Something – The Proposal – One Shot
Sam walked out of the airport, exhaustion completely overtaking him. He had missed Rachel like mad and couldn't wait to see her. He had only been away for two days, but it felt like forever. He had told her he was going away on the pretence of a modelling shoot, but it was a lie.
He never lied to Rachel, but this one didn't count. He had flown back to Ohio to ask her Dads permission for Rachel's hand in marriage. They had been over the moon and agreed straight away. Then, even though it might have seemed silly to other people, he had made his way to Burt's and Carole's , also asking for their permission.
Over the last three years, he had loved Rachel with every beat of his heart. Their love for each other had grown. Well, that was probably an understatement , but he didn't know how else to describe it. And along the years, they had kept Finn a part of them. They were in regular contact with Burt and Carole, and Carole still grieved for her son every single day, so he thought it was only right that he should ask her for Rachel's hand.
Sam knew the truth, and that truth was that if Finn were still alive today, then Rachel would have been married to him. Carole also knew this, but she was thrilled when Sam announced his intentions, and asked what had taken him so long.
Sam thought about that question a lot on the flight home, and the only answer he had was that he hadn't wanted to scare Rachel. He didn't want to push her into anything she wasn't ready for.
Of course, in typical Rachel fashion, she had started dropping huge hints. They would walk past a jewellers and she would 'oo' and 'ah' at all the pretty rings. She kept talking about how romantic Kurt and Blaine's wedding had been. She would see somebody on TV getting married and sigh. She wasn't very subtle. Sam had wanted to ask her to marry him since the day they started dating. He was crazy about her. He saw no other life for them. But just because that was what he wanted, he had to be sure she wanted it too.
And now he was certain that she did, and that everyone important had given their blessings, he was on his way home to get ready for the proposal.
The ring was perfect. It was a simple but breath taking diamond. It summed Rachel up really. She was classy. It wouldn't have been right to get her a showy dazzler of a ring. Anything else would look tacky on her. As soon as he saw the ring , he knew. He knew it was the one.
As tired as he was when he arrived back at his, he knew he had to get ready for tonight. Rachel had no idea what was going to happen. All she knew was that she had to go over to his place at seven on the dot.
People had questioned them over time why they weren't living together, but they pretty much were. Blaine had moved out three years ago to live in his new apartment with Kurt, and Sam was earning so much as a model that he had been able to keep the flat they previously shared on his own.
Rachel was round his constantly, the place was littered with her things.
Santana and Brittany now lived at Rachel's , but it might as well have just been their place. Rachel was never there. She was always at his now, and it both suited them.
Sam had a quick shower, and instead of picking out a posh designer suit from one of his many shoots, he put on an old pair of jeans and a red and white checked shirt worn over a plain white t-shirt. He wanted to look like himself, not some other person that he never would be. Surely the point of getting married was that you could be yourself around the person you loved and wanted to spend the rest of your life with?
Tomorrow would be their three year anniversary, and he would be taking her out for a fancy meal to celebrate. He hadn't mentioned they were doing anything special tonight, so he wasn't expecting her to be dressed up or anything. Which would be perfect in his eyes. To him, she never looked more beautiful than when she had a day off work and she was lounging around the apartment in casual clothes without a scrap of make-up on and messy hair. She took his breath away all the time.
He ran a hand through his hair, took a deep breath , and tucked the ring into his jeans pocket. He was taking a risk, as he had taken it out of the box before putting it in his pocket. He didn't want her to feel anything when they touched, he didn't want to give the game away that easy. He just prayed that he wouldn't lose it as they went on their travels tonight.
He smiled as he heard her key turn in the door, he ran to the front room, anxious to see his girl.
As she opened the door, he tried not to gasp at just how perfect she looked. Today had been a hot day and she was in denim shorts and a yellow strap top, with her long hair flowing over her shoulders. He ushered her inside, shut the door, and immediately pulled her into his arms.
His lips found hers in an instant and as always, it was like coming home. Whenever he kissed her, that's what it felt like. He always felt an ache inside of him if he wasn't with her, and the need to touch her and just be with her had only intensified over the years.
She smiled up at him, her eyes shining with happiness.
"I've missed you."
He traced a finger down her cheek, drinking in every inch of her.
"I've missed you too baby girl."
