The doorbell rang twice, just like it always did when Nadine came over. Leon hurried over to open the door. He was greeted by his beautiful girlfriend, dressed in her work attire of a black pencil skirt paired with a white shirt under a black blazer.
"Sorry I'm late," she smiled apologetically as Leon made way for her to enter his flat. He gently closed the door behind him, "it's okay, I totally understand."
Nadine, being one of the more knowledgeable analysts in her team, often worked overtime. For as long as Leon had known her, she had always been a hard worker. In fact, their first meeting only happened because Nadine had been working overtime.
She was an intern back then, at Schalke's training ground. Leon had forgotten his phone after training, and rushed back to get it. They had bumped into each other, literally, and the rest is history.
"You're the best," she grinned, dropping her bag onto his couch and taking off her blazer. She paused, as if trying to recall something. Leon was walking over to her and she quickly gripped his shoulders. Looking up at him, she smiled, "happy fifth year, babe."
A wide smile formed on his lips, and he leaned down to kiss Nadine's. "Happy fifth year," he echoed.
"So, what are we doing tonight?" She asked as she walked over to her bag again. "I brought my dress and I can get changed if -" She stopped in her tracks when the savory scent of something in the oven perked her nostrils. "What is that smell?"
Leon laughed, "that's the surprise! We're going to have a picnic tonight." He gestured to his balcony, the doors wide open to allow the cool night breeze to accompany the still air in his apartment. Nadine's eyes widened in amazement.
He had texted her while she was in a meeting, and all he said was; I have a surprise for you! See you at eight tonight. The last thing she had expected was for Leon to be cooking a full course meal for them. "You cooked everything?" She asked with interest.
"Most of it," he enthused. "I went to the grocery store immediately after training."
Nadine was already in the kitchen by then, surveying the spread that Leon had prepared. She laughed, utterly impressed by her boyfriend's unexpected talent. "This is the first time in five years," she pointed out.
Leon slid his arm around her waist, pulling her in for a squeeze. "It's a special day, isn't it?" he smiled before planting a long, hard kiss on her temple. "Well, I've prepared everything. Let's go," he said excitedly.
And so, they ended up on Leon's balcony; sitting on an old blanket under the starry sky of Gelsenkirchen with bowls of home-made food surrounding them. Nadine rested her head on Leon's shoulder as they both stared into the night sky, illuminated beautifully by the twinkle of the stars.
"Then, Roman crashed into Franco and they both just fell limp onto the ground," Leon recounted to Nadine about training that day. They both burst into laughter, as Nadine pictured the scenario in her head. "Did they even get back up?" She probed jokingly.
"They almost didn't," Leon furrowed his eyebrows.
Nadine laughed, knowing full well that Leon was probably telling the truth, since it was Roman and Franco they were talking about. "That must have been hilarious," she said.
Leon nodded, "very."
They sat in silence for awhile, taking in the serene night sky blanketing Gelsenkirchen so seamlessly. "Can't believe it's been five years," Nadine whispered. Leon looked down at Nadine, the one girl he loved and cherished with all his heart.
"You know what?" Leon said, prompting Nadine to lift her head up curiously. "It's only been five years, but it feels like it's been forever with you," he said, taking her hands into his.
She smiled, "it has."
Frankly, the past five years had been the best years of Nadine's life. With Leon in the picture, everything felt so perfect. Watching his games, supporting him, and just being with him gave her a good reason to wake up each day. He was everything to her, and she was everything to him.
"But I really want to spend forever with you," he said before taking a deep breath.
Nadine watched as he slotted his hand into his pocket. As he fished out a small black box, her heart skipped a beat. He opened it to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring, and Nadine had to cover her mouth with her hands to prevent herself from screaming eccentrically.
"Will you marry me?"
Without a word, she threw herself onto him, holding onto him so tightly she almost couldn't breathe herself. Leon laughed, returning the embrace as she squealed excitedly into his chest.
"Yes!" She exclaimed. Leon smiled, knowing that he was finally going to tie the knot with the one person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
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This was so much fun to write! hahaha, loved it. As requested by anonymous on my tumblr :) Hope y'all like it ♡
So I have a sort of prequel to this story that I posted called All Good. Hope you guys could check it out! xx :)