Oriel sighed as they pulled up to the school, wishing she had more time with Alfred today than this short bus ride to the campus. They had always talked about moving in together, but there was no extra room in Alfred's apartment and the lease prevented two people from living in the same room. They only managed to be together a few nights a week, most of which involved one of them passing out after studying as whoever's apartment they happened to be at. She wished she could press pause on all of their responsibilities and have just one night where she didn't have a thousand different thoughts buzzing around in her head.

Alfred grunted as Oriel elbowed him when they arrived at their stop. He glanced quickly at his phone and saw that they had a good 45 minutes before their classes would start; just enough time for him to buy her coffee, walk her to class and have just enough time to get to his own building. He smiled to himself as he felt a small brass item burn in his pocket. He had been pulling extra hours at the vet clinic and signed a mortgage on a small house about 20 minutes from the campus just about a week ago; his fingers dipping into his pocket as he fingered the key while he stepped off the bus and followed his fiancee to the popular coffee shop.

The smell of freshly ground coffee permeated the air as they entered, Oriel hooking her fingers into one of his back pockets when her arm slipped around his waist as they got in line. She smiled lovingly at the back of his head, eager to spend the rest of her life with this gorgeous man she'd come to know as her other half. Their wedding was only a few more months away, once they graduated, and she couldn't wait to have him all to herself.

Her eyes peered out into the building and she smiled softly as she looked at the other students in line. She could see that many had been up for hours and hours before, a few looking as if they had pulled an all-nighter to cram for exams later that day; coffee being the only thing that could keep them on their feet for the rest of the day. An arm moved around her shoulders and Alfred smiled softly as he looked at his bride-to-be.

"Do you want the usual or are you feeling adventurous today?" He asked, watching as she leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment and hum.

She had been up late studying for the test shed had this morning, and since she missed her morning coffee in anticipation of their date she was starting to fade a little. Her hand tucked a little deeper into his pocket as she thought and they slowly moved up in the queue. The atmosphere around them a little jittery and tense as everyone seemed to be eager to get their drinks and get out as they avoided one another; all except for the two of them who really couldn't be any closer.

"As long as there's caffeine, I'll be good." The brunette replied with a small smile as she tilted her head up to look at him. He nodded and leaned down to give her a quick kiss as he rubbed her back.

"A caramel macchiato with two shots of espresso, whipped cream, and chocolate drizzle," he recited from memory as he recalled exactly how his fiancee preferred her morning poison. Alfred ignored the few looks they attracted from other patrons as they neared the front of the line, pausing to dig his wallet out of his left back pocket.

Oriel smiled up at him happily as she rose up on her tose a little to kiss his cheek while he moved. "Thank you, darling!"

As they stepped up to the counter the barista currently at the register smiled brightly at the two of them. "You two seem so happy. I hope one day I have someone to look at like that... o-or to have someone look at me that way." She blushed and cleared her throat.

Alfred chuckled and rubbed his sleepy fiancee's back, hoping to make the other woman feel a little more comfortable. "We're just happy to be awake right now." He admitted, wincing slightly as Oriel pinched his side. "You'll find someone that will love all of you; the amazing and the ugly. That's when you know you've found the perfect one."

Oriel giggled to herself as they ordered, thanking the girl as she handed them the receipt and they stepped to the side to wait for their drinks. As she had watched how Alfred made the girl smile, it was moments like that which made her fall in love with him all over again. He had a natural ability to read the atmosphere and tried to make others smile as often as possible, no matter the circumstances.

"In case you were still wondering..." The French woman whispered as they received their coffee and began moving towards the exit. "That is why I fall in love with you every day."

He beamed happily and titted, giving her a squeeze as they left the coffee shop and headed across the road so that they could get to the college of business on campus.
"Really? You love me because I know how you take your coffee?" He teased, the concrete under their feet still damp from the rainstorm that had come through last night.

"No, it's because you're so sweet to everyone; even people that you don't even know." She smiled, taking a long sip of her coffee and sighing happily when the caffeine and sugar hit her tongue. "You have such a big heart."

Alfred chuckled again as he shifted a little closer to her so that a cyclist could pass them without taking out his hip. "Well, that's just how I was raised," he explained as he moved back into his normal path once the student passed them. "Be nice to everyone, even if they won't give you the same courtesy."

Oriel grinned as she gave him a quick hug. "You are just the sweetest, and I can't wait to see your parents again." She replied, kissing his cheek and twirling out of his grip as she moved to walk backward just in front of him.
"I want to raise our k-..," she paused as she blushed, "kids like that." Her heart starting to pound in her chest as she didn't know if now was a good time to bring up kids.

Without missing a beat he nodded and sipped his plain black coffee with a cream and three sugars. He hadn't really been paying attention to her words as he smiled, too busy watching ahead of her to make sure she didn't bump into anyone while they approached a looming icon of the university.
"Yeah, that would be nice." He commented as they passed the bell tower in the center of campus.

She breathed a small sigh of relief as he seemed to be in his own little world, turning around and glancing up as she heard the tower begin to chime 12 o'clock while they approached her building.

"I love the sound of those bells," her lips pulling upwards as the memory of him proposing to her last year in this same spot flashed into her mind.

He grinned widely and reached out for her hand, pulling her to a stop in front of the tower as they looked up and saw the gleam of the brass bells swinging inside the stone structure. "Do you remember the last time we were standing here," he asked wistfully, silently thankful he wasn't as nervous now as he had been them.