She tugged at his shirt, the smile still on her face.
"You haven't worn a farmer shirt for ages. I love it when you wear these. Every time I see you in one it makes me melt."
He chuckled, and rolled his eyes affectionately.
"How many times Rach, these are not 'farmer shirts'. They are the very height of fashion."
Her hands reached round him, grabbing his ass through his jeans. He gulped, thinking how close she was to touching the ring, but it would be OK. When Rachel Berry got frisky, clothes were never on long enough for her to discover any secrets that lay within them.
"The height of fashion. Of course they are. But as much as I love you in your farmer shirts… I much prefer you out of them."
He felt a familiar stirring as she started sprinkling light kisses around his jaw line. As much as he wanted to do this with her right now…. He had another very important job instead tonight. He reluctantly pushed her off, making her scowl at him.
"There better be a good reason why you just rejected me after two long days of being away Sam Evans."
He tried not to laugh at her strop. He had never got used to her wanting him so much. Of course he wanted her. He wanted her way more than what he could ever describe. But she was Rachel Berry. She was amazing. He was just Sam Evans, so the fact that even now, after three years together, she was still as hot for him as she had been at the start baffled him.
He was just about to answer her when there was a knock at the door. Sam tried to feign innocence and shrugged, while a puzzled Rachel went over to open it up.
Sam smiled as he saw Santana standing there. She was right on time.
"Hey dwarf. Sorry to gate crash, I know trouty has only just got back but I need you."
Sam watched as Rach folded her arms across her chest.
"What for? I haven't seen Sam for two days Santana. TWO DAYS."
Santana, ever the good actress, sighed, and looked at Sam for help.
"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. Trouty, do you mind if I borrow dwarf for a little while? I'll bring her back soon, I promise."
Sam shrugged, acting like he didn't have a clue what was going on.
"Sure. I could do with a nap anyway. Rachel's only just walked through the door and she's already trying to jump my bones."
Santana shuddered while Rachel glared at him.
"I did not need to know that."
Santana grabbed Rachel's arm and tried to pull her out of the door. She stubbornly refused, and looked back at Sam.
"But… but…. I can't go. I've only just got here. Tell her Sam."
Her eyes were pleading with him, and he was struggling not to find the whole thing hilarious. He placed his hand on the small of her back and gently guided her out the door.
"Go on. You need to go with Santana, I'll still be here later."
Just before he closed the door on them, he saw the scowl on her face, and he chuckled to himself. He watched out of the window until they had disappeared out of view, then he ran out of the apartment and up the street in the opposite direction to where the girls had just went.
He had to be quick and beat them to it, but he had instructed Santana to walk slowly with Rachel so it should be OK. Sam was out of breath by the time he got to the theatre. He stopped when he reached the door, smiling at the place where he and Rachel had their first date.
He had managed to track down the owner again who had agreed to let him use it once more. Even three years later, it was still run down and was beautiful , yet sad all at the same time.
As he walked through the stage door and checked everything was in place, he smiled again.
He had copied everything from that night. That night when he and Rachel agreed they were Something. That night had changed his life. It had made him believe and realise that there was a future for them, and he would never forget that feeling for as long as he lived.
Like before, he had laid down 800 yellow roses on every single seat and there were candles everywhere, giving the whole place a romantic feel as they glittered and lit up the stage.
He had a huge projector hung on the wall just like before, showing a repeated slide show of pictures of all their memories. This time, there were new pictures. Pictures of the two of them, looking like loves young dream. His favourite was one where the Bushwick five had all went for a long hike, and Kurt had snapped one of Rachel standing in front of him in his arms. They didn't know they were being photographed, and they were both looking up at the sky. Sam had his arms wrapped around Rachel's shoulders while she held his arms with her hands. His head was resting on hers as they both looked up, huge grins on their faces. He couldn't remember what they had been looking at, but it was definitely his favourite photo of them.
He ran down to the seats they had sat in on their first date, checking the food was in place. He had yet again flown out a chef from Breadstix who had agreed to make the dishes again. It had cost him a fortune, but Rachel was worth every penny.
A few minutes later, he heard the door open. When he saw Rachel's shocked face at the top of the steps, he knew it had been worth it. He ran up to greet the girls, thanked Santana with a hug, and told her she could go.
