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	Austin Macauley 250 copies • Completed manuscript • Looking historical romances, celebrity autobiographies, illustrated children’s tales, in-depth technical manuals, hard-hitting thrillers, meditative poetry. With headquarters in London, New York, and Sharjah, Austin Macauley Publishers™ has established itself as an energetic and innovative independent trade publisher. We pride ourselves on our hybrid publishing model, a progressively more popular means by which both new and previously published authors can establish themselves in the increasingly competitive world of books. Hybrid publisher Children Fiction, Children Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mind & Body, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Mind & Body, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Mythology & Folk Tales, Romantic Fiction, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Women's Fiction, YA Fiction, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Business & Money, Career & Success, Career & Success, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Communication Skills, Entrepreneurship & Small Business, Health, Fitness & Dieting, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, History, Humor & Entertainment, Journalism, Journalism, Mindfulness & Happiness, Motivation & Inspiration, Nature & Environment, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Philosophy, Politics & Social Sciences, Politics & Social Sciences, Popular Science, Productivity & Time Management, Religion & Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Science, Sex & Relationships, Society & Culture, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Technology & the Future, Travel, Travel, YA Non-Fiction, Science Fiction & Humour Australia, United Kingdom, United States
	Mascot Books Mascot Books is a full-service hybrid publisher dedicated to helping authors at all stages of their publishing journey create a high-quality printed or digital book that matches their vision. With comprehensive editorial, design, marketing, production, and distribution services, our authors have the support of an experienced publishing team while still retaining one of the highest royalty percentages in the business. Hybrid publisher All categories
	Authors Unite 250 copies • Partial manuscript. Authors Unite helps you become a profitable author and make an impact. We take care of printing and distribution through major online retailers, developmental editing, and proofreading with unlimited revisions. We take care of the entire process for you from book cover design all the way to set up your backend so all your book royalties go straight to your bank account. We can also help with ghostwriting if you prefer not to have to figure out all the steps on how to write a book yourself. With our book marketing services, you don’t need to worry about figuring out all the steps on how to market a book or how to become a bestselling author. We’ve helped hundreds of authors become bestselling authors on Amazon, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. We take care of the entire book launch process for you to help you sell thousands of copies of your book and become a bestselling author. View case studies here: https://authorsunite.com Service publisher Children Fiction, Christian Fiction, Comics & Graphic Novels, Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBT Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Mind & Body, Mythology & Folk Tales, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Women's Fiction, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Career & Success, Children Non-Fiction, Christian Non-Fiction, Communication Skills, Corporate Culture, Crafts & Hobbies, Creativity, Current Affairs, Economics, Education, Entrepreneurship & Small Business, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, Humor & Entertainment, Journalism, LGBT Non-Fiction, Management & Leadership, Marketing & Sales, Mindfulness & Happiness, Money & Investment, Motivation & Inspiration, Nature & Environment, Parenting, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Philosophy, Politics & Social Sciences, Popular Science, Productivity & Time Management, Psychology, Reference, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Sex & Relationships, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Travel, YA Non-Fiction, Science Fiction & Humour Worldwide
	Bookmobile 100 copies • Partial manuscript. Bookmobile provides book printing, graphic design, and other resources to support book publishers in an ever-changing environment. Superior quality, excellent customer service, flexibility, and timely turnarounds have attracted nearly 1,000 satisfied clients to Bookmobile, including trade houses, university presses, independent publishers, museums, galleries, artists, and more. In addition, we manage eBook conversions and produce galleys, and regularly provide short-run reprints of 750 copies or fewer for major publishers such as Graywolf Press. Service publisher Children Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mind & Body, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Career & Success, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, Journalism, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Politics & Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Travel Worldwide
	Happy Self Publishing 100 copies • Completed manuscript. Happy Self Publishing has helped 500+ authors to get their books self-published, hit the #1 position in the Amazon bestseller charts, and also establish their author website & brand to grow their business. And the best thing is, we do all this without taking away your rights and royalties. Let's schedule a call to discuss the next steps in your book project: www.meetme.so/jyotsnaramachandran Service publisher Children Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mind & Body, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Career & Success, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, Journalism, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Politics & Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Travel Worldwide
	Publish Monster Get your ebooks into the biggest stores and keep the 100% of your royalties. Amazon, Apple iBooks, Google Play, Kobo, Nook by Barnes & Noble and more. Service publisher Children Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mind & Body, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Career & Success, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, Journalism, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Politics & Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Travel Worldwide

**CHAPTER 1**

Life is hard. There's a lot of obstacles that come in our way and anything can happen. One day, things can be fine and the next day things are not. You can't really tell what will happen, it just does. Life can also be beautiful. Life can bring love and happiness for many people, but it can also be taken away. There are losses and heartbreaks, but the most important thing in life is love between friends. Friendship is the key of life. Without friendship there is no meaning in life, you become an empty shell and the earth becomes a lonely place.

