Author's Note: Hello! Today (June 29, 2024) is my 20th Anniversary on and I am celebrating by publishing my 22nd story, as well as the fourth and final installment of my series title All the World's A Stage! I am beyond excited about this milestone and I'm super grateful to have you all along for the journey! I hope you enjoy this story!
January 2011 through Summer 2011
I was right. Sleeping alone sucks. Sleeping in separate rooms is awful, with that stupid wall mocking me. I feel 17 again, knowing the only thing standing between me and Casey is six inches of studs and dry wall. It's only been a day, but my arms feel empty without her.
With Casey and I officially together, Dad decides it's time to revisit the discussion of bedroom arrangements. He and Nora realize that, as adults, Casey and I will most likely end up sleeping in the same room at our apartment and one day we will want to sleep together when we visit home too. But they do not like the idea of us sleeping in one of our upstairs bedrooms with the younger kids sleeping in rooms all around us. They also realize that Simon, who has been sleeping in their room since he was born, is growing and needs his own room too.
Over the summer, with Casey and I both home from school for a few weeks, we all pitch in to rearrange the rooms in the McDonald-Venturi house, again. Dad and Nora return to the old master bedroom, which has been Casey's room for the last few years. I give up my room for Simon, who is almost 3 and no longer sleeping in a crib. He also has the most time still left at home. The other kids all keep their rooms, while Casey and I take the basement. We're rarely home anyway, so it just makes more sense for Dad and Nora to be closer to the others and we can use the downstairs room during our short visits.
There are still ground rules about PDA around the others and being discreet when we're not in the house alone, which is completely fine with me, but I've learned that sleeping without Casey is miserable now. Snuggling up to Casey and falling asleep with my nose in her hair quickly became one of my most favorite parts of the day, second to waking up beside her. Sleeping separately just because we were visiting the family almost made me not want to visit, so it's a good thing we don't have to do that anymore.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
May 2012
Our graduation from Queen's is only a few weeks away, and there's something that has been on my mind a lot lately. I've got some time to myself while Casey is in her Saturday morning spin class, so I take a deep breath and make a very important phone call before I lose my nerve for another week.
"McDonald-Venturi residence."
"Hey, Ed. How's it going?" I'm secretly thankful Marti didn't answer, because I would have been on the phone for hours and not accomplished my goal.
"Oh, hey, D. Things are good over here. How's Kingston?"
"Kingston is great. A little hectic, getting ready for graduation, but it's good. Listen, are Dad and Nora around?" I try to play it cool, but I can feel my palms starting to sweat.
"Uh, yeah. They should be. Let me check." Edwin is quiet a moment; I guess he's decided to actually look, rather than yell like he used to. Then I hear him pass me off. "Hey, Nora. Derek's on the phone."
"Good morning, Derek. You're calling early for a Saturday. Is everything alright?" There's a hint of panic in her voice, but she knows Edwin wouldn't have been so calm if I was freaking out over something. "Is Casey okay?"
"Yeah, everything is fine. Casey is at spin class." I try to keep the shaking out of my voice, but my pounding heart is making that difficult. "Um, I wanted to talk to you and Dad about something. Could you get him and go down to the basement so we can talk? The three of us."
"Uhh, sure, Derek. Let me find him." She's quiet for a moment then asks, "Are you sure everything is alright?"
"Nora, I promise. If there was something wrong, I would have told you by now. Just get Dad, please."
I wait patiently while she looks for Dad and drags him down to the basement bedroom that Casey and I have been using for almost a year now. When they're settled with the door closed, Nora puts me on speaker phone so all three of us can talk.
"Ok, Derek, what's going on?" Dad has that stern tone he used when I was in trouble in high school. I smile at the memories it brings up.
"Well," I begin. "You know Casey and I are about to graduate from university." They hum their agreement but don't interrupt. "And you know we've been together for over a year now." Another hum. "And that we had feelings for each other long before we actually acted on them and started dating."
"Yes, Derek. We know. Do you have a point?"
"I'm getting to that, Dad." I have to take a deep breath before I can continue. "I love her. More than anything, Nora, and I'm pretty sure she loves me just as much. And I want to propose."
Nora gasps on the other end of the line. "Oh, Derek!"