Rachel gazed at him in wonder as he held her hand and led her to their seats. As they sat down , she looked at him, her eyes filled with tears.
""I can't believe you've done all this. Again. It's magical in this place Sam."
He smiled, he felt breathless just looking at her. It scared him that his feelings were still so intense all these years later, but it also made him feel content. He knew him and Rachel were untouchable.
"I just thought it would be nice to come back to the place where it all started."
She grinned and took his hand , her eyes lighting up at the Breadstix boxes beside her. He laughed and kissed her hand.
"Go on, you can eat. I'm sad to say that Barbra isn't here tonight …. So you can start when you want."
She grinned even wider now, and picked up the boxes, handing one to Sam.
"I'm not even disappointed that Barbra isn't here. I think I'm more excited about being here with just you than the thought of Barbra performing…. So that must mean I definitely love you."
He rolled his eyes affectionately as he ate some food.
"It must be true then."
She giggled, then looked at him seriously.
"So what was the whole Santana thing about? You could have just brought me here yourself."
He shrugged.
"I just wanted to surprise you. I knew if you came over to mine… you'd want to stay in and you know…. Have really , really hot sex with your boyfriend who you've been apart from for two whole days and that you wouldn't want to leave, so I needed Santana."
Sam had completely forgot about the champagne. He stopped eating and opened the bottle, making a loud pop, before pouring them both a glass. She took the glass from him, her eyes full of suspicion as she stared at him.
"Are you…. Is this…. Oh my God. You're going to propose , right?"
He tried to feign innocence while trying not to laugh. He knew her so well by now that he had been almost certain she would say this. It all fitted, coming back to the place of their first date… three years down the line. Of course she would add it up. But despite everything , he shook his head, and tried to widen his eyes to look alarmed at the thought.
"Woah…. Slow down baby. In case you've forgot, it's our three year anniversary tomorrow and I wanted to do something special."
She looked shocked at first, then disappointed.
"But…. But we are going out for a meal tomorrow. We are doing something."
He shrugged again, trying to play it cool.
"A meal isn't good enough for three years. You deserve the best."
She still looked disappointed and he desperately wanted to put her out of her misery. But not yet.
"So…. So this is just a date? Like any other date. No proposals or anything."
He put on his best offended look at her words.
"This is not just a date thank you very much. This is an epic, romantic…. Eight hundred roses and candle light in an old abandoned theatre kind of date."
She looked sheepish now. She squeezed his hand before eating her food again.
"I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. This is wonderful Sam."
He smiled, wondering if he could throw her off the scent even more. He knew it would be worth it in the end.
"Anyway, I've told you before…. It's too soon with all this proposal and marriage stuff Rach."
He couldn't look at her face. He knew she would be furious and upset.
"Three years is hardly too long Sam Evans."
He tried not to grin. Little did she knew he meant it was too soon in the night to be talking about it. He wasn't at that stage yet.
She sighed, then to her credit, put a smile on her face.
"Look, forget I said anything. I love you, and this is perfect. Let's just enjoy it."
They spent the next hour laughing, talking and touching each other. No matter where they were or what they were doing, it was rare for them to not be touching in some way.
Sam tried not to keep checking his watch, but he was nervous now. He wasn't good at stuff like this. He cringed as he thought of the first time he told her he loved her. He had made such an idiot of himself.
When he looked at Rachel after checking his watch for the tenth time…. He gulped. She had that look in her eyes. Before he could protest, she was on his lap, a leg either side of his,, staring at him hungrily.
"So Mr Evans… if I remember rightly… the first time we were in this place we went upstairs for a little Somethin Somethin' . What's taking so long?"
His breath caught as her lips crushed into his. She was insatiable. The last thing he needed right now was to be turned on. He had other things on his mind. He pulled away, trying yet again not to laugh at her pout.
Unlike last time, he hadn't done anything to the upstairs. There was no upstairs to go to, so he had to distract her. He put a finger to her lips, and gazed into her eyes, drinking every detail in. He would never get tired of studying her.
"Patience. You are the most impatient girl I have ever met."
She grinned, and before he could stop her, she started kissing his neck, making him moan.
"You are the most frustrating man I've ever met, so we are even. If you don't have your clothes off in thirty seconds, I'm going to have to rip them off. And that would be a shame. . I love this shirt."
