The Rest of Your Life

By: Riley

Summary – Inspired by Sofia Reyes's video. "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." - Nora Ephron.

Kendall strolled across the floor of his apartment cradling his cell phone between his shoulder and ear. "Yeah, I have everything set up, Mom," he said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "I'm not going to know anything about the draft for a while, I don't even know if I'm up for it yet. I have to be prepared. I mean, if I'm not traded." He picked up his mug and, noticing his shaking hands, placed it back on the counter. "Of course I'm excited, Mom, I'm this close to playing for the NHL. The only thing I'm worried about is moving again depending on where I go." He paused again. "I have no idea what team is going to take me, you never know with drafts, they're always so unpredictable. I might not even be drafted at all."

But that was the point of sacrificing for you dream, wasn't it? It was already hard enough to have to leave California to go back to Minnesota, once Big Time Rush had ended. Having to constantly move around and start his life over and over was another thing. Despite hockey being his dream for as long as he could remember Kendall couldn't fathom leaving his best friends. Leaving his mother and sister behind while he was with his formerly absent father was worse. That was two years ago and he still hated the way his sister looked at him whenever had to say goodbye. She was certainly one of the hardest to let go when it was time for him to leave; in many ways he was like her parent just as he was her big brother because of how hard their mother had to work to provide for them. Part of the reason he was sticking with hockey was to say 'thank you' to his Mom and to show her that all of her sacrifices for him wasn't going to waste.

Hopefully when he left this time, she would be happier for him.

"Of course that's not the only thing I'm worried about right now; I'm just trying to take my mind off it." He placed an empty mug under the Keurig machine and filled it with a hot chocolate cup. "We're going to the beach today so….Unbelievable. I'm 21 I think I know how to…" Kendall sighed, taking his phone from his shoulder and held it close to his mouth. "Yes, I'll wear sunscreen! I'll see you later, Mom. Bye."

Ending the call Kendall placed his phone aside and waited for the hot chocolate to spill into the waiting mug. Hearing a scratching sound he turned towards the cages that sat in the corner of the kitchen and kneeled down.

"Hey guys," he greeted the pig and white maltipoo that sat in their kennels, blinking up at him. "Are you hungry?" He opened the doors and his pets scampered across the floor, running around his legs. Yuma reached up on her hind legs, oinking and snorting loudly before losing her balance and falling over onto her back. Spencer immediately went to her side and used his nose and front paws to push her back up, barking as he did so. "Geez, Yuma, you've been putting on some pounds," Kendall remarked patting his pet pig. "I think we need to start taking you on more walks. God knows you'd have a good time at the doggie park." He then turned towards the dog and ran his hand over its back. "I've got two words for you Spencer, pork kibble."

Yuma snorted and raced out of the kitchen. She ran into the living room and jumped into her bed, ducking her head under the pillow that rested inside. "I was kidding."

With a laugh Kendall got to his feet and picked up the two mugs then walked back into his bedroom. He went over to the left side of the bed and placed the mugs on the bedside table before he shook his girlfriend's shoulder. He was actually surprised to find her still asleep as he was the one that usually slept in while she in comparison was an early riser. "Hey. Riles, wake up." He watched as she opened her eyes and squinted as if trying to place him. "C'mon, get up. I made you some hot chocolate.

His raven haired, Australian girlfriend reached out and grabbed onto her glasses and slid them on. "Good morning, Hockey-Head," she greeted before sitting up with a smile that illuminated her face. He leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips. "You made me hot chokkie?" She leaned around him to find the mug filled with the sweet beverage.

"Yes, I did." Kendall handed her the mug before going to his side of the bed and climbing up onto it, stretching out his legs. "With chocolate chips and extra whipped cream. Your favorite." He looked at her curiously before taking a sip of his coffee. "You were really knocked out."

Riley nodded in agreement, rubbing her eyes. "Late night in the studio, it got pretty aggro after a while. But you should hear what we came up with last night. Rhu and No have done this really cool thing with the pace of the song with their fillers, it's really ace with Pat's and my guitars behind it. But the guitars do this buildup from a really quiet tone to build up on top. Not to mention Syd's violin part. The song's coming along great."

