Chapter 81- A decision
As Graham remained kneeling on the ground, his heart was pounding erratically like a galloping horse. He might have looked calm on the outside but deep down, he was nervous.
His stomach was twisting with nerves. He was trained to remain calm in all situations, but asking Michelle to be with him forever despite the fact that he would be away most of the time was nerve-racking.
Glancing up at her, his eyes softened. He smiled and said, “I know I’m asking for a lot. It’s not easy to be in a long-distance relationship, especially in marriage. However, I still want to take a chance with you. I’m confident that we can be happy together. Knowing I’ll be coming back home to you all the time will give me a sense of purpose. I want to be with you forever… so, please, say yes.”
Michelle’s heart was beating loudly, she could hear it in her ears. She stared at the ring in Graham’s hand and her stomach fluttered with butterflies.
She wasn’t expecting Graham to propose to her after they had already agreed to get married. Her heart felt warm and she felt giddy… for a moment, she was lost for words, feeling her eyes water with tears.
“I know this is not the romantic setup you were expecting. I’m sure you know by now that I’m not a romantic man. However, for you, I’ll try my best to learn. I’ll be romantic for you… whatever it is that you need, just let me know and I’ll do it for you…
As long as you agree to spend the rest of your life with me, I’ll dedicate myself to making you the happiest woman in the world,” Graham added.
Michelle quickly nodded, snapping out of her trance. She didn’t have to think about it twice. She had fallen for Graham and she had fallen hard. He could ask her to join him on the battlefield and she would gladly follow.
With teary eyes, she looked at him and announced, “Yes. I’ll wait for you… I’ll be your wife. As long as you’re mine and I’m yours, nothing else matters.”
She held out her hand and allowed Graham to slip the ring onto her ring finger. He then stood to his feet and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly.
They spent the day chilling and chatting in the park until night fell. It was now time to meet their parents and deliver the news of their engagement.
When they got into the jeep, Michelle took a photo of her ring and sent it to Tessa and Celia. Tessa was on her honeymoon and was away from the phone so it was only Celia who replied.
Celia: [OMG! That’s a big rock! Congrats, hun! I’m so happy for you! When is the wedding?]
Michelle: [Within a month. We are going to discuss it with our parents right now. I’ll let you
know.]
Michelle smiled as she put the phone away. Graham suddenly grabbed her hand with his free hand and laced their fingers. He then placed their locked hands on Michelle’s thigh while his other hand controlled the steering wheel.
He gave her a side glance and said, “This all feels surreal. I never thought we would ever reach this point. Do you love me, Michelle?”
Heat crept up Michelle’s face. She hadn’t directly told him that she loved him and she didn’t know if it was real or maybe her feelings were playing tricks on her. How could she fall so hard within a short period of time? All she knew was that she couldn’t live without him… perhaps that was the start of true love?
She stared at him and asked, “Do I have to say it out loud?”
Graham nodded and answered, “Yes. I want to know. I said it already… I love you. How about you? Do you love me, Michelle?”
Silence befell them. Michelle had been avoiding the L word so as to not give herself hope. But now that Graham was the first to say it, there was no point in denying it.
“I lo- you..” She mumbled under her breath, suddenly feeling shy.
very brave
Graham arched his eyebrows in amusement. “Are you feeling shy now? You seemed when you climbed on top of me and fucked my brains out in this jeep last time.”
Michelle’s heart skipped a beat and her face flushed at the memory. She cleared her throat and remarked, “I thought I’ll never see you again.”
“You have no idea how much I missed you after that night. I thought I would go crazy. I just continued comforting myself by watching your bedroom window at night,” Graham
confessed.
Michelle’s eyes
widened. She gazed at him and asked, “You used to watch my window?”
Graham nodded just as they reached the red traffic lights. He stopped the car and said, “Yes. I couldn’t stay away from you. Seeing you switch your bedroom light off helped me out. It felt like I had spent some time with you-”
His words were suddenly interrupted by Michelle as she sealed his lips with her soft ones. She sucked on his lips and Graham responded passionately.
The two kissed for a few seconds. A jolt of electricity ran down their spines and when they parted their lips, Michelle declared, “I love you.”
Graham’s heart thudded twice. He ended up cupping the back of her head and kissed her as if the world was coming to an end.
Their kiss soon became demanding and sloppy, a clear indication that things were about to get heated. Just as Graham’s hand snaked around Michelle’s waist, a loud honk made them jerk up
and separate from each other.
“Shit! The traffic lights are green,” Graham remarked and started the car.
The impatient driver who was behind them overtook their jeep and shouted as he was passing, “Get a room!”
Michelle’s face flushed. She fanned herself and drank some water from the bottle that was in the car. Her lady bits were tingling and she could feel the dampness on her panties. The kiss was so hot!
Graham noticed her squirming in her seat and offered, “Want me to take care of that before we see our parents?”