Her fingers tugged at his shirt as she carried on kissing him. He tried to think of something else as her teeth gently nibbled on his ear, sending shivers down his spine. Just as he was about to panic and wonder what the hell he was going to do, he heard the door up the top of the steps crash open. He sighed in relief.
Rachel looked alarmed as Kurt and Blaine came running down the steps. She reluctantly climbed off his lap and they both stood up to face their friends. As Kurt reached them , he looked distraught. Sam was impressed with his acting skills.
"Rachel, Santana told me you were here. I'm so sorry to crash but …. I …. I need you."
He sniffed and looked at her sadly, while Blaine behind him shook his head.
"For goodness sake Kurt, I told you not to do this. Why do you have to go running to somebody else every time we have an argument?"
"Because Rachel's my best friend and I need her. Get lost Blaine."
Rachel threw a questioning look at Sam, who shrugged and yet again, feigned innocence.
"What's happened Kurt?"
Rachel sounded worried and for that, Sam felt guilty. But the whole drama was necessary to throw her off what was really happening.
Blaine stepped forward, shaking his head again. Sam couldn't help thinking they should have their own sitcom show.
"It's nothing Rachel, I'm sorry he's barged in like this… I told him not to come but he wouldn't listen."
Kurt glared at Blaine, then looked at Rachel again, his eyes full of sadness.
"My husband stupidly left his phone laying around , and I saw a text from Eli C."
Rachel looked confused for a minute, then gasped out loud.
"Eli C? The guy he cheated on you with all those years ago? Oh my God Blaine, how could you?"
Blaine winced as Rachel hit him hard on the arm. Sam mouthed sorry at him. After all, this was all because of him.
Rachel pulled Kurt into a hug.
"Dude, that is not cool. I think you should go."
Sam felt guilty for even pretending to tell Blaine to get out. Blaine looked at them all exasperated, then stormed out of the theatre. Kurt sniffed in Rachel's arms , then looked at them sadly.
"Sam, I know this is your three year anniversary date ruined, but I really need Rachel tonight. I'm sorry but I… I can't go through this alone."
Sam shrugged and kissed Rachel on the top of her head.
"Its fine Kurt. We were finished anyway."
Rachel looked at him sadly, then linked arms with Kurt.
"Come on, let's go to Santana and Britt's and you can tell me everything."
Kurt nodded and Rachel gave Sam a quick kiss to say goodbye. Once they had left the theatre, Sam raced out of the back doors, hailing a cab to take him to the place he needed to be. In fact, the place was only a fifteen minute walk away, but he needed to be there before Kurt and Rachel. Once there, he made sure everything was in place.
A few months ago, while on a shoot, Sam had discovered a beautiful lake. He couldn't believe he had never found it before. It was magical, and he and a few other models had to pose in a few little creaky rowboats.
He managed to buy one of the rowboats for a cheap price, and since the shoot, whenever Rachel was working and he was free, he would come here to work on the boat. First of all, he had had to make sure it was structurally sound and that it would be able to row on the lake. Then he painted it all pale yellow. Yellow just always reminded him of Rachel, and he had told her that before. He grinned when he remembered she was wearing a yellow top tonight. It was all coming together nicely. On the side of the little wooden rowboat, he had very delicately wrote her name in big fancy purple letters.
Even though he was making good money as a model, he couldn't quite afford a real boat for her, so this would have to do.
There was a lantern so they could see where they were going in the boat, and a few blankets. He had even remembered to bring champagne. That was of course… if she said yes. He couldn't be sure. You could never be sure on anything. It still floored him that she had chosen him to love out of anyone in the world.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. Everything would be fine. It would.
He realised his hands were shaking as he dragged the boat over to the lake. The man who owned all the boats here had let him keep his in the same shed all the other boats were held.
He jumped as he heard footsteps walking into the clearing. He had no idea how Kurt had persuaded Rachel to not go to Santana and Britt's in the end, but right now… he didn't care. He was just grateful that everyone had played their parts tonight so well.
Sam held up the lantern as they came into view. He could hear Rachel ranting about Blaine , and he was sure he heard something like she was going cut his junk off if he ever hurt Kurt again.
