Based loosely off of Mine, by Taylor Swift.

Don't own that, or the characters. xoxo

I situated myself in the booth in a far corner of the café. It was one in the morning, and I needed the escape. Sure, being out on a school night this late, on my own, wasn't the smartest idea, but it was preferable to the screaming, or worse, the thick silence I was enduring at home. Tonight, it was the screaming, and I couldn't sleep around it. It was easy enough to get out of the house, since my parents were too busy verbally duking it out in the kitchen, so I had started driving without purpose until I ended up at the café in the middle of the city, near the university. Now, I was sitting in the restaurant, almost totally alone, save for a waiter and a cashier, and surrounded by silence. I pulled out my book, grateful for the quiet, and began to work on the homework due tomorrow… or rather, today. I started to make quick work of my history, copying down important events in Canadian parliament. I became absorbed in dates, names, and events, and jumped out of my skin when someone sat down across from me and pulled my book away. I looked up in shock and fear to find a boy dressed entirely in black sitting across from me, holding a notepad and wearing a smirk. "Well, now that I have your attention—which wasn't easy to get, mind you… you should really pay more attention to people, you know?—what would you like to order?" he said, reclining back into the booth and posing jauntily with his notepad and pencil, waggling his eyebrows at me. I continued to stare at him blankly for a moment—it was one in the morning, after all, and he was overly chipper. I blinked a few times before looking back down at my textbook. "Coffee, please," I whispered, blushing heavily. "With cream, no sugar, and dairy-free creamer, if you've got it."

"Right on that, blue eyes," he said. "And, my name's Eli if you need anything else, okay? I'll go get that if you promise to pay attention next time I come around, alright?"

I blushed again, and nodded, trying to lose myself in my work. When he brought my coffee, I managed to look up and smile at him, resulting in another smirk from him and another blush from me.

By 3:30 AM, I was exhausted, but my homework was done, and I was fairly positive my parents would be done fighting as well. Eli had kept me well supplied on coffee, surprisingly with the non-dairy creamer I'd asked for, and I was almost positive I was going to owe the café an obscene amount of money at this point. As I went up to the register and asked for my receipt, the girl with the odd pigtails laughed at me, handing over a larger than usual piece of paper. "Your coffee is apparently, "on the house". Or, at least, that's what Eli said to tell you. He also said to give you that, and to use it to figure out how you're going to thank him later." She rolled her eyes, and laughed a little as I glanced at Eli quickly, who waved and blushed himself before turning all of his attention to scrubbing down my table, which was nearly spotless. I quietly thanked the cashier and headed out of the café, putting the note in my pocket. Only when I was back in the car did I take it out and read it for the first time.

I'm probably going to regret this later, but… you have pretty eyes. I'd like to get to know you some time, Blue Eyes, and I'd particularly like to know your name. So call me some time, and we'll talk about how you can thank me for your coffee. –Eli (416) 752-7627

~.~

I walked around school for three days with Eli's note in my pocket. I showed it to Alli on day three, and I listened to her squealing all day until I finally acquiesced to calling him. To be perfectly honest, however, I walked off with the number undialed in my phone, and pretended to call him, just to appease her. I stopped carrying the note around after that day, and tried to avoid going back to the coffee shop. However, after day seven, I couldn't avoid it anymore, seeing as my parents were fighting again, and I had more homework to do. I drove to the café near campus, and sat in my car for a good twenty minutes, going back and forth on the pros and cons of actually going in and talking to him until there was a knock on the window of my car. I jumped out of my skin again and screamed before I turned to see what axe murderer was about to kill me. Instead of an axe-wielding bearded rapist, I instead found a smirking, black clad waiter laughing at me. I glared at him before flinging my car door open, and stomping out. "That was not in any way, shape, or form funny, Eli. At all." I crossed my arms and tapped my foot as I waited for him to regain his composure and stop bending over, wheezing from laughing so hard. "I'm serious, Eli. Stop laughing or I'll leave, right now." I moved to open the door of my car, hoping to avoid talking to him, but I was blocked and placed against the door. His arms pinned themselves on either side of my shoulders, effectively trapping me from going anywhere, which was not winning him any favors with me. His eyes were too close to mine, now, and my heart rate was speeding up, out of fear, I supposed. He was close enough that I could feel his breath on my cheek, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as he spoke.
"Nope, you're not going anywhere, Blue Eyes. Not until I learn your name."

