"Eat up," Zach said, leaning back in his seat.

"These pancakes are concerningly-"

"Rubbery," Josie and I said at the exact same time, making us look at one another.

"Literally," she said, "I don't know why the school tries to trick us into thinking this is real food."

"Well, give them to me," Zach said, "I'm fucking starving. And don't have an issue with the texture of the pancakes."

I slid my plate over to him, looking over at him as I rested my chin in my hand. "Why are you so hungry?"

"It must be the pregnancy," he joked.

"Hey, that's not a joke," Amelia said, looking up from her phone.

"My bad," Zach muttered, picking up the pancake and biting into it.

"How the fuck do you eat that shit with no syrup?" Eros grimaced.

"Hey, when a man's hungry, a man's hungry," Zach said, "we can all agree."

"Well, I think a woman being hungry is more lethal," Eros said, "you have never seen hangry until you've seen Josephine King get a serious case of road rage because the Chick-Fil-A drive through line isn't moving fast enough."

"Reasonably so," Jo said, "hey, we need to get to the council meeting. Technically, we should've been gone, like, five minutes ago."

"I still regret signing up for this shit," Eros grunted as he stood up, throwing an arm around her shoulders, "see you guys later."

Hero and Amelia were absolutely invested in something on her phone screen, his arms folded over his chest and a slightly disgusted look on his face.

"What the fuck," he blatantly said, looking over at her.

"It's brutal," she said, "you're acting like you didn't already know that."

"Uh, yeah, I didn't," he said, "wow, I could've gone my entire life without seeing that."

Zach lifted an eyebrow, his eyes toggling between the pair.

"Birthing videos," Amelia deadpanned, "he's dramatic."

"Do you two just watch birthing videos for the hell of it?" Zach asked, obviously confused.

"No, I'm pregnant," she said.

"You're pregnant?"

"I thought everyone knew that by now," Amelia said, "or at least our circle."

"Uh, no, I didn't," Zach said, "congrats, I guess?"

Amelia smiled, looking back down at her phone.

"I really think I'm going to be sick," Hero said, sliding his food away from him.

"Too bad," I said, sliding it back towards him.

His eyes met mine and he sighed, shaking his head.

"I'm fine," he mouthed, making me nod down at his plate.

"Okay, I'm going to head to class," Amelia said, standing up, "hope everyone has good days."

"I'll walk you," Hero said, standing up. He grabbed his plate and dumped it in the trash, making me let out a sigh.

"Are you coming over tonight?" Zach asked.

"Uh, maybe," I said, looking over at him.

"Can't make time for your man, I hear?" He asked, leaning back in his seat.

"You know," I said, angling my body towards his, "we never actually made things official, Zach."

"Is that so?" He asked, shooting me a smirk as he bit into a twizzler.

"Yes," I said, "you never properly asked me to, you know, be your boyfriend."

"Well, what if I was waiting on you to make the move?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow.

I knitted my eyebrows together, earning a smile from him.

"I'm just kidding. We all know you're the bottom here."

"That's- no," I said, shaking my head.

"Absolutely," he said.

He grabbed his things and stood up, smiling down at me. "But challenge accepted. I guess I'll have to figure out how to properly make things official with you."

I chuckled and stood up. "It was partially a joke."

He pressed a kiss to my cheek, smirking as he pulled away. "See you next block."

"Yeah," I said, watching as he walked away.

So what was Zach going to do to properly make things official with me?

~*~

"Josephine," I sang, pacing back and forth in front of her door.

"Yes, father?" She finally answered, leaning against the doorframe.

"I've been calling for you for five minutes," I deadpanned.

She nodded down at her wet hair.

"Oh, you were in the shower."

"Did you do the math yourself, genius?" She asked, a smile tugging at her lips.

"You little smartass," I said, wrapping my arm around her neck.

"Dad, stop," she said, "you're going to flatten out my hair."

"Well, that would be a tragedy," I said.

"Let me comb out my hair and I'll be downstairs."