When Rachel finally saw Sam, she stopped talking, her mouth open in shock. Her huge brown eyes were full of wonder as she slowly walked up to him. She turned to Kurt for an answer. He smiled, shrugged….mouthed good luck to Sam and ran off behind the trees.
Sam held his hand out to Rachel as he sat on the edge of the boat. She took his hand and he could tell she was nervous.
"Well this is a first. Rachel Berry, speechless."
She didn't react to his words. She just stared at him. Sam knew that she had never looked more beautiful than in that moment. He helped her into the boat and gently pushed it into the lake, then hopped in himself. They sat opposite each other with their legs touching. He grabbed the paddles and started rowing, never taking his eyes off his stunning girlfriend.
"You… you named a boat after me. A yellow boat. When did you get a boat? Did you really name a boat after me? Is this happening right now?"
He chuckled at all her questions. She still looked shocked to the core as she ran her fingers along the edge of the boat.
"It's not a yacht or anything but…."
"It's better. It's amazing."
He smiled shyly as he carried on rowing. They sat in comfortable silence as they made their way towards the middle of the lake. Sam had never seen her look at him the way she was looking right now. It made his stomach flip.
He stopped rowing as they came to the middle of the lake, and looked up at the stars.
"I thought it would be nice to have some company tonight. He's always going to be a part of us, so I thought it was only right that he should be looking down on us right now."
Rachel shook her head, her eyes shining with tears.
"Sam… I…I don't know what to... . what….. I ….."
He knelt down on the floor of the boat, which took an insane amount of skill. The last thing he needed was to tip the boat up and drown her. That definitely wouldn't be very romantic.
He took her hands in his and kissed them, before smiling up at her.
"I didn't write a speech. I didn't plan this part out. I planned every single detail of tonight with care, but when it came to this part, I froze. I couldn't jot down my feelings on some piece of paper when I didn't know how I would feel at this moment."
She squeezed his hand in reassurance. He knew the guys in films were way more romantic than this. But there was no going back now.
"And at this moment, I feel like the world is right. I feel like there is nothing that could happen that would ever break us apart. When we first met at school, I knew that you would always be a part of my life somehow. Of course, I didn't know back then just how much I would come to need you. How much I would come to love you. And if I'm being really honest right now, I still feel that way. I wake up every single day Rach, and I feel more love for you than I did the day before. And it scares me. It's never going to stop. Every second of every minute of every single day, I fall in love with you a little bit more."
Rachel giggled softly. He had been so lost in his words that he hadn't noticed she was crying. He took one of his hands from hers and wiped her tears away, keeping his hand on her cheek.
"You've always believed in me. You've made me who I am."
He heard her breath catch as he took his hand from her cheek and reached into his pocket.
He took the ring out carefully, and held it tightly in fingers, hoping with all her heart she would like it. She gasped when she saw it, it looked even prettier here in the starlight. He couldn't help smiling as more tears streamed down her face. She was so passionate about everything. She could never hide her emotions, and it was one of the many reasons he loved her.
In fact, watching her cry was making him tear up. Never, in his wildest dreams, did he imagine this day would come. He was the luckiest guy in the whole world .
"We learnt all too quickly that the future can be unpredictable. Nobody knows what this life has in store for them. But I do know that whatever the world plans to throw at me, I want you by my side. I can't imagine a world without you . I promise I will always protect you. I promise I will be there through thick and thin. I even promise to always watch awful romantic films and hold you while you cry over how hot Ryan Gosling is. I definitely promise to always have mad, passionate, clothes ripping, head spinning sex with you."
She giggled again, which made him smile.
"But most of all, I swear with every piece of my heart that I will love you until my dying day. I'm crazy for you. Rachel Berry, will you marry me?"
She nodded. She still looked stunned by the whole event. He worried for a moment that she didn't realise what she was agreeing to.
"Yes. Yes yes yes."
Her voice was raw with emotion.
He placed the ring on her finger gently, trying to hold back his own tears. This was real. She held her hand out, admiring the ring.
He gasped as she sunk down to the floor of the boat next to him and flung her arms around his neck. He kissed her , his heart feeling like it would burst at any moment.
"You've just made me the happiest girl in the world farmer boy."
He chuckled as he pulled her on top of him, and they spent the next hour making love as husband and wife to be.