Nick was glad that he agreed to meet him. He needed some advice and Nick knew he was the one to talk to. As he pulled into the small park, he looked around for his car. He spotted off to the right; he parked next to it and watched as he exited the car.
"Hey Frack, what"s up?" He asked as he sat in the passenger seat and closed the door.
"I need your advice Brian, but this has to stay between us!"
"Of course, is something wrong? Is that why you wanted to meet? Did you and Mel have a fight?"
"No, well yeah we did, but that"s not the reason I needed to talk to you." Brian remained quiet, waiting for Nick to continue.
Nick told him about his and Melissa"s fight and about last night, not leaving anything out.
"Well, I"m glad you and Mel worked things out. You two are good together."
"I completely agree Brian, that"s why I need your advice." Brian nodded.
"Anyway I can help, I will."
"When did you know that you wanted to make a commitment to Leighanne?"
"Well for me, it was when I couldn"t stand being away from her. It physically hurt not have her near. I wanted to have her by my side everyday, I wanted us to make memories together, make a future together. I couldn"t picture sharing my life with anyone else. Basically, she was it for me, I didn"t want anyone else, but her." Silence grew between them as Nick digested every word Brian said.
"Nick, why are you asking me all of this?" Brian started to lightly laugh. "Its like you are thinking about asking Mel to marry you!" By the time he finished the sentence, he was completely laughing.
"And why would that be funny?" Nick asked getting displeased.
"No, Nick the idea isn"t funny. Trust me, if you were thinking about marrying someone, Mel would definitely be my pick for you. It just you and marriage, its something I just didn"t think about happening for a long time."
"I know, I thought that too, but my life has changed in these last past months. Mel has changed me."
"I know she has and it has been for the good. You haven"t been this happy in so long, plus she brings out a different Nick. A more carefree and composed Nick." Once again stillness grew among them. Brian finally broke the quietness.
"Nick, are you thinking about asking Mel to marry you?"
"No, Brian I"m not thinking about it"I"m going to ask Mel to marry me!"
"Nick, please don"t take this the wrong way, but this isn"t because of the fight you two had or that she will be leaving in two months?"
"No, Brian it isn"t. Everything you said you felt about Leighanne, I feel about Mel. It physically hurts to be away from her. I want to make a future with her; I want Mel to be my wife." Brian looked out the window, causing Nick to worry.
"I know what you are thinking Brian, Mel and I haven"t known each other very long and that"s true. We have only been dating over a year, but she is different."
"I know she"s different Nick. I like Mel, you know I think of her as my little sister, but you are my brother too. So, I want to make sure you aren"t making a rash decision."
"Brian, the whole time I was away from her, I couldn"t function. I called her everyday in hopes she would answer and each time she didn"t it killed me. But now she"s in my life and I feel like I can do anything as long as I have her." Brian watched him as he talked about Melissa.
"Mel loves me for me, just Nick. She puts me in my place when she thinks I"m out of line. She"s strong, independent, clever, and she loves with all of her heart. The moment her family needed her, she was there. She drop out of college and got a job to help her family. When she thought I was ruining my career by staying in Illinois, she did everything she could to get me to leave. She cares more about the people she loves then herself."
"Nick you don"t need to convince me that Mel is a good person. I already know that. She has proven that to all of us numerous times. We have watched the two of you together. I saw you watching her at the barbeque; you couldn"t take your eyes off of her."
"I love her Brian, more than life itself."
"Alright, well then we need to figure out how you are going to propose!" Brian stated giving him a smile. Nick smiled back, feeling relief knowing that Brian was behind his decision.
"So first thing, do you have a ring?"
"No."
"Well start up this car and let"s go ring shopping! I know the perfect place to look." Nick started up the car and listened as Brian gave him directions.
