A/N: I hope you guys are excited for Part Two! I do have to give a shout-out to Warriorwolf123456 on Wattpad for coming up with a name and a story for Grace's roommate :)
P.S. This chapter will be split into multiple parts since it turned out to be too long. But they'll all be posted at the same time :)
Liam was waiting in one of the off-campus parking lots close to NYU. He was listening to Daughtry through his headphones as he perched on the tailgate of his truck.
He was tapping his fingers against his thigh. The gesture was one part in keeping time to the music and another part was him trying to calm his nerves.
Though he was no longer worried about giving Grace the ring, he was worried about what he was going to say.
He wasn't the most eloquent with words, but he loved Grace more than anything. That should be enough.
He then took a breath as his phone began to ring. He furrowed his brows when he saw his grandpa on his caller ID.
He quickly turned off his music and unplugged his headphones. He then answered the call and greeted, "Hey, Grandpa Nick. What's up?"
"Did you happen to forget something when you left at little while ago?" Nick questioned his grandson.
Liam furrowed his brows as he began, "No, what are you…" before it hit him. He widened his eyes as he exclaimed, "The ring! I can't believe I forgot it - that's the whole bloody reason I came up here!"
"It'll be alright, Liam. I'm only a few blocks away," Nick assured him. He then asked, "You still have a few minutes before you're meeting her, don't you?"
Liam then glanced up to see Grace's roommate headed his way. She smiled and waved when she saw him.
He waved back before he answered his grandfather, "Grace's roommate, Lyra, is helping me with the surprise, and she's walking my way," a nervous urgency in his voice.
"Take a breath," Nick suggested. Liam did so, and his grandpa then continued, "Just tell her what's up, and then you can come meet me at the donut shop."
"Okay. See you in a few minutes," Liam replied before he hung up the phone.
Lyra then approached him and asked, "You ready to go meet Grace?"
He scratched behind his ear as he told her, "Uh, I need to go get the ring first."
Confusion clouded Lyra's brown eyes, and Liam then explained, "I left the ring at my grandpa's. He's at the donut shop a few blocks from here."
Lyra nodded in understanding before she offered, "I can walk with you if you want. I think I'd like to get to know the guy that my roommate's head over heels for."
Liam couldn't help but smile before he nodded at her. The two of them then set out toward the donut shop.
As they were walking, Lyra commented, "I really am happy that you decided to surprise Grace for you guys' anniversary. She moped around our dorm pretty much all week until she knew that she had to accept it."
"I know how she feels," Liam conceded. He then took a breath and spoke, "That's why I knew I had to come see her. That, and I just really wanted to see her."
Lyra smiled at his words before she told him, "Well, I know she'll be ecstatic." Her phone then beeped in her pocket; she quickly grabbed it before she read the text message.
She then announced, "That's Grace. She'll be a few minutes late to the coffee shop - she has a meeting with her advisor."
"Everything's okay, isn't it?" Liam asked, suddenly very worried.
"Oh, of course!" Lyra assured him. She then explained, "Grace is just talking to him about adding some more math classes to her schedule that are a little more challenging."
"That sounds like Grace - she's practically a genius when it comes to math," Liam began with a chuckle. He then admitted, "She pretty much breezed through every class in high school, which is why she had to help me get through them the next year."
Lyra couldn't help but chuckle at that, and Liam soon joined her. When they had sobered, he added, "I swear that she and my sister are the only reason I even managed to pass algebra and geometry."
"Trust me, I get it. I probably wouldn't have gotten through college algebra without Grace either – it pays off having a roommate majoring in math who wants to be an accountant," Lyra told him. She then paused and asked, "Your sister's name is Anna Elizabeth right?"
Liam nodded before he spoke, "Yeah. We're pretty close even though she's eight years older than me."
"Eight years?" Lyra asked in surprise. She then observed, "That's a pretty big age difference."
"Well, she's technically my cousin," Liam began before he elaborated, "My uncle and aunt were killed in a car accident when she was four. My dad became her guardian, and he married my mom like a year later."
"Ohh," Lyra surmised in understanding. She then commented, "Based on the way Grace talks about you guys, I never would have guessed that you and Anna Elizabeth weren't actually brother and sister."
"We get that a lot actually," Liam told her with a chuckle. He then paused and added, "It's never been a big deal, though. She's always been my sister."
Lyra couldn't help but smile at his words. She then told him, "That's how Grace and I are. We've sort of adopted each other - I have an older sister, Clarissa, but we don't get along very well," her smile fading and a disappointment filling her tone.
