes out of which I dozed off for like 20. We were now in the deep part of Chicago, I don’t know where exactly. The place seemed familiar; I think I came down here with mum once. Or I saw it in some picture? I wasn’t sure but I knew that I remembered this place from somewhere. I looked around and there were huge trees, all of different sizes and lengths around me. The flowers were barely seen, it was cold and I wondered why hadn’t it snowed yet?

Ashton parked outside a garden-like place.

The flooring was filled with finely cut grass; the ground looked pretty even to me. There was a canopy of flowers above the entrance gate. The gate was pretty old looking, but it was beautiful nonetheless. It was a typical olden times Iron Gate with 3 long vertical bars and 1 huge horizontal cutting through the vertical bars. The tops of the bars were pointed like the tops of arrows.

Then it hit me like a truck.

I had seen this entrance, I had seen this place. I had seen all of this because I had visited this place with my mum after dad passed away. It was long, long ago and we had come here only once but I couldn’t have ever forgotten this place. It’d be wrong to.

This was the garden my parents got married in.

Mum had shown me multiple pictures of her wedding, all neatly arranged in a huge album.

That day, the entrance had way more than just the canopy of flowers. It had small strings of white orchids hanging just below the canopy. Then further, the garden was filled with chairs covered in white paint. They weren’t the normal chairs you had at your house; they were these antic versions of chairs that had a pattern of designs running through the back rest.

The chairs were arranged in rows around a beautiful center.

A white dome was created, that was held by 4 wooden pillars. These pillars also had various designs carved on them, all running along the pillars from top to the very bottom.

Inside the dome was a makeshift stage, created on a slightly higher level than the ground. It was decorated with rose petals. On the stage stood my mom and my dad, holding hands and smiling at each other. They were so happy in those stills that I couldn’t imagine them living without one other. And yet, my mom managed that maybe that is why I managed without her because honestly I could never see myself without my mom.

There was the father, standing behind the two of them, dressed in his black robe reading out words from the book he carried in his hands.

Beside my mom stood Alana, she held a bouquet of white roses and in her left hand-that was stretched out towards mom’s shoulder- carried a small velvet box. The box was open but you couldn’t see the ring inside it. The picture didn’t show their rings.

Ashton wiped my face, looking at me with such deep intensity that I fell out of the daze of my parents wedding.

I hadn’t realized I was tearing up.

There was not much to tear up for though; their wedding was a fairytale wedding. There wasn’t much spent on it but whatever it was, it was the most mesmerizing thing I had ever seen. Everyone who was there to witness it was so lucky.

“Do you want to go inside?” Ashton all but whispered.

“Yeah” I choked out. I didn’t know why he would bring me here, to stir the happiest moment of all times. The one day my parents cherished the most.

He took my hand in his and we walked towards the gate. He unbolted the lock and pushed the door open, it creaked but successfully pulled apart.

I took the firsts step inside, and almost fainted at the sight.

The dome that my parents had stood under was there, there weren’t chairs or anything magnificent but that didn’t matter. The ceiling under which my parents vowed to love each other for the rest of their lives was there. That was what mattered, and that was there.

The pillars held the dome exactly how I remembered it from pictures, the artistic designs still running through.

I gasped audibly, it wasn’t just some dome, it was the one that my parents had. I ran towards it, wanting to touch it so badly.

“How” I asked Ashton as he reached behind me.

“Took me some time, but I managed.” He smiled at me. His eyes held so much emotion in them that I couldn’t stop myself from turning around and flinging myself at him. My arms wrapped around his neck and his arms tightened around my waist, holding me close to him.

“I love you,” I said into his ears, loud enough only for him to hear.

As if that triggered something inside him, he pushed me away a little so we faced each other, and kissed my lips as if his life depended on it. He didn’t say I love you back in words, instead he showed it to me by kissing me with such raw emotion that I almost died of it.

He pulled away from me, needing air, but didn’t stop kissing me. He kissed my cheek and the side of my lips and then down my throat to my chest. He placed a final one at the base of my throat.

“Come on,” he breathed out, “if we continue, I might have to take tons of cold showers, and since there isn’t any shower here, I don’t know if I’ll be able to control myself or not.”

I smirked inwardly at his reaction; it felt seriously good to bring out this kind of reaction from him.

“Why are we here?” I asked this time.

“You’ll see” was all he said.

I didn’t ask further questions. Because whatever he did or would do, would just make me love him even more. Every time he has planned a surprise for me, it’s meant something beyond special to me. if anyone can give me meaningful gifts, it’s him.

