Girls Do What They Want

The next morning, Carter woke up with an unfamiliar pair of arms around her waist. She rubbed her eyes, panicking as she tossed around. The arms detached themselves from her middle, a voice next to her groaning. She turned around, sighing in relief when she realized it was John.
"Not used to having someone in your bed?" He guessed in a groggy voice. Carter nodded, slamming her head against the pillow.
"Sorry," Carter mumbled, rubbing her temples. "Ugh, how much did we drink last night?"
Carter could hear Ethan's loud yells from outside, and clearly heard him running around Garrett's house. She was used to it from sleeping over at Molly's and babysitting him, but it was another thing when she was hungover.
"A lot." John answered, placing his cheek against Carter's shoulder.
"Fuck." Carter whimpered, running her hand through her hair.
"It's hot when you curse."
Carter rolled her eyes, closing them as she attempted to block out Ethan's loud screeching.
"Is he always so loud in the morning?" John asked. She nodded, snuggling into his side.
A few moments passed. The two were quiet, taking in each other's presence.
"So I didn't ask you something kind of important last night." John suddenly said, sitting up.
Carter stared at him with a confused expression on her face. "How are you not hungover?"
"I've built up an alcohol tolerence over the years. That's not important though."
She shrugged, urging him to continue.
"Uh... Carter, will you be my girlfriend?" He asked, biting his lip. Carter smiled, ignoring the aching in her head.
"Of course I'll be your girlfriend." Carter answered, leaning forward and pecking his lips.
John smiled into the kiss, wrapping his arms around his new girlfriend's torso.
"I think I'm gonna go out and there and venture some Advil and water. Are you gonna... y'know, throw up?"
Carter shook her head, quickly regretting the fast movement.
"I don't throw up when I get hungover. It's the one thing I'm thankful for when it comes to my alcohol tolerence." Carter told him. John nodded, climbing out of the bed.
"I'll be back in a few." He said, kissing her lips gently.
John slipped a tee shirt on, exiting the room in his boxers. He closed the door behind him, but not before Molly ran inside. She jumped on the bed, sitting down next to her best friend.
"You! And John!" She shrieked loudly, embracing her tightly.
"Shut up, Molly," Carter whined, covering her ears. "You of all people should know that I get horrible hangovers."
"Oh yeah. Sorry," Molly said. "So, how'd it happen?"
Carter shrugged nonchalantly. "Nick made us talk, so we went into the kitchen. I apologized and told him I loved him. And then... he just kissed me. I was expecting him to tell me that he was just kidding, but he said he liked me too. He asked me to be his girlfriend and I accepted."
"Oh my gosh!" Molly squealed. "I'm so happy for you!"
"Be quiet." Carter groaned.
"Sorry, sorry," She replied. "So, wanna hear about my night?"
Carter's eyes widened. "Molly Jessica Allen, what the fuck did you do?"
"Garrett's amazing, Car," Molly gushed. "Really. We slept in the same bed, but we just... y'know, cuddled. He didn't try to have sex with me. We just talked and talked and... we kissed. He's perfect."
Carter smiled at her best friend's happiness.
"I'm happy for you Molls, really."
"I guess we both had a good night, huh?" Molly asked, elbowing her stomach gently. Carter laughed, rolling her eyes as John re-entered the room.
"I'll leave you two alone." Molly said, winking as she left. John chuckled handing Carter two Advil and a bottle of water.
"Thanks." She mumbled, swallowing the pills and drowning them with water.
"No problem," He replied. "So what do you wanna do today?"
Carter shrugged. "You're the one from Arizona, what is there to do?"
"Nothing really," John chuckled. "Party, mostly. And hang out with friends. It's kinda boring here."
"So you're not gonna take me out on a proper date?" Carter teased. John's eyes widened.
"Oh! We should do that, right? Since we're dating and all?"
Carter smirked, kissing John's cheek. "I'm kidding."
"No! I should take you out on a date!" John exclaimed. "That's what good boyfriends do, after all."
"You're cute." She said, smiling.
John smiled back, intertwining their fingers. "So we'll go out on a date today? Like an official one?"
"Sounds good to me."
***
A few hours later...
