Happy Moments

By: Riley

Summary - It was the happiest moment of Carlos's life. Carlos/Stephanie fluff.

To know Carlos you have to know that he is a happy person.

He can find happiness in just about everything. His favorite TV was cancelled? There'd be a new one, he was happy he got a chance to watch it, and there were many other ways to watch it again.

It was raining? That meant that the flowers would be coming out soon, the sun would come back out again and there was a good chance for rainbows to come out. He always wanted to capture that leprechaun and its pot of gold on the other side of the rainbow.

He got yelled at by Gustavo? Unlike other people who would take it offensively, he found it as the music producer's way to try and help the guys get better. It was endearing. Carlos did anyway; now Big Time Rush was ending. As sad as he was that the band wasn't going to be making music anytime in the near future, that didn't mean that there wasn't a chance they could get back together and do it all again. They had a blast making music; it was some of the best moments of their lives. He was glad they could experience it.

But that wasn't the best thing that had happened in his life.

The best thing was meeting his girlfriend, Stephanie King.

He had never had a lot of luck with girls before. He had been on dates, but they never really went anywhere so that he was in an actual relationship. The other guys tried to help him out, he needed to calm down, to stop being so weird, you can't burp on a date, you need to be sure you're dressed well. And that was only some of the items on a long list of things that Kendall, Logan, and James had given him.

But Stephanie didn't care. She thought it was funny and cute that he was trying so hard to find the Palm Woods ghost when she was the one that was behind the scheme, trying to make a no-budget film for a film festival. She thought it was endearing, in a way, that he had tried to make the Jennifers happy by being all three of their dates for the Palm Woods dance, and very attractive when he finally stood up for himself and dumped the three of them for her. But what she especially liked about him was the fact that he wasn't like all of the other boys.

He was crazy, wild, energetic, open, sensitive, and didn't take himself too seriously. He wasn't afraid to complement her and support her on whatever she did and she did the same for him. They were total opposites in many ways as she was more laid-back and chill, something that fans and friends alike have told her, also while complimenting her swagger while he was ready to bounce off the walls at a moment's notice. But their family lives and backgrounds were similar enough so that they always had something to talk about.

Carlos enjoyed every moment he was with Stephanie and found himself happier and happier day after day. So it was no surprise that when he was nineteen years old and completely in love with her that he decided he wanted to get married to her. It wasn't a decision more than it just felt right.

He had woken up one morning thinking about her, as he usually did, and his mind immediately drifted to the future. He could see their marriage, their honeymoon, getting their own place, buying their own house, kids running through the front yard and all the while still being best friends with Logan, James, and Kendall. If they weren't all living in the same house.

That had been Carlos's idea, but everyone else quickly nixed it. (He wasn't giving up hope though).

After getting dressed, Carlos quickly headed out from the Palm Woods and to the closest jewelry store he could find, scanning over the rings that sat in the display, eyes widening over each one. The money he had saved up, not including what he couldn't have from Big Time Rush until he was twenty-one had been enough for a ring that wasn't particularly extravagant but he knew that Stephanie would like it. She loved every gesture of affection she gave him, no matter how over-the-top it could be at times.

He knew he should've told the guys what he was planning, but he couldn't wait. He wanted to be sure she would say 'yes' before he told the rest of them.

And it was that excitement that he was doing what was going to make them completely happy that had him go straight to the film festival that she was presenting her newest film at. Having arrived in sunglasses and a baseball cap pulled low over his forehead, not wanting to be recognized by fans, Carlos quickly made his way through the crowd and over to Stephanie, who was talking to a few of the program directors.

"Steph." Carlos tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to face him, her confused expression reflecting off the dark lenses of his sunglasses, before he pulled them off. Then her beautiful face spread into a bright smile and she wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders, arms grazing the straps of his backpack.

"Carlos! Hey!" She hugged him tightly before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "What are you doing here? I thought you said that you had some last minute work to do." She took a step back away from him, hands sliding from her shoulders to his chest.

