My Ex Next Door

When he didn\'t saw Novie in the living room, he walked to the bedroom and opened the door, the sudden had an urge to laugh after seeing Novie struggling to zip her dress.

"Need help?" saying that the woman turned her back to face him, the laugh he was holding burst as he walked to her direction, her face was red as a tomato while her jaw gnashed in anger.

"Please" Novie replied in a deep voice. He slowly zips her dress and turned her body around to face him.

Novie tried to stand on tiptoe to adjust her height with him, the serious look she had in her face made him pull her cheeks to make her smile a little.

"See, you\'re prettier when you\'re smiling" then he chuckled when Novie pouted.

He let her cheeks go and asked if she\'s ready, the woman nodded and they left the apartment.

-

After almost an hour of driving, Ken parked the car in front of the hotel, the man opened the door for her and Novie clung a hand to his arm and they both proceed to the elevator.

Novie suddenly laughed when the elevator stopped in the rooftop, then Ken looked at her in confusion and pressed the stop button.

"Why are you laughing?" Ken asked.

But her laughed didn\'t stop despite Ken\'s serious tone.

"Because you\'ve done this before" she blurted and hit his chest.

"Really?" Ken replied in a disappointed tone. Novie\'s laugh faded when she heard his tone, she immediately held his hand and smile.

"Hey. don\'t be disappointed ok? Whatever is waiting for us in the rooftop I am sure I will love it" then she gave him a sweet smile.

Ken nodded and his face lightened up which made her heart lifted, she worried that Ken must have taken her words in a wrong way.

When the door opened, her lips parted by the view.

The place was same as before, the design, candle lights and even the waiters and musician but the only difference was her family, Bea and Mila were all in there, waiting for them with a big smile on their faces.

She covered a hand on her lips while tears glistened her eyes.

She turned to Ken and wanting to ask what was happening but she was speechless. All her words got eaten by her feelings.

Ken accompanied her to the same table she sat five years ago, while her parents were seated in a single table together with Bea while Brent and Mila seated in a separate table.

Fix emotion was flowing in her heart, she looked around and saw her family, even her father was also there.

"I thought this is only a dinner" she finally said. Ken didn\'t speak and only smile at her.

Then her brother stood up and went next to the musician, "Good Evening everyone. I prepared a slide show that full of my sister\'s embarrassing childhood memories but before that let\'s all look in the sky." Brent spoke and pointed at the night sky.

One after another, the fireworks lit up in the sky, the colorful light reflected Novie\'s wet eyes.

Everyone was looking in the sky mesmerize by its beauty, when the last firework was fired, the words written in the sky made everyone except Novie turned their eyes at Ken.

In the other side, Novie\'s body frost while the words \'Will you marry me?\' reflected in her eyes.

She blinked and two drops of tears fell from her eyes, she giggled while crying and looked at Ken, both hands covered her mouth when she saw a black square box and inside was a thin ring with small pieces diamond sparkling around and in the center was a marquise shape diamond.

One thing that registered in her mind was that the ring in front was the prettiest ring she had ever since.

"I want to bent a knee but the doctor said my legs need to recover so..." her eyes lifted to Ken when she heard his voice. She gulped and giggled while the man took her hand and pull her up.

She didn\'t say a word, she wanted too but her mind was blank.

Slowly, Ken removed the engagement ring she\'s wearing and put it on the table and picked up the ring inside the box and slowly inserted it in her finger.

"I know you already said yes to me before, but I can\'t remember it so I will ask you again." he pauses while staring at her eyes.

"Will you marry me?"

Novie shut her eyes for a moment when she opened it, she laughed and nodded, still speechless.

With her response, Ken inserted the ring to her finger and plant a small kiss to her lips.

Everyone in the rooftop cheered while the musician played a lively song which was chosen by Ken

Before Novie sat back to her chair, Ken leaned closer and whispered.

"Novie, I decided not to go over the operation, would it be fine?" Novie creased her brows in confusion, wondering why Ken needed to ask her that question.

"What about your memory, don\'t you want it back?" she asked, the man shook his head and smiled.

"You\'re right when you said we can create new memories. All I know is I feel secure and calm around you so I hope you\'ll be patient with me"

"Of course" she giggled and lowered her sight to the ring.

"This is so beautiful" as she said those words, Ken already sat back to his chair.

"I am glad you like it" he replied.

"The fireworks were really sweet, it was so pretty" she has been aching to say it, but Ken\'s proposal made her forget it.

"Novie was was important was not the fireworks, it was that we were together this night, in this place with our family, looking up into the sky at the same time"

Every word he uttered was making her heart gripped in happiness, she wanted to scream but instead, her face moved by itself and gave him a kiss.

They proceeded and enjoyed their food and chatted for a long time while a video slide showing pictures of Novie during childhood played in the white screen that Brent had set up.

The night was filled with laughter as Brent continuously teases his sister\'s childhood photos, while Novie didn\'t bother to ask Ken about his childhood because she knows that it was not as colorful as her.

In the last slide, a photo of Ken when he was ten-years-old popped up, and beside him was his friend, Glen, and Evan, after seeing it, Novie then realized that the two men were not around.

She leaned closer to Ken and whispered, "Where\'s Evan and Glen? Are they busy?" she asked, thinking that the two might have some business to do, therefore they couldn\'t make it.

Ken replied while his eyes were focused on the video.

"I didn\'t invite them, maybe to our wedding but I want this event only for a family" then Ken smiled and shifted his eyes at her.

There was a pin that pokes her heart after hearing it, "But Daniella and Danny are your siblings, you should have invited them" she insisted.

Ken sighed and his grey eyes turned serious, "Novie my mother is not comfortable around them and I don\'t want to make this engagement to turn chaos if I invited Daniella and her kids. The triplets might ruin this. You know how naughty they are" Ken replied.

Novie parted her lips to speak but Ken put a hand on her lips and shook his head, "Let\'s stop talking about them ok?" Novie nodded as a response, she decided to talk to Ken tomorrow and visit Daniella to apologize.

When the dinner ended, Ken and Novie proceed to the elevator, but before leaving, Novie took her previous engagement ring on the table and gave it to Ken.

"What shall we do with this?" she asked, pertaining about the ring.

Ken took it and tossed it somewhere, "We don\'t need it. Let\'s go it\'s getting cold here" Then they proceed to the elevator.