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y/n trudged up the stairs of her apartment building, sighing as she pulled her keys out of her pocket. she walked down the hallway until she made it to her door, and slid the key in the lock, twisting the doorknob.
as she stepped inside, the girl struggled to carry her things inside. she dropped her bags at the door, closing it with her hip and sighing once more as she slipped off her shoes.
melancholy. that's how y/n was feeling.
the past year had been so emotionally draining for the poor girl. her mental health had been at an all time low, and she wanted nothing more than to just stay in bed, cooped up under the covers all day. but she couldn't, because she had bills to pay. so off y/n went, to work everyday and staying late on the weekends. she was a hardworking person, determined and goal-set. but this past year, that had all changed.
y/n was in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend. they'd been together since junior year in high school, which was nearly 5 years by now. only last year, though, y/n found out he'd been cheating on her. that gave her a reason to leave. she'd been searching for one, an excuse to escape. for so long she'd been caught up in his lies, tangled in his web of torment and hatred and abuse. but she believed he loved her. he convinced her of that, and she fell for it. even after five years of being together and she still found herself missing his touch at night.
y/n mainly stayed at home. she stayed in and ate ice cream and watched reruns of friends on television. she did that until she met calum, who practically saved her life.
she met him at work, realized he only lived two floors above her, and that was all it took for her to have a reason to get up in the mornings.
i'm gonna see calum today, she'd think.
calum was the sole purpose of y/n's well-being. they barely even knew each other and she was already head over heels for the boy. but that was okay, but calum felt the same.
it wasn't for another two weeks until calum asked her out. y/n, of course, accepted and suddenly they were dating. and suddenly she was his girlfriend and he was her boyfriend. he was all that y/n could ask for. which is exactly why she burst into tears when she walked into her apartment and saw her boyfriend sitting in the living room, with a bundle of roses laying on the cushion beside him, asleep on the couch.
she broke down, falling to her knees. her keys fell with her, clattering on the ground, which startled calum awake. stunned, he rubbed his eyes, getting to his feet when he saw the pretty girl crying on the floor.
"baby, what's wrong? are you okay? what happened?" calum got to his knees, peeling y/n's hands from her face to look her in the eyes. she was tired, bags under her eyes and a pale complexion.
"i'm sorry," she mumbled, falling into his chest. calum sighed, wrapping his arms around the girl comfortingly. pulling her into his lap, calum rocked her back and forth, pressing his lips to her neck softly.
"it's gonna be okay, baby," calum whispered. that's what y/n loved the most about calum. he didn't have to know when she was okay or when she wasn't; he cared. he cared no matter what. all that mattered was her happiness.
"i love you," she said. calum raised his head, eyebrows raising slightly though she couldn't see. "i love you so much."
"can i tell you something?" calum asked softly. she nodded, leaning back into his chest. "i was gonna ask you to marry me tonight."
y/n pulled away, turning around so fast that calum didn't even have time to think before she asked, "what?"
"i- i was going to propose," he said, eyes glistening. his lips tugged into a small smile. "i've been thinking about this for a while, and i know we've only been together a few months but... you have to be it. you have to be the one i wake up to for the rest of my life."
y/n was crying harder than she was moments before. she covered her mouth, crying and laughing all at the same time.
"do you- wait." calum dug into the pocket of his hoodie, pulling out a small black velvet box. y/n felt the tears rushing down her face as calum opened the box. he got down on one knee, looking at her. "marry me, baby."
crying, y/n nodded. calum laughed, crying himself now too, and slipped the ring onto her finger. she flung her arms around the boy, kissing him with so much force that they fell to the ground.
"i love you so much," calum mumbled against her lips, grinning.
"i love you too."
