Carmen:

"I'm losing my mind." I fought back a yawn, steadying my chin on my hand and taking a giant gulp of coffee.

"Do tell." Jesse replied, popping another piece of french toast in her mouth.

"I can't believe she's doing this." Nicole muttered while looking at her phone.

"I know huh?"

"You don't even know who I'm talking about." Nicole laughed.

"That's why I'm saying that, so you can tell us who did what."

"My friend, she's dropping this clothing line. I love her, but honestly, she just schmoozes off her parents' cash. At least she has good taste though." Nicole began to show us all the pictures of sketches her friend had sent her.

"Amazing." I zoomed in on a sketch of a black dress, awed by the intricate drawing.

"I know. She needs someone to start working on ad campaigns for her though." Nicole smiled deviously. "Ad campaigns, like somebody I know used to do."

"That feels like it was ages ago. I probably forgot all about where to start." I shrugged, taking a bite of a fry.

"You were always good at it. Besides, with her clothes and your thinking creativity, you could help sell her clothes and get so much cash!" Nicole leaned into me, squishing her face into mine. "Tell me to ask her."

"Tell you to ask her?" I laughed. "I really don't"-

"Tell me!"

"Tell her!" Jesse joined in on the chant.

"Carmen!"

I looked all over the restaurant, hiding my face with my mug. "I don't"-

"Come on!"

"Fine, ask her. Just stop yelling or you'll get us kicked out. And I love their fries." I shoved another fry in my mouth, checking my phone.

Van: Are you busy tonight? With the girls?

I don't think soooo, what's up?

Van: I dunno if you've noticed this, but...

Van: I love you

And this is why you asked if I had plans?

Van: Of course not. I wanna take you out to a fancy dinner. Like really fancy. Like I might wear a bowtie.

Oh really, and what's the occasion?

Van: We're alive and in love?

Van: And also because we just got a big bonus for revenue. And money is class.

Money is class

"Are you ready angel?" Nicole stuck her hand out at me. I let her pull me out of the booth, sliding up my jeans and following both her and Jesse out. We were heading over to the Melrose Trading Post, this big flea market that Nicole was shocked Jesse and I had never been to considering we'd been living in LA for as long as we had.

Van: It is. So get pretty

Van: PRETTIER. wait, don't think I'm saying you're not.

Van: Pretty that is. You're already stunning.

Van: But like, yeah.

Van: You know what I mean

Van: Bondy's laughing at me because he's been reading my messages.

Van: I vote Bondy out of the apartment by the way

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"So, she said ok." Nicole spoke up out of the blue while I was checking out a rack of leather jackets. Jesse pointed at the pair of sunglasses she was wearing, and I flashed her a thumbs up before Nicole repeated her words again.

"I'm sorry Nic, what?"

"Lynn, she said yes. She wants you to work up a couple ad campaigns for her." Nicole threw her hands around my shoulders, making the jacket I was holding almost fall out of my clutch. "You're getting cash babygirl!"

"What?" I squeezed her hand, looking at Jesse. "What, why? Why is she doing this to herself?"

"Don't be dumb, you know why. You're an ad wiz."

"Thank you for getting me this opportunity." I hugged Nicole. "You're a star. Grateful for you always."

"Always for you babe. Do you think I can come with you when you check out the designs? I've been dying to see a couple of the sketches she's shown me come to life."

"Of course! I was expecting you to," I admitted, "Yes please come with me."

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Van:

"That was a shitty shot." I brought the beer bottle to my mouth, but Bondy just about shoved it out of my hands.

"Shitty shot my great aunt Sue." He shouted, pushing the buttons on the controller and screaming again when the referee showed up on the screen. "Christ Jim!"

"Who's Jim?" Bob stretched.

"Since no one even thinks to name the video game referees I just take the liberty of naming them. This one here's Jim. He likes film noir and curling up with his pitbull Agatha and a nice glass of bourbon."

"Fuck off Bond." Benji laughed, grabbing the second controller.

"Isn't it funny how the first bonus we got and you guys spend it on a gaming console?"

"We can't all be responsible like you Van. Making adult decisions now aren't we?" Bondy pinched my cheek, causing me to slap his hand away. "Ya know I love you. And I'm going to be pissing myself from excitement when Carmen sees it, but until then lad, let me enjoy this game."

"Are you going to tell your parents Van?" Bob asked.

"Dunno, should I tell them before or after?" I looked away from the screen.

"Maybe you should tell them before?"

"What if my mom starts raggin' on me because I didn't invite her to see everything go down?"

"That's the price ya gotta pay mate. Are you nervous Van?"