I huffed a bit, agitated that I wasn't getting out of this situation easily. I remained silent for a while, debating my chances of screaming bloody murder and someone helping me, or Eli clapping a hand to my mouth before any police came and freaked out. They weren't exactly good, and after about two minutes of this close, unnerving contact, I spoke. Barely whispering, I muttered my name, hoping that he wouldn't hear it and would let me go, anyway. I tried to sidestep out of his arms, but he moved with me.
"No way, Blue Eyes. You're telling me your name if it's the last thing either of us do."

I groaned. He was relentless. I gritted my teeth, afraid of the repercussions of what I was about to do. "Clare. My name is Clare. Can I go, now?" Unfortunately, the arms pinning me to the door spun me around and grabbed onto my shoulders, steering me towards the café.

"Nope. You're going to sit down and have a cup of coffee with me—no sugar, non dairy creamer—and you're going to talk to me. And we'll negotiate your payment that way, Clare."

I sighed, realizing there was no way I could do anything except accept defeat, and let myself be sat down in the same booth as before, while a coffee was handed to me, just the way I liked it. Eli sat down across from me, holding a coffee of his own, and smirked. He had me trapped, and he knew it. He looked at me expectantly, and I scrambled for something I could say that I wouldn't regret later. "It's creepy that you know my coffee order." Blunt and to the point. He chuckled slightly before taking a sip of his coffee and replying. "Well, Clare, I am a waiter. And I did refill your cup all night long, exactly the way you like it. Things like that, you tend to remember. They also tend to make you curious. Now, why don't you tell me why you were sitting outside the café for a good twenty minutes at midnight tonight?"

I sighed, realizing I was unable to escape his questions, and took a sip of my coffee before I answered. "I needed to get out of the house. My parents were fighting again, and I have homework. But, I also didn't want to come in and see someone who had harassed me previously. Obviously, the harassment has continued despite my best efforts." I glared slightly as he smirked at me, again. He was starting to push my nerves, but the eyes kept pulling me in, unfortunately.

"Well, Clare, my name is Elijah Goldsworthy, Eli, for short. I'm a student at the university, and I work part time here when I'm not studying my ass off to keep my scholarship. I'm 19, I love to write, and I'm intrigued by you."

He was certainly blunt, and I sputtered on my coffee at his statement. I wasn't expecting it in the slightest, and it scared me a bit. After I started breathing again, I sighed, realizing he expected me to respond with some sort of similar statement. But how to be blunt and dissuading at the same time? "I'm Clare, 18, a senior at Degrassi, editor of the newspaper, and I don't believe in love. At all. That thing which we call love never lasts, so, I figure, why bother?"

My statement took him aback, and I heard him mutter something and shake his head slightly at me. I stood my ground, staring into my coffee, and at last, I saw him shrug his shoulders.
"So, you still have to thank me for the coffee, Clare. How about you go out on a date with me?"
I laughed. It was a deep, bellyaching laugh, the type that comes when you've bottled up emotions for too long, and you have to release them in some form. I laughed for a long time, and when I finally ceased, I saw him looking confused and slightly hurt. "Didn't you listen, Eli? I don't date. There's no point in doing so, when you don't believe in love. So, sorry. Hate to disappoint, but you're not taking me on a date. I don't do love, I don't do emotions, and I don't do people. You're out of luck."