"I'm freaking out, Molly!" I hissed, nearly pulling my hair out of my head. "I've never been this nervous for a date before -- I mean, it's John! But still!"
"Shhh." She hushed me, begging me to calm down. "John is your boyfriend. It's going to be fine. Stop freaking out, okay? He's just a boy."
He's just a boy, I told myself. Yeah, and that boy was John O'Callaghan.
"What shoes are you wearing?" Molly asked me, trying to get my mind off the subject.
"I wanna wear heels but I didn't pack any." I answered. John was nearly six inches taller than me, which made it especially hard to kiss him.
Molly rolled her eyes, grabbing a black pair of pumps from her suitcase.
"You're lucky I packed my super sexy shoes."
"Super sexy shoes?" I asked, raising my eyebrow suspiciously.
"I never know when they're gonna come in handy!" Molly exclaimed innocently. "Just put the damn shoes on, Carter."
I laughed, stepping into the high heels. I was at least four inches taller now. In my mid-thigh length dress and pumps, I had to admit, I felt sexy. I only hoped John felt the same way about me.
"I'm gonna go get Ethan, okay? Hang tight." She told me, exiting our room in Garrett's house. Ethan had been playing with Garrett and the guys for the last hour so Molly could help me get ready. A few seconds later, John knocked on the door, slowly creeping inside.
"Wow, Car... you look gorgeous." He gasped, standing in the front of the room, eyeballing me.
"Thanks," I whispered. "You don't look too bad yourself, O'Callaghan."
John smirked. He was wearing black skinny jeans and a white button-down shirt with black suspenders, complete with his boots.
"Ready to get outta here?" John asked, holding out his hand. I nodded, lacing our fingers together.
"Oh, look at you two!" Molly grinned, Ethan glued to her hip. "E, tell Aunt Carter she looks beautiful."
"You look bwootiful, Aunt Carter!" Ethan exclaimed. I laughed, kissing his cheek.
"I'll see you guys later."
John and I attempted to make our way out of Garrett's house without seeing anyone else, but ultimately failed when Jared stopped in front of us.
"Uh... you guys look nice," He said awkwardly, swallowing nervously.
"Thanks." I squeaked, biting my lip as he glanced at John and I's hands.
"Can I talk to you real quick, Carter? Before you go out on your date?" Jared asked. I nodded, following him into the kitchen. John sat down on the couch next to Kennedy, Garrett, and Pat.
"I'm sorry about everything, Car," Jared suddenly blurted out. "I was immature. I just wanna get over this stupid thing. I'm really happy for you and John, though. You could tell you've been in love with each other for a year now."
I smiled softly. "Thanks, Jare. I'm sorry too. Let's move on, yeah?"
Jared smiled back at me, nodding. "Now go have a blast on your date!"
I laughed, making my way back out to the living room. "Ready?"
John nodded, hopping up.
"See you losers later." He said. Kennedy, Pat, and Garrett smirked at me, and I rolled my eyes.
John and I walked to his car, and he opened the door for me, closing it gently behind me.
Tonight's gonna be a good night, I told myself. Don't let your fears get the best of you.
John pulled out of the driveway, putting some Ryan Adams on. He drove down the street, before stopping short at a dead end.
"What's wrong?" I asked, trying to mask the fear in my voice.
"I have to tell you something, Carter," John said. "And it's nothing bad, I promise. I... I just need to get it off my chest. So hear me out, okay?"
I nodded, urging him to continue.
"You're all I've been able to think about for a year now. An entire year. I've never felt this way about a girl before. You're the most amazing thing that's ever entered my life, Carter. I'm head over heels in love with you. And I don't know when, but one day, I wanna marry you, Carter Hall. I wanna make you Carter O'Callaghan. Or Carter Hall-O'Callaghan, whatever you want. It doesn't have to be today or this month or even this year, but I want it to happen one day. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that I never married you."
My jaw dropped. "Y-you... you wanna marry me?"
John nodded eagerly. "I'm sorry if this is all really sudden but... I had to tell you."
I smiled, nodding and biting my lip. "Yes."
"Yes what?"
"Yes, I'll marry you."
A massive grin appeared on John's thin lips, and he leaned in, pressing his lips against mine. And that's when I realized that things were finally at peace in my life.