Michelle chuckled and shook her head, “No. Let’s do it later after dinner. We can’t keep them waiting. You know that.”
When they arrived at the restaurant, Michelle and Graham already found their parents waiting for them. The long table was laden with a variety of food. They all had big smiles on their faces when they saw their children.
Graham frowned and asked his mother, “Mom, what time did you come? We were going to be here before you.”
Celine Thompson cleared her throat and replied, “Well, we were in the area so we decided we might as well come and wait for our dinner. Come on, sit down and tell us the news you said you had.”
Graham’s eyebrows furrowed. He was bereft of words at his mother’s words. How come they were all in the area at the same time? This looked planned and they all looked like they were eager for something.
“Good evening, Aunt and Uncle,” Michelle greeted the Thompsons and they smiled at her.
“Hello, Michelle. Good to see you… take a seat and dig in,” Gerald Thompson acknowledged
her and Celine beamed at her.
Graham also greeted Richard and Julia Adams, Michelle’s parents. He then drew out a chair for Michelle and helped her sit. Grabbing a napkin, he placed it carefully in the collar of her dress and placed another one on her lap.
As he did this, all eyes were on him, watching his actions. Their parents shared looks and grinned, they knew they were right. There was something romantic going on between Graham and Michelle.
Julia excitedly grabbed a bowl of Michelle’s favorite garlic sauce and pushed it in front of her daughter, saying, “Quickly, have your dinner and tell us the news.”
All of a sudden, Michelle who was ready to dip her steak into the sauce wrinkled her nose. She felt something swirl in her stomach and pushed the chair back with a screeching sound,
causing everyone to look at her.
“Are you ok-”
Graham couldn’t finish his sentence. Michelle retched and clamped a hand over her mouth before getting to her feet and running to the ladies’ room.
“Michelle!” Graham’s heart jumped to his throat. He quickly ran after Michelle to check on her.
Meanwhile, the Grahams and Adams shared a look, wondering what had happened.
Richard frowned. “What’s wrong with her? Doesn’t she like the food?”
Julia and Celine laughed. They shared knowing looks and smiled.
“That’s normal for a pregnant lady. I can’t believe you guys can still ask that question when you experienced it already,” Julia remarked calmly.
“What?!”
“Who’s pregnant?!”
Gerald and Richard said at the same time. The men were shocked and soon, that shock turned into anger.
“How could your son do this to my daughter? He knocked her up before they got married?!” Richard hissed angrily while glaring at Gerald.”
Gerald huffed and snapped, “How is my son the one to blame here? They are both consenting adults! What do you mean he knocked her up? They got together and made a baby! Say it right!
A lightbulb suddenly went off in Richard’s head. He looked at everyone and said, “So this was the news they wanted to tell us? And here I was excited thinking they wanted to tell us they are dating.”
“Why do you look disappointed? They will still get married. The baby just happened to come first,” Julia presented. Her eyes were gleaming as she fantasised about playing with her grandchild.
At the same time, Graham stood outside the ladies’ room because he was denied entry. However, his heart had jumped out of his chest and he couldn’t keep calm.
He looked at the staff standing outside the ladies’ room and pleaded, “Please… can I go in? My wife is pregnant and she gets really sick. I want to be with her.”
“No, sir. Please wait. No men are allowed in the female toilets,” the staff refused.
Graham sighed and pulled at his collar in frustration. Desperate, he ended up doing something that he had never done before. He took out a few hundred dollar bills and gave them to the
staff and said, “Please, my wife needs me.”
The staff was about to refuse but when she saw the amount he had slipped into her hand, she looked around and uttered, “Be quick.”
She then placed a wet sign on the door to stop other women from entering.
Graham quickly rushed inside and found Michelle kneeling next to the toilet in one of the cubicles, puking her guts out. His heart sank to the pits of his stomach and worry crept into
him.
He quickly approached her and helped put her hair out of the way. He then stroked her back and muttered gently, “There, there… you will be ok.”
Michelle felt really sick after vomiting. When Graham came in, his presence made her feel a little better. She finally finished and Graham helped her up, he then flushed the toilet and led her to the sink where she rinsed her mouth.
“I’m sorry,” Graham remarked just as guilt crept into him. Michelle’s nausea was getting worse, how could he leave her alone during her pregnancy?
Michelle shook her head and replied, “It’s not your fault. Let’s go back. They are probably wondering what is wrong.”
Graham placed his hand on the small of Michelle’s back as he led her back to the hall. His mind was reeling with thoughts about how Michelle would have to endure such difficult moments alone. He couldn’t bear the thought of her suffering. At that moment, he suddenly made a decision that would change his life forever.
The moment they reached their table, Richard Adams stood up and pointed a finger at Graham, saying, “You’re going to marry my daughter tomorrow at 8 am sharp!”
