AUTHOR'S NOTE: Where do I even start? Wow, 6 months. 6. MONTHS. I am so sorry. I'll spare you the long, drawn out version and simply say I've been dealing with a lot of shit and leave it at that. You have no idea how happy it made me when others reviewed saying I shouldn't give up on this story. I never gave up, I just had to go on an unscheduled hiatus (which now that I look back on, I should've made a chapter to notify you of). Again, my sincerest apologies. Welp, if you're still here, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Truly.
The ringing and pinging of arcade games rung through the air. Games flashed and lit up the dark room, bright lights flickering. Gregor stood in front of a pinball machine, his eyes following the metallic ball as it rolled down towards the flippers, ready to send it back up.
Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa gathered around the machine cheering him on.
He pressed the right side button and the ball went soaring upward, hitting a tiny target that lit up like a Christmas tree, the sound of a bell ringing off. He had hit the jackpot flag, again.
"Haha, yes!" Kristoff cheered. "Dude, you're a master!"
Gregor chuckled in thanks, never taking his eyes off the little field in glass. "Thanks, bud. What can I say? I love the classics."
And so it continued. Gregor was able to play for another 15 minutes before he lost his ball in the drain three times too many. A row of tickets came out of the machine, going on until he had about 20 worth in tickets.
All three dropped their mouths. Gregor grinned wide and collected his winnings. "Sweet."
Kristoff clapped his shoulder. "Hey, I challenge you to that shooting game over there."
He pointed towards a game two teenagers were playing. A wide screen showed a horde of zombies advancing towards them while the two boys pointed their guns and shot them down one by one. Eventually the horde became too much and the screen went black, red letters spelling out, You've Been Eaten...GAME OVER.
"You're on!" Gregor laughed. He and Kristoff headed over, the girls following.
Turns out Gregor wasn't a good straight shot. Or any shot for that matter. He was eaten in less than two minutes, Kristoff ranking in his tickets.
"Guess shooting games aren't your strong suit, huh?" He teased good-naturedly.
"Guess not." He said with a shrug, a smile on his face nonetheless. While the couples enjoyed themselves at the arcade, another couple was having an equally enjoyable time, just at a different location.
Eugene walked on the wet rocks, his arms out for balance and head down in concentration. Rapunzel followed along on the sand, keeping an eye on her boyfriend. He made it to the end of the small row and hopped off. His feet hit the sand but it was so wet and moist from the ocean one of them sank in. Eugene lost his balance and flailed before face planting it.
He heard Rapunzel giggle as she walked up, stopping in front of his buried head. "I told you to be careful, but did you listen? Noooo."
She used both hands and grabbed onto his left arm, helping to hoist him up. He spat out a clump of sand. "I had it under control," Spit. "...somewhat."
Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "Of course you did."
She intertwined their fingers and continued on. The sun was starting to set and people had abandoned the beach to escape the cold sea breeze. Eugene had shrugged off his jacket and draped it over Rapunzel's shoulders. By now she had slipped her arms through and was hugging it close with her free hand.
"Eugene, I love time alone together, but I'm getting pretty chilly. Wanna go meet up with the others?"
"No!" He exclaimed quickly. Rapunzel's eyes widened and she stopped. "I-I mean, how about we go on for a little awhile and then head back?" He suggested sheepishly. His hand was rubbing the back of his neck, a nervous grin on his face.
Rapunzel eyed him wearily, one eyebrow quirking upward. Eugene knew that look. She was on to him.
"Eugene, what's going on?"
"Nothing." His voice went up a few octaves. He winced at the sound.
"Eugene Fitzherbert," Oh, the last name. "what is going on?"
Eugene stuttered a response. Rapunzel removed her hand from his and crossed her arms, staring her boyfriend down.
Eugene looked left and right, trying to find an escape. He closed his eyes, took a breath, and then squinted his eyes a bit, his eyebrows folded inward. He was about to lift his lips upward in a corner, but Rapunzel stopped him.
"Don't you dare try to use the smolder on me, mister." She wasn't backing down.
Eugene sighed in defeat. "Well, this is absolutely romantic." He muttered sarcastically.
"Beg pardon?"
Eugene placed his hands on her crossed arms, gently guiding them so her hands rested in his. He steeled himself and then kissed her deeply, making sure the message that he loved her got through crystal clear.
After a kiss that left her slightly winded, he cleared his throat and began.
"Brownie," He started. Rapunzel giggled at the nickname he came up with when they first met. "How long have we been dating?"
"Five years." She answered easily.
"And you know I love you?"
"Yes, of course. I love you, too. You know that, right?" She asked a little panicked.
"But of course. Who wouldn't love me?" He said with a smug. Rapunzel calmed down at his joking and punched his shoulder.
