When the glowing yellow sun kisses the horizon, the sky morphs into an ombre of pink and orange hues. The wind rustles through the plant leaves and the smell of jasmine wafts through the air. Taking a deep breath, I admire how the remaining rays of sunlight makes my engagement ring sparkle.

It's the simplistic beauty that captivates my mind, throwing me into an awe of wonder. I take in the view of the backyard, then look towards the house and smile. It still baffles me to how Blake could ever be mine, yet here we are, a wedding to plan and a future to chase.

The sliding door opens and I swing around and find Tori holding London's hand. She tugs away from Tori and bolts towards me.

"Hey Lo." I smile.

She takes a little leap and springs into my awaiting arms. I place her on my lap and wrap my arms around her tiny body. Kissing the top of her head, I tickle her sides to make London giggle.

"How's my favourite baby girl been?" 

London screeches in a fit of giggles before flopping in my arms. Her cheeks are bright red and her eyes are vibrant with happiness.

"We made chocolate muffins." She smiles with pride.

"Did you just?" I gasp. "And where is mine?"

"I ated them." She giggles.

"You ate them all? You cheeky little girl!"

I pick London up and walk towards the house. Tori steps inside and places London's backpack on the table. I place London on the ground and chase after her. She squeals as she races towards her room.

"Hey, you're forgetting something my little cupcake thief."

London stops at the hallway door, then glances over her shoulder. Her eyes follow me over to the table, then smile when I hold her bag up. She races back to the table and gently takes it from my hand.

"Tank you." She gins.

London races off, leaving Tori and I alone. The ring feels heavy on my finger and everything a little more awkward. Tori and I were friends when I was pregnant, but we've somehow worked our way backwards. Maybe it was my fault? I pushed everyone away after his death.

"So, how'd she go, anything new?" 

"Nope, we just had a quiet couple of days."

"Oh, that sounds nice." I smile.

"How was the mini-break for you?"

I kind of wish she'd leave my house, but she continues to linger around with questions. Leaning towards the table, I rest beside the chair and tug on a bright smile.

"Fabulous, actually." As I place my hands on my hip, Tori gasps with surprise.

"You're wearing a ring, did Blake propose to you?" Tori is riddled with shock, so much, I wonder if I should be offended. Even I knew it was bounded to happen sooner or later, we do have a house together.

I hold my hand up and look at the ring. There's a small sparkle which makes me grin. I don't think I could ever stop smiling.

"Yes, he did." I nod.

"Aw, congratulation." The happiness doesn't reach her eyes, but I ignore it. "How did he propose?"

"Just after dinner."

"He's always been a romantic." Tori sighs.

"Yes, that's true."

Tori walks towards me, so I lift my hand for her to inspect the ring. At that point, she no longer seems stunned, but a bit unsure of herself. There's a slight shake to her hand and she's skittish on her feet.

"I bet your family are ecstatic about the engagement."

"Everyone is." Well, except for her. "The boys are heading out to celebrate Blake's fleeting moment of so-called freedom."

"Aw, aren't you going to do anything?"

"Nah, I hadn't thought about it." I shrug.

"Oh, that's cool too."

The mood is awkward as our conversation grinds to a halt. I suppose now would be the perfect time to usher her out, but there's something off, something I can't figure out. I'd feel bad if I chucked her out without knowing.

"Do you know what would be good fun, a girl's night! I'll call Charlotte to get her butt over here."

"Really?" Tori perks up.

I grab my phone from the counter and dial Charlotte. On the second ring, she finally answers with a chirpy ring to her voice.

"Hey, do you want to come over for a girl's night?" 

"Sure, sounds good." 

"Okay, get here as soon as you can and come in your pajamas."

"Right away, ma'am." She chuckles.

We hang up and I place the phone on the counter. As I spin around, I glance at the time on the clock and sigh with happiness, it's almost dinner time.

"We need champagne and pizza." I laugh.

"I could duck out and get that if you'd like?"

"That would be brilliant, thank you."

Tori heads to the front door while I walk to London's bedroom. She's sat beside her bed playing with a set of Barbie's dressed in sparkly gowns.

"Are you ready for a bath?" 

"No," she screams. "I'm playing with my dollies."

"You don't want to have a bath?" I teasingly gasp. "But who's going to uncover the mystery of this missing mermaid? Who's going to save the yellow duck from the horrible t-rex."

London drops her dolls onto the floor and stands up. She zooms past me and towards the bathroom. I help London undress and step into the bath. As the water fills up, I toss the bath toys into the water and take a seat beside the tub.

She picks up the yellow duck and squishes it between her fingers. As it's squeezed, the duck splashes cold water onto her cheek.

"Yuck." She throws it away.

"Come on, time to scrub a dub dub!"

After bathing London, I get her dressed in pink pajamas with a sparkly princess pattered theme. She drags her stuffed toy behind her as she walks into the lounge room.

"Can we watch a movie?" She plops onto the couch.

"Very soon, London. Your mother is buying pizza and then we're having a very special night with Aunty Charlotte."

"A special night?" she gasps.

"Yes, a special night." I grin. "We're going to eat pizza and watch a movie."

"Yay!" she screams.

"I'm going to turn the tv on and you can watch your show for a little bit. Then, we have to pick a movie to watch together."

"Otay." She nods.

I turn the television on and wander towards my bedroom. I slip into the shower to freshen up and then change into a pair of my comfiest pajamas. I leave the engagement ring in the bedroom because I don't want it getting dirty from the pizza.

Just as I open the bedroom door, Tori and Charlotte wander into the house with a stack of pizza and the champagne.

"Oh my goodness, congratulations," Charlotte screams with joy. "I wanted to tell you in person so I could give you a hug!"

She tightly wraps her body around mine, then holds me to arm's length.