Lily, Damion, Alexa, Anastasia, Bridget and Jacob have known each other since they were babies. Their parents were close friends and somehow ended up being pregnant around the same time. Weird, right?  Anyways, they wanted their children to be friends, so they moved in the same neighborhood and raise them together. This started a beautiful friendship between these six kids.

They are completely different but that is what kept them together. Lily was known as the sweet girl of the group. She was also the quiet one of the group.  She has brown hair and brown eyes. She's the most selfless person you would ever meet and would do anything for her friends. She also has a slight crush on Damion.  Lily is close to everyone in the group but Alexa is her closest friend, they are inseparable.

Damion is the charming one of the group, he can get away with anything just by smiling and being persuasive. He also uses this skill of his to get his friends out of trouble. But we all know that his blue eyes is what does all the work. He is four minutes older than his twin sister, Alexa and he always reminds her of that. He also has a slight crush on Lily, who he is the closest to. Damion has no nickname but his sister likes to call him, Dami.

Anastasia is the funny one of the group. She always makes her friends laugh and brightens up their day. And yes, she was named after the movie Anastasia, which is also her favorite movie. She prefers to be called Ana though.

Bridget is the dancer of the group. Dancing is her passion, every time a song would come on, she would be the first one to get up and dance. Bridget hates her name, so she prefers to be called Bree. She is darker from the rest and has insanely curly hair. She is also the tallest one of the group.

Jacob is the outgoing one of the group. He loves the attention, and he loves being himself. He only allows his friends to call him Jake. He is also closer to Bree and Ana out of the group.

Last but not least is Alexa. She is the perky one of the group. She loves being happy all the time and hates it when her friends are sad, so she makes sure they are happy as well. Sometimes she can be hard to handle and can get annoying, but you can't help but love her. Alexa and Damion are fraternal twins, he came out with blonde hair and blue eyes while she came out with brown hair and hazel eyes. She also hates the fact that Damion reminds her he is older than her.

They are currently in Damion and Alexa's backyard, sitting in a circle. Their parents are very wealthy, because their father is a doctor. They had the most beautiful backyard you ever seen. It was full of flowers and had the greenest grass ever. It was so green you would think the grass is fake and it came out of a magazine. But in reality, Alexa and Damion's mother loves nature and makes sure her backyard stays nice. But anyway, enough with the backyard.

Everyone was having fun playing games and telling stories when suddenly Alexa thought up of a question. "What do you guys want to be when you grow up?”

Ana gets excited about this question that she jumps up and says "Ooh! I know! I want to be a comedian!” Damion, Lily, Alexa, Jake and Bree all laughed and agreed with her because they had to admit she was funny. Ana sits back down and looks at Alexa and asks her the same question, even though everyone had a clue on what she wants to be. But Alexa doesn't care and took this opportunity to answer anyways.

"That's easy! A Fashion Designer duh!" Everyone figured this, so they laughed and Damion being her big brother, believed it was his job to annoy her. He rolled his eyes and said, "Of course you do.” Alexa ended up getting annoyed and then took off her shoe and threw it at Damion while shouting "Shut up Damion!”

Damion luckily saw the shoe coming towards to him and ducked before it reached him. Alexa asks him, "What about you brother?"

Damion trying to copy her, says, "A detective duh!" and sticks out his tongue at her. Alexa ignores him and notices Lily looking at him with worried eyes. Before she tries to ask Lily what's wrong, Lily speaks up and asks, "Doesn't that seem dangerous?" Damion is caught off guard and looks at Lily and answers her "Not if you want to protect the ones you love." Damion keeps looking at Lily, wondering if she can see how much he cares for her, but he is scared that she doesn't feel the same. Lily gets shy and looks away.