He contemplated my statement for a few moments more, and nodded.
"Okay. So, don't go on a date with me. Meet me in front of Chapters at 8 on Friday, and wear something appropriate for sitting for a period of time. I've got something I want to do there, and you're going to humour me and come with. If not… I know where you go to school. I can and will haunt the place with my car, and trust me, you don't want to know how people react to Morty." He got up, and smirked, sticking his hand out to shake mine. "I guess I'll see you around, then, Clare." I shook his hand, dumbfounded by his straightforward attitude, and upon my coffee cup being snatched from me, I realized that it was 2:30 in the morning, and that I should really get home and attempt sleep for a while. As I left the café, I heard a faint voice above the sound of the water running to rinse out the coffee cups, singing …was that Dead Hand? It most definitely was, and as I left, I let out a sad smile for the boy who was obviously delighted. I only wished I could be as carefree as he seemed.

~.~

Telling Alli about Friday turned out to be a mistake. The only thing it accomplished was a lot of squealing that I was "actually going out on a date for once!" No matter how many times I insisted that it wasn't a date and that I didn't like him, she kept planning outfits, makeup combinations, and other obnoxious things that resulted in me locking the doors to my house so she wouldn't come and try to make me into a Barbie doll. I managed to leave the house in a demure blue dress and sweater that I liked, and was at Chapters at exactly 7:58. I was nothing if not prompt, and I was waiting outside when I saw a figure in a black blazer and tie running towards me. Eli came to a stop in front of me, and smirked—that had to be one of the most agitating things I had ever seen—as he saw that I had come, after all. "Alright, Eli. What are we doing tonight?" I asked, curious as to what I was doing for the evening. Eli grabbed me by the shoulders and whirled me around, and I came face to face with a poster announcing Chuck Palahniuk was doing a reading tonight at Chapters. My eyes widened, and Eli chuckled as I practically dragged him inside myself, eager to hear one of my favorite authors speak.

~.~

After the Palahniuk talk, I began to realize that maybe Eli and I did have some things in common. Reluctantly, I was coaxed into spending my afternoons on campus in the café, talking to him while he worked, or as he wrote a paper. Coffee remained on the house, which I appreciated, and I came to know most of the staff at the café by name. In particular was Imogen, the cashier with the odd pigtails, who I later learned was in Eli's year and had known him since high school. She tended to keep her distance, but watched me carefully, almost seeming to dislike me in a way. I shrugged it off, but when I asked Eli about it, he sputtered out a few words like overprotective, and just looking out for him before returning to highlighting points in his textbook to later put in an essay, and I didn't pry any further. It wasn't my place, and so we merely returned to our work, whence upon he decided that we should somewhere besides the café. As much as I loved the cozy place, I agreed that it would be a nice change of pace, and we walked out to the parking lot. As much time as we had spent together, I still hadn't seen his fabled car, and I was beginning to think "Morty" didn't exist. Much to my surprise, he led me to an antique hearse, and he laughed as I balked at it.

"It's just a car, Clare. He's sensitive, and old enough to be your grandfather. Show Morty some respect," he said as he opened up my door and helped me in.
"It's morbid, Eli," I retorted as I tried not to look at what I knew was behind me. I cringed as loud rock music poured out of the speakers, and he laughed again as he turned down the stereo and changed the music to something a little more mellow. He drove us out to the bay, and we walked along the pier for a while, just enjoying the silence and the sound of the water slapping against wood. We reached the end of the pier, and I sat down and removed my shoes, dangling my legs over the edge and leaned back on my hands, staring out at the horizon and feeling happy. Maybe it was the peace. Either way, when Eli sat down next to me, I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and smiled, and he pulled me into his side and hugged me. Surprisingly, it was comfortable, and I didn't pull away. It was nice to be close to someone without having to worry about feelings getting in the way. I wouldn't admit it, but he was my best friend at this point, and he was teaching me to lean on another person for once, which was something I had never done. The people I thought I could rely on never did come through for me, but Eli was different.