"Narcissist." She grumbled playfully.
He rubbed the spot she hit, feigning hurt. "Who? Me?."
The brunette rolled her eyes. Eugene laughed and picked up from where he left off. "Rapunzel, before you I was nothing but a petty thief, a homeless man. I stole from others and never made an honest living. Then I met you."
Rapunzel felt her eyes sting. "You looked past all that and gave me a chance. You became my friend. And through the first two years of knowing each other, you gave me a job, a temporary home, and something else no one else gave me: love. At first it was platonic and then somewhere down the road it became romantic."
He used a hand to gesture to himself. "Now look at me. I have a beautiful, wonderful girlfriend, friends, and I teach kids how to scale walls. Rapunzel," He cupped her face and stared into her beautiful green orbs. "I would be nothing without you. You made me who I am today."
Tears started to fall. He tried to wipe away as many as he could. "I am so thankful to you and your parents, and while there isn't anything I can think of that would even come close as a thank you, I promise, I will spend the rest of my life trying to repay you." He got down on one knee, never breaking eye contact. "Rapunzel Moore, you are the light of my life and my new dream," He dug out a small velvet box from his back pocket and opened it, a gold band with small emeralds that matched her eyes adorning it. "Will you marry me?"
Rapunzel was crying, trying to answer but finding no words. Eugene waited patiently, not letting panic show on his face, but secretly freaking out on the inside.
She wiped her eyes and sniffed before nodding vigorously. "Yes. Yes, yes, yes! A million times yes!"
She bowled into him, both of them landing in the tide, neither caring if their clothes were soaked. Both were laughing, holding onto each other tightly, never wanting to let go. He slipped the ring onto her left ring finger, happy a ring could finally occupy it.
Rapunzel sat up and brought her finger to her chin to ponder for a moment. Eugene joined her and raised an eyebrow.
"What's up, love? Do you not like the ring?"
"No, no, no!" She quickly corrected. "I love it! I absolutely love it." She kissed his cheek. "I was just thinking." She faced him with a serious expression. "I'll marry you, but on one condition."
Eugene stared confused. "Okaaaay?"
She tackled him, having him land on his back with her on top. She kissed him hard, drawing it out as long as she could before their lungs became desperate for air. When they had to break apart she stared him dead in the eye.
"I'll marry you," She huffed, a little breathless. "If you promise to stop acting like you owe me or my parents anything. The only thing I want from you is your love and devotion. Clear?"
He smiled. "Crystal."
All eyes tore away from the baskets, Kristoff missing his shot completely. Rapunzel and Eugene walked over to them, hand in hand, soaking to the bone. Elsa and Anna ran over with concern all over their faces.
"Punzie, you're dripping wet!" Anna grabbed her shoulders.
"You'll catch a cold for sure." Elsa added in.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Eugene said dryly.
The girls winced. "Sorry, Eugene." Anna apologized sheepishly. "You okay?"
"I'm better than okay!" He cheered happily. "I'm engaged!"
The girls jumped up and down screaming, wrapping the couple in a group hug.
"Congratulations!" They hollered, not caring at all if people were starting to stare.
"We thought he would never ask!" Anna joked with a snort. "We were waiting all day!"
"Hey!" Eugene yelled indigently, none of the girls really listening.
"Wait, you knew?" Rapunzel asked surprised.
"Of course we knew!" Elsa added in. "Who else thought to have him do it on the beach? Didn't think he would wait till this late." She trailed off quietly.
"I'm right here!"
"Oh, but who cares? I'm so happy for you two!" Anna went in for another hug, her top getting damp.
Rapunzel gently pushed her away. "Aw, sweetie, I got you wet."
Anna shrugged. "I'm fine." She started bouncing. "Oooh, show us the ring!"
Rapunzel held out her hand, the beautiful ring sparkling in the night. Kristoff and Gregor gave Eugene a pat on the back, smiles on their faces.
"Congratulations, man." Kristoff said wholeheartedly.
"Yeah, we couldn't be happier."
Eugene thanked them and then held out his arms. "Alright, come here you two."
They laughed and joined in a mini group hug. They heard the girls start to coo.
"Aaawww, look Punzie, they're having a moment." Anna teased.
The men coughed and grunted, separating awkwardly.
Elsa rose an eyebrow with her signature smirk. "Please, gentlemen. Don't stop on our account."
Kristoff coughed into his fist. "Ahem, uh, Gregor let's see what prizes we can get." He pointed over to the ticket counter.
Gregor nodded. "Right behind you, Kristoff."
All three girls rolled their eyes. "Men." They muttered all at once.
The girls threw themselves right into it, discussing wedding gowns, dates, locations, and everything in between. Eugene stood to the side, growing paler with each passing topic.
