Status: Ongoing
Counting Stars
Seven
“Get dressed,” Jon presses a kiss to the back of Avery’s neck, while rubbing his hand up and down her side.
“Nope,” Avery rolls over and buries her face in Jon’s chest.
She’s been like this for a week now, ever since James at the restaurant. It’s strange to see her so quiet and subdued, the polar opposite of the bubbly and vivacious way she usually is. Avery doesn’t seem to think that James is finished, that he’s going to come back with a vengeance. As far as Jon’s concerned, he’s gone from them for good as soon as the finger-shaped bruises on her arm disappear.
“Yes,” Jon moves his hand up and brushes a lock of hair away from her face. “Get up,” He pokes her in the side; she squeaks and jerks forward. “Get dressed,” He pokes her again, lower this time, not even waiting for a reaction before he continues. “And get moving,” He punctuates the last part by tickling her side, grinning when she starts laughing and squirming.
“Jon,” He ignores her plea, deciding instead to get his other hand more involved. “Jon—Jon...JON!” He pauses, holding his hands directly above her sides, waiting for the answer he wants. “Fine, I’ll get up,”
“Dress nicely,” Jon tells her, moving his hands further away. “I’m taking you out,”
“Dress nicely,” She mimics, rolling out of bed and walking toward the shower. “I’m taking you out,”
Jon doesn’t have to see her to know she’s pulling a face as she speaks and he calls her out on it. “I heard that!”
“You were supposed to!” She calls back, over the running shower water.
Jon snickers, pulling out one of his more casual suits and changing quickly. By the time Avery’s shutting the water off, he’s headed out down the hall to the office.
The safe opens easily, Jon punching the code in with ease. It doesn’t carry too much—a few important documents, a family heirloom from his grandmother, and the one thing he came in to get.
The little blue box fits in his hand easily enough and his fingers curl around it as he slides it into his jacket pocket. Jon’s really not sure why he’s so nervous. They’re already married; it’s not like she can say no.
Still, he sits in the living and watches highlights, breathing evenly and visualizing like it’s a game until Avery walks down the stairs nearly an hour later.
Jon will give her shit until the day he dies for how long it takes her to get ready sometimes but it is absolutely always worth it. Tonight is no exception and she floats into the room in a tight, white dress with black edges and tall black heels. Her hair is styled in the loose waves he loves to run his fingers through and Jon’s breath catches even further when her hand comes up to tuck a lock of it behind her ear and he catches sight of the last ring he’d put on her finger.
Having given his mother the Stanley Cup necklace in 2010, Jon had still wanted something nice to give to Avery as well. The pink champagne diamond ring was a Toews family heirloom, passed down through generations. For a while, she’d never taken it off. Then, with the breakup, he hadn’t seen it on her.
Seeing it back on her finger somehow makes him less nervous about what he’s about to do.
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“I can’t do it anymore,” Avery stops in the middle of the sidewalk and puts her hands over her stomach. “Too full. I’m stopping here,”
“Come on,” She narrows her eyes skeptically as Jon turns around to plead with her. “Just a few more minutes?
“Nope, I’ll sit down here. Come back for me when you’re done walking,” She’ll do it; she’s not below just sitting on the curb waiting for him to finish what she thinks is just a post-dinner walk.
Jon grimaces as he reaches for her hand. “Five more minutes of walking? There’s a surprise for you at the end,”
“I knew it! I knew you had something up your sleeve!” Jon lets out a little laugh and smiles his guilty little half smile. “Alright, fine, lead on,”
“Thank you.” Jon says once they’re only a few steps away from the final destination, lacing their fingers together as he speaks. “For, for once in your life, agreeing easily to something.”
“Listen to the pot calling the kettle black,”
“Brat,” Jon bumps against her gently, words fond. Avery throws back her head and laughs, just as Jon stops their walk.
“Why’d you stop?” She frowns up at him, looking between the beautiful mansion in front of them and his eyes.
