Pretend (85 page)

             
"Jess
,
I will ask you once more before taking matters into my own hands," he said as he smiled at her.

             
"No," she
said as she tried to hold back the smile that so clearly wanted to escape.

             
"Ok, you asked for it," he said as he lifted her out of the chair bridal style.

             
"Put me down you stupid player!" She screamed as he held her in the air.

             
"Are you sure about that becaus
e it's a long way down?" H
e said as they both looked down at the floor.

             
"What do you want?" She mumbled as she finally stopped struggling to get free of his grasp.

             
"To talk, now are you ready to listen?" He asked.

             
"Do I have a choice?"

             
"Nope," he said as he smiled
,
causing her to roll her eyes again.

             
"Now everyone this girl that I currently have in my arms is called Jessica Marie Annabel Johnson and she is quite possibly the most annoying, spoilt, bratty,
feisty
and stubborn girl that I have ever met in my e
ntire life."

             
"Nice," she said as she gave him a dirty look.

             
"I have to put up with her abuse, violence, rants, moans and very crazy mood swings but she has somehow managed to be the first and hopefully the last girl that I have ever fallen completely head over heels in love with. So ladies and gentleman as you can see my player days are now officially behind me because there is no way that I would ever go back to that if it meant trading her in. I mean, who else is going to bother me twenty four, seven," he said as she hit his chest playfully.

             
"Shut up and kiss me you big moron," she said as he gently lowered her to her feet and kisse
d her in front of everyone. Those
two are definitely the cutest couple ever.

             
"Right
,
now if you don't mind I'm going to take out five minutes to figure out how to be a man again," he said as he burst out laughing and dragged Jess out of the living room door, leaving everyone else smiling like idiots.

             
"That was so
romantic, I can't believe that
that came out of Anthony's mouth," Crystal said as we all nodded in agreement.

             
"That dude is so whipped!" Murphy said as he burst out laughing.

             
"Don't hate
,
you lonely old man," Crystal said as she slapped Murphy on the arm.

             
"Always with the violence, now you and I both know that
that wouldn't work for you Crystal," he said as he kept her gaze.

             
"Really
?
T
hen what would, Einstein?"

             
Suddenly Murphy stepped right up to Crystal, gently placing his ha
n
d on her hip before placing his mouth right next to her ear. It was clear to see the shock on her face. The very fact that she had been shocked into silence told a whole story of the effect that he was having on her right now.

             
"Now that would be telling
, wouldn't it?" H
e said before gently removing his hand and walking away.

             
"What the hell was that?" Jinnie said in a shocked voice.

             
"I don't know but remind me to kill him later," Aiden said as we stared at a very pleased
looking
Murphy.

             
"You do remember that you are dating her best friend right?" Erica asked
as she pointed towards Crystal
.

             
"This isn't about me and April
,
Jinnie dear," he said with a smirk on his face.

             
"It's Erica," she grumbled.

             
"One day, I'll get it right, one day," he said as he laughed to himself.

             
"Can I talk to you for a second?" H
e asked before gently grabbing my hand and leading me to the garden.

             
"Sure, see you in a bit guys," I said as
I
 
followed
behind him.

             
"So
,
what's up?" I asked as I looked into his eyes.

             
"Nothing, it's just that it's nearly midnight and I wanted to spend the last moments of my birthday with someone very special," he replied.

             
"Oh really?"
I asked with a big
smile
on my face.

             
"Yup," he said as he held my hand a little tighter.

             
“Good because I have a present for you,” I said as I smiled at him.

             
“I thought that you already gave me it?” He said with a smirk on
his
face.

             
“I did but this one is a little bit more personal to us,” I said as I slipped my hand inside of my purse and pulled out a piece of paper.

             
“Here,” I said before handing it to him.

             
“Ok,” he said as he gently took it from my hands and began to read it. As I watched his eyes scanning the paper, I imagined the words that were written on it.