He walked me till we were under the dome, reminiscing in my parents’ memory.

“May I have this dance?” Ashton asked, kneeling down on one knee.

Okay now I was seriously confused.

“There’s no music” I replied, frowning at him.

He smacked his forehead, “You ruined it. Your answer was supposed to be yes and then music would play, why do you have to do this, just say yes, Diana”

I flushed; well…no one told me there would be music after I said yes. How was I supposed to know that before hand?

“What are you waiting for? Say yes!”

“Oh yes, right, sorry.” I cleared my throat, “Um, I mean yes”

He shook his head a little, a smile playing on his lips. I slapped his shoulders as he rose.

“Don’t mock me!”

“You’re so funny!” he burst out laughing.

I rolled my eyes at him, and took his hands in mine. I know it’s supposed to be the other way round, but eh well.

Then suddenly music played, some faint instrumental piece was playing the background!

WOAH. MAGIC.

“Dude this is so cool! Where did the music come from?” I asked excitedly as I turned my head around looking for the source.

Ashton’s hand left my waist and turned my chin around so I was now facing him.

“Just dance with me ok?” He chuckled.

I nodded, biting my lip, slightly embarrassed.

He groaned, “You’re making this awfully hard for me. Don’t bite your lip that way-it’s a fucking turn on!”

I murmured a sorry and we began swaying to the tune.

He twirled me around a couple times, and moved me around in circles. It felt so good to be in his arms, dancing like this, on the same spot my parents were married, were made husband and wife, and were destined to have me as their child. It was all so poignant.

Our eyes met, and our gazes locked. And in that moment I realized just how perfect Ashton was for me, and how lucky I was to be in love with my best friend. That person who knew more about me than I did, the one who was there for me when I broke down, when I lost hope in life, that person who lived my dark and happy days with me, that person who has seen every possible aspect of me, the one person who doesn’t care about my past because they already know it, that one person who puts me before him. He was that one person, he was my person.

Then, I felt something on top of my head. 

I reached out my hand to touch it and felt a tiara on top of my head.

WHAT THE-HOW DID THAT GET THERE?

As far as I can remember, I don’t think I ever put anything on my head. So where did this come from? Where did the music come from? Was Ashton a wizard? OH MY HOLY FUDGE BACON SANDWICH WAS ASHTON A WIZARD?

“Are you a wizard? Oh my gods, I won’t tell anyone I promise! First the music and now this, are you using magic on me? can I please see it are you like from a secret world, am I not supposed to know about this because I am human, will you be killed if I knew, is that why you never told me? Shit, I swear I won’t tell anyone! But ARE YOU FOR REAL?”

Ashton looked at me like I had lost my head…

“I am not a wizard” he said wearing a poker face.

“Then how, ok fine then there is someone else here! What if someone wants to kill us Ashton? Did you see who put this on me! COME ON LET’S GO FIND THE PERSON! They may have guns. I don’t want to die! What is wrong with you come on, come on, we need to know who put a crown on my head! But wait, why would they want to kill me after placing a crown on my head? That’s just dumb. Oops, sorry for overreacting ha ha, did you have someone do this?” I asked, once m          y bantering was over.

Ashton was just looking at me like I grew 3 heads.

“I-you-me-I don’t know what to say…why would you think someone wants to kill you?”

“I don’t know, like we’re in a deserted place and know no one? Don’t ask me okay, ask my brain!” I argued.

“…ask your brain?”

“Yeah, that thing up there in my mind told me to freak out so I did, if it weren’t for it then I would still be dancing with you” I assured him.

“I really don’t know what I am doing with you,” Ashton replied shaking his head at me.

He has being doing that awful lot lately…

“Hey!” I pouted, “Don’t be so mean, you love me”

“Unfortunately”

“Oh please, you know I’m the best thing that has happened to you” I smirked.

He pulled me flush against his chest, and pushed a strand of my hair behind my ears. I literally melted then and there. It just made me go all asdfghjkl.

“That’s true, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I was an idiot to not see that before” He said, smiling his proper smile at me. You could see the twinkle in his eyes, and you knew he truly meant what he said. Because when Ashton means something, it shows in his expressions. He is an open book, but only some people know how to read it.

He fixed the tiara on my head, which had apparently tilted a little and was ready to fall off.

“Close your eyes,” he said to me.

I didn’t protest, “Just don’t let anyone kidnap me” I joked before shutting my eyes close.