We stayed on the pier until sunset, just sitting in the silence together and enjoying each other's presence. As we got up, I started to walk back, but Eli pulled me back for a moment. He situated me directly in front of him, and began pacing in front of me, rambling on and on about something I couldn't follow. Finally, he stopped pacing, and came to a stop very close to me. I knitted my eyebrows together, questioning his actions, but I remained puzzled for only a few moments before he softly and carefully placed his lips on my own, kissing me for a brief moment before I registered what was going on and bolted down the pier, leaving him behind me calling my name and eventually running behind me. I wove down streets, thinking fast of the nearest bus stop, and managed to climb on the bus before he could reach me. I watched him disappear behind me as the bus pulled out, and I wiped a few angry tears from my eyes. Feelings weren't supposed to get in the way, here. They never lasted, so why should I bother with them? Even friendship didn't last.

I stopped going to the café that day.

~.~

Three weeks.

Three weeks of silence, of putting up with the fighting, of having to sit and think of Eli, and how much I missed him, and of the endless phone calls from him, and of the feel of his lips on mine, and how I didn't want to feel what I did, but I couldn't deny it anymore.

~.~

I slunk into the café at 1:45 in the morning, wearing sweats, with my hair tied back, and my eyes rimmed in red. Imogen raised her eyebrows at me, surprised, I supposed, to see me in a state of disarray and to see me at all after such a long period of time. I looked at her sadly, trying to convey an apology, but whipped my head around at the sound of china crashing. Eli looked back at me, a mug shattered at his feet and coffee near to seeping into his shoes, and as my eyes filled with tears again, he moved forward and took me into his arms, holding me tight while he whispered into my ear, trying to calm me down. I cried for a good 15 minutes, and he continued to hold me and rub my back, and I felt safe and okay for the first time in 3 weeks. As my tears turned to sniffles, I pulled back and looked him in the eyes for the first time.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, barely able to rasp out the long overdue apology. His hand moved to my cheek, and his thumb ran under my eye, wiping away the tears.
"I know," he said, and his eyes posed a question to me, hesitant and slightly hurt. There was only one way to answer him, and I knew it was going to take a jump on my behalf. I sucked in a deep breath and nodded before rising on my tiptoes and kissing him full on the lips, pouring my insecurities and fears into the kiss, taking the leap of faith he'd carefully been working on making me comfortable with.

We pulled back, breathless, and he held my face in his hands, smiling down at me. I smiled back and grasped his wrists, looking into his eyes.

"I want to be with you, too, Eli. I've spent the last three weeks miserable, and it took me until now to realize that it's because I'm not around you. You're the missing piece I didn't know about. And I can't ignore it anymore. You're making me believe, Eli."

~.~

"Babe, have you seen my black tie?" Eli called from the bedroom. I was sitting on his couch in the tiny apartment he had off campus, waiting on him to finish getting ready to go out for our 9 month anniversary. I smirked his signature, and got up, walking into his room, and grabbing the tie that was very plainly on his pillow. He rolled his eyes at his ignorance, and tilted his head back as I tied it around his neck. I used his tie to my favorite advantage and pulled him in for a kiss. As I kissed him, he grabbed my hips and lazily walked us back towards the bed, pulling me on top of him as he fell backward onto the pillows. I tried to protest in between kisses, begging him to remember that we had reservations, but he merely rolled over on top of me, working his tongue into my mouth to strengthen his argument. I cursed his infallible kissing skills and gave in, moaning slightly as he sucked my tongue into his mouth. Twenty minutes later, we were in Morty, and he was chuckling as I gave him a death glare, attempting to fix my very messed up curls and smeared lipstick, which, miraculously, was not on his collar. He straightened his tie as he drove, and smirked as we walked into the restaurant, claiming our reservations. Along with our 9 months, we were also celebrating the fact that I had graduated a few weeks ago, and that I would be joining him in university soon. Over glasses of red wine, we toasted to our future, the one we were slowly forming together. As we sipped on our drinks, I couldn't help but notice that he seemed antsy, which worried me. Eli was always the sure one in our relationship, and to see him on edge about anything made me feel anxious. I nibbled on some bread before I heard him clear his throat. I looked up, and there was a small box on the table, wrapped.
"Eli, I thought we agreed you weren't going to get me a graduation present," I chastised, knowing that he didn't exactly have the means to drop money on something for me. He waved me off, insisting this wasn't something he paid for, exactly. I raised an eyebrow at him, and motioned for him to continue.