"Now, where's the ring?"

Charlotte grabs my hand, then frowns.

"Calm down, it's in the bedroom."

Tori walks to the kitchen while I walk back into the bedroom. I grab the ring out of the drawer and pass it to Charlotte. She holds it up in the light and gasps.

"It's beautiful."

"Thank you." I smile.

"I'm so happy for you both. You make me believe in love."

"Don't say that!"

"It's true." She nods. "Maybe Blake can teach Kyle a thing or two?"

"I've been trying for years, but maybe Blake will perform a miracle?" I giggle.

"I pray that he can."

I put the ring away and walk into the kitchen. Tori emerges from the hallway wearing her pajamas. I pass the pizza to Char and instruct them to pick a movie while I get the drinks. I open the bottle and pour it into three glasses. Although, I top mine up with lemonade.

Somehow, I manage to grab all three glasses by putting them in the triangle formation. I slowly walk towards the table and place them down.

I sit between Charlotte and Tori while London sits on the other side of Tori. We lay the pizza boxes across our laps and dig into the different options while Moana, bravely picked by London, plays on the screen. When the songs come on, she discards the pizza on the box lid to sing along.

Once we finish eating, I toss the boxes in the bin and top everyone's glasses up. I find a few blankets for the girls, then retreat to my bedroom for a moment. I find my phone on the bed and quickly message Blake.

'How's your night going? I miss you.' – Ava.

'We're having a lot of fun and I miss you too.' – Blake.

I'm surprised by the quick response, but I smile. Tossing the phone onto the bed, I wander back out. I slip under the blanket and end up with Charlotte resting her head on my shoulder as she falls asleep.

A thwacking sound jolts us away. I peek around the dark room and notice we were all sleeping. London cowers into Tori's side with fear as Char and I leap up to investigate. Just as I walk around the couch, the kitchen light is turned on, stunning the pair of us.

Axel and Ben prop up a very intoxicated Blake who's partly covered in his own puke. Kyle stands to the side with an awkward grin on his face.

"Blake!" I scold. "What happened to him?"

"Opise." He half-smiles. "I think I drank a little too much."

"Hm, too much is exactly right." I cross my arms over my chest.

"He's going to need a shower," Ben explains.

I walk closer to inspect Blake and sigh. He a disgusting mixture of alcohol and puke. I don't understand the boy's need to get Blake smashed to the point he can't do anything for himself, it's so dangerous.

"You reek."

"Just a little bit." Kyle laughs.

"I thought you were going to take care of him?" I look between the three with a scowl.

"We did." Kyle beams with happiness. "He's alive and in one piece."

"I told them to stop forcing drinks down his throat," Axel says.

I want to grumble with annoyance, but it's Blake's fault for consuming too much. 

"Can you two chuck him in the shower? I'll just put London in bed and then try to help."

"And we should get home." Charlotte looks at Kyle, she too, unimpressed.

"Yes, baby." He quickly nods.

Axel and Ben drag a semi-conscious Blake to our bedroom. I hug Charlotte and Kyle goodbye and then turn to face London and Tori.

"I'll be off too then," Tori comments.

"Come on, Mummy and I are going to put you to bed."

Tori scoops up a sleepy London and we walk into her bedroom. While she tucks her under the covers, I turn the lights on and pile the stuffed toys onto her bed. I kiss her forehead, wish her sweet dreams and then retreat from the room.

Tori mutters a small goodbye and then awkwardly leaves. I follow her down the hallway but veer off to the side to get into the bedroom. Axel is in the shower with Blake who's dressed in his underwear. Ben is cleaning off his body and it just makes me want to laugh, but I hold that in.

Once Blake is clean, Axel passes a semi-coherent Blake to Ben. They wrap him up in a towel and then toss his body onto the bed. Blake mumbles something and then goes to sleep still soaking wet.

"Thanks for that." I smile.

"No worries." Ben leaves the room, but Axel lingers in the bathroom.

"I'll grab you a towel since you're wet." I step out of the bedroom and grab a towel from the linen cupboard.

When I return, Axel wraps it around himself and dries off. There's a puddle on the floor, so he moves the bathmat to soak the water up. 

"Do you need clothes or?"

"Nah, I have some here I think?" He chuckles.

"Right." I nod.

"Don't make things awkward." Axel sighs.

"What are you talking about?"  

"What I said the other night, it didn't mean anything. I knew you'd never be mine, I could see you were far too in love with Blake to ever consider me. I just enjoyed the experience and it made me realise what I want in life . . . which is a lot more than messing around with people for one night."

"Oh." I sigh. "I'm sorry-"

"You didn't hurt me and I knew what I was getting into. I think we were meant to meet, but I don't think we were meant to be together. You're made for Blake."

"You are far too wise for your age," is the only thing I can say.

"I've been told that a lot." He chuckles.

"So, who do you want in life, Ben?"

"No." He shakes his head. "I want a wife, kids and a freaking house mortgage."

"What about Ben?"

"I don't know about him yet." He goes silent. "The future is always changing, ever evolving. That's the only thing I don't know about; who I want to spend my life with."

"Well, anyone would be lucky to have you." I grin.

"Thank you." He smiles.

Once Axel has dried off, he walks out of the bedroom and closes the door. I clean up the remaining mess in the bathroom and then jump into bed. Blake is still covered in water droplets but I don't know if I'll be able to move him.

"What am I going to do with you?" I sigh.

I attempt to dry him off a little, but it doesn't work, so I get under the covers and leave him be.

Axel is right about the future always changing. I wonder where I'd be if I never met Blake but just thinking about it makes me upset. Maybe we were always supposed to meet, even if the circumstances changed, we changed in order to somehow meet at the perfect time.

Our timing isn't always right, but we always get there in the end.