"Really a little bit. Not much." I pushed my hair back, tapping my hands against my legs.

"Why do you look like you're going to pass out then?"

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Carmen:

"I said I was going to save up for the trip next week, but look at these dresses!" I ran my hand down the silky slip dress, itching to buy eight of the same style in different colors. And coincidentally the vendor did offer the same style in different colors.

"Buy twenty." Nicole held up the dress. "You could wear it on your super fancy date with Van tonight."

"Maybe. Yes. Ok, I'll get it in black and red. That's limiting myself right?"

"Obviously." Jesse pushed her two giant shopping bags up her shoulder, looking around the place. "We're almost done going through all the shops right?"

"Uh, this is just the front." Nicole laughed.

"No, really?" I thought of all the money I'd spent already. "Maybe we should come back some other day then? My wallet will thank me."

"Alright babies."

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Van:

"What'd you get me then?"

She put her chin in her hand, rolling her eyes. "What'd I get you?"

"Well yeah, those are some big bags."

"They're just giant pillows." She brought out two colorful bed pillows, throwing them on the bed. Watching my expression, she finally broke out in a laugh. "And of course I got you something babe." She brought out a couple of band t-shirts, and this class looking leather jacket with patches all over it. "Ta-da."

"No way babe, these are right class." I slipped the jacket on and looked in the mirror. She rested her chin on my shoulder. "These weren't too much were they? You should've asked me for some cash." I rubbed the leather with two fingers, looking at her through the mirror.

"I have a job ya know. Besides, let me spoil you." She pressed her lips quickly against my cheek and turned around to go through the rest of the stuff she'd brought. "I got these dresses that are sooo cute babe. Ohmygod."

"What, are you gonna model them for me then?" I turned around and slipped the jacket off.

"They're a surprise. You'll see one on me when we go out tonight." She said in a sweet voice.

"Tonight?" I frowned, confused.

"You're kidding. Didn't you tell me to"-

"I'm kidding! I know I said tonight. You get so red babe." I wrapped my arms around her waist and brought her close to me, pushing my face against hers. She pinched my cheeks with both hands, stepping away from me.

"Go on out then, I'm going to change."

"Kicking me out?"

"That's what you get for laughing at me."

She ignored my pout and turned towards the bags. I wrapped my arms around her still, burying my face in her neck. She jerked suddenly, trying to pull away from me. "Model it for me come on. Promise I'll stop laughing at you for tonight."

"For tonight?" She shoved me away, grinning. "What's the occasion?"

"Just feeling generous."

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Carmen:

"You really weren't kidding when you said you'd wear a bowtie." I straightened it out, grinning.

"I don't kid about these things."

"Whoa who are these hot things?" Bondy called out the minute we'd walked into the living room. "Room for one more wherever this setup's heading?"

"No." Van answered in a firm tone. "We'll be back later. Don't wait up Bond, I know you worry."

"Christ I do. It is a burden I must carry, that of always looking out for my mates." Bondy threw his arm over his head dramatically, while Bob and Benji saluted and went back to their game. "Have fun you two, but don't have too much fun that I have to bail you out."

"Bye lads." Van pulled me towards the door.

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"So where will this fancy night kickoff?" I asked him, a little nervous at the idea that he'd ended up behind the wheel. Not that Van wasn't a good driver, he just, tended not pay attention at stoplights and more often than not ended up doing things that definitely fell on the illegal side of driving.

"It's a..."

"Surprise." I finished, resting my elbow on the door and putting my cheek against my hand.

"You really do look amazing."

I smiled, my stomach churning when I glanced over and saw him pushing his hair back, hands going back to gripping the wheel. "And you look so handsome."

"I know huh?" He laughed, turning sharply into a street. "Sorry about that."

We stopped eventually, outside a restaurant I'd remembered from our first weeks of dating. "Roscoe's, the waffle place?" I laughed, taking his hand while he held the door open for me.

"Not the fanciest place, but, I have too many good memories here. You going all red, me making sexual insinuations, and you finally deciding to give me a chance I think."

"I think that's so sweet. But I definitely should not have worn this for a waffle. And your bowtie"-

"This isn't the only stop of the night." He held the door open for me.

"What are you so smiley for?" I asked once we'd sat down in the booth.

"Just remembering."

"We're too overdressed." I glanced over my menu at the other customers.

"Maybe they think we're some high schoolers coming out of a dance or something."

"We definitely don't look like high schoolers Van." I laughed, tugging at my dress self-consciously.

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Van grabbed my hand as we walked out, opening the door for me again and practically running to the driver's door.