"Clare… you know I love you, right? More than anything in this world, and that I would do anything for you, right? Well, I was sitting around, feeling like a schmuck because I couldn't get you a graduation present. And then it dawned on me. I want to give you everything, Clare. And the one thing you've always gone to me for, I want to make certain doesn't ruin college for you." At this point, he nudged the box towards me and gestured for me to open it. As I opened the lid, I saw a set of keys sitting in the box, and I looked at him, unsure of what it meant.

"Move in with me, Clare. From day one, you've had problems at home, and I've tried to fix them as best as I can from where I've stood. But now, I've got the chance to make a change, what with you heading to school with the potential to live wherever you want. I want you to live with me. I want to be your home, Clare. You already keep some things at my place. Let's just make it official."

I was speechless. He wanted me to move in? I spent the night at his place quite often, it was true, and there was nothing I loved more than waking up next to Eli in the mornings, but I had always assumed he liked that he had his space once I had to go. But… here he was, making the offer. I couldn't deny that it made me nervous—were we too young? Would we hate each other like my parents did?—but I felt his hands slip into mine and hold them tight. I looked into his eyes, questioning the sincerity behind his gift, and he ran his thumb over the back of my hand as he spoke. "We're not your parents, Clare. We're different people, and we sure as hell have a different kind of love. We've got the kind that lasts forever. I'm not sure of much in this world, babe, but the things I am sure of all revolve around you and how much I love you. Now, please. Move in with me, Clare."

Ten minutes later, we were asked to leave the restaurant after the manager found me in Eli's lap, working on his tie as I enthusiastically gave him his answer. Laughing the entire way out to Morty, we paused to kiss again, my back pressing against the passenger's side door with his arms on either side of my shoulders, not unlike the first time he asked for my name. This time, however, I was looking into his eyes as much as he was looking into mine, and I registered, not for the first time, that I was incredibly lucky to be able to call him mine, because he was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

~.~

It was 7:30 on a Sunday night, we were both sweaty and tired, but we were happier than we had ever been as we collapsed on what was now our bed, holding each other while registering that we had finally moved all of my things in and were about to spend our first night in our apartment, together. It was like something out of a dream for me, being able to say I lived with Eli, and not have to spend any more nights listening to my parents argue. Granted, they weren't thrilled I was moving in with my boyfriend, but I was 18 and they couldn't fight me on it. I moved my head off his chest and sat up, shushing his complaints as I moved to straddle his hips and leaned down to kiss him, running my hands down his chest, intending to give him a proper thank you for lugging boxes upon boxes of my stuff around and up stairs today. As I ran my tongue over his bottom lip, tugging at it slightly, I heard a slight fizzle before we were plunged into total darkness. I pulled away, slightly confused, and Eli propped himself up on his elbows before dropping his head to his chest and swearing loudly. "Shit. I knew there was something I forgot before you moved in here! I forgot to pay the electric bill!"

I rolled off him and beside him, throwing my head back and laughing loudly, not caring if the neighbours heard. It figured that this had happened. In a way, this made it even more perfect. I got up and walked to the kitchen, rummaging around in the cabinets for a few candles and a lighter. I placed them on the bedside table and lit them, letting the room glow with the soft light from them. I sat down on the edge of the bed next to Eli and smoothed his bangs off his forehead. "Don't worry about it, hon. We've got candles. It's not that big of a problem to use them until we can get the money in." His arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me down to him as he kissed me gently, a thank you of his own kind.

"I love you, you know that?" he whispered as he twisted a piece of my hair as he spoke. The look in his eyes reminded me of the sheer honesty that he wore on his sleeve the first time he told me he loved me.