"Lil, what do you want to be when you grow up?” Lily is startled because of the nickname, Damion is the only one who calls her that and she can't help but blush at the thought of that. Lily realizing that she still hasn't answered looks up and sees Damion still looking at her expectantly. Lily tries to play it off as if she was thinking about her answer and says, "Um, I don't know, maybe a lawyer like my dad.”

Damion smiles at her and tells her "That's great!”

Lily beams at him and asks him if he really thinks so because his opinion really matters to her. Damion knows she would be successful because she is smart and awesome, he makes sure she knows that. They have their own little moment again and stare at each other intently. Since Damion and Lily are in their own little world, they didn’t notice that the rest of the group are snickering. Everyone knows Lily and Damion like each other, except for them. They are too stubborn to express their feelings.

Jake was getting uncomfortable, so he coughed to get their attention. Damion and Lily snapped out of their bubble, they looked away from each other and blushed.

"Well!" Jake says loudly, "I want to own a salon!" Alexa gets excited by this and tells Jake that she would love to work together with him. Jake smiles at her because Alexa tends to get overly excited with things that include fashion and beauty and told her, maybe.

 Bree following Jake's footsteps also shouts and says, "I want to be a dancer!" Everyone laughs because she said it out of nowhere and danced while saying it. Everyone shouts back at her and says, "We know!" Bree startled by everyone's answer sits back down and says "What? I love dancing."

Everyone is still laughing except for Alexa, who suddenly jumps up, since everyone seemed to do this and says, "I had the greatest idea!" Damion groans at this and says, "Oh no."

Alexa annoyed by this tells him to shut up. She glares at him for interrupting her but then remembers that she hasn't told them her idea. “Okay, so what I was going to say is that we should form a pact.”

"What kind of pact?" Lily asks.

"Well, we should promise each other that no matter how successful we become and whatever obstacles come in our way, we still stay being best friends.”

Damion is surprised by her idea because he usually hates her ideas, but this one was spot on.

 "Not bad sis," says Damion. Alexa is happy that Damion likes her idea, but she wonders if the others like it, since they haven't answered. Alexa asks them if they agree and they all say yes. Alexa jumps up and down and excitedly says "Yay!" while clapping.

 "Okay, let's hold each other's pinkies," everyone stood up and did exactly that. Alexa continues and says. "and we should promise that we stay best friends forever no matter what happens, okay, in one, two, three," after she said three everyone shouted and said, "Best friends forever!”

As the years passed by, their friendship got stronger and the start of a new romance began. It was one evening, on Lily's thirteenth birthday, that Damion confessed his love to Lily.

Lily's parents did her birthday party at Damion's house because his house was bigger. Damion and Lily sneaked out from the party and headed to the backyard. They sat on their favorite spot, full of nerves. Damion is unsure if whether Lily feels the same way as he does but he can't contain his feelings any longer. He has always liked Lily since they were kids. Although he knows he is only thirteen years old, he wants Lily to know how he feels.

"Um, Lil, can I tell you something?"

Lily in her own thoughts, didn't realize that Damion spoke, took a while to answer him back.

"S-sure."

Damion gives her a nervous laugh and says, "It's nothing bad. I promise. I mean for me it's not, but I don't know ..."

"It's okay, you can tell me," Lily says smiling, softly.

Damion clears his throat, "You know how we've known each other for a really long time and well ... I've been meaning to tell you this for a while but I have always liked you ... a lot. I know we are young but I've been holding on to these feelings for too long and I wanted to tell you. I needed to tell you."

Lily was shocked at what Damion just said to her. The moment he said he likes her, Lily couldn't believe it. Who would have thought that the guy she has had a crush on for years, felt the same way. Lily realizing that she hasn't answered him yet, blushes and says, "Are you saying you want to be more than friends?"

"Yes, I do. But I need to know if you feel the same, sweet girl."

"Oh! Sorry I was surprised when you confessed. I kind of skipped that part didn't I?" says Lily laughing nervously. Damion nods at Lily and encourages her to continue.

"I've liked for a really long time too. I didn't think you felt the same. This feels like a dream. To be honest, I was actually going to confess to you too, but I was so nervous. Looks like you beat me to it."

Damion chuckles and says, "So, would you like to be my girlfriend?"

Lily gives him a big smile, gets closer to him, gives him a kiss on the cheek and says, "Yes, I would."