"That's awesome," Kendall said with a smile. He missed the days where he and his friends were part of Big Time Rush, but it wasn't like they couldn't get back together when the time was right for all of them. They've talked about it enough, they just really needed a break to see what else it was they wanted to do. And it was their choice they didn't negotiate to renew their contracts with Rocque Records. Plus, it wasn't like they weren't still best friends who would do anything for each other including celebrating their new accomplishments. He couldn't help but feel anxious about the day no matter how many pep talks and reassuring comments they had give him. "But you need to drink fast and get ready so we can go to the beach."

Eyebrows furrowing together, Riley looked over towards Kendall and tilted her head to the side. "We're going to the beach? I had some work I needed to do in the studio with Ronan and my siblings."

"You just put in an all nighter yesterday, you could use a break." Kendall stared at her for a long moment. "Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend? On a goodyou're your hair is permanently wet because you're always at the beach." He then sat up and continued to stare; leaning forward as he squinted one eye shut and widened the other. "Either you've fallen off your surfboard too many times, you've inhaled too many of James's hairspray fumes, or you've finally gone crazy."

A brief look of annoyance shot through Riley's eyes as she lifted her mug and drank half of it in one gulp. Twisting around she placed her drink on the coffee table with one hand and pushed his face away from hers with the other. Kendall laughed and settled back into his mountain pillows once more, crossing his legs at the ankle. He reached out and placed his hand on her knee, rubbing it. "Anyway, Ruby, I just thought we could have a day to relax and have some time to ourselves before I go back to Minnesota."

He glanced at Riley out of the corner of his eye, wondering if his guilt trip was actually going to work. And also wondering if it would backfire in his face. Not that it wasn't the truth; as soon as he had arrived back from Minnesota, he had so many people that he needed to see. From his family, to Logan, Carlos, and James, to Camille, Stephanie, and Jo, to Riley's brothers and sister—in extension Dak, WayneWayne, and Lizzie as Dak married her sister within the last month, to Gustavo and Kelly. It was hard to keep it all straight and he was doing his best not to feel guilty about it. Not that he minded, he missed his friends dearly. But still, he wanted the day to be special.

Despite her best efforts to keep her face clear, Kendall detected a hint of sadness flash through Riley's eyes as her shoulders inched down. Even so, he knew the mention of a trip to the beach—something she seemed to love more than life itself—was enough to take her mind off it. He could see her mood lifting as her mind shifted to the beach.

"Let me just check the surf report," she declared, leaning over the side of the bed to pick up her computer. "Then we can get going, yeah?"

"I already did. Surf looks great."

Chuckling, Riley gave him an incredulous look. "Do you even know what you're looking for?"

"…Breaking waves?"

"Close enough, Hockey-Head." She leaned over and gave him a long kiss, holding him to her by a firm grip on his bare shoulder. "I love you."

"Love you, most."

Riley then got to her feet and enthusiastically jumped across the bed, landing on the floor with a hard thud. She raced into the bathroom. "Let me just get ready."

Kendall, who curled up into a ball to protect himself as she raced across the bed, uncurled himself and shouted towards the bathroom, "Can't you get out of bed like a normal person?"

"It's more fun than grunting, grandpa!" She shot back over the sound of opening and closing drawers. "Because it doesn't take me twenty minutes just to sit up."

"I can't help that I've got battle scars I have to work through. Being a hockey player is tougher than it looks. I have to make sure I don't get killed when I'm taking shots on goal." He swung his legs to the floor and stood up, ignoring the light throb in his knee that proved her point. He hated it when she was right. "Some sacrifices have to be made; we can't all be doctors in training." Reaching up, he rubbed his neck. "Though I could use a massage."

"If you promise to put on sun screen this time, then sure. Unless you want to get as red as a lobster, again, and need a fucking bathtub to soak in Aloe Vera."

"I'm sorry, aren't doctors supposed to be hospitable?"

"I'm not a doctor yet, so you're shit out of luck, Hockey-Head."

"Hockey pucks." Giving a mock snap of his fingers, Kendall glanced over towards the bag that sat by the closet door. "I've already got our bags packed; all we have to do is get changed and go."

"Wow." The bathroom door opened and Riley walked out, pulling her hair up into a ponytail. She changed into a bathing suit under a t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts. "You planned ahead for this haven't you?"