"Hurry," I said, "I need your input."

"Can't rush perfection, Dad."

"Wouldn't dare," I sarcastically said, jogging downstairs.

After a few silent seconds, I heard her footsteps coming downstairs.

"Okay, what can I do ya for?" She asked, leaning against the counter with a smile.

"Who have you been hanging out with?" I asked.

"Old men like you," she deadpanned.

I looked over at her, making her giggle and jump up on the counter. "Okay, what's up?"

"First of all, I need you gone tonight," I said.

"Damn. Harsh."

"Second of all, I bought three rings," I said, "I got her a princess cut, an oval, and a pear."

"Woah, what are you doing?" She asked, but gasped when she saw the rings in front of her.

"Dad," she said, "what the fuck?"

"Hey, language," I said, grabbing all the rings, "I'm, like, re-proposing to your mom."

She placed a hand on her chest, jutting her bottom lip out. "You're renewing your vows?"

"Y-yeah," I said, "sure."

"Look at you!" She said, "thoughtful. I love it."

"Which ring?" I asked.

"Okay, well, the other two she doesn't want, I will take-"

"The jeweler will take them back," I said, pulling them away from her.

"Mom likes pear," she said, "she's had princess cut already."

"Yeah, I was thinking she might like something different," I said, "but I also thought the princess cut was, like, her ring. Just revamped. More modern, you know?"

"No, pear will look amazing on her," she said, shaking her head.

"So pear it is," I said, "now, I need your input on how I'm going to ask her."

"Well, how'd you propose the first time?" She asked.

"In the pouring rain, outside her house," I said, "back in Seattle. Then I proposed for a second time, properly, at home. With everyone."

"Hm," she said, "well, I think it'd be cute to do it really casually. Like, out of nowhere."

"It's already going to be out of nowhere-"

"No, do something so simple," she said, "make it, like, a pajama party. Don't dress up, don't overdo the date, just make it simple. Cute."

I chuckled, tilting my head over. "You really think that would work?"

"Of course it would work," she said, "Dad, at the end of the day, women are simple creatures."

"You most certainly are not," I said, "but nice try."

She smiled, swinging her legs. "Hey, Dad?"

"Hey, Josie?"

"You know, I've watched you work your ass off to get Mom back," she said, "to keep her."

I looked over at her, knitting my eyebrows together.

"You really taught me not to settle for anything less," she said, nodding, "I've seen it, so I know that good men exist. Men like you, I mean."

"You know, Eros is a good one," I said, nodding, "I don't think you'll ever have to worry about settling."

She smiled. "Yeah, he's alright."

"But," I said, "if the time came and you felt like you needed to settle, I don't ever want to see you do it. You're too good of a catch, Josephine Fleur."

"Well, what can I say?" She asked, looking down at her nails.

I chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you for the help."

"Of course. My guidance is always needed."

"Absolutely," I said.

"Seriously," she said, "PJs, hot cocoa, cookies, fuzzy blankets. Mom's comfort items. Don't screw it up, 'kay?"

"Got it, boss."

~*~

"Zach, where are you taking me?" I asked, "we're definitely not supposed to be here-"

"Relax," Zach said, leading me through a clearing of trees, "just trust me, okay?"

"If you get us arrested-"

"My grandparents own this place," he said, "there will be no arrests made."

"Do your grandparents know we're here?" I asked.

"No, but what they don't know doesn't hurt them. Never has."

I leaned my head back with a sigh. "Zach."

"Trust me, Henry," he chuckled out, looking back at me, "we're fine. Just a few more steps."

We made it out of the trees and I knitted my eyebrows together at the sheer emptiness. Nothing here, except a huge screen.

"Holy shit, is this an old drive-in?" I asked, chuckling.

"Yeah," Zach said, nodding with a smile, "take our picnic basket."

"You want me to take your backpack?"

"No," he said, "I'll be back, okay?"

I watched as he ran over behind the screen, making me knit my eyebrows together and smile. I pulled our blanket out of the picnic basket and placed it on the ground, falling on it shortly after.

