A/N: Another one-shot, yay!

Gale bought the ring the second month they had started dating.

The problem now was when he would actually propose.

As cliche as it may sound, Gale knew Madge was the one for him the first day he saw her.

It was a regular Tuesday afternoon and for some reason, Gale decided he would hit the library that day. He had two exams coming up that week and unfortunately, he had decided to start studying now.

Gale never really went to the library—too much people and too much silence. So when he went inside the large building, he was at a complete loss. He stopped by the front desk and tapped on the counter as he waited for someone to come by.

"Hi, how can I help you?" a voice asked.

Gale looked up and his mind went completely blank. Standing in front of him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her eyes...they were so blue and her hair, he just wanted to run his fingers through it.

"Um...do you need help with anything?" she asked again.

"Uh, yes," Gale glanced at her name tag and gave her a charming grin. "...Madge. I need you to help me find a book."

Gale stopped by the library more often that week.

She was always there.

It was two weeks later that Gale finally got enough courage to ask her out.

"So...I'm sure you don't work here all day. Wanna grab some coffee or something? My treat," he offered.

Madge bit her lip and glanced at her watch. "I really wish I could, but today's not a good day."

Gale's shoulder sagged and he wished he could fall inside a deep hole and never come back.

"...but maybe tomorrow?"

Gale's head jerked up and the widest grin spread across his face.

"I'll see you at 5."

It took three dates with Madge for Gale to realize he loved her.

Now, the thing with Gale was that he was never one to have a serious relationship with a girl. But with Madge, all he wanted to do was listen to her talk, to hear her goals and dreams, to see the look in her eyes when she talks about something she loves.

Gale would rest his chin on his hands as he stared at her across the table.

"Sorry," she blushed. "I tend to ramble."

"No, it's fine. I love it."

When he kissed Madge for the first time, Gale thought his head would explode. Her lips were as soft as he imagined them to be and she tasted so...sweet. When they finally pulled apart, much to Gale's dismay, her lips were red and swollen and she was gasping for air.

Gale smiled as her cheeks turned a beautiful shade of pink. He couldn't resist and grabbed her head, crashing his lips on hers once again.

It was six months after they had started dating that Gale knew something was wrong.

Madge had texted him earlier that day.

We need to talk.

Gale had been thinking about the text all day. He couldn't seem to focus during his lectures and all he could think about was what Madge needed to tell him.

When he arrived at their usual coffee shop at 6, Madge was already at their usual table. Her hands were clasped together and she seemed to be lost in thought.

Gale ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath of air before entering the building. Madge's head jerked towards his direction and she straightened up in her seat.

"Hey babe," he kissed her on the cheek before sitting down.

"Hi Gale," she said softly.

Gale played with his fingers and finally looked up at her. She was biting the bottom of her lip—she was nervous.

"What did you have to tell me?" he finally asked.

Madge stayed silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. "I got an internship."

Gale's brow rose and he let out a shaky breath. "That's great! You scared me a bit, I thought it would be bad news."

"It's in Seattle."

Gale's smile faltered a bit.

Seattle? Seattle was across the country.

"I accepted it," Madge said. "It's a great opportunity for me and the company is practically my dream job and they chose me out of a hundred candidates. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Gale stared at his lap as he processed what she had said.

"For how long?"

"Seven months."

Seven months.

Gale rubbed his face and took in a deep breath. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes and Gale's heart felt like it was plummeting down his whole body.

"We can work through it," he finally said. "I can come visit you when I have breaks and...we'll make it work."

Madge's lips quivered but she nodded. He reached over and grasped her hand.

"I love you."

The three words slipped out before he even realized it. He had been in love with her for a while now, but this was the first time he had actually said it out loud.

Madge's eyes widened but a grin spread across her face.

"I love you too."

Gale stopped by her apartment and saw that almost everything was packed away in boxes, ready for storage. She had two suitcases filled with clothes and other items ready to go.

She was leaving today.

Gale offered to drop her off at the airport, but Madge said that her parents would instead. He told her he would stop by the morning before she had to head out and she was nowhere to be seen. He stood in the middle of the nearly empty living room fiddling with the box in his pocket.

"Gale! You're early," Madge said, walking towards him. "I brought coffee."

He grabbed the cup from her and leaned down to give her a kiss. He wanted to savor every memory of her lips.

"The storage guys should be here in about half an hour," she said, looking down at her watch. "And my parents should get here in about an hour."

"Everything's happening so fast," Gale stated. "i'm going to miss you."

Madge put down her coffee and wrapped her arms around Gale's waist. "We said we wouldn't do this." Her voice shook with every word and he could feel the front of his shirt getting wet.

"I know, I'm sorry," he said, smoothing down her hair.

"I love you," she whispered, giving him a soft kiss on his neck.

Gale's heart began to hammer inside his chest and he shut his eyes as he finally said the two words he had wanted to say months ago.

"Marry me."

Madge's breath hitched as she pulled away from him. "What?"

"Marry me," he repeated, staring down at her.

"Gale...I know that this separation will be hard but...that doesn't mean we need to rush things. I mean, we're only 23. We haven't even graduated yet." She began to laugh. "And I don't want you to feel as if we need to get married to ensure that we would stay together. I know that we'll get through this."

"Madge," Gale said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I bought the ring months ago." He pulled out the velvet box from his pocket. "I knew I wanted to marry you after our third date. And I know I may sound crazy, but I love you. I've never felt this way about anyone until I met you."

Tears began to fall down Madge's cheeks and Gale swiped them away with his thumb.

"I love you," he said, emphasizing each word.

Madge let out a shaky laugh. "Okay."

She said it so softly, Gale wasn't sure she had said it until she grabbed his neck and pulled him down for a deep kiss. "I love you."

Gale let out a booming laugh and picked her up in a tight embrace. With shaky hands, he took out the ring and placed it on her left finger.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, admiring the simple silver ring on her finger.

"Gale, are you really sure about this?" she asked once again. "I mean, this is crazy! I'm going to be in Seattle in five hours and we're engaged! Wow, that sounds weird. Engaged."

"I love it," he said with a laugh. "I'm one hundred and ten percent sure. Ever since I saw you in the library that day. And I know this is all crazy, and I know that we're young, but I believe in us. I love you so much."

Madge couldn't believe this was happening and all she could do was wrap her arms around his waist once again.

It took Gale three dates to realize he loved her.

It took two months for him to buy the ring.

It took one day for him to realize he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

One and a half years later, Gale Hawthorne stood at the end of the alter knowing that no matter how fast things had moved between them, no matter how young they were, Madge Undersee was the best decision he had ever made.

A/N: *shields eyes* so much fluff. I needed some fluff in my life. Hope you enjoyed!