Author's Note:

LlJaneth: Can I just say that I adore your name? Secondly, a LOT is on Michael's mind

HGill: Grandmere is bad, but notice how she has YET to be seen in the story? We are only hearing about her. Hmm, just something I personally noticed when I re-read it.

JenJen: You will find out H- I mean Michael's real name soon. So for laughs, I'll keep it a secret 'til then ;) And they'll have a slow dance...eventually.

Thank you everyone for reading.

We quietly returned to my apartment. I told her to wait for me in the living room. "What's going on?" she whispered.

"Don't you trust me?" I asked.

She stared at me and tried to read my face, but then smiled, "Of course I do, silly."

I kissed her forehead, "Then go wait in there for me."

I walked past the room where my parents were sleeping. I could hear Lilly and her friends in her room, giggling. "I bet they're doing it right now...he's so romantic..." I heard Tina say with a sigh. Wow, I didn't know chicks talked about sex.

"Please, I do not want to speculate about my brother's sex life."

"Ugh, Lilly, not everyone has a satisfying sex life like you," Tina said with a sigh.

Okay, continue on when the topic of Lilly's sex life gets brought up.

"I do NOT have a sex life." Okay, I can turn back to listen in. (Okay, I was stalling a bit)

"I happen to think that Mia and Michael have. She told me about the first time he got a-"

"I swear to GOD that if you say the word boner or anything about a penis in reference to Michael I will personally kill you. I'll toss you out the window. Think about it...sixteen floors..."

Tina and Shameeka started laughing hysterically. Good to know she has no sex life and that Mia has told her friends about the first time she saw my penis. That brief, unsatisfying, embarrassing moment (it involves the ocean, must I explain?)

I hurried back to my room and went into a drawer that was hidden within my closet. I took out a mahogony box that my grandmother gave me before she died. She had met Mia shortly before she died...

"Boy," she said, as Mia left the room.

"What?" I asked, half way in the room and half way out.

" Come back in. Shut that door."

I did as I was told. I didn't want to be alone with my grandmother. I had thought about all the summers I'd spent with her when I was little. She was my father's mother, came straight from Germany. My grandfather and her had escaped right before all their families had been sent to concentration camps.

She'd been so strong and healthy...working on a farm out in North Dakota. I hated seeing her so weak. But she told my parents that she wanted them to come out and to bring Lilly and me, as well as the girl I'd been dating for at that point, almost two years.

"What is it, Grams?" I asked, sitting next to her on the bed. "Do you need anything? Water...medicine..."

"Go into my vanity over there. I have a box in the bottom drawer. Get it for me."

I got up and did what she told me. "What is this?" I asked looking at the detailed engraving.

"Come here now..." she struggled. "Come on, don't got all day now boy."

I smiled. No matter how sick she was she would always call me boy. Since my parents had agreed with me by not calling me by my first name she refused to call me by my 'heathen' name. Yeah, Michael is that terrible. "Yes Grams."

She slowly opened the box. "Your grandfather was a very successful jeweler back before the war. Before he came into power."

She also never said Hitler. Understandable.

"We were not able to take much with us when we escaped. Before they ransacked Papa's shop. He loved designing jewelry," she started, taking out a simple ring. "And this was the only Moscovitz original we took with us."

She handed me a very simple, but beautiful ring. "It's beautiful," I said softly. I started to hand it back to her.

"No, boy. This is to go to that girl. Your Mia."

I stared at her with my mouth open. Now, I remind you, this is when I was a sophomore. Right before I broke it off with Mia. When I was feeling somewhat claustrophobic in our relationship. "Huh?"

"Michael...(this is the only time she ever called me this) I see how you look at her. And how she looks at you. How you compliment one another. You are supposed to be with this girl. And I like her. She's feisty. Much like me when I was young, when I met your Papa."

"Grams..."

"Take this ring. You give it to her when you ready. When you want to marry her. If it's not for her, then get rid of the ring. No one I don't know is going to have this. It meant too much to Papa. I don't want some stranger having it."

She slid it onto my pinky. "She is your match, Boy. She challenges you, no?"

I licked my lips. She did challenge me. Sure she supported everything I did, but if she thought it was a bad idea she would let me know. Once I thought I had her pegged she would go off and do something I didn't expect her to do. "How'd you get all this from a fifteen minute meeting with her?"

"I met her before...don't you remember your bah mitzvah? You danced with her one time. And when you weren't dancing with her I see how you look at her. And how she looked at you. I knew back then...six years ago."

I chuckled, "I'll keep it in mind, Grams. You get some rest, okay?"

"Put it in the box and do not let her know about it. She'll find out in due time."

I now know where Lilly got her attitude.

I brushed some dust off the box. Once I opened it, for the first time since that day with my grandmother, I could immediately smell her scent of Europe. She had never returned to Germany after the war, but she always smelled like Europe (or how I assumed Europe smelled). I put the ring on my pinky again. This was right.

The ring was rather delicate, like Mia. There were intricate engravings in the band, and an emerald in the middle, with two small diamonds next to it. I hope she'd like it. It wasn't a traditional engagement ring, but Mia was no traditional girl either.

I walked into the living room, ignoring the giggles from the other side of Lilly's door. I peeked into the living room with my heart beating outside of my chest. I prayed that she wouldn't hear it. She was pacing and mumbling something in French.

"You know," I whispered, coming up behind her. "It's not polite to speak another language in front of those who have not spoken said language in three years."

She smiled and turned to me. "What were you doing?"