Kendall smiled with as much pride as an eight year old getting an 'A' on his spelling test. "The whole day. From morning to night."

"I might get bored of you by then," Riley mused, tilting her head to the side and gently twirling her red strand of hair around her finger. Kendall reached out and knocked her hand away, brushing the strand from her blue eyes.

"God forbid," Kendall replied with a roll of his eyes. If it weren't for the fact he knew she was showing her affection through teasing and gentle put downs he would be worried. "I thought we could hang out at the beach and then go to dinner at The Grove. Maybe Here and Abroad or the Cheesecake Factory."

"Sounds like a plan." Riley reached out and rested her hands on the sides of Kendall's face, searching his eyes with hers. Kendall shifted his gaze away; sure she could see his plans in his eyes before looking at her face once more. Riley pressed her lips together and stared hard at him. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Can't I do something nice for my girlfriend before going back to Minnesota?"

"Nothing's aggro?"

"No!" Kendall brought up his hands and rested it on hers. He smiled, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. "I promise." Riley didn't look convinced and Kendall gave her a kiss on the side of the head. "But we have to get going now or else the tourists will get to the beach before we do. And I believe you were the one that told me that nothing is worse than the water filled with people that think they can surf and can't." He tapped the tip of her nose before ducking out of her grasp and going into the bathroom himself.

"You seem to be forgetting that you did that once yourself, Kendork."

"Shut up."

After changing into swimming trunks, Kendall rifled through the drawers and found the bottle of sunscreen. He wouldn't hear the end of it if he forgot again. Being chased down the beach by your sunscreen-gun toting mother once is enough for my lifetime, he thought. He checked the other drawers and found his sunglasses and a mesh hat, taking them with him and a necklace on Riley's side of the counter. He slid his feet into his flip-flops and went out to the kitchen as Riley stood at the refrigerator.

"If we're going to spend the whole day at the beach we're going to need—"

"Got it." Kneeling by the island Kendall grabbed onto the handle of a picnic basket and hoisted it atop the counter. She turned towards him, closing the refrigerator door, holding an apple in her hand. She took a large bite of the fruit before tossing it into the basket. "And yes, it is very girly." He waved a hand over it like Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune complete with a bright smile.

"What about—"

He picked up the boom box that sat on the other side of his feet. Then he held up a finger and motioned behind him to where an umbrella, beach chairs, and a hard cased guitar were leaning against the wall.

"I told you I have everything planned out, Ruby. You don't have to worry about anything. Just, take this; you forgot it in the bathroom." He held the ruby necklace out to her watching as her hand immediately went up to her neck. Her eyes widening with relief before going over to take it.

He knew how important it was to her, just as important as it was to him. It was one of the two necklaces she always wore; the first one she received from her parents before they passed. The other being the one he had given her when he asked her to be his girlfriend, saying he loved her for the first time. Though she couldn't say it back to him right then Riley agreed to be his girlfriend. She hadn't taken the necklace off ever since. The first thing he looked for whenever he saw her was the necklace knowing it would keep his promise to her; that he would always be there for her, even if he wasn't physically there. It wasn't until he had joined the junior league and moved out to Minnesota that he realized how much work it would take to keep that promise.

Kendall watched as she fastened it around her neck then went over to Yuma and Spencer and started to greet them.

"I'll just get this stuff into the car and then we can head out," Kendall called to her. He didn't wait for an answer before grabbing the beach chairs and umbrella before leaving out the front door. He had only made it a few paces down the hallway before his phone rang again. Tucking his belongings under his arm, he pulled out his cell phone and glanced at the screen before putting it up to his ear. "Hey Katie, what's up?" He tilted his head back, rolling his eyes. "Yes, I'm going to put on sunscreen. No, you can't sick mom on me and take pictures."

Riley swished her legs back and forth through the ocean water moving her stringy wet bangs off her forehead. She watched as the waves approached and rolled underneath her. She waited patiently as the lineup rolled through; smiling as surfers of all ages and professional levels took their turns. Part of her wished her brothers and sister were there to enjoy the great beach weather but when she called they said it was fine if they all took the day off to do their own thing. As much as they enjoyed spending all their time together they did need their time apart, and as Sydney said, he needed to spend time with his girlfriend so he didn't 'make the same mistakes the rest of you made'.

