So I have decided that I really don't have any ideas for another full Jared and Kim story at the moment, but I do love them and I have plenty of plot bunnies floating in my head for them, so I'll be working on a collection of short stories for the next little while. Keep an eye out for new additions! And if you haven't read my full length J/K fic "How The Story Went" I suggest you head over to that first!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Twilight series.

The first time he asked, I laughed.

Laughed.

In the single most unromantic gesture in the history of unromantic gestures, I could not keep a straight face beyond the moment where his question hung in the air. There was dead silence. Followed quickly by my giggles.

His face fell almost instantly and he shot up from where he had been crouched on the ground in the school parking lot. His graduation robes were slightly damp and the ends from where they had dragged the ground as he was kneeling. June in Washington was, as always, rainy. He crossed his large arms over his chest and frowned down at me as I covered my mouth with my hand. The unamused look on his face only served to bring another fit of giggles.

"Oh my God...you are serious?" I gasped through my laughter.

"Yes, I'm serious!" His offense to my reaction became, if possible, even more apparent as he unfolded his arms to jam his fists into the pockets of his dress slacks. It was one of the few times I had ever seen him out of jeans or sweatpants. In his slacks and white shirt, with his tie hanging loosely from his collar and graduation robes open and fluttering in the evening air, I had to admit he looked unusually handsome.

I sobered some as he stared me down and my mood shifted from uncontrollable hilarity to incredulous disbelief.

"Jared, what exactly did you think I was going to say?" I asked him, gesturing around us, "We've barely been out of high school ten minutes."

"I thought you were going to say yes, otherwise I would have saved myself the trouble by not asking." he responded irritably. I ran my fingers through my hair, winding the ends around my finger tips and resting my hand against my shoulder. My free hand shifted to wrap across my body and clutch at my ribcage, my arms pseudo crossed in a defensive position.

"What's the rush, Jared?" I demanded, "It's not exactly normal for us to get engaged right after highschool an-"

"Since when are we normal?" He snorted and I rolled my eyes in response.

"Exactly my point." I said, "Can we please be normal for once?"

"Why would I want that?" he replied fiercely, "If we were normal, I'd still have my head so far up my ass that I'd never see what was right in front of me."

"That's not what I meant and you know it." I said flatly, feeling annoyed, "What I mean is that the only people who get married fresh out of high school are the girls who got themselves knocked up. And by some miracle, we've managed to avoid that so far."

"Right, you're not pregnant, there's no scandal." he reasoned, "So it's a non-issue."

"But what's the rush?" I insisted, my arms dropping now. I reached forward to tug his hands from his pocket. Despite his apparent frustration, he yielded and I wound my fingers into his. "What's the difference between right now and a year from now? Two years, even?"

"The difference is two years of calling you my wife." he said in a low voice. My hands in his brought him closer to me and he lowered his head out of habit to speak to me more directly. His eyes bore into mine and I could not help but be caught by them. "Maybe it's stupid, but it's the closest thing that the rest of the world has to what we are. It's the closest thing the rest of the world has to forever."

I hesitated now, in my resolve to reject his proposal.

"I just want it, Kim." he said, determination in his voice, "I want you. In every possible way that I can have you."

I sighed. God he was good with words. Better than I had ever been, I was sure. He had a gift for presenting things in a way that was undeniable. A gift for winning me over. I released his hand and dug into his left pocket with he had let the ring drop following my initial reaction. I inspected it carefully, studying the simply cut diamond and the intricate design of the setting. It was hardly gaudy, more simple and reserved.

"Where did you get this ring?" I asked him after a long moment of staring at it. He blinked in surprise at my question, but collected himself quickly.

"It was my mom's. She nearly cried when I asked her if I could have it for you."

"She nearly cried?"

"Yeah. Said she was glad I wasn't going to let you slip away from me." He grinned slightly at the irony of that statement. I couldn't help a slight giggle.

"If only she knew." I murmured and he nodded.

"If only."

I stared at the ring for another minute before I finally looked up to meet his expectant gaze.

"Alright."

He face split into a wide grin and he leaned closer, his nose brushing mine.

"Really?" he asked, in a whisper that was thickly laced with an almost laughing tone of happiness.

"Really." I repeated, just as his lips crashed into mine. His hands found my waist and pulled my body flush to his. My free hand laced around his neck and my fingers played in the short hairs at its base. And when he finally pulled away, my cheeks were slightly pink from the rush of it all, the heat of his skin and intensity of our kisses that I knew I would never become fully adjusted to. I didn't want to.

He smiled down at me, as I slipped the ring onto my finger. I paused as I reached the second knuckle and looked up at him. Confusion bloomed on his face at my hesitation.

"I only have one condition." I told him, my hands still poised to finish slipping the ring entirely on my finger.

"What's that?"

"You have to tell Marcus."

And Jared grinned, reached up and pushed the ring entirely onto my finger.

"Deal."