             
No longer asking who

             
When I’m alone I long for you

             
Now I know that this is true

             
Every time I look at you

             
Don’t have to play pretend

             
But we can still be friends

             
I’ll love you till the end

             
My forever best friend

             
I’ll love you till the end...

             
I’ll love you till the end...

             
“You finished the song,” he said as he looked up at me with a smile on his face.

             
“Yeah, I would have sang it to you but I wouldn’t want to cause any
unnecessary
pain to anyone,” I said as we both began to laugh.

             
“Do you like it?” I asked, nervously.

             
“It’s perfect,” he said as he pulled me towards him and kissed me, gently.

             
“You’re perfect,” he said as he stared into my eyes.

             
"
I actually brought you out here because I wanted to tell you something,” he said in a more serious tone.

             
“Ok,” I replied, nervously.

             
“
Now I'm not going to try and give a massive speech and announce my undying love for you because I think that Anthony beat me to it," he said as we both burst out laughing.

             
"Yeah I think he did," I chuckled.

             
"What I will say is that this has been the craziest few weeks of my life. So ma
n
y things have gone wrong but if it meant that I would get you all to myself like this the
n I would do it all over again."

             
"Me too,” I whispered.

             
"I know that a lot of people say that young love is
fake
and that we can't possibly understand it but we have been through more in the past seven weeks then most people go
through in their entire marriage," he said as we both
burst out laughing.

             
"The point is, I don't care what people say, I know that this is the real deal and I know that it's what I want
,
forever. I love you in a way that words can't even describe anymore and I want to spend the rest of my life with y
ou. I want you to be there through
all
of
the good stuff and the bad, the smile
s
and the tears, I want you to be the first and last woman that I marry, the only woman to have my kids and the woman that is still there when the kids have grown up and I'm wrinkly, not as hot and old," he said as I began to laugh again.

             
"So
,
what do you say to promising to spend the rest of your life with me April?"

             
"I say a big, fat yes to spending the rest of our wrinkly lives together," I chuckled as he pulled me into a kiss that sent tingles running through-out my whole body.

             
"I love you April," he said as he gently pulled back
to look into my eyes
.

             
"I love you too Mr Daniels."

             
"
Aww
that was truly lovely," Anthony said from up in Aiden's room as he clapped his hands together and giggled with Jess.

             
"It was so sweet guys," Jess said as she smiled away causing my cheeks to heat up.

             
"Oh and I heard the bit about my speech dude, you're not funny!" Anthony said as he scowled at Aiden.

             
"Whatever, now get out of my room dude," Aiden said as he looked up at Anthony.

             
"Come
and
make me
,
you
little girl!" He shouted as he
and Jess began laughing.

             
"Is that a challenge because you know that I always beat you?" Aiden said proudly.

             
"Bring it on
sweet cheeks
," Anthony said before disappearing into the room.

             
"Oh
,
it's already been
broughted
," he replied in a girly voice that made me
and Jess
giggle.

             
"See you soon
beautiful,
I just got some butt to kick," he said
.

             
“Wait,” I said as I gently lifted my hand to his cheek and wiped away the lipstick mark from earlier.

             
“Thanks,” he said as he stared into my eyes.

             
“Love you,” I said
before
he kissed
me on the lips
, smiled
and
then started to run
back into the house.

             
As I stood there
,
staring up at the sky and listening to all
of
the noise coming from inside of the Daniels' house I couldn't imagine things turning out any better than this. So much had happened to me in the last seven wee
ks to make me into the
person that I am today
. I felt stronger and more mature. I didn’t feel like a child anymore but a woman who had experienced a chunk of life. I have laughed, cried, argued, fought, run away, forgiven, lied
but of all of those things
,
the one that changed me the most was falling in love.
 

             
I fell completely
,
head over heels in love with my best friend's brother and
do
you know what? It was the best thing that I have ever done.