We’ll go Together.

MC scans over the numerous papers that are sprawled crossed and covering every last inch of her and Chris’s large king sized bed. She piles bills, legal documents, and homework assignments in a desperate attempt to organize her life. She’s three weeks from Graduation and lately she hasn’t seen any of her friends except Chris and even then it was only just before turning out the lights to go to bed. She’s so focused and stressed that she didn’t hear the door open. As Chris enters he tries to examine what exactly he’s walked into, MC clearly panicked cleaning, piling and organizing

“Can I help you find something?” he asks his voice low startling as MC’s eyes shoot up in fear not realizing Chris was even home.

“Hi!” she says both out of excitement and panic. She speaks quickly not forming full sentences “I’m sorry, this is a mess, I’m kind of a mess, I’m just trying to get, I don’t know.. You probably want to go to sleep, I’ll move everything. Just give me, I just needed to find ugh, I need, I need” she looks at him holding back water in her eyes she’s not sad but she’s filling herself with anxiety and unnecessary stress she stares at him letting the water break through her dark brown lashes. Chris moves quick as he pushes papers aside gently sitting crossed from her on the bed he grabs her hands holding them tightly in his.

“Breathe MC” he reminds her lightly, he was used to this by now. Her anxiety was nothing new to him. She was very good at hiding it in public but if left at home alone she began to crumble. Chris always worried about her, she gave so much and took so little that as painful as it was seeing her like this at the end of the semester it was becoming more and more common.

MC falls forward breathing silently as she leans her forehead against Chris’s strong chest. As the year ended MC knew she was becoming more emotional, every time was worse than the last and she began to feel like she was drowning.

Everyone in their friend group had something lined up for their future. Kaitlyn had tour dates set around the globe starting the day after graduation. Zack was moving to New York City in a few short days and would fly back in just to walk in the ceremony. Abigail graduated in the winter semester and only stuck around for Tyler, their relationship ups and downs had been the drama of their friend group for years now. It sounded like it wouldn’t stop there. She took the first opportunity she was offered it would take her closer to home as curator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Tyler would join her on the move crossed country as he began an internship at Blizzard Entertainment in southern California. Chris was a longer story he’d been recruited by and accepted an offer from the Philadelphia Eagles but he wouldn’t train for them until the next season. Giving him just over a year off to travel or be free. He took the offer from a team that would keep him on the East Coast. Close to home and close to her. MC however had no clue what she wanted to do next.

“I’m hopeless” she sighed speaking into the warmth of his body. “I laid out everything my finances, my books, my studies, the applications and rejections to so many perfect jobs. But none of them tell me what to do next. None of them speak to me like they used too.” Chris kept one hand locked in hers and trailed the other up and down her back.

“You are far from hopeless, in fact you’re full of hope. Look..” Chris reaches over to the piles of papers and he blindly picks one up. It’s a bank statement as he looks at it his eyes go wide and he sits MC up. “Is this real?” he exclaims “You have $65,000 sitting in one of your accounts.” MC looks up and nods sheepishly.

“I never spent a dime they gave me from The Freshman, I opened an account and had them put every cent of it in there. Then when we won the lawsuit sophomore year at Vasquez’s house I put my portion of the winnings in there as well.”

“MC!” Chris laughs holding her hand “This is a lot of money!”

“Yes momentarily but realistically that will only last so long and I have nothing lined up after school. All my first options I’ve been rejected from. I have dreams Chris and right now the only one that is attainable is marrying you.” she holds back tears again wrapping herself in his protective arms.

Chris sighs, he knows she’s a perfectionist and that she’s only upset because her top choices have rejected her. While he could simply tell her to start where ever she could he knows that’s wrong. She’s incredible and deserves her first choice, in fact she’d worked harder than any of her friends and yet was seeing far less results “Okay, forget the rejections where were you accepted?” He says doing his best to dwell on the positive.

“My fourth choice is in New Jersey it’s nothing big really. It’s a small publishing house that would allow me to start as a paid intern and proofread incredible stories all day and could give me access to publishing my own works.” she looks in Chris’s eyes “It’s also only twenty minutes from Philadelphia and Packer Park” Chris tried not to show the overwhelming emotions but it didn’t last long, he tightened his grip around her kissing her temple. Looking down at the papers, his eyes quickly find multiple rejections and applications in a pile, all of them have one thing in common they’re all with in a two hour drive of Philadelphia.

“You’re only applying to places near me, MC.” His tone changes as his grip on her loosens “You’re better than what some of those small towns can offer you. Do not hold yourself back for me.” his words sting coming out as she turns to face him, fear flooding back into her eyes. This was a conversation they’d yet to have. What would happened when their careers took them in different directions. MC looks down remorsefully and reaches to the bottom of the pile of applications.

“I wasn’t rejected from this, I only applied back when you were being looked at by the Seahawks” she says avoiding his eye contact and handing him the paper. It’s an application very similar to the one in Philadelphia, it’s for a publishing company in Seattle except by the way MC is acting he knows immediately that this is the better offer, this is her number one.

“What is it?  I’m sorry this just isn’t my strong suit.” he chuckles softly avoiding the pain of the conversation.

“It’s similar to the other offer except I wouldn’t start as an intern, I’d be salaried, nine to five monday through friday coordinating the publishing department.” She knows this job is better, but this job keeps her from him. Making that choice is harder than settling for an internship. Chris lets out a deep breath and grabs her hands.

“Do you want it?” he asks looking down at their hands as he rubs his thumbs across hers gently.

