Matt paced back and forth across the living room of the house he and his girlfriend, Lizzy, practically shared. In the--as of today, three--years they had been together, things of hers had sort of migrated here, to his house, and vice versa. He had enough clothes, as well as other essentials like shampoo, shaving cream and tea, to spend at least a week at her house. Which he had on multiple occasions. His bathroom had a small stock of midol and chocolate. Hers included aftershave and hair gel. They just about lived together, but they went back and forth between houses, almost like children with divorced parents that both had custody.
Today, she would be coming home from a long day of filming, to Matt's house. He had turned over his role of The Doctor in Doctor Who to the wonderful Peter Capaldi two years ago. Now, Lizzy was preparing to leave the set, and a woman who had done wonderfully in a few previous episodes of the show, Jenna Louise-Coleman, would be taking her place. It was an emotional experience for her, just as it had been for him.
He heard the faint click of a door unlocking, and finally it was time.
He tried to still the nervous tapping of his fingers and thumb on the table as he waited for his beautiful girlfriend to enter the room and see what he had done. Today was the three year anniversary of the day that he finally had the courage to ask her to be his girlfriend, with a charm bracelet and a note. Today was the day he wanted to stop being her boyfriend. The day he was ready to be more.
"Matt?" Her soft voice called from the kitchen, where he knew a single, purple balloon was attached to a vase filled with matching flowers. Purple hydrangeas. Eleven real, one fake. Also attached to the vase was a note, folded over once, with a common phrase handwritten on the front.
"For Lizzy."
He heard a small giggle leave her lips, and knew that meant she loved it. Her hi-top converse tapped across the tile of the kitchen floor, until they met the soft carpet of the living room.
When she came into full view, he smiled brightly. Even when she was wearing jeans and converse, and no doubt absolutely exhausted, she still shined with the radiance of the sun. He loved it.
She smiled back at him. "The flowers are beautiful. Thanks. I had a hard day at work and they really made me smile." She spoke with an utter sincerity that took his breath away. He closed the distance between the and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. She hugged him back, her head resting against his chest.
"Remember when you visited America, and I left you flowers all over your house?" He spoke with his head resting on her shoulder, his lips brushing lightly across her collarbone. He felt her shiver slightly, and was amazed at the effect he still had on her, even after three years of dating. "And they all had notes about how you make me smile? Well, this time," he lifted his head to look into her eyes. "You don't have to go looking for them. They're all there. And this time, each note tells you one reason I love you. Now, of course, I couldn't put all of the millions upon millions of reasons why I love you in on notes for a single bouquet of flowers. But it's a start."
He could see the look of slight confusion and bewilderment on her face when she began to realize what on earth he was getting at. Well, he assumed that that was what the look on her face meant.
"I want to continue to work on that, telling you every way that I love you, every day for the rest of my life. One for every day, one for every way I love you. Lizzy, I love you more than anything. And I want to love you until the last flower dies."
When he sank down on one knee, he noticed tears form in Lizzy's eyes, and he bit his lip, and looked up at her through what would be his eybrows--if he had any. From his coat pocket, he procured a small box, square in shape, with the words "For Lizzy" written on it. He took a breath, and as he spoke, he opened the box to reveal a ring. A simple diamond stone, with an engraving along the inside of the band.
"For my dearest Lizzy."
"Elizabeth, my dearest Lizzy, would you do me the honor of marrying me?"