And Kendal was right with his suggestion of going to the beach, it was what she needed. Even if she had to wait to get another chance at the break being on the sand was enough. The ocean was her home away from home and being able to spend even a few minutes there, just walking up and down the warm sand was enough to make her relax and smile. Twisting around, the young Australian woman glanced at Kendall as he continued to lie on their towels, arms behind his head. She couldn't see him exactly, from as far out as she was but she had a feeling that's what he had been doing, if not signing autographs for the fans that managed to figure out they were there. (Kendall's insistence of taking pictures to remember the day since the drive over didn't help; even with some of the most obscure backgrounds fans managed to figure out where they were as soon as they arrived in the parking lot).

When they finally settled down on the sand earlier that morning Kendall insisted they eat the breakfast he had brought along—fresh muffins from the store down the street from their apartment—then the two went on a walk, strolling hand in hand over the sand. It quickly turned into the two chasing each other after Kendall had raised his phone to take another picture of her and she shoved his hand away. Then she followed up by pushing him hard enough to knock him over into the sand. Kendall got back to his feet and chased after her. She sprinted away, traversing the sand as if she were running over grass. He had to work a bit harder to keep up with her.

They young couple zigzagged back and forth across the beach. Kendall grabbed her around the waist and spun her around as she laughed with unbridled happiness. He then lifted her onto his back and started to run and spin across the sand, kicking up grains in every direction. Riley held onto his shoulders, a bright smile on her face, her dark blue eyes shining. Which was only seconds before he lifted her over his shoulders and took her, protesting, into the deep, warm ocean water. Of course she got revenge on him as soon as he came up for air, pushing his head back down under water with all of her weight following him. And she may have 'accidentally' tripped him once or twice as larger waves crashed into shore.

It was one of the happiest days she had in a while, especially knowing they would be split again. She had been in long distance relationships before and while she found them difficult, it wasn't as hard as her relationship with Kendall. Riley knew she had never been in love with her past boyfriends and that was all the difference. As cheesy as it was, she now understood why in movies and TV shows people were always so reluctant to have the loves of their lives leave. Or why there were airport chase scenes. (Of which he had even done with his ex-girlfriend). But that had never been her scene and no matter how much it hurt every time, she knew he had to go. Their relationship was hard enough with the distance between Los Angeles and St. Paul. Add the times where she went back to Australia, and it was harder.

Riley wasn't about to beg him to stay. She was too proud for that and she wasn't going to allow him to turn down his dream for her. Not that it stopped him from asking if she would move to Minnesota with him and she had thought about it, but hadn't made up her mind. Being able to push that aside for a day at the beach was definitely something they needed.

Once Kendall grew tired carrying Riley around he stopped back at their towels to drop Riley off. Kendall strolled along the water's edge, finding a large stick and threw it throughout the water as if trying to fish. The Australian watched his fruitless endeavor, laughing to herself and taking picture and videos of him with her phone. She then laid back, listening to the radio on the boom box they had brought along—pleased to hear a song from James playing on the top 40 station. She looked up as Kendall trudged back up to their towels, tank top and shorts dripping with water.

He hiked up his shorts before dropping down onto his towel, letting out a long breath of air. Stretching his arms out to the side, he looked up and gave Riley a boyish smile.

"You look like you were about to be swept out to sea, Kendork," she said to her boyfriend.

"The waves were pulling hard enough," he agreed, chest swelling and falling rhythmically. "I'm surprised I didn't drown." He rolled onto his back and laced his hands together behind his head. "Good news is that it picked up enough for you to go surfing. I can tell you were dying to take your board out. Sorry you won't have anyone to surf with."

Tilting her head to the side, Riley looked down at him. "You mean you won't come with me?"

"And have you laugh at me? I don't think so."

"I can't help it that you're a great source of entertainment for me, Hockey-Head."

"I'd rather be a great source of inspiration."

"Oh, you are." She got out of her chair and knelt on the sand beside him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "For hysterical laughter." She laughed and got to her feet, grabbing onto the short board surfboard she had stuck into the sand as Kendall laughed sarcastically.

"You're not funny," he called as she jogged towards the water.

"I'm hysterical!" she called back.

