One and the Same

39

Lukas was nervous. He had no idea how he was gonna ask this. He promised Maria he was gonna write Gaga a song, a love song proposing to her, but after the miscarriage his mind was somewhere else.
He observed his woman from afar. She was lounging topless, the sun making her pale skin glisten. In pictures, for some reason, you wouldn't realise how very pale she was until you saw her in real life. Absolutely a thing of wonder.
It's been almost a month since they lost the baby and since Maria left. Lukas knew this was ever present in Gaga's mind, she just bottled it up and pretended nothing happened. Her last contact with her daughter was a week ago, when she sent her a picture of her and her sisters fishing. Gaga saw the picture but ignored the message completely. What was she trying to do? Win her over again? Subliminally asking for more money to support a such a numerous family? Then she remembered Maria's first contact with her, almost seventeen years ago. She recalled her soft baby skin, her little button nose and the sugary signature infant smell. She held that memory dear to her heart, and would do it forever. Now her daughter had been away from her for a month, and it felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart and left her to bleed to death.

-'Hey' Lukas approached her with a magazine under his arm, Gaga looked over and shielded her eyes from the sun, -'Hey, what's up?', -'Look what came in just now' he showed her a V Magazine issue with Gaga's face on it. She smiled wide, -'Amazing! It finally came!', -'Yeah and you look amazing in it!', she blushed pretty hard and kissed him gently, -'Thank you, come cuddle me and grab some sun for yourself', -'Noo, I've been feeling sick lately I'll just watch you from inside', Gaga nodded and grabbed the magazine, -'I'll be inside in a sec'.

*

-'So, are the flowers ready? The multi colored roses? Okay perfect, what about the lilies for the pool and the scented candles? Mhmm excellent' Lukas spoke lowly on the phone with his best friend, making sure everything was in the right place, -'I'm doing this at night time tomorrow when she gets home from a meeting...I need to have the low hanging candles attached to the trees by then...yes fucking low hanging, I dont wanna burn no damn tree! Haha, okay...uhmm I need to get that master bedroom in order man, I need to put the path of roses on it...so much to do, so little time'.

Gaga woke up very early the next day, it was 5am, -'I'm leaving now baby, be back home at night', -'At what time?', -'I don't know. Late, most likely. We'll keep in touch' she kissed Lukas deeply, she smelled like mint, fresh cotton and rose water. She grabbed her coat and some folders along with her laptop bag and stumbled downstairs , her center of gravity shifting from all the cargo she had to bring with her.

At around 11am after Gaga confirmed him she wasn't gonna make it for lunch or dinner, Lukas started to arrange everything in the bedroom while her and his friends did the backyard. He looked through the balcony. The hanging candles were already set on the trees as were the flower bouquets all around the pool area. He decided he wasn't gonna put anything inside the house because he wouldn't wanna ruin the surprise as she went in.

-'So, you're gonna film it right?' He asked Ashley who nodded happily, -'I'm so excited for this she's gonna flip', -'AND I hope she says yes'.

It was now 10pm, Lukas killed the lights when he heard the Bentley pulling up the driveway and sounds of heels on the gravel. He made sure everything was perfect around him and just waited by the pool. The scent of the candles surrounded the place in a very nice, subtle way. He heard the heavy wooden door opening, -'Fucking hell its dark in here', he chuckled at his girlfriend's complaints, -'Lukas? Where are you?' she followed the dim lights coming from outside, -'Can you BELIEVE i got an allergic reaction to the fucking make up? Like my eye is itching so bad I had to get some medicine for it and-' she stopped in her tracks and dropped her baggage in a nearby chair. She frowned as much as her swollen eye allowed her, -'What's this?' She followed the candles all the way to the backyard and found the breezy, tanned handsome man waiting for her.
-'What are you doing?' She asked, tears forming already in her eyes. Ashley followed her from afar very carefully, filming everything, -'Just come here sweetie' he asked gently.
Gaga walked quickly up to him, -'Hey, what's up?' She asked, looking all around her at the pretty arrangements, -'Nothing, nothing's wrong or anything...I just wanted to talk to you' he told her to sit down on a white bench they had brought in. Gaga sat down and Lukas grabbed her hands, -'I just wanted to say how an amazing woman you truly are. Like ever since I met you...first you offered me your friendship, and we got along and were creating music together, and that's what bonded us in the first place...then, we got into this crazy ride called love and-I never wanna look back from that. I love you, I love every second I spend around you, I love your talents, I love your big heart...I accept your obligations fully, and I have nothing but admiration about the way you handle parenthood', Gaga wiped some tears and nodded, -'So I would like to have all that around me for the rest of my life...now, holy shit I'm more nervous than I had intended...will you marry me?' He opened the pink velvet box, revealing the ring he had designed with Maria a while back.
Gaga felt her heart swell, and her breathing getting faster. She flung herself into his arms and cried, -'YES OF COURSE I'LL MARRY YOU' a little too loud. Lukas put the ring on her finger, -'Oh GOD it's so pretty' she sobbed, -'You're so cute and thoughtful for doing all this for me, I love you' she kissed him deeply and all her friends came out of their hiding places, -'I GOT IT' said Ashley with tears in her eyes, -'Y'all didn't just filmed me looking like a total mutant with this eye the night of my engagement' she laughed, kissing her love deeply again.