I heard some voices and a bunch of footsteps. And then there was complete silence.

Ashton was down on his knees again, he held a huge white box on his lap. It was held together by a sparkling blue bow. And on top of the bow rested a gorgeous red rose.

I breathed out not knowing I was holding my breath.

“Before you freak out again, no I’m not proposing you to marry me” Ashton started off.

I scoffed at that, “I didn’t freak out last time.”

He raised one eyebrow at me and I sighed, “Whatever. Go on”

He cleared his throat, “Diana summers, would you do me the honors of being my date to prom and making me look like a complete and utter fool of myself by standing beside you, while you look gorgeous and ready to drop jaws on the floor and I look like a potato.”

“You’re not a potato, if anything you’re a sexy Greek god.”

“Not in front of you, milady, no one can match your beauty. Not me, nor the Gods”

“Not even Aphrodite?”

He smiled, “Not even her, baby”

“Then why yes, I will go with you to prom!” I exclaimed. Ashton was so cheesy and romantic that I was sure I would die off emotional overload one day. With him it is all rainbows and unicorns.

He got up from his kneeling-stance and bowed down to me, then offering me the rose.

I gladly took it from his hands and smelled it like I saw girls doing in soppy romantic films. But of course, that only happens in movies. When I went ahead to smell the rose, I accidently poked myself with the thorns.

“Ouch fuck!” I screamed, rubbing my now sore nose.

Ashton smiled sheepishly at me, “Sorry, I forgot to remove the thorns”

I ignored the whole thorn-poking-incident.

“What’s in the box?”

His eyes twinkled with excitement. “That is for you, go ahead open it”

I gave him the rose to hold, and knelt down placing the box before me. I tore the bow off rather than untying it like a normal person would. Sorry, I’m too eager. Sue me.

I removed the gigantic white lid and peeked inside.

There was a silver shiny fabricated dress neatly folded in the box, and beside it was a corsage and a pair of white heels. They were long and pointed, and beautiful. They were nothing extraordinary. They were just plain white stilettos but I was already in love with them.

Then I carefully held the dress in my hands, getting up so I could open it and see it properly.

I unfolded it, and it reached till the ground, I had to hold it up higher to avoid it from getting dirty.

I nearly fainted.

I don’t know if I can even describe the dress to you. It was floor length, obviously. It was a gown, a gown you would see royalties wear. It wasn’t sequenced, but it was made of this white/silver shiny material. It was a mix of 2 colors, and it was just wow.

The dress was off shouldered. The shoulder was held together by 3 different strings on each side. They made a boat like shape on the arms; all the strands were sequenced with dark silver shiny metal material.

The front of the dress was tight till mid-waist and then flowed out. The neck line was shaped like a heart, and only the border was sequenced with the same material used for the 3 silver strings on the shoulders. The dress flowed down till beyond my legs, and I hadn’t noticed it before, but there was a huge flower spiraling out near my thigh at the right corner. It had these vines it was wrapped around that went up till my mid-waist and wrapped around it, making it look like a belt. And the other side of it went till the bottom right corner, and ended there.

I was awestruck.

I was speechless.

I was astounded.

Could words really describe how amazing the dress was or how amazing my boyfriend is?

The answer is simple, and without a doubt no.

No words could ever express that.

I didn’t say anything, just folded the dress and placed it carefully back in the box, and then put the heels on top of it, finally covering it with the lid.

Ashton was patiently waiting, watching my every move.

I stood up and faced Ashton, “You didn’t have to do this, you make everything so special for me, you make it mean so much more than I expect, you don’t live up to my expectations Ash,” I cupped his cheek, “You cross them and take it to a whole new level. You do way more than I can expect, or hope or even think, you’re incredible you know that right? I don’t know how I will ever repay you, how I will ever be able to pull of something so special.”

He took my hands from his cheeks, and placed a kiss on my palm.

“You’re already giving that to me, baby. Your words, your smile, your reaction, and just everything about you are all I need. This very moment, standing under the place your parents-the 2 people who mean more to you than life-were married, means more to me than you could imagine, it means so much to me because I have you with me, and no matter how corny I sound, I’m going to let you in on a little secret.”

“You’re my happy place; you’re all I have ever looked for in life.”

I hugged him tightly, not letting go for a long time. He did the same, almost drained the life out of me and crushed my bones till my body felt numb. But I didn’t mind, I didn’t mind one millisecond of it, because being right here, in this place, in his arms is all the happiness and comfort I need.

We pulled apart.