"Maybe I should drive." I spoke up, only half joking.

"No way, you don't know where the next spot is."

He drove again,and when he pulled to a stop it was at yet another place I'd recognized. We'd been to this bar before.

"If you're planning to drink then I'm driving." I said the minute he turned off the car.

"I won't drink anything here. We'll just soak up some of the atmosphere."

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"Van tell the truth, you got me dressed up to go eat waffles and go to a bar?" I crossed my arms, leaning against the table. He licked his lips, scratching the side of his head.

"There's more to it. There is." He clasped his hands together. He really did look amazing. I ordered a drink. "Don't taunt me with that." He laughed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize." I pushed the drink away, leaning forward.

"I'm kidding, I won't hate you if you drink and I can't."

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"This is kidnapping." I spoke up as we drove up past the neighborhoods I vaguely remembered and through a road that was a little more deserted.

"You are neither a kid nor in danger." He took a sharp left, making me dig my nails into the fabric of my dress.

"The danger part can be debated." I saw him give me a look and laughed. "Seriously, the suspense is killing me, where are we going?"

"Can't say just yet. Ok, maybe now. A friend of mine from the label lent me his beach house for a couple of hours."

"The beach?" I grinned, "Beach house?"

"He has like three houses, I don't think he'll miss this one much."

"And we're going to go to the beach house and be on the beach?"

"You love that don't you?"

"Well yeah. It reminds me of that one time we went to beach and you looked so out of place." I laughed.

"I wasn't that used to it. I never used to go much when I was younger. Remember? As a baby sure, but afterwards." He shrugged. "But yes, we're going there right now, to end this nice night and so you can dance around the sand in that pretty dress of yours."

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" I laughed.

"Very much."

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Van opened the door and it was pitch black inside, except for the bit of light shining in through the glass windows.

"So you just asked for the beach house and he was like sure?" I wondered aloud as Van fumbled with the light switch.

"Yeah, he's a class fella isn't he?" Van finally got the lights to work.

"This house is beautiful." I looked around the place, everything seemed so clean and bright. This was definitely not just some little beach house, more like a beach mansion.

"It is huh? Soon I'll get us one. Come on then, don't you want to take a romantic walk on the beach, makeout on the sand and whatnot?" Van laughed.

"Why am I not surprised you say that? But sure." I grabbed his hand and followed him outside. The moon reflected off the waves and the sand got into my shoes so much that I finally gave up and took them off, holding them in one hand while holding onto Van's hand with the other. "So romantic."

"Guess I am huh?" He grinned, looking at me. I rolled my eyes, looking at the waves. The tide was a little farther away so we weren't getting wet. When I looked back at Van he was looking at me strangely.

"Do I have something on my face?" I quickly looked away and brushed my hand against my face, but Van laughed.

"No you're..perfect." His hand was warm in mine. "Remember when I went over to your place for the first time? That very same night we met?"

"I was so nervous around you. You talked too much. Still do." I laughed.

"But you got used to it. And I, well I can't remember a time not knowing you. Or I don't want to remember." My heart dropped at his words.

He looked down at the sand. I reached over and touched the side of his face. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I guess I've just been thinking about everything with us. I feel like I've known you my entire life. Everything we've gone through, all I've cared about is coming back to you. I wrote all these songs about you and now I can barely think of what to say to encompass everything I feel for you." He laughed. "I've never been good with nerves. Probably because I've never dealt with them much. But you babe, you make me nervous sometimes."

"I do not."

"Sometimes you do. Probably because I-I care too much of what you think about me."

"Van I"-

"Not to say you intimidate me or I'm scared you judge me. Only sometimes," he teased now, "I mean I just want to do everything to make you smile. Because you make me smile all the time." Warmth crept through my entire being. I smiled down at the sand and then at him.

"You're going to make me emotional right now." I said. "But I love you. So much."

"And I love you. You're my best friend Carmen. And I can't imagine a day without you, and I can't imagine not waking up next to you." The words rushed out of him. "I guess I realized it the second week of knowing each other, that I was already yours for good." He stuck his hand in the pocket of his jacket, licking his lips. "You're the love of my life Car." I touched the side of his face and he leaned forward, pressing his lips against me. He moved back a mere inch, "Guess all that's left is, when the time comes and you want to, because I'm game whenever you are..." He dropped on one knee in front of me.

The waves in front of us became a mere whisper, and the cold I'd felt a minute ago disappeared. Everything around us reduced to absolutely nothing except for Van on one knee in front of me, his lips in a huge smile and a little black box in his hands.

"Will you, one day in the future, whenever you'd like, marry me maybe?"