"Well Matt, now that your sister and future brother-in-law know how serious you are about me, do I get to find out?" As Miranda asked her boyfriend her question, she saw a look come across his face. The same kind of look that he got on his face when he was a little kid that did nothing but pull pranks on people. "Matt, you know that I love you and that nothing in this world will ever get me to even consider loosing you, so talk to me."

"Well, Miranda, what exactly do you want me to say? Do you want to hear that I'm madly in love and could never even fathom leaving you behind, for any reason? Fine, because you know it's true. It's exactly like I told you two months, two weeks, and three days ago; I look into my future, and the only thing that never changes, is you. You're there when I'm on one knee; you're there when I'm wearing those god awful blue pjs that hospitals give you when you're in the delivery room. You're even there when I tell my parents that they're gonna have another daughter in the family. It'll always be you. I don't know if those things will happen tomorrow, or if they'll happen ten years from now, but I know that we're there. That's the best I can do. Now, I'm taking those tears in your eyes as a good thing. So come here and curl up in my arms. You know that I can't fall asleep unless I've got you with me."

"Why do you always explain things so intensely? It's almost like you aim to make me cry." When she saw Matt give her a knowing smirk, she swatted his shoulder playfully and then settled her head on it, putting her left arm across his chest. "You know that I feel the same way about you and that I think you're the one for me. I'm just happy with where we are right now." When he heard Miranda say that, his mind froze and his heart sped up.

'What in the world was I thinking? That she'd want something that permanent that soon in our relationship? I must be going insane.'

"Matt, hello, Matt." When she go no answer, Miranda propped herself up on her right elbow and waved her left hand in front of his face. Seeing him start, she just gave a soft smile with a hint of worry behind it. "Hey babe, you okay? You kinda went catatonic on me for a minute there. All I said is that I'm perfectly content with just laying here, in our bed, in our apartment, being cuddled by you. I could stay like this forever."

"Yeah, I love this too. But don't you want to know what's in store for us? When we'll wind up getting married, when we have our first child, all of that stuff?" As Matt asked her this, he kept his tone inquisitive, but inside his mind was going crazy.

"Why are you in such a hurry to grow up? You're 18 for goodness sakes! You're just starting college, yet you've already got a girlfriend that you live with. I want you to take advantage of being away from home for the first time. I can't wait to start the rest of our lives together, but you need to be a college student first. You need to experience some of the shit that comes with growing up before you rush into actually doing it. For crying out loud, you're 18 going on 25. Live a little Matt!"

"Miranda, what you have to understand is that I've been like this, mature for my age that is, ever since the incident with Melina happened. I'll never be back on track with the other guys my age as far as that is concerned, and I'm okay with that, but I'm not so sure you are." Matt sat up more, shrugged her arm off of his chest and got out of bed. Pulling on his robe, he went to the door that opened to the stairs and descended them.

"Matt…wait," Miranda squeaked out between her lips. Quietly, so as not to disturb the two downstairs, she got out of bed and walked over. Giving him a hug, she put her mouth next to his ear and breathed out, "Matthew McGuire…I am so in love with you that it's ridiculous…I have been for almost a year. You are the man of my dreams, even when we were kids and all you did was pull pranks… Matt, you have no clue how happy I was when this," as she said this, she pointed at herself, then at him, "finally happened. I want nothing more than to start our life together, but I don't want to take away your life. You need to experience life without anyone there, telling you what to do, like your parents."

Miranda, you really don't get it, do you? My parents gave me that freedom that kids usually get with college when Melina died…they figured that it affected me enough that I could make my own decisions. I've had that, a bit ahead of schedule, but still. I know what's out there, and it doesn't really interest me. YOU do…Miranda, I love you, I don't want to be a stereotypical 18 year old. Do you remember that older TV show…umm…Boy Meets World?" At this question, Miranda giggled.

"Sure, Gordo and I only came over EVERY Friday growing up to watch it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, we are kinda' like Corey and Topanga. We didn't like each other at first…then we became friends...then we became distant…then involved. Then Topanga proposed to Corey at their high school graduation. They got married when they were like, 20. Now, I'm definitely not saying that life is like a TV show, it's a lot harder than that. But I know what I want with my life, and it's you. I'm sorry if that isn't what you want me to do, but…" Miranda didn't even let him finish his sentence before pulling him in for a kiss so full of emotions that she started to cry.

Taking him by the hand, she tugged on his arm until he turned around and followed her lead back to the bed.

"Miranda what are you do-" just as he was about to finish his question, Miranda cut him off with another kiss. As she let go of his hand, she laid back on the bed, patting the spot next to her, hinting for Matt to lay in it. Looking up at him through half lidded eyes, she put a little smile on her lips to coax him down. "Are you sure that we're ready for this? We've been living together for a little over a month, but we haven't ever…and I've never…with anyone. I just wanted everything to be perfect…and I wanted to be not so nervous. I just want to know that you aren't doing this because of our little fight." With one look into Miranda's eyes, he knew that she was doing this simply because she wanted to. That was the last thing he said all night other than the three word phrase that was whispered with more feeling than ever thought possible throughout the rest of the night.