We made it. We pulled through some years of reckless adolescence. Now to graduate into the real world which was more than likely nothing at all how we expected. Because high school does a 'great job' in preparing their students to take charge and direction from here on out…pfft! We were all sad and lost, only before we were in a protective bubble and now we're being thrown in with the sharks.

Not to fret, some of us had a plan. Some of us were moving forward to distant places while others stayed behind and made the best of it. Louis and I had road trips to make. As for Janet, her path was unclear. Weeks after my mom returned from her honeymoon we had finally made the big move in to the Rogers' house. I got the smaller room down the hall, though I didn't mind because I spent most of my time in Janet's anyway.

Janet was slowly coming out of her emotional coma. It took her a while to realize that things just happen, accidents happen. And she couldn't go around carrying the burden that wasn't even hers to begin with. Niall was doing much better but had to take a break from surfing to allow his body time to fully recover. That pleased Janet's ears more than he'd ever know.

However Janet had distanced herself from Niall, from everyone a bit actually; except me. She couldn't stand not seeing Gabe at work so she decided to quit. Everyone was sad to see her go but they understood why. I took on one of her shifts and encouraged Izzy to think about taking the position. It worked to her advantage as she could spend more time with her boyfriend…Zayn of course.

Janet insisted on watching Rhea some nights while Mark did others. That worked out perfectly for Izzy so she committed to night shifts and would drop Rhea off at our house before work. I'll never forget when I walked in to find Liam playing with the 5 month old while Janet had stepped out to the store. I couldn't decide who was cuter: Rhea giggling or Liam trying to make her laugh.

Among all these subtle changes came Janet's decision to swear off drinking. I was all for positive change, just as long as it was for the right reasons. I didn't want her feeling obligated to because she owed Gabe and Niall her life or something. Regardless, we all supported her choice.

I remember back in the day, fantasizing about Prom and all the hype. But when it came, the excitement just couldn't compare to the amazing dates I already had with Liam. I decided to go with Janet instead, she preferred me versus an insignificant date. We went with Lilah and Louis, though that was bittersweet as well, it was one of the last hangouts with our buddy before heading for boot camp after graduation.

Later that evening Zayn and Izzy joined us and I thought this was the last time we would all be together like this. Yet this sadness wouldn't compare to the joy set before me in San Francisco. That night as Janet and I returned home, a brilliant idea hit me.

"Hey Janet, what are you going to do about nursing school?" I wondered as I took my shoes off.

"Well…I haven't told dad yet, but…I can't find the motivation to do it, B."

"What if you just took a semester off? I'm sure he would understand given the circumstances."

"Yeah but I already quit my job. And I don't want to go back there. Maybe I'll become a full-time nanny or something," Janet shrugged and unzipped her dress while following me up the stairs.

"Janet, what if…you came to live with ME?" I offered and walked into her room.

"You mean it?"

"Yeah, it would be fun…Roomie!" I nudged her as we plopped on her bed. "I would love to have my sister with me, I won't know a soul out there."

Janet was smiling and nodding as she could picture a wonderful couple of months in the artsy city.

"I would love that! Dad would totally be on board with it too, since I'll be living with you. A breath of San Francisco air could do me some good for a while. I'll get a job around the area too, to help out with rent," she proposed.

Lucky for us, our parents were paying for my rent as a graduation present, for a couple of months anyway. And I knew Kevin wouldn't object to the idea, just as long as it was for ONE semester. This would make my transition to another city way easier having my best friend with me. I only wished Liam could move in too.

---

We still had all summer before the next big move. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my boyfriend before trying the long distance relationship for a second time. I wasn't worried knowing that Liam would do whatever it took to spend time with me, not to mention the unfailing calls and texts.

This time around, I'd probably be so busy with my classes and studies that this separation wouldn't pose as a threat but benefit our relationship. I'd feel horrible if I didn't make the time Liam and I deserved. Thank goodness for technology and Skype though. And that brought another thought. I'm so grateful Liam and I don't have a relationship solely based on the physical. We're pretty well balanced…sort of.

Speaking of the physical though…I needed more of it! My birthday was magical, but since then we kind of fell back on that department. Not that I expected to do it every day, but after having one taste, can you blame me for wanting more? I think not! I'll admit between being busy with Prom, work and graduation, Liam wasn't able to come down some weekends; we were bound to miss each other and the opportunities.

But now that it was the beginning of summer and we had nothing but time, two months to be exact. I also made time for my other friends. I got to see Izzy more often at work and with Louis being gone, Lilah and I had hoped to make the time to reconnect. Sadly, Zayn and I slowly drifted but that was to be expected.