“I don’t want to ruin the moment, but I really, really need to know how I got the tiara, and where the box and music came from,” I asked Ashton, still looking around to find the source

“I was the one who put the tiara,” Said Maddison coming out of literally nowhere.

“I worked on the music, of course” Mason said, grinning at me, also coming out of nowhere.

“We put the dress, heels and rose together, you’d be surprised as to how well Jer can fold clothes…”Andrew added later on.

My eyes were wide open, I was afraid they were going to leap out.

“Where the hell did all of you come from?” I asked to all 4 of the goofs standing in front of me.

“Ah, yes, see they were all in on this, Andrew was looking at ideas for how to ask Madds,” Ashton said, whispering this part to me then continued with a voice slightly higher, “Got them all an hour before since I knew you’d wait back with me till I finished practice.”

I sighed, what did I ever do to deserve this amazing, irreplaceable lot of friends?

“Aw, you guys are going to make me cry, I love you!” I said as they all came to me and huddled up together in a massive group hug.

We rode back home, Jer went on his way, Maddison went over to Andrew’s to help him pack so he could move into my-our house-soon enough, and Mason piled in along with us of course. He said he was going to crash at my house and eat all my food.

“You know I’m preparing this meal especially for Diana right? You can go make yourself some Mac n’ cheese” Ashton told Mason when he placed himself on the chair.

Mason groaned, “Don’t make me feel like a loner, you know you want to cook me dinner”

“True, I will someday, but someday isn’t today buddy”

Mason turned to face me, “Can you please tell him to cook you dinner some other time? I really want some good food, and your dick of a boyfriend isn’t listening to me even though you and I both know he loves me more.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sure, only you believe that”

“Whatever, but please, can ya’ll have this cheesy dinner thing some other time?” he asked, making a puppy dog face at me- big eyes and lips jutting out.

I huffed.

“Ashton, we’ll just have the dinner some other time, you know he won’t stop until you feed him” I called out to Ashton who was moving around the kitchen like it was no one else’s business.

“Are you sure?” Ashton’s voice floated through.

I nodded.

And then when I didn’t get any reply I realized he couldn’t see me… so I called out, “Yep, cook him dinner as well, poor thing got hurt today as well, thanks to you”

Mason came over and pecked my cheeks, “Aw you’re so sweet, I love you, now I’m going to go and raid Ashton’s video games for a while, call me when dinner is ready”

I smiled and nodded.

Dinner was ready and served, the three of us sat on the table talking about how far we had come since the first time we met each other, and how we had survived different layers of friendship, sticking together till the very end.

This wasn’t the end of course, but it was near.

After high school, college would be a big deal, we’d all be separated, we wouldn’t live 30 minutes away, and we would live at least 3 hours away. We had different dreams, different universities to apply to. But for some reason I knew we’d make it through college, we would still be friends.

“Are you two applying to the same universities?” Mason asked halfway eating his food.

We had discussed about this only once, but I don’t think we’d told the others. “No, Ashton is getting a football scholarship offered, I wouldn’t want to spoil that for him, and as to answering your question, we haven’t applied to same universities, but they are as close by as they can get. Around 1-2 hours drive or max 3, weekdays will be packed anyways, and we could always meet each other during weekends. That way we won’t have distractions either,” I said.

“Right,” Was all Mason mouthed before he began hogging up all the food

Mason went to bed right after finishing dinner, he must be tired, I guessed.

Ashton and I sat on my porch, looking at the stars. My head was on his shoulder, and his arm was around my shoulder, his free hand was intertwined with mine, not very free anymore.

“Do you think they’d be proud of me?” I asked, looking up at the stars.

“Are you kidding? Of course they would! You’re everything they would want in a daughter,”

“How can you be so sure about that?”

“Because I know you, and I knew your mom too. Amanda would have made some joke about how she was better than you, but then quickly say she was kidding and that she was extremely proud of you, and she couldn’t believe what a wonderful daughter she raised” came the reply. It wasn’t Ashton, it was Lily.

She sat beside me and wrapped her arm around me too.

“I miss her too you know, she was the best friend I had, but I know she would be proud of you. Hell, I am indefinitely proud of the person you’re growing up to be. Trust me, you’re wonderful.”

Lily said, kissing my forehead.

I moved away from Ashton and leaned into her, Lily might not have been much of a mom to Ashton before, but she surely was making up for it now.

Hi, another update :)

I have nothing to tell you today sorry.

Expect the next update soon, but not too soon. Im not in a right state of mind or place to write. Sorry again.