"With your blessing, and Dad's, I want to ask her to marry me." I'm pretty sure Nora is sobbing now. "I'm not planning to ask tonight or even in the next couple weeks. It probably won't be until after graduation. But this is something I've been thinking a lot about, and I wanted to talk to both of you while Casey wasn't around to catch wind of the conversation."
"Oh, Derek," Nora says again, her voice thick with tears. "Of course you have our blessing! You two have been so mature about this relationship since the beginning. I can't believe it's already been more than a year!"
Dad pipes up now. "Do you have a ring yet?"
"No, not yet. I've looked around a little, but I haven't actually bought anything yet. I'm having trouble deciding between something elegantly modern or something a little more vintage."
"Oh! I could ask Lizzie if Casey has ever mentioned anything to her," Nora offers, very enthusiastically.
"No, please don't!" I respond a little too quickly. "I…I just want it to be a surprise. I really don't want Casey getting suspicious and I think letting any of the kids know would be too risky."
"Ok, Derek. We'll keep it between us, if that's what you want." There's a hint of disappointment in her voice, but there's also a mother's softness.
"It is. Thank you, Nora. I was also…thinking about calling Dennis. Not necessarily to ask his permission, but more of a head's up, ya know. What do you think?"
"I think that would be fine. He was never really the protective father type, but he might appreciate the warning. Does he even know you two are together?"
"Oh, yeah, he knows. We called him a few weeks after we talked to the rest of the family." It was a short call. He didn't seem all that surprised, much like Dad, Nora, and the kids, nor did he really seem to care much. "Ok, well Casey will be back in about an hour, so I'd better call Dennis before she comes home." I pause and take a steadying breath. "Thank you both."
"Of course, Derek. We want both of you to be happy. We love you!" Nora sounds like she might start crying again.
"We're proud of you, son!" Dad's been pretty quiet, but I can hear the emotion in his voice too.
"Thanks, Dad. I'm sure we'll talk later. Bye!"
There's an echo of "bye" on their end and then the line goes dead. I quickly call New York and talk to Dennis.
Similar to the last time we spoke, he doesn't really seem surprised by the topic of conversation. He doesn't even attempt the "you'd better be good to my daughter" speech most dads make. But he does says he's happy if Casey is happy and offers his congratulations.
So now, with the blessing of all the relevant parents, it's time to actually plan how to do this. And find the perfect ring.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
June 2012
A couple weeks after graduation, Casey and I find ourselves back in our family home, getting ready for one last family vacation before we join the real adult world. Casey is preparing to start law school soon, and I'm trying to break into the film industry. But this week, we're back in the house where it all started for us, spending a carefree week with our family.
Dad and Nora took the rest of the kids last minute shopping to get some vacation clothes, so Casey and I are home alone for the time being. We choose to curl up on the living room couch and watch a movie while the house is blissfully quiet for once.
Sitting here, with my back against the armrest and Casey nestled between my legs, leaning her back against my chest, my mind wades through all our memories together. Sometimes if feels like we just met yesterday, two fifteen year olds plotting how to prevent my dad from marrying her mom. Yet we've been an official couple for over a year now and somehow, I love her more now than I did that day in our apartment, yelling about how simple this would be.
It hasn't been easy. Really, nothing with Casey is. But from what I hear, no relationship is perfect all the time. Every single moment with her has been absolutely worth it, all things considered. None of our schoolmates were surprised when we told them; they were more shocked by how long it took us to get our act together. And while I sometimes wish we hadn't wasted so much time, I think we needed that time to grow up and work on liking each other first. I think the last year would have been much more difficult (with a lot more yelling) if we hadn't taken those two and a half years of university to actually mature into friends, rather than rivals.
I've been wracking my brain, trying to decide on the best time and the best way to propose. I've thought about a fancy dinner at a nice restaurant, or cooking dinner myself at our apartment. A day date to a museum, or a big hockey game (that's my fantasy, she'd kill me!), or even a picnic in the park. It crossed my mind once that I could get down on one knee during family dinner one night, right here in this house, or maybe while we're at the Blue Heron Lodge for our vacation.
But none of those options really felt right to me. And right now, cuddled up on the couch in this quiet house, I suddenly know why.
"Hey, Case," I whisper softly. My fingers are running though her long locks and her eyes are closed. I almost wonder if she's asleep until I hear her hum quietly.
"Hmm?" I feel the vibration in my chest where she's pressed against me.