Now she sat out in the lineup waiting for her chance to go again. Tilting her head back towards the sun, she allowed it to warm over her face and hair, drying out the water left behind. Hearing a shout, she lowered her chin and opened her eyes once more; noticing a good sized wave was coming her way. Lowering herself onto her stomach, Riley pulled her hands hard to propel herself forward. Sitting up as a smaller wave approached her, Riley placed her right knee on the board and pushed hard on the rails. The nose of her board dipped underwater and she followed it with her body in a duck-dive. She moved underneath the small wave and continued to paddle towards the larger wave.

Once she was close enough, Riley stuck her left arm in the water and maneuvered herself around until her board pointed towards the beach. The wave picked her up and lifted her up where she balanced atop the crest of the wave. She paddled a few more times and then leapt to her feet—right foot forward—and shot down the face of the wave. Crouching low, Riley stayed towards the top of the wave, noting how quick it started to close in on itself. Then she straightened up, stretching out her legs and slid down towards the bottom of the wave. It gave her more space to do a series of cutbacks and bottom turns before shooting towards the edge of the wave towards he barrel. Crouching low and twisting her body to the left, Riley turned herself towards the top of the wave and launched herself into the air.

Using her right hand she grabbed onto the rail of her board and twisted her lower body to the side. She let go and stretching out her legs to absorb the crash once she landed back on the water. She used the momentum of the rest of the wave to bring her close to shore. Once her speed decreased she got onto her stomach and rode the wave into the shallow water. Tucking her board under her arm, she jogged back to their area and shoved her board back into the stand. Riley placed her hands on her hips and walked over to Kendall, noticing that he was still asleep.

With a mischievous smile, Riley carefully moved piles of sand over Kendall's legs and waist until he was buried. Then she went back over towards Kendall's head and crouched over him, gathering her dripping hair in her hands and squeezed the water out of it. At first Kendall twitched; his eyebrows coming together and lips pursing. Then he turned his head to the side, opening an eye and wiping the salt water away from his face. He sat up and realized that he could only move his upper half, his legs pinned beneath the sand.

"Gotcha, Hockey-Head!" Riley beamed, moving out of his reach as he swiped at her.

"That's great; now dig me out of here." He twisted back and forth, trying to get away.

She pretended to think about it, tapping her chin as her eyes continued to flash with mischief. For a few moments, she mulled it over. "What do I get out of it if I do?" She hugged her arms around her knees as she continued to squat over him.

"I won't feed you to the sharks."

"There aren't any sharks out here."

"I'll find one."

"Fine, but you'll miss me once I'm gone." She reached out and mussed his hair, pressing his hair into his face. Kendall smiled and turned his head away, dimples appearing in his cheeks as he did so. "Your life won't be nearly as interesting." She then reached out and pinched his face between her fingers, making it so that his lips pursed in her hands. She giggled to herself turning Kendall's face this way and that as she continued to hold her fingers against him.

"You're right." In retaliation he brought his hands up and pressed his palms against her cheeks. He pushed back against them, causing her to make a funny face as she smiled and laughed along with him. "It wouldn't be interesting."

He dropped his hands and placed his palms on the sand, pulling hard to remove his legs from the prison. Once he was free, he moved to sit by her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. Riley brought up her hand and laced her finger through his, leaning her head on his shoulder. She smiled out towards the water. Kendall tightened his grip against her hand and rested his head atop hers.

As the day continued Kendall and Riley watched the sun set over the water as they ate the picnic that he had brought along. The rest of their day was filled with multiple pictures taken-this time Riley getting payback on Kendall and taking an obscene amount of pictures of him-long walks, and sight seeing along the boardwalk. Once the sun had gone down completely, he built up a bonfire and the young couple danced around it to the music that played. Growing tired, the two sat next to the bonfire that continued to crack and burn with the flames that flickered and danced around, warming up the otherwise cool air. Riley sat in Kendall's lap with his arms around her to keep warm, her head pressed back against his shoulder, listening to his breathing. They talked quietly about what they would be doing when he was in Minnesota and when she went back to Australia within the next few months for her music. There was press work to be done on the new music she and her siblings were working on. Not to mention that she hadn't seen her big brother and his wife in a long time.

