Forever.

“Hey, babe.”

I laughed, leaning my head on my shoulder to hold the phone in place. “Hey.”

“What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing. Just attepting to do my hair and walk and talk to you all at the same time.”

“Why are you always running late?” he asked.

“Because I’m gifted that way,” I retorted. “And what are you up to, Mr. Jonas?”

“Looking at you,” Joe replied, his low voice sending chills down my back.

“If you’re looking at a picture of me, I’d have to say that’s real classy.”

“I’m not looking at a picture. I’m looking right at you.”

“Oh, yes, because I’m back home with you,” I laughed. “But seriously, I’m in the Underground right now trying to find the next train so I can get to rehearsal on time.”

“Are you sure you want to go to rehearsal today? I mean, you could be talking to me all day today if you just skipped rehearsal.”

“Joseph, I’m a soloist for the Royale Ballet. I cannot just skip rehearsal. I’d get kicked out of the company.”

“I think they’d understand if you called in sick once in a great while.”

“Joe, I talk to you every day. Why is talking to you today so important?”

“Well, if you’d kindly stop walking so fast and turn around for a moment, I think you’d understand why.” I could hear the smirk in his voice, and wondered what he was up to.

“I am not going to turn around! I’m already late as it is, and –”

“Just do it.”

I let an aggrivated sigh seep out of my mouth, but obliged. My eyes grazed the crowd for a moment, wondering what the heck was going on, before my gaze landed on a familiar, smiling face. I let my irritated expression fall from my face, and lifted my head from my shoulder, letting my phone drop to the ground. My tote bag also slid from it’s place on my shoulder, landing right on top of my probably-broken phone. I brought my hands up to my face, before realizing how much of an idiot I probably looked like.

Joe hung up his phone, letting a smirk crawl onto his face, and held his arms open.

The smirk seemed to be all that I needed to let my limbs unfreeze. I crossed the thrity feet that seperated us in five seconds at a swift run, and flung myself into his arms, letting the familiar embrace comfort me.

But I didn’t have much time to think about the strength in his hold. The second I was in his arms and my feet were off the ground, he started kissing me so roughly and so passionately that I completely forgot we were in the middle of downtown London, in the Underground, with thousands of people probably watching us.

We kissed like a couple who hadn’t seen each other face to face in over two years, which was exactly what we were. We held each other tight enough to not be able to breathe (not that we would have been able to breathe anyways, seeing as we were kissing so deeply), and held on for dear life, like the second we let go, one of us would disappear forever.

Finally, after an eternity, Joe pulled away, smiling the softest and gentlest smile I had ever seen in my entire life. He leaned his forehead against mine, still holding me a good foot above the ground.

“I can’t believe I havn’t been able to do that for over two years,” he murmered, gently kissing my lips for a mere second with every word he let out. I giggled in response.

“I don’t know how we ever lived,” I whispered, joking around, but still meaning every word of it. I was still not sure how I lived without being able to kiss the love of my life for two years.

“But we won’t have to worry about that now, love,” Joe murmered in my ear, sending chills down my spine all the way to my toes. I turned my head slightly to look into his beautiful eyes, and gave him a puzzled look.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because,” he replied, setting me down on my feet, making me strain my neck just to look into his eyes. “I have to ask you something.”

He twidled with something half-way down his index finger, something he had been holding behind my back the whole time. I couldn’t see what it was, but the butterflies were building up in my stomach.

He knelt down on one knee, bringing his hand up so I could see what he was holding. Something more than butterflies erupted in my stomach, forcing the beginnings of tears to my eyes.

Between the index finger and thumb of his right hand, Joe held the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. It was a simple, skinny silver band with a medium-sized clear cut diamond right on top, with two tiny diamonds surrounding it on either side. I had never seen a more beautiful thing in my life before.

When I brought my gaze from the ring up to his eyes, I could see the beginnings of happy tears, too. And when his low voice finally made it up to my ears, I literally could not hear or see anything else around me. It was just me and him.

“Melodie Ann Thomason, would you do me the greatest honor of accepting this ring and becoming my wife?”

Now I had heard the most beautiful thing in my life.

I knelt down beside him so I could look him straight in the eyes. I spoke the softest I ever had in my life, but you could hear my voice crystal clear throughout the busy rush hour morning traffic of the Underground.

“Yes.”

And with that, Joe wrapped his arms around my waist and stood up, bringing me with him. Somehow, while holding me in mid-air again and kissing me gently, he slipped off the promise ring he had given me on that fateful day of graduation, and slipped it onto my right ring-finger, and then slipped the engagement ring in it’s place.

From the moment the beautiful ring touched my finger, I knew nothing would come between me and Joe again.

“Forever?” I asked the moment we pulled away from the kiss, smiles evident on both of our faces.

“Forever,” he concluded, kissing me one last time.

And I knew he meant it.