We were sitting on the same pier he had brought me to the first time he tried to kiss me, our position mimicking the past, his arm around me, and my head on his shoulder, both of us looking out over the water, watching the sun sink. It was our three month anniversary, and it seemed fitting, somehow, to return here. I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, watching a slight blush rise up as I did so. The sun finally sank below the water, and we stood up together, holding hands. He took my face in his hands and kissed me. I didn't run this time, and I wasn't sure how I had ever run in the first place. Kissing Eli was one of the more incredible things in this world, and I never wanted to stop. The kiss broke, and he looked in my eyes seriously for a moment, worrying me for a second. The serious look disappeared for a moment, and a look I wasn't quite familiar with replaced it. There was a vulnerability to it, and an honesty that made my breath catch in my throat for a moment. He dropped his hands from my face and began pacing back and forth in front of me, and I knew something was weighing on his mind. I let him pace until he came to a stop in front of me and kissed my forehead before looking down into my eyes and taking a deep breath. "Iloveyou," he breathed, and then, to my surprise, he bolted. I stood dumbfounded for a moment before taking off after him, his declaration driving me to run faster than I ever had in my life. I caught up to him, out of breath and panting, but grabbed the sides of his neck and pulled his face down to look me squarely in the eye. His fear was evident, but he also had a level of complete honesty in them. That look made my heart skip a beat, and in that moment, I knew. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him, pouring in three months of hard work, compassion, trust, … and love. The kiss ended, and our foreheads rested against each other as he held me tightly to him. "I love you, too, Eli," I said, eyes closed as I laid my soul bare for him. He tilted my chin up and looked me in the eyes, the same ones he had told me were pretty 5 months ago, and his eyes were brimming with tears. I realized then and there that this was bigger than either of us, but that I trusted him enough to give my heart to him. A tear I didn't know was there slid down my cheek, and he wiped it away as he pressed his lips against mine gently, a promise that this was real and that I was safe with him.

"I know. I love you, too, Eli," I said as I leaned down to kiss him again, only to be flipped over onto my back. As Eli's tongue worked its way past my lips and his hands worked their way up my torso, I smirked slightly at the thought that soon enough, the neighbours would be missing the cackling laughter.

~.~

It had been 8 months since I moved in with Eli, and while things hadn't always been a picnic, they were still ours. Between classes, and work for the two of us (I was working at the same Chapters that he had brought me to the Palahniuk reading at, and he was now managing the café), we were busy, but happy. Lately, though, Eli was working insane hours, and I barely saw him. The only way I knew he came home was feeling him collapse into bed past two in the morning, and the sound of the shower about 7 AM. We were able to get lunch together sometimes, but even then, he was distant and slightly rushed. The behaviour had been going on for about a month, and against my will, I was getting suspicious. As much as I tried to push the thought out of my head, it still floated around, until one night, I gave in and called his phone, only to be greeted by a giggling Imogen and cries of, "Eli! Stop it! No, stop tickling me! Clare? Clare?" before I hung up the phone in tears, my worst fears confirmed. He was cheating. With Imogen. All those nights spent at the café were to spend time with her, not to work. He was wrong. Our love wasn't strong enough. We were just like my parents.

That night, I waited up for him. I sat in the kitchen until two in the morning, when he came stumbling in, tired and heading towards the bedroom before stopping when he saw me. "Clare?" he asked, rubbing his head in confusion. My eyes iced over as I stood up. "I'm leaving, Eli," I declared, picking up my bag. "I refuse to stay while you cheat on me with Imogen, and be made a fool. I thought you loved me, and that we weren't my parents, but apparently, I was wrong. So, we're over, Eli. I'll be back for my stuff later." I wiped a tear from my eye and put my hand on the doorknob. "Goodbye, Eli," I whispered before I bolted down three flights of stairs and out onto the sidewalk, collapsing on top of my bag and crying my eyes out as a few taxis sped by. Suddenly, a hand was on my shoulder, and I jerked around, throwing Eli's hand off me. "You do NOT have a right to touch me, now. Not after that!" I yelled, tears streaming down my face. He tried to grab me, but I shoved him away, hitting his chest in anger. He fought against it until I was too tired to fight, and held me to his chest, stroking my hair as I cried. I gave a final sniffle and he stepped back, holding my face in his hands. I braced myself for all the details of how long he had been cheating, and a meaningless apology. "Just… just go ahead and tell me how long you've been cheating, Eli. Tell me why I wasn't good enough, and why you had to lie, okay?"