“Come on,” Jon pulls her gently though the gate, right up to the door.
“Do you even know these people?” She asks. He wants to laugh, holds off because she still doesn’t seem to get it.
Instead he leads her in through the foyer, not stopping to take their shoes off on the white, Italian marble floor and stops at the bottom of magnificent dark hardwood staircase.
“Well,” He muses, drawing the word out. Avery pulls a face. “I mean, technically, you could say that,”
“Jonathan,” Avery says warningly, jutting her hip out to put her hand on it.
“It’s our house,” Jon grins as he watches her face switch from confusion to surprise to utter shock. Her lips part and fall open; she licks them and closes them, only for it to happen again. “I bought it for us,”
“You—“It’s not often Jon can make her truly speechless; he’s cherishing the moment. “You—you bought us a house?” The words come out choppily, like she’s struggling to even formulate a thought.
Jon nods. “Come on,” The first set of stairs opens into the living room, where a large piano (that Jon plans on removing due to lack of musical talent between both of them) stands, in addition to two couches and a fireplace. Jon watches the smile grow across Avery’s face as she takes in both the room and the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The second floor is a very open one, with no actual dining room but a table in the large space between the living room and the kitchen. Jon leads her through into the kitchen—large, open, and spacious—and is not at all surprised when she actually squeals.
“This is incredible,” She breathes, running her fingers across the front of the stove range. The countertops are the same white marble, with brand new cabinets and a large breakfast bar, two ovens, and a gas stove. She’d been very particular in describing her dream kitchen. This was pretty damn close.
Upstairs is a family room, in addition to three of bedrooms, including the master. Avery’s only comment is to wrinkle her nose at all the white. “The walls need color,”
Jon smiles. “All yours, babe,” Her smile back is bright as can be.
The fourth floor features a tiny office, a home gym, another family room, and the final two bedrooms.
“You like it?” Jon asks, leading her to the last place he wants to show her.
She nods, following him through the small family room behind the kitchen. Her eyes narrow curiously as he leads her through a door but her jaw drops as soon as she sees the rooftop deck. Complete with an almost full kitchen, a fireplace, a grill, and plenty of seating, Jon knew this would be the spot she fell most in love with.
“I—“Avery bites her lip, looking all around her while taking a few steps forward, and then back at Jon when she turns around. “I want to be mad that you bought a house without telling or asking me, but it’s perfect,” She turns back around and then she’s in perfect position, with the lit-up city far off in the background, and this is it, this is the moment. Jon’s ready; he’s down on his knee, the ring is out. “The whole thing is beautiful, the kitchen is incredible, and there’s so much space and I love the roof; I love it all actually, it’s—“Having finally turned back around, she sees and this is definitely a new record; there’s no way Jon’s ever made her speechless like this twice in one night ever before. Other than cutting off her sentence, the only acknowledgement Jon even gets is the sharp intake of breath.
“I know that we did things kind of backwards,” Jon swallows the lump in his throat; it immediately grows back. He continues anyway. “What, with getting married, and then planning a wedding and everything. Moving in together after. There’s—there’s a lot of stuff we’ve done backwards.” He really needs to start looking more into charities that do work for global warming. It shouldn’t be nearly this hot in December on his roof. “But this is something I should have done a long time ago,” A quiet gasp escapes her mouth and she covers it with her hand. “Will you marry me?”
Jon can’t breathe; this house is too damn tall and it’s so damn hot. The air pressure on the roof is low and the oxygen saturation is low and he can’t breathe and—
She’s nodding. There are tears in the corners of her eyes as she offers her left hand out. “Yes. Yes!” Jon’s beaming, Avery is as well, as he slides the platinum, 5-carat round diamond ring around her finger. “Jon,” Her gaze won’t look away from the ring.
The word is practically a croak as it falls from her lips, but Jon doesn’t care. He stands up, pulls her in close, and crashes their lips together. It’s been months since he’s last kissed her, longer than that since the last time he was allowed to without feeling slightly guilty about it, and right now she couldn’t possibly make him any happier.
