I'm laying down on Cam's tiny twin bed, watching as he sifts through all of his clothing that's in his closet. He wanted to take me out for dinner since my plane leaves at eleven tonight to fly to Connecticut, but I didn't think it'd take him longer than me to get ready. I've been waiting on him for a half hour now.

"Maybe this one?" Cam holds up a white button down dress shirt and glances back at me. "Is it okay if I wear this?"

I'm puzzled by the question, furrowing my eyebrows together in confusion. "Why wouldn't it be okay?" I ask. "You don't have to ask me permission to wear something. You do know that, right?"

With the dress shirt clutched tightly in his hands, he nods after about thirty seconds, a tiny smile falling onto face. "You're right. Sorry. I just don't want to look stupid."

"You would never look stupid." I reassure and stand up from the bed to wrap my arms around his neck. "Your style has always been impeccable. With a face like that you could wear a brown paper bag and still look hot."

He kisses me suddenly, his hands coming up to my cheeks to hold my face. This kiss is filled with more than just lust, I just don't know what.

"And to remind you as well..." he trails off breathlessly. "You don't have to ask me permission to wear anything either. I love everything you wear and don't wear, Maddie."

I really don't want to leave him. I wish I could be done with school and just live with him, but I know I've still got years left. Are there medical schools in Pennsylvania? Even if there are, what if he gets drafted? Then Pennsylvania wouldn't even matter. I hate how uncertain both of our lives are. I can't plan anything.

"I especially like this." Cam whispers as his hands travel down the silky fabric of my red dress. I'm so glad I had packed something to go out in. "This color looks exceptional on you. We might not make it to dinner."

"Oh, we're making it to dinner." I laugh and tug him towards the door. "I'm starving. Come on. There will be plenty of time for that afterwards."

—————-

I've never been to a fancy restaurant for a date. Other than the time that we all went out with Katie, but I don't count that since I didn't even eat the food. Or on the trip to the Grand Canyon when Cam and I went on that double date with Ethan and Maya, but I don't count that either since we were still hiding our relationship at that point.

I'm almost kind of glad though, because sitting here with Cameron under this dimly lit lamp, candles all over the table, it almost makes it even more special.

"What do you think you're going to order?" His eyes meet mine as he draws them away from the menu. "There's so much to choose from."

"Um...." I scan the list of French names, all of which I can't even read. I have no idea what any of this is.

"What about the steak?" He suggests, and when he sees me struggling to find it he chuckles and points to it on the menu.

"Seventy dollars?" My eyes practically bug out of my head. "No way, Cam. That's too expensive. I'm not going to let you pay for that."

His eyes linger on mine a little bit too long before he reaches across the table and grabs onto my hand. He gently strokes it with the pad of his thumb, butterflies erupting off into my stomach. "Have I mentioned that I love you?" He says. "And that this weekend has been one that I'll never forget?"

"Maybe a few times." I admit. "But I have to agree. Even though I'm so embarrassed that you had to take care of my high self last night. I am never doing that stuff again."

We're interrupted by the waiter who tells us all of the wine choices for the evening. Cam looks at me before he orders as if I know anything about wine.

"Anything is fine." I tell him, and again, I'm rewarded with that expression that I can't seem to read. "I don't really know much about wine."

"Me either." Cam grins and turns to the waiter. "Just give us a bottle of whatever you recommend."

"Will do, sir." He nods and scurries off towards the bar, returning in minutes with a chilled bottle of what I'm assuming to be the most popular one they have.

"Thank you so much." I tell him, and he gives me a smile.

"You're very welcome. Are you both ready to order?"

I'm about to say no, but Cam picks both of our menus up and passes them over to him. "We'll get the ribeye steaks please. I'll take a side salad and..." he glances over the sides again before he looks at me. "A baked potato I'm assuming?"

How does he know me so well?

I nod, my cheeks feeling as red as a tomato when the waiter disappears again. "You didn't have to order that." I tell him. "It's expensive."

"Well, if I know you correctly, then I know that since there's no pizza on the menu, steak is the next best thing to you. Am I wrong? Have your taste buds changed?"

"No, but still. How can you afford this?"

He shrugs. "My dad may or may not have heard about our date tonight and cash app'd me some money. He's still in the forgive me stage for basically leaving me alone in high school. I'm taking advantage of it."

"Well then." I say and raise my wine glass to clink with his. "To Ted."

"To Ted."

The wine is sweet. It practically tastes like juice. I take a few gulps and set the glass back down, noticing the same damn expression on his face as he looks as me. "What?" I laugh. "You've been staring at me oddly all night."

"Have I?" He asks. "I haven't noticed."

"Yes, you have. And I don't know why."

"I guess it's just because I forgot about all of the little details I love about you." He says.

"Ohh." I giggle. "So it's a good expression. Okay, well now I want to know. Come on, feed my ego."

He takes another gulp of wine and his stare hardens over me, the emerald green practically icing right through me. From his chiseled facial features, to that curly hair, to that incredible dress shirt he has on tonight, I find myself in a daze. I must be dreaming.

"Well, I love that you're so polite and nice to everyone you meet. Even if they're below you. I love that you let me be myself and don't try to change me. But most importantly though I love how down to earth you are. It's so damn refreshing."

Ah, I see where this is coming from now.

"Compared to Katie?"

He shrugs. "Yeah. It just makes me realize how good it feels to be with you."

Our meals get brought to the table after five more minutes, and the steak practically melts right off the bone. It's so delicious. We both eat in silence from the appetite we both worked up from last night leading into this morning. Five rounds certainly isn't forgiving.

Suddenly my phone starts to ring. I quickly reach into my silver sequined clutch and silence it.

"You can answer it." Cam says. "It's fine. I won't mind."