Kendall made a mental note to spend more time with Logan, James, and Carlos the next time he was in LA. For the week he had off they were only able to spend at least a day together. With James's schedule for his solo career, Logan's studies, and Carlos's multiple directing opportunities their schedules didn't always line up. He had even found it hard to spend time with his mother and sister, who had their own things going on as well.

"So, do you think anywhere in there you'll have time to miss me?" Kendall murmured against her ear, causing Riley to giggle and turn her head away. He reached out and brushed her red strands of hair behind her ear then wrapped his arms tighter around her waist.

"Of course, boofhead." Riley admitted. She leaned back to look him in the eye. "I always miss you."

Kendall looked at her, sure there was something else she wasn't saying. "What?"

Shrugging, Riley said, "I get kind of jealous of the other girls. Their boyfriends, or husbands in Steph's and Rhu's case, can talk about them on Scuttlebutter and stuff and you can't, yeah? Not really, anyway."

Kendall nodded.

That was part of the agreement he had signed when joining the junior hockey league. It was one of the first things engrained in his head when he started out. Being in a relationship was fine but there was a specific image he had to put out towards his fans. To appear available to appeal to as many people as possible. It was the same sort of rule he had when he was part of Big Time Rush. Eventually he and Jo ended up sneaking around to get around it. When it came to his relationship with Riley…yeah, she scoffed and rolled her eyes at the cheesy and romantic things he did for her, but he knew she loved it.

Her romantic at heart to his hopeless romantic.

"I know it's hard, but you know how I feel," he reminded her, closing his eyes as Riley gently ran her fingers through his hair. He brought his hands up and stroked her arms. "I don't want anyone else. I can't see myself with anyone else." He felt her stiffen underneath him and laughed detecting the smirk she was sending him without having to look at her face. "What?"

"I don't know…I just have the feeling that you brought that guitar along for some reason. And that you're about to show me."

"What can I say?" Kendall shrugged and reached over to get his guitar. "It's part of my charm."

"That's my line."

Kendall moved the guitar in front of them, his arm around Riley to hold her against him as he straightened his hands on the instrument. He looked away from her, almost shy as he continued. "Even though I'm not part of the band anymore, I still write songs every now and then. Most of them about friends and family and how weird it feels to be away from home. But there are others that are about you and how you're always there to support me. How I know that no matter how far apart we are from each other that I love you and I don't want anything to come between us. In many ways you're a big inspiration for me, Riles. And I know I say it a lot but I don't think it come across as well as when I can put it in a song."

He cleared his throat, adjusting his hands once more. "It's kind of a rough song, it's not done, but it's called That What Makes You Mine."

Riley nodded and listened as he started the song. He strummed the guitar with his years of precision, hitting every note that filled the song with the emotion he felt for her and what she felt for him in return. Once he hit the final note, letting it hang out in the air, he turned to Riley and smiled. It was all he could do to keep his anxiety from taking compete control. She looked like she was trying hard not to make a snarky remark while also giving a big smile.

"Well, now that I have you speechless, may I see that?" He motioned to the ruby necklace around her neck as he set the guitar aside.

Her expression of amusement changed to that of confusion. "Uh, yeah, sure." Reaching behind her, she unclasped the necklace and handed it over to him, watching him.

Kendall took a deep breath and held the necklace in his hand, holding her hands with his free one. "We've been through a lot together since we met. We went through not being friends at all, to problems with Robert, and my Dad. To problems with other girlfriends, with your bipolar disorder, ex-girlfriends, you parents, the end of my band, my moving away…a lot of things. And we always managed to get through it together. I never once had to wonder if you were on my side or had my back. Even when I'm wrong and you call me out on it, you still support me. While the distance has been hard and we've had our fair share of insecurities and fights, I love that I can talk to you and share everything with you. You're my absolute best friend and I know I wouldn't be half the man I am today if it weren't for you."

Turning her necklace to the side in his hands he pressed his thumbs into the sides of it and popped it open. Carefully, he shook a ring into the palm of his hand. He closed the locket and lifted the ring between his fingers, looking up into Riley's eyes as she stared. "I can't think of a better time to say that you'd make me the luckiest man alive if you agree to become my Mrs. Knight. Will you marry me?"

He expected stunned silence, maybe a tear or two. But not her almost knee-jerk reaction to grin and whisper, "Yes, of course."