It felt weird talking to Janet about my relationship with her uncle, so every time she asked how we were doing I always gave her the same answer…"fine!" But Izzy and I spent our breaks talking about our boyfriends with me taking mental notes. I remembered venting about how I wished we were more daring and exciting as opposed to being safe and comfortable all the time. I guess that was the one thing I couldn't forget about Harry...his spontaneity.

She suggested that I initiate some foreplay at random times and places, if I wanted to 'spice it up'. I thought that could be fun and exciting. I mean I loved Liam and his respectful 'old-fashioned' manners, but maybe it was time for me to do the teaching for a change.

I got home that evening to start on my assignment, searching girly websites for some juicy tips. Janet had invited me to go for a walk with Rhea in the stroller, but I told her I was tired from just getting off my shift. Truth was, I didn't want her seeing what I was planning to do with 'Uncle Liam'.

Liam and I were going to hang out at the mall the next day, as he had 3 days off. This was perfect, now I only had to spot an opportunity and go for it. Only thing was, this was completely out of my comfort zone and I worried about looking stupid trying to be more 'sexy'…it just wasn't in my genes.

We got a couple of slices of pizza first, in the meantime I was texting Izzy back and forth about some ideas. It was an entertaining conversation...

What if you randomly grabbed IT while walking or waiting in line somewhere? -Izzy

I can't do that…But maybe my spicy approach should be to buy more revealing tops or something?-B

If you feel comfortable wearing them now…I don't know. Hey, Zayn wants to invite you guys over for dinner tonight at his place. I'll text you later with the time.-Izzy

Sounds good, looking forward to it! Now on to more shopping.-B

Liam was so good about staying next to me in each store, not that I was in one for more than 15 minutes. I didn't want to torture him too much, but it sure helped when he found something pretty that he thought would look nice on me. Finally, I had a few items I wanted to try out so I left Liam sitting outside with my purse.

I tried on the first three shirts and modeled them off for him. He'd nod and wink for a yes or would stiffen his lips and burrow his brows if he was unconvinced. I heard my phone jingle, recognizing the sound from a text.

"It's Izzy," I heard Liam say standing outside my dressing stall.

"Oh, she said that Zayn wanted us to come over for dinner, she was going to text me back the time. What did she say?" I asked aloud.

I waited for him to tell me but there was a long pause.

"Babe?" I called again.

I was in the middle of taking one of the shirts off but it was too small and therefore too tight around my boobs. By now I thought that Liam had walked off and hadn't heard me at all. But then my blood ran cold when I remembered the previous text chat I had with Izzy.

"Oh crap!" I whispered, still struggling out of my shirt.

In that instant my curtain swayed to the side and Liam walked in, I could see him behind me thru the mirror. Before I had a chance to say anything he put his finger to his lips which made me smile. He put his hand behind my neck and swirled me around into a kiss. I forgot all about my phone and wrapped my hands around his shoulders to deepen the contact.

The next thing I knew my legs were raised to wrap around his waist as we continued in some heavy kissing and petting in the stall. I must admit it was pretty hot to see him through the mirror, at angles I normally wasn't able to appreciate. I noticed I made weird faces too, that was a bit awkward to observe, but looking at his rear in those jeans wasn't. The challenging part was keeping quiet. I wanted to giggle so bad but he kept whispering "shhh" in my ear.

Once we got that out of our system, I patted my hair back in place while he put his shirt back on. Then he took my phone out of his pocket.

"She said 6 o'clock … And I love the way you dress, there's no need to purchase 'revealing tops'," Liam winked and snuck out.

I was a bit embarrassed, knowing that Liam had read my previous texts. I checked my phone anyway to see the last two text messages that read:

Maybe you could invite Liam into the stall and makeout. Just an idea! And Zayn said at 6 o'clock.-Izzy

That was replied by a text that I supposedly had sent...

Thanks!-B (actually Liam)

I timidly walked out of the dressing area, like a theif that had been caught with nowhere to turn. Liam was leaning against the wall with a grin that couldn't be erased. I walked up to him like a puppy with its tail caught in between its legs.

"If you want to share tips with your girlfriends, I'm fine with that. But if it's something that bothers you, or something you would like me to change, then you have to talk to me about those things. Remember, I'm willing to open up more about my feelings but you have to give me a chance and do the same," he explained politely while holding my hand.

I almost wanted to drag him back there for round two but I cuddled next to him instead. I purchased my shirts and we began to walk and talk about my little wish list. When I began to go down my list of possible places to 'makeout', according to the web article, he began to laugh. I couldn't tell if it was at me or at my list.

"Why are you laughing? You think this is stupid don't you?" I said frowning as I walked off.

"Doll, they are fine but you're missing the whole point to this…" he said walking in front of me and stopping me by holding my face in his hands.