“Yes of course, but I want you mo-” she starts but is cut off

“I won’t allow you to push aside the things you’ve worked for just for me. You’re scared and so am I but we can make it work. I don’t start with the Eagles until next season so let’s go to Seattle and figure it out there.”

“No.” she reaches a hand to his face forcing him to look at her. “Everything I’ve worked for will not outshine everything you worked for. We will find a way to have both. I won’t deny it I’ve worked my ass off the last four years but academics were not the only thing I put my effort into.” She pauses and grabs the sides of his face “I’ve given my everything to you and losing you is worse than reading a thousand rejection letters. If we move out to Seattle I know what happens at the end, we try long distance next year and we try to see each other but it wont work. We’d both be stepping into busy careers and I need to come home to you every night. I have to, I’m a mess without you. So no, I won’t take it. If it means I have to work hard as an intern and work my way up just to see you every day, then I’ll do that.”

“You’ve given and given to all of us MC, there’s not a single friend in our midst that can graduate without having you to thank for it. I don’t want you to give anymore I need you to take, for yourself and your future.” he responds harshly placing his hands over hers. Both of them are hell bent on making each other see their point of view and it’s erupting now like a volcano.

“Then I’m taking you!” She says sternly in return. She can’t believe they are fighting over her wanting to be with him,  “You are what I’m choosing, you over that offer. I will not loose you or leave you, Christopher Powell you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. You’ve taught me to work hard, and to love harder. You keep me going when I’m at my absolute worse. Lately I’ve been broken, and every night I cry until you come through that door and fix me. But in return, when you’re sick, sad, lonely or lost taking care of you gives me more joy than writing.” the room goes silent and her words pierce through his ears. The entire time he’d known her writing was her out and her escape. She always had notepads to write on or documents open on her computer, she was always writing it was her joy. To hear now that he was her joy, it meant something to Chris, it meant everything.

MC stands Chris up on the bed, the mattress squishing beneath their feet. She was always one for dramatics. “Chris I love you, look around at this room and think of the memories. The poems I’ve written about you and for you, the plays and diagrams you’ve talked me through all at that desk. Think about Vasquez’s house how you’d always leave your lamp on when you went to bed because you know I’m scared of the dark and didn’t want me to be afraid if I came up to your room in the middle of the night. The dorm freshman year” she paused moving closer to him barely any space between them now “That first night on the roof” she says running her hand down his back and lower. “Chris, Next weekend we say goodbye to all of it and I’ll be damned if you have to be apart of that too.” She watches as he looks around and as he realizes that she’s right and that she’s certain in her choice to stay with him. As Chris turns back to look at her she’s lowered herself back to the bed.

“Christopher Powell, please marry me, I beg you.” She continues her stern yells as Chris realizes she’s on one knee balancing herself on the wobbly bed. This wasn’t traditional but it was very much MC. He laughs and sits down crushing papers beneath him he grabs her face gently with both hands. His his lips only an inch from hers he smiles

“Yes, I’ll marry you” he presses his lips to hers deepening the kiss every moment. As he pulls away he laughs and between kisses he says “This was cute, but I didn’t spend upwards of seven thousand dollars for you to propose to me.” He feels her face drop blankly she swallows hard pulling away from his constant touch.

“You have… you have a ring.” she stares.

“Of course I have a ring” he responds unamused in return. Could she really be this surprised that he’d planned to propose.

“When, when were you planning on doing it? Tomorrow? Graduation? Next year?” she panics “How long have you had it? Where is it?” her questions come spitting out and he can’t help but laugh at her.

He grabs her hands moving her off the bed quickly “follow me and close your eyes” he instructs with a smile and leads her to the kitchen carefully guiding her with his voice. Grabbing her hips he lifts her up to to sit on the counter. “Keep them closed.”

He pulls the ring from underneath the sink where it’s been hiding for months. The only thing down there with it are cleaning supplies that he knows she’d never touch unless her pestered her too. He takes a deep breath and gets down on one knee in front of her. He opens the box examining the ring one last time; the next time he takes a long look at the sparkle in this diamond it will be on her finger. This isn’t at all how he’d planned it but it was almost better. This kitchen shared so many memories their first fight, cooking, baking, burning, laughter and even a few kinky nights. “Open.” he says her eyes instantly making contact with his. Her face turns flush red and her smile is so big he can see nearly all of her teeth. “From the first moment I bumped into you I was done for. We’ve had fights and laughs and you’ve been there for everything. I want to be there for you I want to be apart of your life forever. I want you to be around to teach me to look at life from the outside, to let me get lost in your world with you. No matter where life takes you in the coming years I want to be there. I want to push you to be your best in all the same ways that you push me. I want to spend long sleepless nights holding you, talking to you and loving you. So, please MC as cliche as it may sound will you make me the happiest man alive? Will you marry me?”

Even though just minutes before she was on a knee proposing to him her emotions get the best of her. She leaps off the counter and directly into his arms. He catches her so gracefully as her legs wrap around his hips. “Yes, Yes, Yes!” she screams and smashes her face against his. This kiss was like none she’s shared before, she could feel him truly smiling the tears running down her face were mixing with the tears from his own face. She pulls away, though she doesn’t want too. Chris sets her down and pulls the perfect diamond ring from the box. A thin white gold band with one simple yet extremely large solitaire diamond. The ring is exactly like MC had wanted it.

Chris wipes his eyes quickly before sliding the ring down her finger. He’d never imagined coming home sweaty from the gym tonight that he’s also be proposing to MC but after all was said and done the night was perfect.

NOTE: This is a fictional story based on Pixelberry’s Choices App. *Books The Freshman, The Sophomore, The Junior. I am not affiliated with Pixelberry nor do I own the rights to their characters.