A sympathetic look passed over Liam's features before he spoke, "Sorry about that. Grace told me a little about it - not any of the details, though."
He then paused and continued, "But don't you have two older brothers, too?"
Lyra offered him a grateful smile before she answered, "Yeah, I do. Jensen and Luke - we get along really well." She then chuckled and added, "They can be a little overprotective, though."
"Believe me, I know how that feels - my dad has only recently realized that Anna Elizabeth and I aren't little kids anymore," Liam replied, placing his hands in his jacket pockets.
Lyra laughed at that just as they came upon the donut shop. She then told him, "I think that's the job of dads and brothers."
Liam nodded before he surmised, "And to be embarrassing. The same goes for grandparents - I'm fairly certain that Grandpa Nick is gonna tease me about leaving the ring."
"I'm sure he won't be that bad," Lyra spoke before the two of them headed into the donut shop.
Liam then spotted his grandfather toward the back. He was currently entertaining Faith's four-year-old fraternal twins.
They were giggling when Liam and Lyra walked up. Nick then spoke, "Hey, you guys. Look who it is."
The twins then turned to face Liam and Lyra. "Uncle Liam!" Mackenzie shouted, followed by her brother, Trevor: "Here!"
They then jumped up and wrapped him in a hug. Liam hugged them back before he told them, "Hey, you guys," with a smile.
When they pulled away, the twins looked up at Lyra and asked, "Friend of Uncle Liam?"
Lyra smiled as she answered, "We are friends. I'm really good friends with Uncle Liam's girlfriend, Grace."
Mackenzie and Trevor smiled and clapped at that before they sat down and continued eating their donuts. Nick then spoke, "Speaking of Grace, I'm pretty sure that you'll need this."
He then handed the ring box to Liam. The teenager scratched behind his ear as he spoke, "Thanks, Grandpa Nick. I, uh, really need this."
Nick grinned as teased, "I'm not sure why I thought so, but I just had a feeling that you might."
Though Liam initially rolled his eyes, he couldn't help but scratch behind his ear a moment later.
Nick grinned once more before he genuinely smiled and spoke, "I do think that she'll really love it, Liam. Good luck."
Liam smiled back as he replied, "Thanks, Grandpa."
He nodded before he turned his attention back to his great-grandchildren, making sure they didn't get choked on their snack.
Nick then asked, "Hey, Liam, how long are you gonna be out with Grace?" before explaining, "I have to get these guys to bed early."
He then ruffled Mackenzie and Trevor's hair, making them giggle. Lyra and Liam both smiled at that before he answered, "I'll try not to be too late, but I do want to spend as much time with Grace as I can."
"No worries. I get it - just let me know when you can," Nick told him. Liam nodded in response.
Lyra's phone beeped in her pocket. She grabbed it and read the text message before she spoke, "Grace's advisor wasn't in. She's heading to the coffee shop now."
Liam nodded at her in reply. He then turned his attention back to his family and told them, "I'll see you guys later."
"Bye, Uncle Liam!" Mackenzie and Trevor exclaimed, both of them with their mouths full of donuts.
Nick only shook his head before he bid his grandson a "see you later." Liam and Lyra then headed out of the donut shop.
She couldn't help but giggle before she commented, "Mackenzie and Trevor are so cute! They're probably a handful."
Liam chuckled before he conceded, "Yeah. They keep Faith and Pete on their toes."
Lyra chuckled at his words. She then said, "I probably should have asked this earlier, but Faith is your cousin, right?"
"Yeah, she is," Liam responded. He then assured her, "I know that Grace probably talks about me and my family a lot."
"Try all the time," Lyra interjected with a laugh.
Liam couldn't help but smile before he continued, "But it can still be sort of confusing between my mom's adoptive family and then her birth family."
"I can see where it would be," Lyra conceded. She then paused and added, "But I can see that Grace loves all of you so much. She already feels like she's part of your family - that's why I know she is gonna over the moon about a promise to one day make it official."
A bright smile erupted over Liam's features as he told her, "I'm super excited about it, too." He couldn't help but scratch behind his ear as he then admitted, "I was super nervous about the whole thing right before I came here, but I love Grace more."
Lyra smiled as well as she replied, "Well, I think you two are really sweet. I'm really glad I got to be part of this."
"And on that note, thanks for helping me with the surprise. I probably couldn't have done it by myself," Liam sincerely told her.
"I'm sure you would have found a way," Lyra began with a grin. Her expression then turned genuine as she continued, "But you're welcome."
Liam smiled at her once more just as they arrived on campus. They walked in comfortable silence toward the coffee shop.