Damion still remembers it like it was yesterday. Now ten years later, Lily and Damion are still going strong. So strong that Damion is thinking about proposing. Who is he kidding, Damion knew Lily would be his future wife the moment he laid eyes on her and today will finally be the day. It's the perfect day too, today is their ten year anniversary, and it's time to take it to the next level. The only problem is that Damion is freaking out. He is so nervous, pacing back and forth in his sister Alexa's house.

"Tonight is the night, sis," says Damion, still pacing.

"I know! I'm so excited!" says Alexa jumping up and down. Some things never change. Alexa has always been perky and at the moment is the only thing that is helping with Damion's nerves.

"You think she will say yes?” Damion asks.

"Of course she will say yes, you guys have been dating for ten years.  You two are inseparable."

Damion looks down, knowing his sister is right.

"I know, I know. I'm just so fucking nervous,” Damion says with a nervous laugh and starts pacing. Alexa looks at Damion and stops his pacing, she leads him to her bed and makes him sit.

"You shouldn't be nervous Dami, you and Lily have been in love with each other since you were eight years old."

"Were we that obvious?" Damion asks, surprised.

Alexa laughs, "Oh brother of mine, everyone knew you two liked each other, I was surprised you waited until you were thirteen to ask her out." Damion looks at the floor. Yes he waited, but that was because he was scared of being rejected. But of course his sister looks right through him, she is his twin.

"You two were young, it's okay. But ten years together! Ten years! It's about time you ask her to marry you."

Damion shakes his head smiling, "You're right. I thought since we are still young, I should wait. I mean we are only twenty three years old ... But I can't wait anymore. She's my everything."

She really is my everything, Damion thinks to himself. Lily is his entire world. Damion wouldn't know what to do without her. She makes him happy. She's smart, kind, gentle, selfless and honestly Damion can go on and on. He's one lucky guy.

Damion loses his train of thought when Alexa screams again. "I'm so excited!" she says while jumping up and down. Damion shakes his head, she never changes, and neither has he. Great, here comes the nerves again. Geez Lily is the only one that gets him like this. He is usually confident and charming as people say. But when it comes to Lily, it's a different story. Don't get him wrong, he can be charming towards Lily but he gets super nervous. Tonight has to be perfect. But he has this weird feeling that something is not right. Maybe it is too early for them. Damion voices his thoughts to Alexa.

Alexa turns around and gives Damion the sting eye.

"Oh my god, Damion. Chill okay? Yes, you guys are young but you two are practically married already. You live together and spend everyday together. You two became successful, she's a lawyer and you're a detective. It's exactly what you guys wanted to do as kids. You push each other to be better. Together, you strived for your dreams and are unstoppable. Nothing can ever come between you two because you are meant to be. I know this is a scary step but you two are ready."

Damion smiles, "You're right."

"Of course I am. Now go home, greet your girl, get ready and meet the rest of us at the bar."

You must be thinking, a bar? He's going to propose in a bar? To answer that question, yes, it may seem weird and not romantic. But Damion knows Lily, and he knows she would love to be surrounded by their best friends for their special moment.  What she wants, she gets. Lily always sees right through him so he's never able to surprise her. But not tonight.

"Okay, okay. So bossy," Damion says to Alexa. "Okay, I'm going to leave. Don't forget to tell Jake, Bree, and Ana to be there by seven thirty pm."

"Yes, I know. Now shoo," Alexa says as she pushes Damion out of the door. "Oh, wait!" Damion stops and looks at Alexa with one eyebrow raised.

"What now?"

Alexa looks at the floor and plays with her fingers.

Oh no. this can't be good, Damion thinks.

"Um can I bring Jason?"

Hell no! Jason is Alexa's boyfriend. Which he doesn’t like at all. Alexa deserves better, he's a complete dick. Damion always tells Alexa to break up with him but she says she loves him.

"Alexa, you know I don't like him. Besides, this is our group of friends type of thing."

"I know. But Jason and I have been dating for almost a year and I would like to celebrate with him too," Alexa says giving Damion the puppy eyes. Damion sighs knowing he can't resist those eyes, she is his baby sister.

"All right, you can invite him," sighs Damion. Alexa jumps up and down in excitement. "But he better behave," Damion continues.

Alexa lunges at Damion and gives him a hug, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, love you."