Carlos continued to hold his arms around her lower back, keeping her close to him. "I wanted to see my girlfriend in action," he replied with a warm smile. "I mean, this film has an even bigger budget than the one of the Palm Woods ghost, it's only a matter of time until you continue to rise in stardom of tinsel town and leave us all behind." Stephanie gave him a playful swat on the arm. "I'm kidding, Steph, I just wanted to see you. Is that a crime?"

Stephanie gave him a fleeting smile, her anxiety clearly getting the best of her as she looked over her shoulder at the film festival as it continued to go on around them. "You could have waited until I got back. I didn't want anyone to come, just in case I lost." She let out a long sigh then turned back to him, eyes lighting up. "But, now that you're here, you may as well stay!"

"I may as well. It's better than getting kicked out." Carlos's teasing earned him another swat and he replaced his sunglasses onto his face. "Or being mauled by fans." He reached out and gently grabbed onto her hand, running his thumb over the back of it. "But I wanted to give you something, too."

"Can it wait?" Stephanie chewed her lower lip, eyes looking up at the projection screen behind them. "My film is coming up soon and I want to be sure that I'm prepared for my speech."

"Open it now," Carlos insisted. "It'll make you feel better, less anxious. I promise." He then stuck out his lower lip, widening his eyes behind his sunglasses. She couldn't see his chocolate browns but knew the power that came from it. "Please? Please?" He asked in a childlike voice. He did his best to make sure that his nervousness wasn't coming through as he gave her a heartwarming smile.

Stephanie looked at him for a long moment then sighed, her shoulders slumping as she relaxed. "All right," She agreed. "Who can say 'no' to a face like that?" Gently cupping his face in her hand, she leaned in and gave him a peck.

Carlos reached into his backpack and pulled out a box that was slightly damp with condensation. Stephanie gently took the box in her hands, discreetly wiping her hand against the side of her jean shorts.

"Sorry about that," He apologized quickly. "I needed to be sure it didn't melt so I have it in a cooler like bag filled with ice."

"It's all right, Carlos," Stephanie reassured him. Opening the box she found an array of chocolates inside, made into the shape of a heart and directly in the center of it was a velvet box. Her eyes widened seconds before she could register what it was she was looking at.

Carlos gauged her reaction, watching as shock registered on her face before confusion. Reaching out, he plucked out the velvet box and turned it in his hand. Opening it, he faced the ring towards her and looked deeply in her eyes.

She continued to gape at him.

"Will you marry me?" He asked.

Stephanie's mouth open and closed a few times, her trembling hands threatened to drop the box of chocolates. Even as she held them, they jostled in the package, creating a slightly audible crinkling sound from the wax paper.

"Carlos," she said, voice cracking. Finally, she managed to smile and nod. "Of course. Yes! Yes, I'll marry you."

Carlos beamed and moved the box of chocolates out of the way. With his own trembling hand he took the ring out of the velvet box and slid it into her ring finger before the two leaned in and kissed again, a long kiss filled with their shared happiness before sharing a long hug.

For the rest of the film festival they didn't leave each other's side. Carlos grinned up at her as she showed her film and won the first place prize in her age group. Then they started to tentatively talk about wedding plans, wondering if a wedding in his home of Minnesota, her home of Florida, or their new home of California would be the best place to hold it though they both agreed they wanted the date to be on the fourth of July, a day that was always filled with family and friends.

"But before then you're going to have to come to Florida," Stephanie said to him as they stretched out on a blanket, sharing the quickly melting chocolate as they watched the rest of the films being aired. "I know you've talked to my Mom and brother on the phone and through video chats and stuff, they feel that you are part of the family, but I still want you to meet them."

"Florida it is then," Carlos agreed. "But I don't really care where we go as long as I'm with you." He gave her a cheesy smile. "You make me so happy, Steph. I can't wait to spend…to share the rest of my life with you."

"I can't wait to share the rest of my life with you, too," Stephanie said. She leaned in and gave him a gently kiss, before resting her head on his shoulder. "I love you." She looked down at the ring on her left finger, her smile widening even further.

And despite all of the other exciting moments that have happened in his life, that moment was the happiest one Carlos would always remember.

The End