The door opened and Shane walked inside.
"Hey sweety." He came up behind me wrapping his arms around me. I put my diary down and turned in his arms. We kissed softly.
"Hey you." I said wrapping my arms around his neck. "What's up?"
"Nothing much...just missed you. We haven't seen each other for five minutes now." I laughed.
"Oh yes..I'm so hard to get over." He laughed too and we kissed again.
"Kim is waiting for us down at the coffee house, you comin'?"
"Yeah...I'll be there in just one second."
"Okay." Shane smiled and let me slip out of his embrace. "I'll see you there." He said and left the apartment.

"Hey Sophie!" Jill called out as I entered the coffee house.
"Hi guys!" I said coming around the table sitting next to Shane as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder grinning broadly. "Hi Sophie."
"Hey"
"Hi"
"Hi Sophie."
"So what's up Kim?" Kian asked.
"Er...nothing really. I just got 3 tickets to this museum and I feel very bad that I can only ask 2 of you to come. I don't know what to do."
"Oh I'll pass." Mark called out.
"Yeah...me too," Shane said.
"I don't mind not going." Kian answered.
"That's great! Then we all girls can go together! Yay!" Jill and I glanced at each other wishing we were as quick to answer as the lads.
"Sure! That'll be fun!" Jill said wondering how on earth she got herself into it.
"Yeah, great." I said. The lads all looked at each other, then at us and chuckled.

The three of us arrived at the museum the next day.
"So, where do you wanna start?" Kim asked. Jill opened the brochure.
"Ooh! The gift shop! We'll start there!" She said and we laughed. A woman was explaining to a couple about this ceremoney they are going to have, and we couldn't help but overhear.
"The guests will be sitting there and the altar will be right here." She gestured to her right.
"What a lovely place to have a wedding." Kim said.
"Yeah, except that I wouldn't have the guests over there," I pointed. "And I'd have the altar right under this beautiful arch."
"I didn't know you made weddings here." Jill said to the woman and she smiled.
"Yes, we do and there's a two year waiting list." She said impatiently and walked off with the couple following behind her.
"You should put your name down, Sophie." Jill piped up.
"What? What are you talking about? Shane and I don't have any plans of getting married just this yet. We're not even engaged."
"Yeah, but the waiting list is two years long! If you don't put your name down, in two years time when you do want to get married, you'll have to wait another two years. Shane won't want to wait that long." Kim volunteered.
"What harm can it do?" Jill said.
"Yeah, why not?" I said.
"I think I'll put my name down too."
"Yeah...me too."

The next day...
At the apartment, Shane was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper, just before Sophie came home from work. The phone rang, and Shane didn't bother to answer, letting the answering machine get it.
"Hello, this is Ms. Winterlay from the Morgan Chase museum. I just wanted to let you know that there has been a cancelation, so if you would like to move up the Filan-Rackel wedding ceramoney-" Just right then Shane jumped up from his seat and grabbed the phone.
"This is Shane Filan, this is Shane Filan." He shouted hyserically into the phone. "Yes, the groom." He said puzzled. "No! Not the groom!"

I came home after work and smiled at Shane.
"I got some vegetables for dinner tonight." I said happily. He looked at me funny.
"At least ask, before you do anything. Or at least wait till I ask." He said confused, leaving the apartment. I looked at the door he closed behind him, puzzled. I turned around and saw that the answering machine was flashing.
"Oh, I got some messages." I said and turned it on, listening.
"Hello, this is Ms. Winterlay from the Morgan Chase museum. I just wanted to let you know that there has been a cancelation, so if you would like to move up the Filan-Rackel wedding ceramoney-"
"Oh My god! He didn't hear it! He didn't hear it!" I screamed, pulling my hair.
"This is Shane Filan, this is Shane Filan..."
"Noooooooooooo!" I fell down on the sofa as I cried out.

I ran down to the coffee house in hysterics, pushing the door open I saw Kim sitting at a table drinking coffee.
"Where's Shane? Have you seen him?" I shouted at her.
"No, why?"
"The woman from the museum called saying there was a cancelation and if we want to move the wedding up, and he heard it!"
"Oh no!"
"It's all your fault. I sould never have listened to you! 'What harm can it do to put your name down?'"
"I didn't say that." Kim said defensively. "Jill did."
"But Jill's not here!" I cried out as I left the coffee house.

I looked everywhere for him. It took me nearly the whole evening, searching for him, asking Kian every five minutes if he'd seen him, when I gave up, hoping that he'd be in the apartment. I went inside, but he wasn't there. I turned around to continue looking for him as Shane opened the door and walked in.
"Oh Shane! I'm so sorry!"
"Why did you do it?" Shane asked, hurt.
"I'm sorry. It's just that we were at this beautiful museum and we thought it'd be fun to put our names down. But it didn't mean anything. Really!"
"Ok." He smiled. "It's just that you know, I'm not ready for this."
"I know, I know. I shouldn't have done it." We kissed and I relaxed. "I better go tell Kian that everything's ok." I left the apartment. Kim came out of the next bedroom and Shane turned to her.
"So, did she buy it?" Kim asked.
"Yeah, she did." He smiled.
"So did she show you the place?"
"Yeah, it's beautiful." He grinned.
"Oh my god! I can't believe you are going to ask Sophie to marry you."
"I know." Shane said softly.