“Nope,” Avery rolls over and buries her face in Jon’s chest.
She’s been like this for a week now, ever since James at the restaurant. It’s strange to see her so quiet and subdued, the polar opposite of the bubbly and vivacious way she usually is. Avery doesn’t seem to think that James is finished, that he’s going to come back with a vengeance. As far as Jon’s concerned, he’s gone from them for good as soon as the finger-shaped bruises on her arm disappear.
“Yes,” Jon moves his hand up and brushes a lock of hair away from her face. “Get up,” He pokes her in the side; she squeaks and jerks forward. “Get dressed,” He pokes her again, lower this time, not even waiting for a reaction before he continues. “And get moving,” He punctuates the last part by tickling her side, grinning when she starts laughing and squirming.
“Jon,” He ignores her plea, deciding instead to get his other hand more involved. “Jon—Jon...JON!” He pauses, holding his hands directly above her sides, waiting for the answer he wants. “Fine, I’ll get up,”
“Dress nicely,” Jon tells her, moving his hands further away. “I’m taking you out,”
“Dress nicely,” She mimics, rolling out of bed and walking toward the shower. “I’m taking you out,”
Jon doesn’t have to see her to know she’s pulling a face as she speaks and he calls her out on it. “I heard that!”
“You were supposed to!” She calls back, over the running shower water.
Jon snickers, pulling out one of his more casual suits and changing quickly. By the time Avery’s shutting the water off, he’s headed out down the hall to the office.
The safe opens easily, Jon punching the code in with ease. It doesn’t carry too much—a few important documents, a family heirloom from his grandmother, and the one thing he came in to get.
The little blue box fits in his hand easily enough and his fingers curl around it as he slides it into his jacket pocket. Jon’s really not sure why he’s so nervous. They’re already married; it’s not like she can say no.
Still, he sits in the living and watches highlights, breathing evenly and visualizing like it’s a game until Avery walks down the stairs nearly an hour later.
Jon will give her shit until the day he dies for how long it takes her to get ready sometimes but it is absolutely always worth it. Tonight is no exception and she floats into the room in a tight, white dress with black edges and tall black heels. Her hair is styled in the loose waves he loves to run his fingers through and Jon’s breath catches even further when her hand comes up to tuck a lock of it behind her ear and he catches sight of the last ring he’d put on her finger.
Having given his mother the Stanley Cup necklace in 2010, Jon had still wanted something nice to give to Avery as well. The pink champagne diamond ring was a Toews family heirloom, passed down through generations. For a while, she’d never taken it off. Then, with the breakup, he hadn’t seen it on her.
Seeing it back on her finger somehow makes him less nervous about what he’s about to do.
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“I can’t do it anymore,” Avery stops in the middle of the sidewalk and puts her hands over her stomach. “Too full. I’m stopping here,”
“Come on,” She narrows her eyes skeptically as Jon turns around to plead with her. “Just a few more minutes?
“Nope, I’ll sit down here. Come back for me when you’re done walking,” She’ll do it; she’s not below just sitting on the curb waiting for him to finish what she thinks is just a post-dinner walk.
Jon grimaces as he reaches for her hand. “Five more minutes of walking? There’s a surprise for you at the end,”
“I knew it! I knew you had something up your sleeve!” Jon lets out a little laugh and smiles his guilty little half smile. “Alright, fine, lead on,”
“Thank you.” Jon says once they’re only a few steps away from the final destination, lacing their fingers together as he speaks. “For, for once in your life, agreeing easily to something.”
“Listen to the pot calling the kettle black,”
“Brat,” Jon bumps against her gently, words fond. Avery throws back her head and laughs, just as Jon stops their walk.
“Why’d you stop?” She frowns up at him, looking between the beautiful mansion in front of them and his eyes.
“Come on,” Jon pulls her gently though the gate, right up to the door.