"Sit down," I instructed. I know how she liked it when I was bossy. It reminded her of her favorite characters in her books and movies.

She sat down on the leather couch. She hated the couch because it was leather. Anything made of animals made her want to 'yak' (her words, not mine). But she didn't argue this time. "Michael, what's going on?" she asked softly.

I knelt down in front of her. "Mia, you know that I love you, right?"
"Y-yes," she stammered.

"And tonight you kind of gave me a shocker when you told me about having to move to Genovia."

"I-I'm sorry..." she said, looking at her knees. " I mean I understand if you don't-"

I used a single finger to raise her chin, cutting her off, "Don't apologize. I figured something out while we were at the coffee shop."

"What?" she asked hopefully.

"You said that you could marry whomever you wanted, right? That they couldn't make you marry someone of their choosing. Once you turn twenty one you have free choice, right?"

She nodded, confused.

"So...I was thinking," I said, sliding the ring off my left pinky. I took it into my right hand. "Maybe we could get married."

Her eyes opened wide in surprise. "M-Michael...I don't know...we are so young, you have school-"

"And you are going to be in Genovia. I'll be here. We can both do what we have to do. And no one would be the wiser. We can just be engaged for now, if you want. And then marry when you are twenty one-"

She gaped at the ring. "H-How'd you get that?"

I smiled, "My grandmother gave it to me. My Papa had made it back in Germany."

She smiled and kissed my forehead. "Let's do it," she said after a few minutes of silence. Silence that I hated.

"So...we're engaged?" I asked with a smile.

"Yes, but not for long," she started. She knelt down so we were level. "Michael, I don't want to leave here and having to wait three years without knowing. I want to leave...." She said, taking a deep breath.

"What?" I asked, taking her hands.

"As your wife."

I had never felt so much emotion in my entire life. Not even when I thought I'd lost her forever. No, this was filling me entirely, "A-Are you sure?"

She nodded and smiled.

I pulled her in tightly, "I don't ever want to let you go," I whispered.

"You won't have to," she replied.

Her mom and Mr. G. bought Mia an open airline ticket for her birthday. They gave it to her early because she told them that she was going to go away with Lilly, which was partially true. Lilly and Shameeka were flying out to California for the weekend to sign papers for their apartment. She just didn't mention that I would also be going along for this trip. Or that we were renting a car to drive to Vegas.

"You two are crazy," Lilly said as we threw our bags into the trunk of the car at the rent-a-car dealership.

"It's so romantic," Shameeka said with a sigh.

Lilly gave her a glare.

"You two are sworn to secrecy," Mia warned as I put my hand on her hip. "You are the only ones that know about this."

Lilly and Shameeka nodded. "Tina is gonna be upset that she was let out of this."

Mia bit her lip. "The less people who know the better, okay?"

They nodded in understanding.

"But you gotta admit it; it's something right out of one of her books."

"So she'd understand the secrecy," I cut in. "If we want to get there by midnight we better hit the road. We still need to get a license."

Mia nodded nervously. Then she turned to my sister and her fried and squealed, "I'm really doing this!"

They wrapped each other in a big hug. "We'll be back on Sunday night, okay?" Mia promised. "Then we'll fly back to New York together on Monday morning."

"Congratulations!" Shameeka screamed.

I opened the door for her and then went over to my side. Lilly was waiting for me.

"Hey," I said, avoiding her eyes. I'm sure she didn't like our little idea.

"Hey."

"Well..."

"Good luck. And congratulations. I know Mom and Dad would be happy."

"But you aren't going to tell them, right?" I asked, worried that she might let it slip.

"Michael, they won't know until the whole world knows. In three years and one day. But they'll wish that they could have seen it. The wedding of the century," she said, sarcastic with the last part.

"THAT will happen," I started, "In a little over three years. We haven't quite figured it all out just yet but there will be a real public wedding you can all attend."

I kissed her forehead. "Next time you see me I'll be a married man."

She rolled her eyes, "You may be married, but never a man."

We listened to a mix CD she made back in New York. It was a mix all right. Every other song was one I liked, and the others were ones she liked. There was a few that we both liked, but I would never admit to liking pop, and she rarely liked punk rock. But who cared? I sang along to the few songs I liked of hers, making her laugh. God do I love her laugh.

"You imitate Justin Timberlake perfectly," she said laughing.

"I do sit in my room alone for hours at a time staring into the mirror trying to get his dance moves. I just don't have the fluid motion."

"I guess it's good that you are going to be a rock star instead," she replied, "Because you can just make out with the microphone on the stage instead."

"We rockers do more than that. We also hump the mike as well," I replied with a smirk.

"I forget that so often. I date so many rock stars, so I should know that."

It hit me then. I wouldn't be able to persue my dreams of music. I would have to sit behind Mia and- Aw, who cares? I'd get a good view of her at least.

She then headbanged to "I Wanna Be Sedated". I'm gonna miss these little things about her. How she can listen to pop and then totally let loose on a Ramone's classic.

We arrived in the city around ten. "I just want to go shopping a little," she said, kissing my cheek. "I'll be back in a half hour."

"Don't take too long because we have to get our license."

I stayed in the hotel room. Lilly and Shameeka had gotten us a room for the weekend. Well, mostly Shameeka because of her love of romance and her money. If Lilly had a choice she'd want us to come back to California right away so we couldn't succumb to our hormones. But I reminded her that we were going to be married. If we took that step we could pretty much do what we wanted with our lives.

I started getting nervous. What if her grandmother figured us out? What if she had spies out for us? What if she figured out my name wasn't Michael Moscovitz?