One Way to Say I LOVE YOU

Chapter 3: Forever

I sat in my room all day, 24/7. I couldn't help it, I was depressed. My dad always came in to check on me, but he would just slip his head in, look, then keep walking by for not even a second. I sat there just looking at the ceiling or just looking at the wall right in front of me. I didn't eat or drink. I just sat there. Nick's parents came back down from their visit in Philadelphia, to talk to me and my dad. They wanted me to help them set of the funeral arrangements, since they thought I knew him a lot. I did know him a lot, beyond a lot. I had been with him for three years and I was hoping and planning to be with him until we died.

I know they wanted me to help them, but I wasn't much help. I sat there looking out the window and I would only pay attention to them every other few minutes then disappearing into my own world again. Oh, everything was perfect in there, I just sat there holding my head with my stuffy sad nose just looking at the sun. I could see him perfectly. His silhouette was perfect, he looked so real. How could this happen to me? Another warm tear was falling down my cheek…

Next thing I felt was his mother, Denise's hand wiping the tear off my face. "Honey, I know how you feel. It's ok, everything will turn out fine." I could hear her voice starting to crack. I even felt his father, Paul's hand squeezing mine. I just sat there breaking down more, so I got up, walked away and started to wipe my own tears. I heard the chairs behind me squeak and I knew they were coming up behind me. I put on my shoes and sprinted out the door trying to get away from them.

"How could they think it would be okay? It has been just a day or so since he died and she thinks it's going to be perfectly fine. It's not going to be." I walked down the street talking to myself. I said that over about a hundred times or so before I got to the park. I found a lonely bench that was calling my name. I walked over to it, I sat down and just rubbed my hand on the seat of it, feeling the roughness of the wood. I kept rubbing it. After while it felt like silk to me, I must have been my mind playing tricks on me. It finally hit me. This was the park bench Nick and I sat on that one late night. Oh…How could I forget that night.

That night was everything special. It was about a year ago when everything was just blooming between us. We got done going to the movies and before he decided to bring me home, he covered up my eyes and directed me somewhere else. After about ten minutes we finally sat down and uncovered my eyes. "We're at a park. Why?"

He put his arm around me, "Because I felt like it."

"Ok, whatever." I leaned into his shoulder and just sighed. It was so peaceful. You didn't hear any annoying kids. You could only hear a few cars honking in the distance, but from that it was still peaceful.

"Well actually…" He repositioned himself to sit up straight. I don't know why, but I was started to get worried. He looked so serious. "I want to give you this." He tried to get something off his hand and I knew exactly what it was.

"Oh my, Nick really?" I was in shock.

"Yes." He finally got it off his hands and took my left ring finger and put it on. "I just want to give this to you so when we married, if we ever do, that you are mine forever. Don't lose it. It's beyond the most precious thing in the world to me, well behind you." He kissed me on the nose and I just blushed. I could feel it. I know he couldn't really see it because it was dark and we were a good ten feet away from any street lamp.

I couldn't say anything. I just sat there moving it on my finger. I felt like I couldn't breathe. When I finally got my breath back, I just wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. "Forever"

"I promise" He just kissed me back, and we sat there for most of the night till about the early hours of the morning.

I sat there finally moving that ring on my finger, it was still a bit big even though it has been a year. I finally took it off and looked at it. I didn't know this before, but it was engraved: 'True Love Can Never End'. I started crying, because he always used to say that, and I didn't know that he actually meant something by it. I also remembered that he had carved out something on the back of the bench. I got up and walked around it, and I was right. It was still there: 'Nick + Miley' in a heart. It wasn't the best heart, but I still loved it. I know it sounds corny, but then again, I loved it.

I finally walked back to the house and sneaked into the door. I should have known all of them would have been waiting there for me, so half way through my sneaking; I stopped and just walked in normal.

"Miley Ray Cyrus, where were you?" Really, now my dad wants me to be a worry-wart.

"Dad, calm down. I didn't do anything. I just sat in the park. It was peaceful"

"Ok, well we have something for you." Denise, had her hands at her side, but she was holding her pant leg. Was she nervous or something?

"What is it? Is it information about Nick?" My eyes got as big as softballs my dad had told me after that, well how could I not have them that big. I wanted something to cheer me up.

"Some of it is? Come sit down," Paul motioned his arm to the living room. It looked like they had planned to tell me like this. It sounded like a short play. I started towards the living room. I slipped out of my shoes and my coat and it fell on the ground. I sat down in a chair and just leaned back. Oh, this felt better than the bench, just saying.

"So, what is it?" I actually decided to lean forward towards them.

My dad also leaned forward and held his head up by his hand, "Do you want the bad news or good news?"

"There's a choice. Really? Um… bad news." I leaned back again; I was going to prepare myself for this one.

"It's about the accident. They said Nick was the one who drifted over the line and hit the other car…" Denise started to shake, so Paul put one arm around her and with the other, he was holding her hand. Right away I was thinking of my questions the other day. Was I the one that caused his death? She started up again. "They don't know how or why, because his phone was in his pocket and everything you sent him wasn't read and the voicemail wasn't checked." I lost my breath right away and let everything out. I wasn't to blame.

"So, what is the good news?" I still leaned back, but I shifted myself to crossing my legs and putting my arms on the arms rests on the chair.

"He had this also in his pocket." My dad brought out a box from his pocket. "He was on his way to the restaurant to go to you. He just didn't make it." With the last sentence, my dad hung his head. I started to lean forward very slowly not know what to do. Should I just sit here or look at the box? Denise was already crying in her husband's shoulder with just seeing the box. She must know what was in there. I was looking around at everybody's expression and it was confusing. I didn't know what to do. My dad finally looked back up me. He shook the box to tell me to come get it.

I got up slowly once again and grabbed it from him. The box was soft and fuzzy just like any other jewelry box. I bet it was just another kind of necklace. Denise was still crying but now she was like yelling or screaming in sorrow. I couldn't stand it, so I walked towards the stairs and slowly opened the box. I saw it glitter when the sun hit it. I opened it further and I almost fainted. I leaned against the wall and slid down it biting on my lip and trying to hold back the screams and crying. I couldn't take it, I had to cry and scream. My dad just looked at me, he got up and patted my shoulder and walked back around to the kitchen to get Kleenex's.

He was going to propose that night! He was going to propose to me that night!! How sweet?! Oh my gosh. I looked at the ring through my blurry eyes. When I finally took it out of the box, I shined more beautiful than I thought. I put it on my left ring finger next to his band. It had fit perfectly. Now it looked like I just got married, with the engagement ring and the wedding band. I couldn't stop crying, I can't believe he was going to propose to me. He was going to keep his promise: FOREVER.