"Am I?"

"I get that you want to 'spice things up a bit', but you make it sound like I'm boring and we need counseling or something. You only had to express what you were feeling and I would've taken care of the rest…as for the list, its great but you don't plan a spontaneous moment, you live it," Liam smiled and pulled me closer.

There we were standing in the middle of the mall, people passing by and probably thinking he was about to propose or something; we were a little dramatic. I was getting my share of PDA, which we didn't normally do. We had suddenly transported to my room, the noise of the crowd all around had faded to the steady sound of Liam breathing.

It was sweet and safe until he pressed in harder and pushed his tongue deeper. I felt like this was the classic scene where the girl is about to get on the train but the guy wants to change her mind with a breathtaking kiss. I heard the comments of disapproval and disgust as people felt the need to tell us to get a room or go outside. I didn't care. I'd even give them my shopping bag just for another minute.

The kiss was so phenomenal I was a little light-headed once our mouths parted. Liam's face read 'mission accomplished' as I felt a slight case of diabetes on the rise. It was close to 5 o'clock, we had to cut our trip short and prepare for the dinner date.

We made a quick stop at the grocery store to get some ingredients for a dessert I was going to whip up. At the checkout line I spotted something very familiar. There I found the famous Chapsticks my guy friends couldn't live without. I looked at the assorted flavors and although I knew I would regret it, I inhaled the honey vanilla one first.

Like a time warp, all images of Harry flashed in my mind. It was a little scary as I thought these pictures were being projected on a screen for all to see. Next I took a whiff of the pomegranate one that Zayn used. It was nice but not my favorite.

Liam stood by and handed me a different one. I looked at the label and it read coconut mango. Once the scent hit my nose I smiled.

"Is this the one you use?" I asked curiously.

"The only one I've ever tried and stuck with," he smiled back.

If he only knew the history behind these lip balms. Regardless, I fell in love with this new flavor and couldn't wait to use it every day.

To my surprise Janet was at Zayn's loft as well. I was happy to see her there as long as she didn't feel like a 5th wheel; I know how much THAT sucks. I walked over to the kitchen and noticed Izzy a little too giddy. I didn't think anything of it. Maybe she got a big tip today or Rhea accomplished another milestone. She just stood next to me with her hands clasped behind her.

"Did you have a good day today?" I asked skeptically.

"Yeah, fantastic! I got off work early and had a nice little date with Zayn before Janet brought Rhea over…" she finished the sentence but not her thoughts.

"Uh huh and…" I stared at her but she was on some other planet.

We gathered the plates and entrees to place on the table before sitting down, and just before I could scoot my chair in, I captured a suspicious glimmer in Zayn's eyes as well. Oh boy! This was going to be big.

"Now?" he looked over at Izzy. She nodded with an exaggerated grin. "We have an announcement to make."

"Which one first?" she whispered to him.

"In the same order?" he replied.

OKAY enough with the secrets! What the hell was going on? Were we about to play Charades to find out or what?! And what's this about two announcements now? Get the plurals right, Zayn!

Izzy waved her hand showing us her lovely engagement ring. My eyes glistened and I swore I could feel the liquid love drown us . . . with tears of joy. Not a dry eye remained at this table. We all shouted our congratulations. Now on to the second part...

"It's kind of a funny story actually," Izzy started. "Well, I was late. And I'm sure you can guess what that means..." she paused and I was at the edge of my seat. Please don't let it be what I'm dreading.

"So she went yesterday to the doctor's office to take a test, but they don't give you the results till the following day or more sometimes," Zayn added.

"Zayn surprised me at work saying he wanted us to go on a dinner date. He even talked to Philip so I could get off early. I had gotten the call that my results were ready but we wanted to read it together…"

"Before we opened the envelope, I took Izzy for a walk in the park. No big deal," Zayn said glowing.

It was like watching a game of tennis, our eyes kept going back and forth as the story was slowly unfolding…very slowly.

"Zayn…had planned for some random guy to give me a rose. I didn't think anything of it until one by one, strangers kept handing them to me. I ended up with a dozen red roses, and then the last guy came with a balloon... it read "Will You Marry Me?" and when I turned to look at Zayn he was already on one knee!" Elizabeth was overwhelmed I could tell.

"As you can see she said yes…and then we opened the envelope…"

"AND?!" Liam, Janet and I cried in unison.

"I'm going to be a FATHER!" Zayn confessed with a tear coming down his face.

I lost my appetite. This was too much to swallow!

Notes

Aghhh!!!! I loved the ending to this chapter! Too much feels I kid u not!

I hope you enjoyed it just as much :)

Only a few chapters left.... luv all you dolls!