I propped myself up on my elbow, resting my head in my hand as I reached in the picnic basket to grab out our food. I made sure to keep an eye out for Zach, as I was seriously confused as to what he was doing.

"Yo, Zach!" I yelled, "what are you d-"

"Coming," he yelled, and I lifted an eyebrow when I saw the huge screen light up. I chuckled, knitting my eyebrows together when I saw Zach running towards me.

"Alright," he said, chuckling as he sat next to me, "hi."

"Hey," I said, leaning over to press a chaste kiss to his lips.

"Gourmet PB&Js, check," he said, pulling our sandwiches out of the basket, "and chips for me, fruit for you. Life of an athlete."

"The worst," I said.

He smiled over at me. "Okay, look at the screen."

I reached in my bag of fruit and pulled out a watermelon cube, smiling as I bit into it.

"Where did you get one of those clickers?" I asked, nodding down at Zach's hand.

"Pawned it off of Mr. Ramirez," he chuckled.

I shook my head, looking back at the screen.

"Why I think Henry King should be my boyfriend," I read off of the screen, falling on my back with a laugh, "you're fucking with me."

"No shit, sit up," he laughed out, "for real."

"You did not make a fucking PowerPoint presentation," I laughed out, looking up at Zach.

"Uh, I most certainly did, so you better lean your ass up. I spent a lot of time on this."

I laughed and sat upright, keeping my eyes fixated on the screen.

"First reason," Zach said, switching the slide, "Henry King is thoughtful, kind, and smart."

"Wow, I never thought I'd hear you admit it," I said, leaning over to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Hey, it's not over," he said, switching the slide again.

I rested my arm on my knee, smiling at the screen.

"Second reason, Henry King is totally fucking packing."

I laughed, shrugging.

"And great in bed," Zach whispered, "next slide."

"And third reason," Zach said, and this reason wasn't listed on the same slide, making me look over at him.

His eyes met mine and he switched the slide, his jaw taut. "Third reason is because I love him very much."

I knitted my eyebrows together, my eyes darting down to his lips. "You mean that?"

He nodded, making me grab his jaw and pull his lips to mine.

"I wasn't done," he whispered, smiling against my lips.

I chuckled, pulling away from him.

He switched the slide again.

"So, will you be my boyfriend?" He asked, making me smile and nod.

"Most certainly," I said, laughing as I nodded.

"Okay, now let's get back to kissing," he whispered, pushing me down on my back.

I smiled and raked my hand through his hair, trailing that very hand down his side and to his hip.

"Fuck the PB&Js," he whispered, getting ready to pull his shirt over his head, but we were both cut short by the sound of an alarm blaring.

"What the shit?" I asked, sitting upright.

"We should definitely run," he said, nodding.

"Zach!" I exclaimed, watching as he jolted up from the ground.

"Leave the basket!" He yelled.

"I thought this was your grandparents' place!" I yelled, following him through the woods.

"Yeah, they didn't know I was here-"

"What the fuck, Zach!" I yelled.

"Come on!" He chuckled out.

He grabbed my hand and we ran through the remainder of the woods and to my car. He braced his hands on his knees and doubled over, letting out a heavy breath. "Fuck."

"What the fuck!" I exclaimed, "y-you said-"

"There's an alarm I forgot about," he panted out, "motion sensors, shit like th- shit."

"Zach, are we going to get arrested?" I asked.

"We outran the cops," he said, "you're fine."

"How do you know that?" I asked, my eyes wide.

"I just do," he said, "relax."

"Oh, my God," I said, "my boyfriend runs from the cops. Often, it seems."

He laughed, standing upright. He grabbed my face, smiling a broad smile. "At least you know life with me isn't boring."

I wanted to be angry, but I couldn't. I folded, smiling back at him. "At least."

~*~

"No, I need you to just relax, sweetie," I said, holding my phone between my shoulder and ear as I attempted to unlock the door, "I understand she cancelled, and I understand your frustration. I get it, but I promise you, I am on it. Don't cry off your makeup."