When they arrived, they both saw Grace sitting at one of the outside tables. Her red hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and she was currently watching Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on Netflix.
Her back was turned to where Liam and Lyra were standing. The latter then reminded, "Just make sure she doesn't see you."
"You got it," Liam told her with a smile. Lyra smiled back before she headed over to Grace.
She sat down across from her roommate and waved. Grace smiled before she took out her headphones.
"Hey, Lyra. What's up?"
With a shrug, Lyra replied, "Nothing much. I just thought I'd binge-watch some Marvel with you," moving her caramel-brown hair behind her shoulder.
Grace nervously bit her lip before she spoke, "I may have watched ahead from where we agreed to stop."
Lyra shook her head as she replied, "I can't actually say that I'm too surprised by that. You really have no self-control when it comes to watching Marvel - or any of your shows."
Grace only shrugged in response. She then defended, "You're actually into Marvel - I can just tell you what happened without having to dive into the whole universe."
"Oh, come on. Cut Liam some slack - at least he tries to appreciate the things you like," Lyra spoke.
With a smile, Grace spoke, "I know he does," though it seemed as though she was talking to herself.
Her smile then faded as she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.
Lyra offered a sympathetic look as she offered, "You know if he didn't have to help Marco this weekend, he would be here."
"I know. I don't want to be one of those, like, super clingy girlfriends who can't be understanding, but I want him here. I wanted to celebrate our anniversary," Grace lamented, running her fingers back through her hair.
Lyra rested her hand in her chin - Liam's signal - before she placed her other hand on her friend's arm.
Grace then apologized, "I'm sorry - you've heard enough about this all week. I didn't mean to ruin the mood."
"Hey, it's okay. I totally get it - it's you and Liam's anniversary. It's only normal that you'd miss him," Lyra reassured her friend, briefly glancing up to see Liam walking toward them.
He was completely oblivious to the smiles and stares he was receiving from the girls he was walking past - he was his father's son after all - as he was hopelessly in love with the girlfriend he was about to surprise.
Just as Liam was standing behind Grace, Lyra added, "You know, I think I have a way to make you feel better."
"How?" Grace curiously asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Lyra couldn't help but smile as Liam bent down and answered for her: "By helping me surprise you this weekend."
Grace's eyes widened as she instantly recognized his voice. She turned to look up at him before she exclaimed, "Liam!"
She then jumped up from her chair and wrapped him in a crushing hug.
When they pulled back, Grace cupped his face with her hands and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. He eagerly kissed her back as he wrapped his arms around her.
They pulled away a few moments later, a bright smile on both of their faces. Grace then told him, "I'm so glad you're here."
"Me too," Liam told her, running his fingers through her hair.
They then rested their foreheads against each other's, just savoring the moment.
The moment was broken when they heard Lyra clear her throat from behind them.
They both turned to face her, with Liam scratching behind his ear and Grace nervously running her fingers through her hair.
Lyra couldn't help but grin as she told them, "And on that note, I'm gonna leave you guys to celebrate. I hope you guys have a great time."
She then turned and began walking away when Grace's voice stopped her. Lyra turned to face her friend, and she was met with a hug.
When they pulled away, Grace sincerely spoke, "Thank you for listening to me and being there for me this past week. And for helping Liam surprise me."
With a smile, Lyra told her friend, "Of course. That's what friends are for." Grace smiled back before Lyra added, "And the surprise was all Liam - I just had to make sure you didn't find out and then bring him on campus."
"Well, thank you just the same," Grace spoke. Lyra nodded before she started heading back to she and Grace's dorm.
Grace then turned back to Liam. She walked back to him and placed her arms around his neck.
She kissed his cheek before she asked, "So, do you have a plan for today?"
Liam nodded at her before he smiled and elaborated, "I thought we could grab a bite to eat at Sam's Diner before getting dessert at Serendipity and then heading to Central Park."
"Oh, I love Sam's. They have the best food," Grace happily stated.
"I can tell how much you like it. I thought it'd be the perfect start to our anniversary," Liam began with a smile.
His smile soon faded as an uneasy thought crossed his mind. He scratched behind his ear as he lamented, "I guess I should have thought about eating somewhere fancier since…"
He was silenced by Grace pressing her finger to his lips. His blue-green eyes widened slightly in surprise before Grace told him, "I don't care about any of that. All that matters is that you're here."
She then moved her hand, and Liam then smiled at her. He then took hold of her hand and entwined their fingers together.
She smiled back before she told him, "Let me just take my laptop back to my room and then we can go."
Liam nodded before he let go of Grace's hand so she could grab her laptop. The two of them then set off toward her dorm.