Chapter 7: Help With Friends
Several days later….
"Is it just me or does Claire seem sick?" Rose asked as she took a sip from her glass of water. Beside her were Leon and Chris.
"She is sick from morning sickness. She didn't think it'd be bad but today is the first day she's actually looking much better. And yes, I am taking care of her." Leon explained.
Claire was sitting by the swimming pool in a bikini top and pajama bottoms. All four of them were having a bbq dinner later. It was nice and warm outside. It had been a while since it was just them four. Rose was starting to think of them as family. Except…Chris. She had agreed to go on a date with him. Gosh, did she ever think she would date someone after Ian? She had promised herself to not ever have someone get through her. But when after that dream with Ian…
"Earth to Rose." A voice snaps her out of her thoughts.
"Huh?" Rose blinked as she looks on her side.
"You okay?" Chris asks looking concerned. But her response was a smile which he adored.
"I'm fine. Just remembering how it was like when I was pregnant with Ryan." Rose said smiling.
"Yeah? How was it like?" Chris asked.
"Big, painful, and tiring." Rose said, making him laugh. "No seriously, I got so big and wondered how I was going to go through with it all. And out came a little healthy baby boy."
"He's a great kid. Got a lot of potential in him. Like his dad, right?" Chris asked. Blinking at the sudden question, Rose stared at him hesitant to answer.
"Yeah. Just like his dad." Rose said with a nod. "But he looks up to you, Chris. Whenever he talks to you, I swear his eyes are like the size of golf balls."
"I love that kid." Chris chuckles as gazes up at her. "You know when I first saw you, I thought he was your brother."
Rose rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Yeah I get that a lot."
"And I also thought you were 18." Chris murmured.
"What?!" Rose shrieked. "I do not look 18!"
"So you admit you're 28?" Chris asked teasingly.
Rose opened her mouth but no words came out. The next thing she knew, Chris was on the chair holding his stomach fighting to breathe. "Oh ha ha." Rose narrowed her eyes at him.
"Sorry…ahah….the look on your face was just priceless." Chris panted as he tried to catch his breathe.
Rose narrowed her eyes at him and he raised his hands up in defeat, trying to suppress his laughter. Just when she's about to say something, Leon sits beside Chris with a nervous expression on his face. "What's wrong, Leon? Is Claire okay?" Rose asked worriedly.
"Huh? Oh yeah. She's fine." Leon said, looking at Chris and Rose. "Guys….what I'm about to say will shock both of you, especially you Chris."
"What is it?" Chris asked curiously. Now Leon was really nervous. He couldn't ask them. He really wanted to but he was afraid of what their reaction would or how they would look at him if he asked.
Taking a deep breath and letting it all out, he begins to speak. "I want to ask Claire to marry me."
Rose gasps while Chris eyes go wide, really wide. Leon blinks and frowns. This is what he was afraid of. "Wait wait. Hold on a second. You want to ask Claire, my sister, to marry you?" Chris asks to which the blonde nodded.
"Oh my god. Leon!" Rose exclaims happily. "So you want us to help plan it or what?"
"Yeah. If you're willing." Leon said smiling. "But you can't let her know or even let her find out."
"Dude. I'm gonna give you a fair warning. If you hurt my sister, I'm kicking your ass till you can't walk." Chris said firmly, warning Leon of the consequences.
"Yes. I know. I'm not going to hurt her, ever. She's my only one." Leon answers.
"Good." Rose pitches in. "Now we can plan on the actual proposal."
Over the next few days, the duo, Rose and Chris, try to find out what Claire likes. More specifically in a proposals. At first, Claire was suspicious but seeing her big brother and her friend together made her suspicion go away. As this went on for a few days, Claire began noticing Leon becoming distant. She even tried confronting him once but he avoided it and went to the bar.
It was the next week when Rose decided to visit her red head neighbor and see if she was alright. As she entered through the back door, which was always open during the day, she immediately felt the sudden aura of gloominess. Quickly scanning the kitchen area, she suddenly got worried and ran to Claire's room. Oh please. Please don't let her to what I think she might do! Rose thought. Bursting the door open, she found Claire sitting on the bed with what seemed to look like a pictures scattered in front of her.
"Oh thank god." Rose huffed.
"Did you know Leon asked me to be his girlfriend in front of his parents? Oh god. It was embarrassing but I was happy." Claire said as she flipped through a photo album.
"Claire. Honey. What are you doing?" Rose asked.
"He doesn't want me anymore." Claire whispered.
"Leon? Girl, he loves you more than he loves himself. Did you not see his face when you told him you're pregnant with his kid?" Rose explained. Now she was worried that the "plan" they had going was too much for Claire, since it would be dangerous in her condition.
"Rose." Claire finally looked up and sniffed. "Why would he want this kid when he's not even here? Why would he want me when all I'm gonna do is give him nothing in return?"
"Claire. Stop." Rose said as she sat beside her. "Look, when I met Ian, I didn't know I was going to be in love with him and have a child together. What you have with Leon, is what I would've liked to have with Ian, if he was still alive." Talking about Ian made her want to curl up on the bed and not do anything for days.
"He barely looks at me! I'm fat! I have pimples on my face!" Claire replied. But seriously, she didn't look like she had a baby bump at all at 4 months pregnant. And she still had her flawless skin. Rose wondered what was really bothering her.
"What are you so afraid of, Claire?" Rose asked.
"That he will leave me? With his kid…." Claire sniffed putting a hand on her little swollen tummy.
"Oh Claire." Rose gently hugged her friend who was now a mess. "How about you and me spend a day together? We'll get pampered. How's tomorrow sound?"
Claire only nodded. It was a couple of hours before Claire calmed down and dozed off as Rose called Leon after making sure her friend was fast asleep.
"We need to put the plan in action. Tomorrow." Rose said firmly and hung up.
"Well shit." Leon scowled as he took a sip from his beer. Getting that phone call from Rose wasn't what he expected. He knew Claire was having a hard time. He could see it. He knew he was ignoring her because he didn't want her knowing that he was going to propose to her. But the look on her face, he couldn't stand it anymore; it was eating him alive. Ever since he found out that his girl was pregnant with his child, he couldn't have been happier. Heck, he was already too deep when he saw for the first time. And now, he was the one who made her cry. He swore he wouldn't hurt her.
"What's wrong with you? Stop pacing like that." Chris said as he settled behind the bar and began writing something on a clipboard. Leon stopped and didn't even realize he had been pacing.
"Dude." Leon began. "Claire….I'm proposing to her tomorrow. I can't…..the look on her face. I just can't."
Chris turned around and looked at his friend. Although he was against it when Leon and his baby sister started dating but he eventually got to see the love between them. Even now, he still could the love was as strong it was a few years back. "Look, did you get the-? Chris began but was cut off when a little box was presented in front of him.
"I bought it the day after she told she was pregnant." Leon confessed.
"Tell me one thing, Kennedy." Chris said quietly.
Kennedy? Since when did get so formal? Thought Leon.
"You love my sister?" Chris asked.
"Yes." Leon said without hesitation. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Good. Now…..about that plan. How likely would it be for you to propose to her now instead of tomorrow?" Chris requested with a smile.
A/N: Hey guys. Long time no see. Now I know I have been very VERY late updating this. But please bear in mind that I'm quite busy with studies. Besides that, my life has been having a tough time lately. So please, don't take it the wrong way but I do love you guys for waiting patiently with this. Here's chapter 7. I know it's a bit choppy? But I promise you. Next chapter will be about Leon and Claire again but only for the first half. The second half will have more of Chris and Rose. It's time these two get screen time.