Chapter Two
Shane was sitting down flipping through a ring brochure. Kim was helping herself to a glass of milk.
"What cut should I get her?" Shane asked. "A tiffany cut, a princess cut...Ouch! Paper cut!" He said sucking his thumb.
"Have you told anyone else?" Kim asked.
"No I didn't. Because I didn't want Sophie to find out."
"You told me."
"Yeah, that's becuase I trust you, we are best friends and you walked in as I was looking at ring brochures."
"Once again, not knocking pays off. I only wish you weren't on the toilet."
"Yeah, me too. Do you want to come with me to choose the ring?"
"Oh! I'd love to." Kim said. Just then Mark and Kian came in. "Hey Shane!" They said.
"So, do you want to go to the coffee house, Shane?" Kim asked.
"Yeah, alright."
"Great! We were just about to see if you wanted to go." Mark said as Kian opened the fridge taking out a slice of pizza and began eating.
"Oh well, we don’t because we got...the...other pl-place..." Shane said. Kim left the apartment and Shane followed, closing the door behind him.
"How rude!" Mark said.
"Oh sorry." Kian looked at him, offering his pizza. "You want some?"

Shane and Kim went into a jewelary shop, looking at rings.
"Nothin'! This is the nine millionth ring store we’ve been too and I can’t find the perfect ring!" Shane goes over to another display counter and starts pointing at rings. "Ugly ring! Ugly ring! Ugly ring!" He notices that one of the jewelers is watching him. "It’s a beautiful selection." The jeweler walks away slowly.
"Okay, so maybe you don’t get her a ring. Maybe you-maybe you do something different. Y’know? Maybe you get her an engagement bracelet, y’know? Or an engagement tiara? Or ooh! An engagement Revolutionary War musket!" Kim picks one up from the display in the corner.
"Y’know, I’m so glad I picked you to help me with this." Shane said sarcastically.
"Huh? Can you just imagine getting down on one knee and handing her this gorgeous piece of weaponry?" Kim said handing Shane the musket.
"Yeah, I’m gonna stick with the ring." Shane goes to another display counter. "Oh, this one’s nice!" Pointing to another ring. "I like this one! Sir? Uh, kind sir? Can I see this one?" He asked. Kim came over after returning the musket.
"May I help you?" The jeweler asked.
"Uh-uh, yes. I would like to see that ring please." Shane points at the one he's interested in.
"This ring is from the 1920s, it’s a one and a half carat diamond with sapphires on either side."
"Sir, can I ask you to umm, could you…hold out that ring and ask me to marry you?" Shane asks slightly embarressed.
"Okay." The jeweler holds out the ring, deadpan. "Will you marry me?"
Shane chokes up. "Oh my God that’s it, that’s the ring! How much is it?"
"8,600"
"But I can only pay 8,000."
"Okay, I can let it go at eight. How would you like to pay?"
"Uh, credit card." Shane reaches for it then realizes. "Oh no! No-no, but I left my credit card with Kian." He turned to Kim "Okay, I’ll go get it. You guard the ring."
"Ok." Shane runs out the store in search for Kian.

Shane comes back huffing and puffing and Kim stands before him holding a ring.
"Oh, Shane! I found the perfect ring!"
"Oh, that’s uh, that’s pretty nice but I’m gonna go with the one I picked first." Shane said.
"The one you picked is gone!"
"What?" Shane pulls a face.
"Some guy bought it. I’m sorry. I tired to stop it but they put me in jail!"
"They put you in jail?"
"The little jail between the doors!" Shane was puzzled. "Yeah, I was trying on jewelery when it was sold so I ran after him and-"
"Kim, I asked you to guard the ring!" He said upset.
"I know, I’m sorry! But y’know, this ring is better! Sophie never even saw the other ring." Kim was trying desperately to calm Shane down.
"Yeah but when he proposed to me with the ring I got goose bumps."
"Maybe it was the guy?" Kim suggested.
"It was the ring!"

Shane was back in the apartment looking at the ring Kim told him to buy.
"I can’t believe I let you talk me into buying this stupid gumball machine looking ring!" He said to Kim.
"It’s not a stupid gumball machine looking ring! It’s a beautiful ring!"
"No, it’s not! When I looked at the other ring I could see Sophie's face when I gave it to her, y’know? And I could see her saying yes. When I look at this ring, all I see is a ring! Look, this is the most important thing I’m gonna do in my life. I wanna make sure it’s perfect." Shane says upset.
"Okay. There may be a way that we can get the other ring back. ‘Cause I heard the guy tell the jeweler where he was going to propose. So maybe we can get him to trade rings or something." Kim suggested.
"I can't do that." Shane says surprised at Kim's idea.
"Well you certainly can’t give her that stupid gumball ring." Kim says.