Damion rolls his eyes, smiles and hugs her back. "Yeah, yeah, love you too. See you later. Seven thirty, don't forget."

Damion leaves Alexa's place and thinks, Great. What have I done? Lily is going to be pissed.

 

 

**CHAPTER 2**

Damion arrives to his and Lily's apartment. He bought flowers before heading home. He notices that Lily is not in the living room when he walks in and says, "Lil, are you home?"

"Yeah! I'm in the study," Lily replies. Damion heads over to the study, hiding the flowers behind his back and stops by the doorframe to look at her. Lily is sitting behind her desk going through some cases and looks up when she notices Damion standing there. Damion smiles at her and heads towards her.

"Hey beautiful," Damion says and kisses her forehead.

"Hey ..." Lily says but then she notices the flowers Damion has and smiles. "Are those for me?"

"Oh? These? Well I don't know, I kind of wanted to surprise my girlfriend, but she's too smart for that."

Lily laughs and stands up to caress Damion's face and give him a kiss.

"Sorry hun, you know how I hate surprises."

"Yeah, I know, doesn't stop me from doing it though," Damion smiles at Lily as she reaches to grab the flowers.

"These are gorgeous. Thank you handsome."

Damion pulls Lily closer and kisses her, "You're very welcome. Happy anniversary love."

Lily smiles and leans up again to kiss him. Damion breaks the kiss and looks at the stacks of paper on Lily's desk.

"New case?"

Lily looks at the stack of papers and said, "Yeah. It's a big one."

"I can tell. What is it about?"

Lily looks back at Damion and says, "Confidential."

Damion nods in understanding but Lily interrupts him by saying, "But I may need your help. I asked permission, and they said it was okay."

"Anything for you. But why say confidential if you need my help anyways?"

Lily shrugs with a smirk on her face, "I really wanted to say that."

Damion smiles shaking his head.

"Oh I should put these in a vase," Lily continues and walks towards the door.

"You should also get ready," Damion says making Lily stop in her tracks. She turns around and looks at him curiously. "Oh, you're taking me out tonight?"

Damion walks towards her, "Of course I am. It's our ten year anniversary."

Lily gets excited, "Ooh where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

Lily tilts her head and narrows her eyes, "Damion..."

Damion laughs "Okay. We're going to our favorite hangout spot with the crew."

Lily squeals and jumps on Damion.

"I'm guessing you like the idea." Damion chuckles as Lilly wraps her legs around him and he holds her still.

"I love it!" Lily says as she kisses Damion's cheek.

"And I love you. Now, go take a shower and get ready," Damion slowly puts Lily down.

"Yes sir," she winks, salutes and leaves the room.

Damion leaves the room to get ready himself.  Once he is in Lily's and his room, he puts on the blue buttoned down shirt that Lily got him for his birthday. She says the shirt brings out his blue eyes and of course he wants to look good for his girl. Damion looks at the bathroom door, making sure that Lily doesn't come out as he walks to his sock drawer and take out a pair from the back. He looks back and checks the door again while taking out the ring box he hid there. Knowing Lily, he knows she would never look inside his sock drawer. He puts the ring box in his pocket and checks the time. He notices that if they didn't leave soon, they were going to be late. He breathes in and out and knocks on the bathroom door.

"Lil? Are you ready? We need to go."

"Yeah. Just give me a few minutes," Lily says from the bathroom.

"Lil ... okay." Damion stops himself from saying something stupid. Reminding himself not to rush her and turns around leaning against the wall. Damion lost in his thoughts didn't notice that Lily came out of the bathroom. Lily clears her throat to capture his attention. Damion looks at her.

"How do I look?" Lily says turning around in a circle.

Damion, starstruck looks at her and gulps. There she is wearing a royal blue backless dress. Just ending above her knees and when she turns around, just stunning.

"Wow! You look ... you look absolutely gorgeous."

Lily smiles, "Really?"

"Absolutely. I'm a lucky man," Damion says as he pulls Lily into a kiss.

Kiss "I thought.", kiss, "We're," kiss, "Going to," kiss, "Be late." Lily laughs and pushes Damion away.

"I don't think I want to go now," Damion says trying to pull Lily close to him again, but she covers his mouth with her hand.

"Let's go lover boy."

Damion sighs, "Fine. But afterwards you're all mine."

