I Wish

Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Seven

"It's a promise ring." Niall said. "I promise that I'll always be yours."

     I started crying. No one had ever done anything like that for me ever before. I thanked him probably a thousand times before my mum told me to log off and go to bed. The ring was beautiful. After saying goodbye to Niall, I examined my new prized possession. It was platinum. I mean, who gets to say they have a platinum ring? It shone like a mirror and in the very middle, it had a massive diamond and more tiny diamonds spotted the band of the ring all the way around. On the inside of the ring, it had engraved in beautiful calligraphy, "Always and forever until the end of time". I couldn't handle myself. I burst into tears. He actually bought me jewelry. Our relationship was that serious. I'd never doubted it before but this was just the cherry on top.

     I wore that ring with pride every day and when people asked me where I got it, I told them my best friend gave it to me and that I'd never take it off. TJ and the rest of them made fun of me for wearing a promise ring but they shut up about it when I told them how much it cost.

     New Years came and went. It was finally 2013. 2012 had been a whirlwind. It went by crazy fast. It felt like I'd just met Niall and it had actually happened nearly a whole year earlier. It was so surreal. I had been best friends with One Direction for almost a year. I had to pinch myself to prove I wasn't dreaming and that this was all real.

     Valentines day came and Niall called. He was in Mexico. He complained to me daily about how hot it was and I was sitting knee deep in snow. He told me how much he loved me every day and every day I told him I loved him more and every day he told me that was impossible. The only reason I didn't tell him it was possible and I did love him more was because I didn't want to argue with him. He got my local flower shop to deliver twelve pink roses to me at school in front of my entire English class. As embarassing as it was, it was one of the sweetest things he'd ever done for me. My friend, Matt who had not-so-secretly had a crush on me since I met him looked upset when I got the flowers delivered to me during class but I knew he'd be fine.

     It was getting very close to my due date. The first week of February passed. Then the second. Then the third. It was February 21st when I decided to call Eleanor.

"I'm due in 8 days." I said.

"Do you want me to come now?"

"As soon as you can."

"Alright." She paused. "Would you be okay if I fly out on Saturday?"

"Yea, sure."

"How are you feeling? Are you okay?"

"Yea, I feel fine. I'm huge but I feel alright."

She laughed.

"I miss you." I said.

"I miss you too!"

I smiled even though she couldn't see me.

"How many days left?" She asked.

"93."

"It's so close!"

"I know, I can't wait!"

"He misses you too."

"I know."

"Do you talk to him?"

"Less than I'd like to but yes."

"Awwe."

I laughed.

"Well alright, I should go pack, then."

"Yay."

She giggled.

"I'm excited to see you!"

"I'm excited too! I miss my pregnant best friend."

I laughed.

"Alright, I'll let you go." I smiled.

"Bye."

"Bye."

     Eleanor flew into London instead of Toronto so we didn't have to drive the familiar three-hour trek to and from the airport. We picked her up on Saturday and drove her back to my house where she lived for the next couple days. I wasn't allowed to go to school just in case I went into labour in the middle of class, so I stayed home and Eleanor looked after me.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked me on the morning of the 26th.

"Help me up?"

"Sure."

     She helped me to my feet and I waddled out of the kitchen, put my shoes on and went outside. Eleanor followed.

"I've always loved the snow." I said.

"I know."

"Winter in general." I looked up into the sky. "It's just so beautiful."

"Everything sparkles. It's like diamonds are falling from the sky instead of snowflakes."

"Yea." I smiled.

"The sky is so white."

"It looks like someone took an eraser and just erased all the blue away."

"It does!"

We stood there staring at the blank sky for a minute.

"Wanna make a snowman?" She suggested.

"Absolutely!"

"Wait, are you okay to?"

"I'm fine." I smiled.

"Kay, let's go!"

     She ran off my deck and into my backyard through the falling snow. I slowly followed her, clutching my massive stomach as I made my way through the snow. Together, we rolled three spheres of snow and, as difficult as it was, stacked one on top of the other. We scavenged around my house and found a top hat, a scarf, a carrot, and some buttons and placed them on the snowman accordingly.

"He's missing something." Eleanor pointed out.

"Arms!" I said after a minute.

Eleanor laughed and ran back to an old tree.

"May I break some branches off?" She called.

      I nodded. She ran back with two sticks and stuck them into either side of our new friend.

"Do you have a broom?" She asked.

"I think there's one in the garage."

We went and got it and gave it to our snowman.

"He's perfect." Eleanor said as we stood back and admired our beautiful creation.

"He is." I agreed.

"What should we call him." She turned to me.

I squinted my eyes as I stared at him and tried to think of an appropriate name.

"Paul." I said with a smile.

Eleanor burst into laughter. "That's perfect!"

I laughed.

"Let me take a picture of Paul." She took off her mittens. "Will you hold these for me?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

She took her phone out of her pocket and aimed the camera at Paul.

"Oh my God." I dropped her mittens.

"What?"

I felt a warm liquid run down my legs.

"Ayley, what's wrong?"

I was speechless.

"Ayley? Ayley!" Eleanor tried to get a response out of me but I was in shock.

She looked down at my feet at the now melted snow.

"Oh my God!" She said.