I unlocked the door and let Lizzie in first, to see our new home. She gasped as soon as she walked in and I smiled, she was adorable. We had been putting off coming here until the interior designer the twins hired for us had finished furnishing the house. We just had to put on the last personal touches, like photos and trinkets.
We walked around the house finally seeing it all come together, Lizzie is wide-eyed as she takes it all in, it was a lot bigger than our apartment, like way bigger and it had a small garden, it was bursting with plants and flowers that Lizzie will love tending to, she never had a garden when we stay in New York so it'll be nice to be able to have her space her keep her hobbies up here and make it feel more like home for her like LA does.
"The kitchen!" She squealed jumping around, I stood by the door and admired her. I had seen this place a million times over before buying it and during the remodel of the kitchen I wanted to make sure Lizzie had the house of her dreams and that means the perfect kitchen. Plus I was starting to pick up cooking a little more now too and I bake a lot so it was important that we have a large functional kitchen where we can entertain and enjoy our time together prepping meals.
"Nelly it's amazing! Look." She gushed coming back to me and taking my hand leading me around the kitchen. "You like it?" "I really do, I love it. I love it. I love it." she jumped around I spun her around until her back pressed against my front and my arms were around her, we stood by the top of the island looking down to the end of the kitchen.
"Thank you, Angel." "I'm glad you like it, Princess." I kissed her cheek. "Music." "What?" "We need music." She says again and I smiled. "Alexa play fallingforyou by The 1975." She says and our song plays and she turns in my arm and we slow dance around our kitchen. I loved that we were doing this before we've even seen the rest of the house yet. Her head rested on my chest as we stayed in one place in between the dining table and island, I swayed our bodies to the beat slowly, it was completely calm and everything was still it was just us two in the world.
"I think I'm falling, falling for you." She whispered along with the music as she looked up at me. I pecked her lips softly before she pulled away to lay back against my chest. I sang along with the words, a song we've sung and danced to countless times over the past two years. We continued to dance through to the end of the song and I pulled away. "Want to see the rest of the house, my love?" I asked her. "Can we see the garden first?" "Of course." We walk to the doors and we go outside both staying close to each other for warmth as we've left our coats in the entranceway.
"You'll be able to plant what you want at the end of the garden, your vegetables and fruits and stuff," I say as we stood by the doors, around the house was flowers that have grown up to the balcony on the second floor, towards there was a pathway framed by various other plants and leading to a larger open space where we had patio furniture and passed that right at the bottom were some boxes for Lizzie to plant whatever her heart desired in them. "It's so beautiful." She says taking it all in. We took a short tour of the garden before heading back inside.
We went into the family room on the ground floor next, this will be where we'd host-guests and whatnot.
"Just like the one at the apartment," Lizzie said sinking into the sofa, we ordered a larger version of our sofa back at the apartment, both of us completely in love with it. I sunk down beside her and she cuddled into my side. "I love everything." She says happily. "We've seen two rooms and the garden." I point out. "But I love it. I love you. I love this and us and our first home together." Lizzie insisted on splitting the costs of everything. So we both owned this house, this was our first home together, a new place for both of us, no past relations in this space it was us and our future. "Our home." "Our home," I repeat looking around as my arm draped over her shoulder. "I love you, unconditionally, Eleanor." "I love you unconditionally, Elizabeth," I say with a soft smirk on my lips. She leans up and connects our lips, I pull away after a while wanting to keep moving around the rest of the house. We were having people over tomorrow, so we wanted it all to be perfect.
We went around the rest of the boring rooms, like the offices on the second floor, both of us having separate ones so we don't distract each other, the doors faced each other and the way our desks were positioned meant if we left the doors open we'd be able to see each other, which probably wasn't helpful because we distract each other all of the time. We looked at the second family room, where we'd probably relax in the evenings together, again it had another cloud sofa, we were obsessed with them, these were all on the second floor. On the third floor was an empty room we both frowned. I swear we planned every room. We both stood there completely confused.
Lizzie handed me a piece of paper.
For your future, a special place for our nieces or nephews to learn, play and explore
to be kept empty until a playroom is needed.
lots of love
Mary-Kate and Ashley.
"A playroom," I say smiling to myself picturing little Lizzie's playing in here. "Promise?" she whispered. "I already did." I remind her, touching her ring. "But I promise." We left the room closing the door. I held the note in my hand as we toured the other rooms on this floor, just guest rooms and two small bathrooms
The fourth floor had 3 rooms, these three were bigger than the guest rooms, our bedroom being the master was the biggest with an ensuite.
We had a walking slash dressing room in one of the bedrooms and the other was again left empty in preparation for our growing family that is just in our heads right now. "We need our photos. Lizzie says. "Everything is in the car, I'll bring it in soon," I assured her. Our clothes and bigger items were already there, but our photos and personal belongings like our computers and books we brought that with us today, the day of the move from our little apartment to our future home. There was another bathroom on this floor too.
I go out to the car and carry the boxes up to the entranceway and Lizzie takes them further into the house, oh yeah we also brought a car for New York. It was time we got one and with us babysitting for Rosie more it was easy to travel with her in the car than on the subway. When all our boxes were inside, I find Lizzie in the ground floor lounge putting our photos up on the shelves. "I'm going to take our bedroom box up." "Okay, the games room people called a second ago." "Who?" "That's what I said too." "MK." we both say in unison. "Well anyway, they're coming to fit some things in, in the basement?" "Maybe call Mary-Kate to double-check with her first." "Yeah."