My fingers reach the end of her hair and I gently rest my hand on her arm where its curled across her stomach.
"Will you marry me?"
She stiffens against me, then slowly raises her head and turns to look me in the eyes.
"I'm sorry. I don't…think I heard you right?" Her eyes are probably the widest I've ever seen them, but they're glistening in the corners like she could cry at any moment.
I bring my hand up to brush the hair away from her eyes and rest it gently on her cheek, a soft smile playing at my lips.
"You're not dreaming, sweetheart. I said, will you marry me?" I can see she still doesn't quite believe what she's hearing, so I shift ever so slightly and pull a small ring box out of my pocket.
She sits up in a flash, and as I open the box, she gasps and her hands fly to her mouth. The ring itself is relatively simple, but the elements are meaningful. The focal point is of course the princess cut diamond in the middle, and a small round cut diamond on the left and right sides of it. On either side of the three center stones, the band is split and interwoven, representing the McDonald and Venturi families coming together, with a row of smaller pave diamonds on one of the splits on either side. And inside the band, there's a tiny "D+C" engraved on the bottom.
With her no longer pinning me to the couch, I get up to kneel in front of her so I can ask her properly, holding the ring out in front of me.
"Casey, I love you. I think part of me has loved you since you moved in here and took over my life. I tried to fight it for so long, fighting you every step of the way, but you marched into this house, and you marched into my heart, and now I don't think I could get you out even if I wanted to. I am so entirely and completely in love with you and I want to spend every day with you for the rest of my life. So what do you say, Princess? Will you marry me?"
Tears are flowing freely now and Casey nods vigorously, her hands still covering her mouth. She takes a deep breath, then swipes each hand across a cheek to wipe some tears away.
"Yes! Yes, Derek! Of course I'll marry you!" Her arms reach out and wrap around my neck. I wrap one arm around her waist and pull us both up to stand in front of the couch.
We stand there, holding each other and crying (yes, even me) so long, I lose track of time. Eventually, Casey's breath evens out and she pulls back from me.
I wipe a couple lingering tears from her cheek and ask with a smile, "Do you want your ring now? Or should I take this back?"
"Der-ek! Of course I want the ring!" She doesn't swat my arm, but there is an exaggerated eye roll when she splits my name the way only she can. "You're supposed to put it on."
I sigh like it's a chore, then carefully remove the ring from its box and slide it onto her finger happily. She stares at it, seemingly in awe, for a moment, then smiles up at me with the brightest smile I've seen on her faces in years. She places her hands on either side of my face and pulls me in for a long, slow kiss.
When she releases me, it's my turn to smile brightly.
"I love you, Space Case." I wink, hoping she will realize the memory I'm referencing.
"I love you too, jerk," she says, just like she did the first time she said it, that day in our apartment over a year ago. She doesn't swat me this time; instead, she just presses her forehead to mine and closes her eyes, sighing contentedly.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
When the family gets back from shopping, Casey and I are still curled up on the couch, the tv on but muted in front of us. We eventually discussed how to tell them and decided to wait until dinner to make the announcement, so Casey is wearing the ring turned around on her right hand, instead of her left. We're trying to act casual so no one will suspect anything.
Once everyone is seated around the dinner table, Casey switches the ring to her left hand under the table, then reaches over to place it on my right knee. That's my cue, so I clear my throat dramatically.
"Smerek, are you getting sick?" Marti pipes up from the seat across from me. I smirk at her and shake my head.
"Uh, no, Smarti. I was trying to get everyone's attention."
"Well, you've got it now, bro," Edwin adds.
"Yeah. Thanks. Uh. Well, I wanted to make an announcement."
"Did you get that job at the film studio?" Lizzie asks excitedly.
"No, Lizzie, I haven't heard about the job yet." But thanks for that reminder…
"So what's the big announcement?" Marti asks, with big eyes and a hopeful expression.
"Well, if you would all stop interrupting me, maybe I could make it!"
Dad and Nora are smiling at each other across the table. I think they've probably figured out where this is going, since they're the only two members of the family who had any idea this would be happening soon. Casey squeezes my knee again, reminding me to take a deep breath. I look at her, and her smile encourages me to continue.
"This afternoon," I begin, "while everyone was out shopping, I proposed, and for some reason I've yet to figure out, Casey said yes!" Beside me, Casey smiles around the table and brings her hand up next to her face, showing off the ring.
