The next couple of days passed by quite quickly, probably because I was so excited about my date with Larissa. I had made all of the necessary arrangements with Alice, and arranged a time to pick Larissa up.

"Eleven o'clock? Who goes on a date at eleven o'clock?" Rob asked, mocking me for how I reacted when he took Alice out on their first date.

"Shut up," I laughed. "This is different."

He just laughed at me, then continued making sandwiches at the coffee shop. Tom was leaving the shop in the possibly capable hands of Rob while he went away for the weekend. However, he had been with us all morning, making sure Rob was aware of all of his managerial duties.

"Don't forget to lock up, Rob," he said, sounding concerned.

"Dad, I've locked up for you hundreds of times."

"Yes, and you also left the house unlocked hundreds of times when you were living with me," Tom laughed. "I'm not here to check up on you, so just make sure we don't have any issues."

"Aye aye, captain," Rob joked, holding his hand to his head in a salute.

"I'll keep an eye on him, Tom," I promised.

"Yeah, unless you get laid tomorrow night," he replied.

"That's not really what I'm going for this time," I said.

"Yeah, but if it happens, I don't really see you running back here to check this dumbass locked the door."

He was right, I definitely wouldn't.

"Dad, I'm going to lock the bloody door! Stop panicking."

Tom just sighed and shook his head.

"Okay, I had better get going," he announced, putting on his coat. "Call me if there's any issues."

He handed Rob the keys, then walked over to me and hugged me.

"Good luck tomorrow sweetheart," he said softly. "I really hope everything works out this time."

"Thanks, so do I," I replied, kissing him on the cheek.

"Why is he so much nicer to you?" Rob asked, after he left.

"If it's any consolation, he called me a dumbass the other day, too," I laughed.

Rob smiled, and started to clean the kitchen. I went out of the kitchen, as I had just heard the door open. I quickly served a customer a cup of tea, then Rob joined me.

"Are you nervous?" He asked, sitting down next to me at the till.

"I'm fucking terrified," I admitted. "She's already broken my heart on multiple occasions, I'm not ready for it to happen again."

"I think it's different this time. I think she's finally realised that you're the one she wants."

"I hope so," I smiled.

Rob and I didn't have many meaningful conversations, so I was always glad when they happened, however short they were.

"I found out why my mum left, by the way."

He raised an eyebrow at me questioningly.

"It was Tracy, from Liam's foster home. She told her she had proof that it wasn't just my dad hurting Liam, and threatened to tell the police," I said.

"What proof?"

"There isn't any," I laughed. "But my mum did hurt him, so I guess she thought there could have been proof, and got scared."

"Wow, couldn't she lose her job for that?" He frowned.

"I don't think so, my mum was threatening me, so I guess it wouldn't get very far in court. I doubt she's gonna come back if she thinks there's a chance she'll go to prison."

"You've got it all now, haven't you?" Rob laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"Liam coming home, your parents out of the picture. Larissa's the last piece of the puzzle, and that's pretty much in the bag now."

He looked happy as he spoke, which made me love him slightly more than I already did.

"Not forgetting you and Alice," I said.

"Well, yeah. We're the most important part," he grinned. "Oh yeah, I need to show you something."

I waited for a minute while he ran over to his coat and took something out of his pocket.

He held a small black box in front of me, then opened it up to reveal the most beautiful diamond ring I had ever seen.

"Holy shit," I breathed.

He didn't say anything, he just stared at me, waiting for more of a reaction. I didn't say anything, I just jumped up from my seat and hugged him.

"Yes! Yes I will marry you," I shouted dramatically.

Rob rolled his eyes at me, but people in the coffee shop started clapping, which made it a little awkward. I just laughed at the whole situation while Rob loudly stated that I was joking. A couple of people gave us dirty looks, while some laughed.

"You're an idiot," he said to me quietly. "So, what do you think?"

"I'm so happy for you," I said honestly.

"Really?" He asked, seeming to be shocked by my response. "You're not gonna call me an idiot and say it's too early?"

"Dude, it's entirely up to you when you propose to her. If you feel you're at that stage in your relationship, then fuck social norms. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. You and Alice are perfect together, and you deserve to live your life however you want. Get married, have kids, buy a house. Whatever. It's your life."

"I feel like you're not even Ivy anymore," he laughed. "But thank you, I'm glad you don't think I'm moving too fast."

"Of course I don't," I smiled. "But there is something you need to remember."

He frowned and waited for me to continue.

"I'm gonna be your best man."

Rob burst out laughing, and I gave him a few seconds to calm down.

"Dude, you're not a man."

"I don't give a fuck."

"What if Alice asks you to be a bridesmaid?"

"Then I will thank her for her kind offer, and inform her that I'm already your best man."

"Okay. You can be my best man," he said, trying to hold back his laughter. "That's if she even says yes."

"Of course she will say yes. But do it properly. Find a romantic setting, but her flowers, order champagne, and get down on one knee," I advised him.

"I will," he smiled. "I've kinda got it all in my head, how and where I'll do it. I just need to figure out the perfect time, and set it up."

"Let me know if you need any help with anything," I said.

"Okay, thanks," he smiled. "Now, your shift is almost over, go get an early night so you're ready for tomorrow."

I thanked him and said goodbye, before going up to my apartment. I took a shower and got dressed into my pyjamas. I wasn't tired, but I went to bed early like Rob had suggested.

As I lay in bed, a million thoughts stood between me and a decent night's sleep. I ran through the plan for my date with Larissa, making sure I hadn't forgotten anything.

For some reason I kept thinking of this as my last chance with her. I remembered what I had told Rob earlier, that I wasn't ready to have my heart broken again. I hadn't been in love before I met Larissa, so naturally I hadn't experienced heartbreak before. It should have been enough to put me off loving someone again, but I was a sucker for punishment. Larissa just kept dragging me back in, and I didn't know if I could take it anymore.

I thought that if it didn't work out this time, that i would give up. Then I realised I was thinking about Larissa, and nothing would make me give up on her. She was the one I wanted to be with forever, and she was the only person for me. I knew it, she knew it, in fact, just about everyone knew it.

I was determined to make it work with her, not only for my sake, but for hers too. I knew I could make her happy. I would give her every damn thing she wanted, and more, if she would just give me a chance.

My anxiety seemed to get worse every time I almost fell asleep. There were too many things going on in my head, and I needed a way to get rid of them. I remembered that I still had some medication from when I had a concussion, and went to the kitchen to find it. The tablets the nurse gave me always made me tired.

I took one pill out of the packet, and made a glass of water. I read the packet, which advised to take two pills, but decided against it. I quickly took the tablet, and went back to bed. After a few minutes of tossing and turning and trying to get comfortable, my eyelids began to feel heavy. Within a few minutes, I was fast asleep.