I took the boxes to the top floor whilst Lizzie called her sister. we were leaving the basement empty not having a need for it but of course, Mary-Kate had her own opinions on our house. I put out photos in our bedroom and set up our bathroom.
"NELLY!" "Coming," I called back before getting off the bathroom floor from organising the draws with our things. I rush down all the stairs. "I'm Neil the games machine fitter." I look at Lizzie and she nods, so it was Mary-Kate. "I can take you down." I bring him downstairs and open the exit down here. The thing about townhouses is they have entrances through the basement too, which meant the workmen didn't have to come through our house with heavy machinery they can go straight into the room they get to work and I bring the drinks down before going elsewhere in the house to finish setting it up the way we'd like it, so it's functional for the two of us and our daily routines.
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After we ate dinner and the games room men had left we went on a walk around the city our hands swung between us we had AirPods in enjoying the music playing as we spoke and planned our day tomorrow. We had to cook, go get groceries meaning alcohol, get the guest rooms ready for people to actually sleep in, and make sure the house is perfect, we were also getting lighting fitted outside for the evening time so it's not completely dark. It should be warmer tomorrow but in case it wasn't we had outdoor heaters that could be set up.
We arrived at our spot on the bridge watching the boats go under us. "I found something." I frowned and looked at her. She looked nervous and bit her lip. "What did you find?" "What is there for me to find?" "A chocolate bar stashed in my draw?" I offer. "Didn't find that but will be stealing it." I chuckled. "I found this." She slipped her hand out of mine and into her jacket pocket and showed me the ring box.
Scar and I went ring shopping the day I put an offer on this house. I had a rare balanced day in the mess that was winter and I just got everything moving quickly. I've had the ring since and there's been a few times I've almost asked her but I chickened out. I know she loves me, I know that but I couldn't do it. I bite my lip as I look at her. And she looked into my eyes nerves erupted in both of us. I've been terrified to ask her.
"Ask me." She whispered as we stood there. My breath hitched as I took the box from her before I turned to face her, our AirPods playing our song it was unplanned but also kind of perfect. She turned to look at me too and I took her hand sliding her promise ring off of her finger and onto her left hand where it belonged and then I took my dad's ring off and slid it back onto my middle finger, she has had it for months now and I loved her wearing it but it was time for the real ring to sit on that finger of hers. My hands were trembling slightly as the nerves were pushing through.
Was this really happening right now? We moved into our home today and now I was asking her to commit to me forever, for always. I couldn't hear the music over my heartbeat in my ears and under Lizzie's intense gaze I felt like I was going to melt into the ground. I could feel my words getting wrapped around my tongue already and I hadn't even opened my mouth to speak. Just breathe, Nell.
I take a shaky breath still holding her left hand in mine. just speak, why wasn't I say anything. Maybe because I wasn't prepared for this to happen tonight but still. I wanted to do this. I wanted this right? Of course, I did. "Lizzie," I stuttered out, closing my eyes I take a breath. Pull yourself together. "We haven't had the perfect start to our relationship but it has been real and it's allowed us to grow together and understand each other in such a way that we're prepared for our future together." Okay, so I can speak, just keep looking into the galaxies in her eyes and I'll be fine. Yeah, that's all I have to do it's my Elizabeth stood there no one else.
I keep my eyes locked with hers. "And that's why I'm certain that this is going to work between us, because no matter what's been thrown our way so far we have stuck by each other keeping our promises to one another, and we haven't given up." Her hand was shaking in mine and her eyes were glazed over and she chewed her bottom lip. I let go of her hand to pull her lip from her teeth and stroked the side of her face before putting both hands on the velvet black box. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you Elizabeth, every second of it I want it to be with you forevermore. I hope that's what you still want to." I smiled at her before opening the box the click it made as I pushed it open echoed around my head, my heart still hitting my chest overwhelmed at this moment. "Elizabeth?" "Yeah?" She whispered. "Will you do me the honour and become my wife?" "Yeah." She said nodding quickly. I took her hand and slipped the ring on. She pulled me close to her kissing me passionately before holding me tight. "Catch me?" I whispered into her ear. "Always." She whispered back.
I let out a breath of anxiety now it was all out there. "I love you." "I love you," I tell her simply. We stayed here on the bridge enjoying this special moment between us wrapped with the spring air, butterflies flying past as other people took their route home. "I have something for you." "What?" I asked looking down at her. She slipped her hand into her jacket pocket and retrieved a similar box. "Lizzie." "I found it two weeks ago when we were packing the apartment. I wanted you to have a ring too." She said sheepishly. "You could have told me." "But I wanted to get you a ring." I chuckled at her. She turned to face me again taking my hand.
"Eleanor?" "Yes, bug?" "Catch me, always?" "Always," I confirmed smiling as she slipped the ring on my finger.
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As we walked home both still coming down from our high in a complete daze admiring our rings and not really paying attention to anything else in the world right now. We let ourselves into our home and sat on the sofa. I was in a complete haze still overwhelmed by what just happened. I was engaged to someone I loved with everything I am. I just committed the rest of my life to the person who makes me happy.
"We're getting married," Lizzie says dumbfound by the situation, I'm glad I'm not the only one. "We are." "Wow." "Wow," I repeat after her.
We decided not to tell anyone until tomorrow at the party, both our families will be there our friends too and it'll be the perfect moment to tell everyone together. Plus we both wanted to stay in our little happiness bubble alone.
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A/N- I hope you're all like the book so far, let me know what you think. <3 Thank you for all the support :)
They're engaged! Will things finally start looking up for them?