"What?!" Lizzie and Edwin shout at the same time, their jaws dropping. I'm certain there will be an exchange of cash between them later. I make a mental note to ask who won this bet.
"Yay!" Marti jumps up from her chair, runs around the table, and throws herself at me and Casey. I have to push my chair back from the table to be able to catch her.
"Let me see!" Nora reaches out for Casey's hand to get a better look at the ring. I hadn't even told them I finally bought one, let alone let them see it, wanting this to be as much of a surprise as I could make it for everyone.
Dad just smiles fondly at both of us, trying to hide the tears welling in his eyes.
"What's going on?" Simon is sitting on the other side of Casey with a very confused look on his face. At three and a half years old, Simon is a smart kid, but he's not really old enough to understand the family dynamics and their implications. To him, we just are the way we are because we are all his family and he's never known us any other way.
"Derek and I are going to get married, kiddo," Casey explains carefully for him.
"So you're not already married?" He's trying, but it's a lot to wrap your head around at his age. To be fair, we do live together and I can understand how that could equate to married in his mind.
"No, we're not married, Si." I peek around Casey to make eye contact with the youngest Venturi. "We've been dating, which is what you do when you really care about someone and you might want to marry them."
"Ohhhh," he says, exaggeratedly. "Ok," he finishes with a shrug. Like I said, to him, we just are the way we are.
The buzz around the dinner table continues with a focus on the engagement. Questions fire off from all directions, about how I proposed, how long I've been planning this, how I chose the ring, when do we want to have the wedding, and so much more.
"I haven't started planning anything yet. I mean, it just happened today, right?" Nora and Lizzie are so excited, they seem to have an endless list of questions and ideas. "I think I want to take a few weeks to just be excited about it before I actually start planning." She turns to me with a questioning look, like she needs my permission to enjoy her—our—engagement before she starts the stressful planning.
"That's fine, Case. We can do this as fast or as slow as you want, sweetheart. You just tell me what I need to do." I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her into me, so I can place a lingering kiss on her temple.
"Sweetheart?!" Edwin repeats from across the table. "Are you guys gonna get all gross on us now?" He's got a look of disgust on his face, but it's obvious he's trying not to smile through it.
"Really, Ed? If you think that's gross—"
"Der-ek! If you finish that sentence, so help me, it may be the last thing you ever say."
I hold my hands up in surrender and the whole family laughs, even Simon, though he doesn't really know what's happening. He just laughs when the rest of us laugh.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Dinner is a long, drawn-out affair, full of excitement and laughter and happiness. It feels like centuries before Casey and I find ourselves in the basement, getting ready to go to sleep. In reality, it's only a couple of hours.
When I finally close the door behind us, I let my eyes fall closed for a moment and breathe a sigh of relief. All that excitement can really wear a guy down.
"So, Princess, how does it feel to be a fiancée now?" I slide up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and resting my chin in the crook of her shoulder.
She hums happily and lets her head rest gently beside mine, falling further into my chest and laying her hands on top of mine at her bellybutton.
"Honestly, I'm still getting used to the idea." She pauses for a moment, then picks her head up again. Her left hand rises up in front of our faces, so we're both looking at her ring, when she speaks again. "I expected it to take at least another year before you were ready to propose."
My head pops up from it's resting spot on her shoulder and I let my arms hang loosely at my sides. "What? Really?"
Casey turns around to look at me with a gentle smile. Her eyes are sparkling, with mischief or excitement, I'm not sure.
"You're the one who always said you 'don't do feelings'! And I'm okay with that. I knew what I was getting myself into when we started dating. I just thought it would take you a little longer before you were ready to take the next step. Some people date for nearly a decade before anyone proposes." She shrugs noncommittally, but her smile gives her away.
"You thought it would be several more years before I proposed?!" Taking a step back, I place my hand over my heart like I've been mortally wounded. "Case. Do you have no faith in me at all? In how much I love you?"
"Der, I never said that. I just didn't expect it to be so soon. I know you love me, and I'm perfectly happy with the way things have been going."
"Oh, well if you're perfectly happy, I can take that ring back. I don't need it yet, clearly." I roll my eyes at her, still playing like I'm offended.