Lily giggles and leads Damion towards the door.

**CHAPTER 3**

They arrive at the bar and they see their friends waiting for them and head towards them. Until Lily saw Jason and immediately stops, stopping Damion in the process.

"You didn't tell me that Jason would be here."

Damion turns to face Lily, "I know. I'm sorry. I know you don't like him. Neither do I. But Alexa begged me to bring him."

Lily sighs and looks down. Damion puts a finger under her chin and lifts her face up.

"She deserves better," Lily says.

"I know. We all know. But she's stubborn, and she's an adult so we can't make decisions for her."

Lily nods, "You're right. I guess we should just get this party started."

"That's my girl," Damion says as he gives Lily a kiss on the cheek and they head towards their friends. They sat down and ordered drinks. They spent the rest of the time talking about nonsense and inside jokes they had over the years. Leaving Jason out of the loop and yes it was on purpose.

The night was going on so well, Lily was smiling and laughing, which is all he wants. He then looks at the time, noticing that the big moment is coming up. Alexa notices this as well and walks towards Damion.

"Are you ready?" Alexa says as he pulls Damion to the side.

"Yes, but nervous."

"Don't over think it. Now go over there and do your thing." Alexa winks at him. 

"Okay. Thank you for helping me with this."

"Anytime big brother. Go." Alexa walks away towards the stage and grabs a mic.

"Hello. Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate my brother and Lily's ten year anniversary party. I'm so happy that my brother found someone so special in his life. You guys are perfect for each other and everyone knew this since we were kids. But anyway, this is not my party so big bro, take it away."

Damion had his own mic behind Lily. Lily surprised by this, turned around and looked at him, shocked.

"My sweet girl. We've been together since we were thirteen and ever since then you have made me the happiest man alive. You're the only girl I want to be with. There's no one else for me, you ruined that for me, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you my sweet girl and if you'll let me, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Damion gets down on one knee and takes out the ring box from his pocket, "Marry me?"

"Oh my god. Yes! I love you." Damion stands up and slides the ring to Lily's ring finger. Lily lifts up her hand and looks at her ring. It’s absolutely stunning. It was an emerald shaped into a heart, beautiful but simple, just like how Lily likes it. Damion pulls Lily close to him and kisses her. Lily breaks the kiss and looks up at Damion with a big smile on her face.

"You did it. You finally surprised me."

Damion laughs and says, "I told you I would get you one day."

"You sure did," Lily says and grabs Damion and kisses him passionately.

"Well someone is getting laid tonight," Jason says and Lily and Damion breaks the kiss to look at him, annoyed.

"Dude," Ana says.

Bree just rolls her eyes while Jacob just looked at Alexa. Really? This guy?

"Babe cut it out," Alexa whispers to Jason.

"What? It's the truth, they will definitely fuck tonight. I mean I would tap that."

"Excuse me?" Damion says letting go of Lily, ready to confront him. But Lily puts a hand on Damion's arm to stop him. Damion looks at her and Lily shakes her head.

"I'm sorry, he didn't mean it. He's just drunk," Alexa says but you can see the hurt in her eyes.

Jason snorts, "Of course I did. She's hot." He takes another drink and winks at Lily's direction. Lily face turns into disgust while Damion's hands curls up into fists.

"Watch it," Damon says but Jason just smirks at him.

Oh that's it, Damion thinks as he strides up towards him. But he stops his tracks as Alexa grabs Jason's arm to pull him up.

"Woah, what the fuck are you doing?" Jason yells at Alexa.

"Watch how you speak to my sister."

"It's okay Dami." Alexa looks at him with a sad smile. "Let's take a walk," she says to Jason.

"Alexa ..." Damion warns her.

Alexa pulls Damion into a hug, as he glares at Jason over her shoulder and sees him going over to the bar to get more shots.

"Be careful," Damion says giving Alexa kiss on the forehead.

"I will. I'm so sorry this happened." Alexa looks at Damion and Lily. "I didn't mean to ruin your night."

"You ruined nothing. It's him."

Alexa looks down sadly, "I'm sorry."

"On second thought, I think you should stay," Damion says watching Jason get another set of shots.

"He's right," Lily says as she pulls Alexa into a hug. "He's way too drunk right now."

Alexa look back and sees Jason drinking.