Kendall matched her grin, letting out a heavy sigh to release the anxiety he had felt all day and slid the ring onto her left hand before leaning in and trading a long kiss with her. He could feel Riley smiling against his lips every time they pulled back long enough to end the kiss before she leaned in to kiss him again. Finally, she pulled back and admired the ring on her hand. He laughed, noticing her shake, and then wrapped his arms around her in their special hug, her arms snaking through his and up his back, hands resting on his shoulders, and him wrapping his arms around her. She pulled back then kissed him again.

"When did you…?" she tried to ask, tucking her raven hair behind her ears. "I don't…How did you…" it was the first time he had seen her at a loss for words. Then she finally found her voice and leaned back, staring at him. "I didn't know this necklace was a locket."

He laughed a loud laugh, finally starting to relax. "It always was a locket. The silver setting isn't just to make the gem look better." He reached up and caressed her cheek. "As for putting the ring inside…do you remember that really big fight we got into last year when you came to visit me in Minnesota? When you gave me back the necklace? The day you left, I knew I made a mistake. I couldn't stand the thought of not being together and I went out, bought the ring, and put it inside to wait for the best day to propose."

"And you planned this whole day at the beach for that?"

"Yep."

"I should've seen that coming. I mean, I knew you were acting weird…" she trailed off, gazing at her ring once more.

"I was shaking all day," Kendall admitted. "I talked myself out of doing it a few times. I kept thinking I was going to mess something up."

Riley brought her hand up to scratch her forehead, using the movement to wipe happy tears from the corner of her eye. Then she lowered her hand and smiled again, seemingly unable to stop. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Kendall smiled and Riley kissed him again. He couldn't help but still notice the stunned expression on her face and asked, "Are you happy?"

"More than you'll ever know, Hockey-Head," she murmured, resting her head against his chest.

Kendall smiled and wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to the back of her head. The two continued to sit for a while longer, basking in the peacefulness of time to themselves until Kendall reminded her of their dinner planes. They then packed up their things and walked, hand-in-hand, back to their car. Even on the drive to the restaurant, Kendall continued to hold Riley's left hand in his right, moving his fingers over the germs on the ring. Once parked, they strolled along to Here and Abroad, a restaurant that they and their friends frequented when out at The Grove.

Kendall tried his hardest not to let his growing smile give away his surprise. But as the two were directed towards the back patio of the restaurant, he beamed, catching a glimpse of his friends and family, waiting for them. As soon as they turned the corner, Gustavo, Kelly, Mrs. Knight, Mr. Knight, Ronan, James, Logan, Carlos, Katie, Rhuben, Patrick, Noah, Sydney, Jo, Camille, Stephanie, Dak, WayneWayne, and Lizzie all burst out into excited cheers, causing Riley to jump and immediately slap her hands over her mouth. Then she understood what was going on; that he had called them all and planned to have them celebrate their engagement with them, and grinned as her siblings reached her first, all chattering at once.

Kendall smiled and stepped aside to greet James, Logan, and Carlos, who all waited for him. Carlos reached him first, giving him a big bear hug. "Congratulations, man, we're all very happy for you."

James came up to hug him next. "And to think, I almost had her before you did," James remarked with his trademark charming smile. Kendall paused in their hug and glared at him, causing James to hold his hands up. "Don't forget I turned her down because I didn't think I was right for her." He nervously stepped aside so that Logan could get his turn for a hug. "You were made for each other."

"And there's no one better for each other than you two," Logan reassured Kendall. "Congratulations."

"Thanks guys," Kendall replied, hugging him back. "It really means a lot that you came to help celebrate with us." He looked over towards his fiancé as the girls all crowded around her, wanting to see the engagement ring. "I don't think I've ever been happier. And…if this is how I'm supposed to feel, for the rest of my life…then I can't wait for it to start."

The End

A/N: Keep in mind that as this is a one-shot if it ever gets to the point in our multi-chapter stories we talk about engagements and weddings Kendall's proposal to Riley may not happen the same way. Also, because of when BTR ended in 2014 and the age they were then (in showverse) this one-shot is happening in real-time. So that Kendall and Riley did get engaged today. However that also means that my tweet from last October in saying it was the anniversary of their wedding jumped the gun a bit as they're really not getting married until this October.

Anyway, I hope you guys liked it.

Cheers,

-Riles