Sold #2 - A Desperate Love

Chapter 8

Michael was happy to know that, at that very moment, as he talked to his best friend and Darcy played the piano, he was officially on leave from work and would be able to enjoy a twelve day vacation where he could spend as much time with his girlfriend as he wanted. He was fed up of always working, of always having someone else's needs to put first and someone else's life to focus on. But he found it a relief to talk to Ben and catch up on their lives, knowing that whatever the rest of his day entailed, it was all down to him and what he wanted to do, what he chose to fill his time with. And there was nothing he wanted more than to spend some real time with Darcy. "So you said there was something important you needed to tell me, about you coming back home..." Ben reminded him, trying to regain Michael's focus over the sound of the living room piano, which he hadn't heard being played for years.

"Oh yeah...it's nothing really important, I just wondered if you'd made any permanent plans already?" He asked, recalling the fact that he hadn't told his friends of his new girlfriend yet and that, when he really thought about it, he quite liked the idea of surprising them with the news of the engagement when they arrived. Of course he had to give her the ring and actually ask her to marry him to make it official but he already knew how she felt about it and knew that she wanted to marry him, so he had no doubts that they would be engaged by the time Michael's birthday came around in a few days. They were due to fly out together on Sunday morning, in just two days and the flight was supposed to take approximately twelve hours and by the time they got there they would have just an hour or so before going to Ben's house for dinner, as they had already planned. His birthday wasn't until the next day and he was sure that he could find the nerve to finally propose to her, especially when he didn't need to worry about what her answer would be. There was nothing for him to be nervous about and he didn't know why he was holding back.

"What do you mean by permanent?" Ben wondered curiously.

"Well, nothing that you had to buy tickets or make reservations for...nothing that can't be changed." Michael explained uncertainly. He could tell that his friend was getting a little suspicious as to why he was even bothering to ask, more so when he was supposed to be there in person in just two days. But as he saw it, he wanted to make sure that they hadn't gone ahead and made any plans that meant he'd either have to leave Darcy on her own or miss out on spending time with his friends to keep her company. He knew she'd understand if they got there and found out they'd bought tickets for a baseball game or something that they hadn't included her in, as a surprise and he knew she'd want him to go without her but Michael wasn't comfortable leaving her on her own, especially not in a country she didn't know, when it was her first time anywhere out of her home town and not when he had spent very little time with her by himself as it was. "I just...it's just that I'm bringing someone with me and I don't want them to be left out if you've gone ahead and planned something without knowing they were coming." He accounted for his odd questioning finally, able to see Darcy smiling to herself as she continued to play the piano. And he knew exactly what she was thinking but was unwilling to even bother entertaining the idea of neglecting her any longer. This was the first night he would be able to spend with her, entirely alone for hours and when he heard Tai shouting through his exit, to go to work, he found it an all too appealing feeling to be alone with her and know that there was nothing else to be seen to.

"No, there's no permanent plans. You mind telling me if this guest is male or female?" Ben asked, intrigued by Michael's sudden inattentiveness. Their trip had been arranged for at least a few days already and he'd had ample time to mention his guest beforehand, or even when he'd called to confirm his flight details but he hadn't said a word. It was unusual for him to be so secretive about that kind of information and when he laughed at his question, he knew it was going to be an interesting trip if nothing else.