Alexa sighs, "I'll just take him out to walk, to sober him up a bit."

"He's long way gone from that," Damion replies.

"It'll be fine," Alexa reassures Damion. "I promise that I won't let him drive," Alexa says as she turns around but Damion grabs her arm and stops her. Alexa turns around curiously.

"Alexa, don't. Just call a cab."

"I can't leave him like this," Alexa says looking back at Jason.

"I don't trust him," Damion says trying to get through to her.

"You trust me, right?"

"Of course I do."

"Then trust me when I say that everything will be okay. I will drive him home and then I will go back to my place," Alexa looks at Damion pleadingly.

Damion nods, "Okay. But if he does anything and I mean anything. You. Call. Me. Got it?"

"Got it, big bro." Alexa smiles and yelps in surprise when Damion pulls her back into a hug. "Congratulations again," Alexa says.

Damion watches Alexa walk away towards her boyfriend, worried sick for her safety. Lily notices his distress, interlaces her fingers with his. Damion turns and looks at Lily, guilty.

"I'm sorry sweet girl. This was supposed to be our special day. I didn't want this to happen."

Lily caresses Damion's cheek as he leans towards her touch.

"It was a special day. You know why? Because I'm engaged to the love of my life and nothing makes me happier."

Damion kisses her, "I love you."

"I love you too, blue eyes." Lily smiles.

Damion turns to his friends, "All right guys, we're going to head home."

"No problem, go and celebrate, Bree, Ana and I will stay a little longer," Jacob says.

"Don't let Jason ruin your night,” Bree says

"Amen to that, she should just dump his ass," Ana includes to the conversation.

"We all know this but she's the one who needs to realize it," Damion says and they all agree and say their goodbyes as Lily and Damion leave the bar.

On their ride home, Lily notices how Damion keeps clenching and unclenching his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Blue eyes?" Lily looks at Damion worriedly.

Damion glances at her and says, "Yes?"

"You okay?"

Damion lets out a small smile, "Yeah, I'm just worried about Alexa, that's all."

"Do you want me to call and check on her?"

Damion shakes his head, "No, I'm sure she's fine. She hasn't called so she must be right?"

Lily nods, "Right," she says in a small voice. She is also worried about Alexa but she has to believe that everything is okay.

"Besides tonight's our night. I just want to go home, make love to my fiancé and cuddle for the rest of the night", Damion says to lighten the mood.

"Sounds perfect," Lily says as she lifts up to give Damion a kiss on the cheek. Damion glances at her and winks.

The rest of the car ride was spent in silence and not an awkward silence. It's never awkward between them, they love enjoying each other's company. Once in a while Damion would reach out to grab Lily's hand and kiss it. Although Damion was worried about Alexa, he was also happy. She said yes. She actually said yes. He always knew she was the one, but now it's official. Damion lets out a happy sigh. Lily hearing him, giggles.

"Happy?" Lily looks over to him with a smile.

"Immensely," Damion says with a big smile, staring straight ahead, paying attention to the road.

"I love you," Lily says.

"I love-"

"Watch out!" Lily screams as she sees another car heading straight to them. Damion tried to take control of the wheel but it was too late as the car hits them and they swerve into a tree.

Blackout.

Lily slowly opens her eyes and gasps. Damion is on top of her, unconscious. It seems that Damion threw himself on top of her to protect her from the impact. She notices that Damion is bleeding from the side of his head. With trembling hands, she reaches out to touch Damion's face.

"Damion?"

No response.

"Damion?" Lily asks again as she shakes him.

Still no response.

Lily panics and shakes him again, harder.

"Oh god. Damion please. Wake up. Please. Baby please wake up," Lily cries. She searches for Damion's wrist to check his pulse. With a sigh of relief, she finds it. But it's faint, and that's not good. Lily frantic, starts kicking the car door trying to get it open.

"HELP! HELP! Somebody help us please." Lily tries kicking the door again and with all her strength she has left, she manages to get it open. But she is unable to get out due to Damion being on top of her. Then she hears it. The sirens get louder and louder as it gets closer.

"Is anyone here?" a police officer asks.

"We're over here! " Lily says as loud as she can.

"Miss, are you okay?"

"No, please help us. My fiancé ... He needs medical attention," Lily says as tears roll down her face.