"Oh boy." He breathed heavily. "What have I gotten into?"
"So, any thoughts on kids?"
Rapunzel almost spat out her hot chocolate. Instead, it went down the wrong pipe and she started having a coughing fit. She pounded her chest in an attempt to clear her airway.
"K-Kids?" She choked out. "We're not even married yet!"
Anna laughed at her friend's expression. "So? You mean to say you've never thought about it? Not once?"
"Sounds like someone has. Care to share, Anna?" The brunette retorted with a smirk.
"Nope." Anna replied smugly. "I'm not the one getting married. I'm only nineteen."
"Oh please. You're three years younger, that isn't by much at all."
Elsa held up both palms. "Whoa, hold up. My baby sister is not getting married." She pointed a stern figure at the redhead. "Don't even think about it."
Anna burst into giggles and nearly fell off the bed. "Please, like I would ever get married before my big sister."
The girls had retired to Rapunzel and Eugene's room, all three piling on the slightly bigger bed. The two had of course gotten the master bedroom, on account of it was Rapunzel's parents' lake house in the first place. A bowl of half-eaten popcorn sat between them and each held their own mug of hot chocolate. Anna and Elsa were both on their stomachs with pillows supporting them while Rapunzel sat cross-legged hugging one.
Elsa snorted into her mug. "That's fine by me. I don't plan on getting married for a looooong time."
"Really? So, if Gregor asked you, say, right now, this very night, you wouldn't say yes?"
Elsa's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. She brought her drink down and cupped the mug with both hands. "You can't be serious. We've been dating for only a month. Of course I'd say no. Who in their right mind wouldn't?"
Anna and Rapunzel looked between each other. Elsa watched their exchanged glances. "What's going on?" Her eyes widened. "Gregor's not proposing is he?" She nearly shrieked.
Rapunzel held her hands up. "No, no! Nothing like that."
Elsa relaxed with a heavy sigh and placed a hand over her heart. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"We just..." Anna searched for the right words. "Thought you and Gregor were in it for the long run."
Elsa shrugged. "It's too soon to tell. Don't forget girls, this is my very first relationship. He knows that and respects it. We're taking things slow."
"And yet you came walking out this morning in his T-shirt." Rapunzel muttered into the rim of her mug.
"I was cold." Elsa seethed with a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
"Yeah, suuure."
Rapunzel and Anna snickered at her flushed face as they idly sipped their drinks.
Elsa cleared her throat. "So, how's the new job, Punzie?" She asked hoping her friend would catch on to her wanting of a change of subject.
Rapunzel swallowed a nice gulp of drink. "Good." She answered calmly. "I'll be honest, I never once saw myself being a tattoo artist, but I absolutely love it."
"Really?" Anna asked interested. "You thinking of staying for a long time?"
Rapunzel nodded vigorously. "I even wanna start my own business."
"That's great, Punzie! We're happy for you." Elsa congratulated.
"What's Eugene think?"
Rapunzel laughed. "He's all for it. It was a bit of a rough start, but he and some of the clients are really good friends now."
"How so?" Elsa sat up and changed position to match Rapunzel's. She used a hand to knead out a kink in her lower back.
"He and I go out for drinks with them every now and then. Those stereotypes about tattooed men are all false. They're nothing but big sweethearts. Not to mention, tattoos no longer have that much of a bad-boy or girl reputation. We have clients ranging from elementary school teachers to bikers." Rapunzel shrugged. "I mean, you even want one, Elsa."
"What?!"
Rapunzel noticed her slip-up and a hand flew to her mouth. Anna's mouth had dropped to the mattress and the pillow Elsa had was being used to smother her face.
"Way to keep a secret, Punze." Her voice muffled.
"Sorry." Rapunzel winced. "It was an accident, I swear."
But it was too late. The damage had been done. Anna gaped at her sister for what seemed like hours.
"You want a tattoo?" She finally spoke.
Elsa took a deep breath before releasing it. "I've entertained the idea, yes."
"Any specific reason?"
The blonde shrugged. "Not particularly, no. I don't know, I just...would like one."
"What would you get?"
"Something to honor Mama and Papa. I noticed someone leave Rapunzel's shop one day after getting something for their grandmother. It really got me thinking."
Anna thought about it for a moment. "Well, I think it's a lovely idea. When were you planning on telling me?"
Elsa smiled. "Honestly, I was just going to surprise you."
Anna laughed. "Why look at you being all spontaneous, Ms. Anderson."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The title is based on a song that's been in my head sung by Love and Theft. If you're into country, I suggest you give it a listen. PLEASE REVIEW and once again, I'm so sorry for the extremely long wait. You guys are the absolute best!