"Der-ek! You are not getting this ring back! You gave it to me, so it's mine. Forever." Her eyes narrow menacingly, and I can't help but laugh. I reach my arms out for her, wrapping around her waist again and clasping my hands behind her back. She brings her face closer to mine and we kiss, the sloppiest kiss we've shared in a long time, considering we're both grinning ear to ear.
"Forever. I sure do like the sound of that." When she rests her forehead against mine, her arms around my neck, a thought occurs to me. "When we met back in high school, would you have ever thought we'd end up here? Engaged college graduates, with our family fully supportive of our relationship?"
I feel her laugh more than hear it, with our chests still pressed together. "Absolutely not!" She leans back to look me in the eye before she continues. "I was so determined I wasn't going to fall in love with you. I swore I would never, ever let you know how I felt, because I was certain that if you knew, you would use my feelings against me and tease me forever. You'd never let me hear the end of it and I couldn't bare the thought of having feelings for you that you didn't return."
Even though we've hashed this out multiple times over the last year and a half, there's a sadness in her eyes that makes my stomach ache.
"I was pretty mean to you, huh?" Rather than a reply, the look on her face says, you think? "Have I told you how sorry I am for all that?" My lips come to rest on her forehead in a brief kiss. "I was a stupid teenage boy, with raging hormones and a hot new step-sister sleeping in the room next door." That makes her eyes roll. "There was no way I could act on my feelings, which I didn't even understand and I still denied them with every cell in my body. My brilliant plan to deal with them was to try to make them go away by acting like a jerk and pretending that I hated you."
Her eyes close and she shakes her head slightly, probably trying to shake away the memories.
I place a soft kiss to her cheek, then move to whisper in her ear, "I am sorry, Spacey. You didn't deserve the way I treated you back then."
She shivers in my arms, then pulls away so she's standing an arm's length away from me, my hands resting on her hips.
"It's okay, Der. It's all behind us. We were both young and dumb, trying to work out new emotions that we couldn't even talk to anyone about." Her fingers sneak into my hair and start playing with the strands, making my eyes flutter closed at the sensation. "I think it all worked out just fine in the end."
My eyes still closed, I'm surprised when I feel her lips against mine. The kiss turns heated very quickly as she opens her mouth to let my tongue explore. I use my grip on her hips to pull her back into me, then walk us backwards to the bed. I fall back, carefully, pulling Casey down with me so she lands softly on top of me. After a moment or two, I roll us over so I'm hovering above her. My right hand entwines with her left, placing it just above her head, the smooth metal of her ring pressing lightly into my finger.
Casey's lips move to my neck, pulling a quiet groan out of my throat. We've gotten pretty good at keeping the volume down so the rest of the family never suspects anything, but there are some sounds that always insist on escaping. When her right hand slips under the hem of my shirt, I shiver. I pull her left hand up from the bed and bring it to my lips, pressing a kiss to her ring finger, then release her so she can pull my shirt over my head.
I drop beside her on the bed and let her hover over me now, my fingers fluttering under her shirt. She kisses down my jawline, down the side of my neck, across my shoulders, and all over my chest, before she brings her lips back up to mine. Then she whispers against my lips, "Forever, Venturi. You and me, forever."
I reach my hand up and thread my fingers through her hair, crashing her to me. This is not our first night together by any means, but it feels like the most passionate so far, and I can't help but agree with her.
"Forever." I have no plans of ever letting her go. Maybe that was my goal from the day we met and I didn't even know it.
I reach my hands out to remove her shirt then drop it to the floor with mine. Our chests press together again, flesh to flesh, and I know there are some sensations that will never get old. I feel her fingers begin to unbuckle my belt and my eyes close involuntarily. If I had known she'd react this way, I would have proposed sooner.
Later, we lay curled around each other, naked and covered with only the sheet. My arm around her is holding her pressed to me and I can feel her breath blowing across my chest. She seems to be humming in her sleep, so I allow my eyes to close also.
Before I drift off to sleep, I imagine myself at age 15, standing alone on a dark stage, illuminated by a single spotlight. Younger me stands there for a moment, grinning and waving at an invisible audience, then he takes a deep bow like he's giving his curtain call. Standing back up, he winks and saunters off the stage with a smirk, as if this were his plan from the very beginning.
Within moments, I am also asleep, with my arms around my fiancée and our future together ahead of us.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading and for celebrating my FFN-iversary with me! I hope you enjoyed the story and the series. :)