Oriel hugged him from behind, pressing her face in between his shoulder blades and taking a breath of the unique scent that clung to his t-shirt.
"Like it was yesterday; you looked so panicked that I thought you were going to be sick." She chuckled fondly as she recalled how pale he'd seemed. he had looked so vulnerable in that moment like she held his entire heart in the palm of her hand when she was answering.

He nodded and smiled as he too recalled the memory, just a little differently.
"I felt like I was laying my heart at your feet, and I was so afraid that you might choose to stomp on it," Alfred replied softly as he set his bookbag down onto the slightly damp concrete beside them and reached back to touch her. "But I was so relieved when you said yes, it felt like we were on Cloud 9 and no one in the world could touch us." He continued and smiled as he reached into his front right pocket.

"But I want to give you something before you go to class."

Oriel laughed as she let her arms fall from around his waist and set her coffee by his book bag before moving to stand in front of him, where she could look him in the eyes, tilting her head and raising a brow as to why Alfred seemed so sappy and reminiscent right now.

"You're not proposing to me again, are you Al? Because I promise my answer will be the same as the first time," she joked, watching him curiously as a hand slipped into his jeans and began to withdraw a small item.

Alfred slowly pulled the secret item he'd been toting around all morning; bringing the brass key up between their faces as he grinned widely. They key was nothing special, a small trinket that anyone could pass by without noticing. However, this grooved piece of shining metal held all his hopes for their near future.

She gave a small laugh as she looked at the item held between his fingers. "Al, I already have a key to your apartment, remember?"

"Oriel Marie Bonnefoy, would you do me the honor of becoming my housemate?" He asked as his face began to hurt a little from how much he was smiling, unable to contain his joy as he watched her eyes widen the moment he used her full name.

"Y-you want me to move in? What about Jamison, is he moving?" She asked, confused over why he seemed so ecstatic; Jamison was great but she was well aware that they couldn't have a third roommate.

Alfred's smile faltered for a moment before he gave a breathless laugh and shook his head before continuing. "It's not to my current apartment," he explained, hoping that she would be able to connect the dots on her own. He stood with bated breath as he watched the confusion in her eyes.

She tilted her head again as she worked through what he had just said. "But if it's not-..." Her eyes immediately widened as the connection dawned on her, the breath leaving her lungs as she realized how big of a step this was for them. "Are you! Al, you aren't saying what I think you're saying..."
She searched his face for a lie, but as his smile only grew she knew he was being completely honest, he hands flew to her mouth to silence a scream before she threw her arms around him in excitement as she squealed. "Oh my god! I love you, Alfred, I love you!"

He laughed and felt his heart soar as she jumped into his arms, nearly dropping his coffee as he caught his balance and spun in a quick circle before setting his fiancee back on her feet.
"You remember that little place we looked at a couple months ago? You couldn't stop talking about how cute you thought it looked, and how it was in a great place for both of us; with me going to back to school later and your new job once you graduate."

"The place with those views of the nature park, and the window seats looking into the backyard?!" She asked, shaking her head for a moment before she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck. Oriel was fighting the urge to cry of happiness as she pressed her face into the crook of his neck. They were finally going to have a chance to start living their lives together!

"That key has been burning a hole in my pocket for nearly a week." He explained, leaning down to pepper her damp cheeks with kisses as he smiled brightly while he held her close.
"That's why I've been working so hard lately." He admitted, knowing that she had been feeling neglected with the way he'd been overloading his schedule recently. "I was picking up extra hours at the clinic to get the money together for the down payment.I know the leases o our apartments are ending soon, and we'd have to find a new place to live anyways... So, is that a yes?"

Oriel leaned back and wiped the tears from her eyes as she giggled, a happy sob escaping her lips. "Of course it's a yes! When can we move in?!" She asked excitedly as she took his hands and bounced on the balls of her feet while she looked at him expectantly. Over the past few months, she could have never imagined that Alfred was working this hard to give her such a big surprise. They had started looking at houses in preparation for their upcoming graduation, but she could have never imagined that he would do something so unexpected.

"Anytime we want, it's ours anyway. I was wanting to go up there tonight, once we get done with classes." He replied with a mischevious but thoughtful look in his eyes. "Just pack an overnight bag and I'll pick you up. There's another surprise waiting at the house."

She gave a chortle as she clapped her hands once, nodding eagerly. "I'll run right home after class and pack, it shouldn't take me long if we're just going for the night." The French woman felt as if her heart would burst from her chest with happiness. She held his face and pulled him into a deep kiss with a happy sigh.
"Though part of me hates you a little for not letting me sign the papers with you, and for making me this excited before I have to sit through a two-hour lecture."

He laughed and hugged her tightly as the bells on the tower chimed again, signaling that it was 12:15. "Well, we both need to get our asses to class," Alfred said as he pressed the key into her hands before pecking her cheek. "I'll see you tonight."

Oriel gripped the key in both hands, not wanting to take a chance of dropping it. She nodded and gave him one more loving kiss before the two of them had to dart off in different directions if they were hoping to get to class with enough time to get their normal seats.

"I love you!" She called over her shoulder, knowing the two hours couldn't go by fast enough for her. As she neared the college of business she began fervently texting her roommate, Anna, to get a little head start on the packing by asking her to toss just a few things into an overnight bag for her so that she could practically leave as soon as she walked in the door.

By the end of her lecture it felt as though she'd been waiting through two days instead of two hours, she was far too excited about seeing the home where she and Alfred would begin to build their lives, careers, and eventually a family.