"It's just my mom." I tell him. "I'm not ready to talk to her yet. She's been blowing up my phone since I got here this weekend."

He nods and takes another bite of his steak, taking another swig of wine to wash it down. "Can I tell you something?" He asks. "Without you getting upset?"

"That depends on what it is."

He laughs and grabs onto my hand again. "I know you don't want to talk about what you saw at the club, and I've been trying to respect that this weekend, but if your mom is trying to reach out to you like this Maddie then she must know too."

"And what happens if she does know?" I ask. "What am I supposed to say?"

"You tell her that you love her and that you'll be there for her. Just don't ignore her if she's reaching out. She probably needs her daughter now more than ever, especially if she does know about the affair. I understand if you aren't ready to talk to your dad yet, but you should see what your mom wants. Hear her out."

I hate when he's right, but he always seems to give the best advice. I also love the fact that he can tell when I'm in the right head space to be receptive to it. I think he knows me more than I know myself sometimes.

I give his hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry." I tell him. "It must bother you when people talk about stupid fights with their moms. I know I shouldn't take a day for granted that I have with her. Especially after your mom passed."

"Mads, it's okay." He reassures. "We all get caught up in life sometimes. I think losing my

mom just made me all the wiser for situations like this. To kind of push you in the direction you should be going in to mend things rather than stay complacent."

"Are you the next Dr. Phil?" I tease.

"Maybe." He chuckles. "Hey, if I don't get drafted at least I'll have a career in counseling."

"There's the spirit!" I giggle and clink glasses with his again, reaching for the bottle to fill us up.

We polish off the bottle and eat the rest of our food. When the waiter brings us the check I can't bear to look at it as Cam slips his card inside. It must have cost a fortune.

We both head outside into the cold, all of the twinkling lights that are strung on the patio gleaming as bright as ever in the dark. It reminds me of that night at the Grand Canyon. That night at the restaurant that was so damn beautiful. It had such an incredible view.

The car is only a couple feet away, and I'm about to head over there until Cam grabs my hand and pulls me into his chest. A busker is playing a violin on the corner of the street, a tune I'm unfamiliar with, but it's slow and romantic. Very fitting for an evening like tonight.

"You know what this place reminds me of?" He asks and starts to slow dance with me, and it's like there's no one else in the world right now aside from two of us. People are outside waiting for their reservations, grabbing their cars from the valet, but right now my eyes are focused on his, just the gentle music of the violin being heard.

"The restaurant at the Grand Canyon." I smile. "I was thinking that too."

"Mhm." He kisses me gently and pulls away, his arms wrapped around my waist as we sway slowly back and forth. "Who would have thought that we'd be here again together almost five years later?"

I play with the ends of his hair, and suddenly I find myself blinking away tears. "I know." I tell him.

"It's just crazy to think that we've know each other our whole lives and have only just now allowed ourselves to finally be happy. No drama, no family issues, just... happy."

"Happy." I smile. "I'm so, so happy with you, Cam."

If I were to go back and tell my thirteen year old self that Cameron Holden would be in love with me I never would have believed it. He was a fantasy, a dream I thought I had only made up in my head.

Yet here I am dancing with him in the middle of the street all of these years later. We never gave up on each other, and something tells me that this is going to be a forever thing. He's my forever.

The violin continues and he holds me close, my head resting on his shoulder. My heart aches that I have to leave him tonight. I don't want to be away from him. I want to stay here, right here, in his arms for the rest of eternity. I want nothing more.

"Mads." He pulls away and tilts my chin up to lock eyes with his. "Marry me."

I'm frozen in shock, unsure that I heard him correctly. My eyes grow wide, so wide that I think they'll fall right out of their sockets at any given second.

Did he just ask me to marry him?

That wasn't my imagination, right?

"I don't have a ring yet, I don't have a fancy proposal planned, and I'll give all of those things to you Maddie I promise, but I want to marry you. I've known it from our first kiss, and I don't think I can keep it inside any longer."

I must be dreaming. There's no way in hell this is happening. My wildest fantasy is about to come true, and I don't know how to process it. I'm in complete and utter shock.

"Yes or no?" He pleads desperately, and finally I'm able to do something other than have my mouth dropped open. I look at him as if he's insane.

"Cam." I can hardly talk from being on the verge of sobbing. "How on earth could you think I would ever say no to that question?"

Relief, joy, and excitement flashes across his face at once. He's blinking away tears of his own, his pearly white teeth on full display to me as he smiles harder than I've ever seen him. "So it's a yes then?"

"I've been in love with you for years, Cam. Of course it's a yes. Do you not understand that this has been my dream since I was like, thirteen? I'm not dreaming am I?"

"No, baby." He chuckles and kisses me deeply as the violinist comes to an end with the song he's currently playing.

Slipping the busker a twenty dollar bill into his hat, he sweeps me off my feet while I throw my head back with laughter. "Cam!" I shout, attempting to pull my down my dress. It's no use though.

"It's coming off anyways." He says and quickly pulls out his phone to send a text.

"What are you doing?"

"Telling Devin not to return to the dorms until later." He smirks. "Because we have about..." he checks his phone again before he shoves it into his pocket. "Three hours before I have to take you to the airport."

"Hm..." I tap my chin with my fingertip. "I wonder what we could do in three hours."

We reach his car and he sets me onto the hood, my legs dangling off the side as he stands between them. "You just told me that you'll marry me." Cam says. "I have a lot planned for you, Mrs. Holden. Starting with these..." he grasps my leg and analyzes the rhinestone heels, my toes painted a baby pink. "I don't know whether to leave these on or off."

Mrs. Holden has such a good ring to it. It makes me feel all giddy and warm inside, like a little kid on Christmas.

"By the way." He smiles, brushing my cheek with his thumb. "Your dream isn't the only one that came true tonight."