"Okay, let's get you guys out." The police office calls an EMT over and they both get Damion out into a stretcher. The EMT grabs another stretcher and helps Lily onto it but she pushes his hands away.

"I'm okay. Just save him. Please just save him."

The EMT nods, "We will do all that we can, but we need to check you're okay too."

But Lily doesn't listen to him as she tries to catch a glimpse of Damion and sees the EMT's putting him in an ambulance. Lily starts to lose conscious but as she looks to the side, her eyes got wide. Lily couldn't believe her eyes. Standing next to the car that hit them was Alexa and Jason. Alexa screamed when she saw that it was her brother and Lily on the stretchers. Just before Lily fell unconscious, the last thing she saw was Jason getting arrested.

The next time Lily woke up, she was on a hospital bed. For a second she forgot why she was there, but then it all came back to her. Damion. She sits up, frantically. The machine next to her goes haywire as Lily starts having a panic attack. She tries to take out the IV from her arm when a few nurses came rushing in to see what was going on.

"Where is he?"

"Miss, you need to calm down," one of the nurses says as they try to hold her down.

"Don't tell me to calm down. Where. Is. Damion?" Lily says trying to pull away from their hands.

"We might need to sedate her," says another nurse. Lily eyes gets wide and shakes her head. She breathes in and out, trying to calm herself down. The nurses realize what she is doing and they slowly let her go. Once Lily relaxes, she looks up again with tears in her eyes.

"I'm okay. Just tell me he's okay. Just please tell me my fiancé is okay."

The nurses look at each other and one of them leaves the room.

"We're going to get the doctor for you. First let me do my job and check you over."

Lily nods.

As the nurse is checking Lily over, Alexa walked in hesitantly, leaving Lily and Alexa staring at each other. In that moment, the memories of the accident came back in a flash, making Lily remember the last thing she saw before passing out.

Lily gasps, staring wide eyed at Alexa, "You ...," before finishing her sentence, the doctor decides to come at that time. He was a middle-aged man, tall with black hair and a wedding ring on his finger.

"Hello, I'm doctor Jones, Lilian Castle, right?" the doctor says.

"I go by Lily," Lily says and the doctor nods, writing something on the chart he has on his hands.

            "You are very lucky, Lily. You survived the terrible car crash with just minor scratches. But we need to thank your fiancé for that right?"

            Lily gulps and nods slowly, "How is he?"

            The doctor slowly puts the chart against his chest and looks between Lily and Alexa. The doctor raises his eyebrow when he notices Alexa, standing in the corner. Alexa catching this, says, "I'm his sister," in a small voice.

            The doctor nods.

            "We were able to stabilize him."

            Lily sighs in relief, "Oh thank god. When can I ..." Lily stops speaking when she sees the doctor's face.

            "Wait, what's wrong?"

            "Since he protected you, the impact of the accident was worse on him. He has two broken ribs, scrapes and cuts, neck injury and he hurt his head pretty bad. It's a miracle he's still alive."

Lily tenses up, knowing there was a but coming soon. "What are you saying?"

The doctor looks at her sympathetically, "I'm sorry but due to the trauma, your fiancé fell into a coma and it's possible that he might not wake up."

"No ...," Lily whispers as she covers her mouth and starts crying. While, Alexa sobs and slides down the wall.

"Please, there's something else you can do," Lily rasps out.

The doctor shakes his head slowly, "There is nothing else I can do. The rest is up to him. I'm truly sorry," he says and leaves the room.

Lily lets out a sob and then she remembers that Alexa is in the room.

"This is all your fault," Lily says looking at Alexa with so much hatred. Alexa looks up, startled and gasps when she sees Lily's face. She starts crying more and slowly stands up.

Alexa shaking her head, "Lily, p-please, I-I-I didn't w-want this to h-happen," she says as she gets closer to Lily on the bed and touches her hand. Lily pulls her hand back, quickly.

"Don't. Touch. Me." Lily seethes.

Alexa looks at Lily in shock and looks down with tears still falling down her face.

Lily looks away from Alexa and whispers, "Get out."

Alexa looks up, "What?"

"I said get out," Lily says raising her voice a bit.

"B-but ..."

"GET OUT!" Lily screams at Alexa with tears falling down her face. She can't stand to be in her presence or look at her in that moment. Alexa slowly nods and runs out of the room, leaving Lily alone in her heartbreaking pain.

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