“Do you even know these people?” She asks. He wants to laugh, holds off because she still doesn’t seem to get it.
Instead he leads her in through the foyer, not stopping to take their shoes off on the white, Italian marble floor and stops at the bottom of magnificent dark hardwood staircase.
“Well,” He muses, drawing the word out. Avery pulls a face. “I mean, technically, you could say that,”
“Jonathan,” Avery says warningly, jutting her hip out to put her hand on it.
“It’s our house,” Jon grins as he watches her face switch from confusion to surprise to utter shock. Her lips part and fall open; she licks them and closes them, only for it to happen again. “I bought it for us,”
“You—“It’s not often Jon can make her truly speechless; he’s cherishing the moment. “You—you bought us a house?” The words come out choppily, like she’s struggling to even formulate a thought.
Jon nods. “Come on,” The first set of stairs opens into the living room, where a large piano (that Jon plans on removing due to lack of musical talent between both of them) stands, in addition to two couches and a fireplace. Jon watches the smile grow across Avery’s face as she takes in both the room and the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The second floor is a very open one, with no actual dining room but a table in the large space between the living room and the kitchen. Jon leads her through into the kitchen—large, open, and spacious—and is not at all surprised when she actually squeals.
“This is incredible,” She breathes, running her fingers across the front of the stove range. The countertops are the same white marble, with brand new cabinets and a large breakfast bar, two ovens, and a gas stove. She’d been very particular in describing her dream kitchen. This was pretty damn close.
Upstairs is a family room, in addition to three of bedrooms, including the master. Avery’s only comment is to wrinkle her nose at all the white. “The walls need color,”
Jon smiles. “All yours, babe,” Her smile back is bright as can be.
The fourth floor features a tiny office, a home gym, another family room, and the final two bedrooms.
“You like it?” Jon asks, leading her to the last place he wants to show her.
She nods, following him through the small family room behind the kitchen. Her eyes narrow curiously as he leads her through a door but her jaw drops as soon as she sees the rooftop deck. Complete with an almost full kitchen, a fireplace, a grill, and plenty of seating, Jon knew this would be the spot she fell most in love with.
“I—“Avery bites her lip, looking all around her while taking a few steps forward, and then back at Jon when she turns around. “I want to be mad that you bought a house without telling or asking me, but it’s perfect,” She turns back around and then she’s in perfect position, with the lit-up city far off in the background, and this is it, this is the moment. Jon’s ready; he’s down on his knee, the ring is out. “The whole thing is beautiful, the kitchen is incredible, and there’s so much space and I love the roof; I love it all actually, it’s—“Having finally turned back around, she sees and this is definitely a new record; there’s no way Jon’s ever made her speechless like this twice in one night ever before. Other than cutting off her sentence, the only acknowledgement Jon even gets is the sharp intake of breath.
“I know that we did things kind of backwards,” Jon swallows the lump in his throat; it immediately grows back. He continues anyway. “What, with getting married, and then planning a wedding and everything. Moving in together after. There’s—there’s a lot of stuff we’ve done backwards.” He really needs to start looking more into charities that do work for global warming. It shouldn’t be nearly this hot in December on his roof. “But this is something I should have done a long time ago,” A quiet gasp escapes her mouth and she covers it with her hand. “Will you marry me?”
Jon can’t breathe; this house is too damn tall and it’s so damn hot. The air pressure on the roof is low and the oxygen saturation is low and he can’t breathe and—
She’s nodding. There are tears in the corners of her eyes as she offers her left hand out. “Yes. Yes!” Jon’s beaming, Avery is as well, as he slides the platinum, 5-carat round diamond ring around her finger. “Jon,” Her gaze won’t look away from the ring.
The word is practically a croak as it falls from her lips, but Jon doesn’t care. He stands up, pulls her in close, and crashes their lips together. It’s been months since he’s last kissed her, longer than that since the last time he was allowed to without feeling slightly guilty about it, and right now she couldn’t possibly make him any happier.