"A-are y-you s-sure?" The sobbing soon-to-be bride asked, "you-you've got it?"

"Absolutely," I said, "I promise. I will have you a new caterer by tomorrow, mark my words."

"Okay," she said.

"You're okay?" I asked, finally opening the door. I stumbled inside, dropping my shopping bags as soon as I walked in.

Fred shot me a broad smile, making me smile and hold up my index finger.

"I'm okay," she said, "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay, my love."

I hung up and sighed, leaning my head back. "Wow."

"Hi," he greeted, making me actually take a good look at him.

I giggled, trailing my eyes down his pajama clad body. "Hi."

"Do you like?" He asked, doing a spin.

"I, uh, I love," I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Good, because I got you matching ones."

I lifted an eyebrow and caught the pajama set he threw at me, my eyes meeting his. "Oh?"

"Oh," he said, smiling, "date night, baby."

I let out a sigh, biting down on my lip. "My couple's caterer just cancelled, I really have to find another-"

"Okay, I'll help," he said, "but I've already set up our date, so."

I smiled. "It'll only take a few minutes, I'm sure. Just have to make some calls."

I walked over to him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I can't wait to see what you've put together."

He smiled down at me. "Give me some numbers to call while you change."

I held my tablet out to him. "Go to my notes, and you'll see a caterer list. You might have to scroll, but you'll get there. Just tell them I had another caterer cancel last minute, and I need them for Saturday if they have any availability. Pay will be amazing."

"Got it, boss," he said, "seriously, go change. Get out of those uncomfortable clothes."

I pressed another kiss to his cheek, smiling. "Thank you."

I walked away from him, smiling down at the pajama set. I stepped out of my heels and jogged upstairs and into our bedroom, seeing the bed freshly made, laundry all folded, and the room spotless.

I rested a hand on my hip, smiling a warm smile. Wow, Fred really outdid himself.

I stripped out of my clothes and into the rather comfortable pajamas, looking at myself in the mirror. Fred had great taste in pajamas, I saw.

I ran downstairs, wrapping my arms around his neck from behind. "Someone has the best taste in pajamas."

"Don't I?" He asked, grinning back at me, "hey, I think I might've found a caterer already. I jotted her name down for you. She's the only person I've called so far."

I sat next to him at the table, smiling over at him. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"I mean, I do, but if you want to keep telling me-"

He cut himself off with a smile, winking. "I'm kidding."

I rested my head in my hand. "Let's get to this later. I smell hot cocoa. You're not slick."

He chuckled, standing up. "That you do. I got these new cocoa bombs, I thought they were really cool."

I walked into the kitchen, scoffing. "You already made yours, but not mine?"

"You have to drop the bomb in there and watch it explode," he said, a mischievous smile on his face, "it's an experience."

I giggled, grabbing the hot glass of milk from beside the stove. I grabbed my hot chocolate bomb and dropped it in my glass, watching it slowly come apart.

He smiled an accomplished smile, resting his elbows on the counter.

I knitted my eyebrows together at the sight of a very sparkly ring encased in a small circular object, looking over at him. "What?"

He grabbed it out of my glass and opened the small case, pulling the ring out.

He dropped down to one knee, making my jaw fall open. I laughed and covered my mouth, shaking my head.

"Will you marry me? Again?" He asked, smiling up at me.

"Fred," I laughed out, "what on earth?"

He stood up, chuckling. "You must be something, if I've asked you twice now."

"You've asked me three times!" I giggled out, pressing a kiss to his lips, "yes, I'll marry you. Again."

"Hell yeah," he said, grinning down at me as he gripped my backside.

"Ooh, does that mean another honeymoon?" I asked, my eyes lighting up as I looked up at him.

"Oh, absolutely," he whispered, and we sealed our perfect night with a kiss.

~*~

❤️❤️

🥴

❤️

🥳🥳🥳

❤️

💕