"Do not ever say those words again, Clare Diane Edwards," he growled, gripping my face tighter before capturing my lips in a searing kiss that nearly knocked me over from the sheer passion behind it. Confused, I stepped back, questioning his actions.

"You silly, stupid girl," he chastised, pacing back and forth in front of me. "How could you ever think that I would cheat on you? I love you, and I was sure you knew that. Sure you felt the same way, and I have been working my ass off for three months straight to prove that to you. Imogen? Really, Clare? We're friends, and nothing more. She's been helping me with something, and honestly, I can't believe you would even think anything more was happening." He came to a stop in front of me, and stared me down long and hard. "We are not your parents, Clare. I've spent the past two years proving that to you. And I'm about to prove it again," he said, moving back slightly and kneeling in front of me as he dug around in his pocket, pulling out a small black box. My tears began again as he held it, rolling it in his hand, and began to speak.

"You know, Clare, the first time I met you, I knew there was something special about you, and I needed to find out what it was. And it took some convincing, but I eventually pulled it out of you. All your secrets, what made you who you are, what you were scared of, what your dreams were. And ever since that first time I tried to kiss you and you ran, I knew. I knew you were the one girl I would spend my life chasing after, no matter what. When you came back, I knew then and there I was in love with you, but it took me another three months to say it. And you know what? It's taken me two months to get up the courage to do what I'm doing right now. But that's because I wanted to make sure you were as ready as I was, and that you wouldn't run. I sure as hell never imagined this conversation taking place here, or in the way that it's going right now, but it is. I love you, Clare. Get that through your adorably curly head, please. I love you, and right now, I'm putting everything we have on the line. You are the best thing I've ever been able to call mine, and all I want to do is make it official. Clare… marry me. I've loved you from the start, and I will never, ever leave. You're scared, I know, but this is just another step in our journey. Marry me. Let me call you my wife, and you call me your husband."

I stood there in tears, not believing a single word coming out of his mouth. He rose up and took my face in his hands while I tried to make my brain work. I looked into his eyes, and in that moment, there was no going back. I knew then and there that he was the only person I could ever spend the rest of my life with, and that he was the best thing that would ever be mine. I breathed out a yes, and before I could react, he crushed his lips against mine, putting all the feelings I couldn't process into one kiss. He picked me up, twirling me around, and placed me down gently, kissing me one last time before he slipped the diamond ring on my finger. I looked at it in total disbelief, not sure if it was a dream or not. "But… Imogen?" I questioned, still unsure of how she fit into the situation.

Eli rolled his eyes in response. "She helped me figure out your ring size and pick it out, Clare. And she's let me take some of her shifts to help pay for it. I wasn't cheating, Clare. I was making sure I could give you what you deserved."

Tears spilled over again as I comprehended everything, totally shocked I had read the situation wrong. He loved me. He really loved me. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, and we were going to get married. I looked into eyes, filled with honesty and love, and knew I was going to spend the rest of my life looking into those as we bought a house, said our vows, made love and children, and grew old together. I kissed him one last time before grabbing my bags and turning around. "Well, you coming?" I asked as I made to back into the apartment. With a look of love so strong and powerful my knees nearly buckled, he strode towards me, grabbing my bag and picking me up, carrying me over the threshold of the building.

"I sincerely hope you mean that in the worst way possible, Mrs. Goldsworthy, because you are going to several times over tonight in celebration," he purred before setting me down and practically racing up the stairs, taking them two at a time in his excitement. I clambered after him, heading back home to the one place I knew I belonged, with the one boy I knew was now going to be forever mine.