And we are back! To quote Kitty after Emma finally complimented her skills during the race, "FINALLY!" Lol. XD But, in all seriousness, sorry for the long absence again. I was short on time and motivation to write for this fic between school, work, and life in general. But, we are in the REAL home stretch now for this Nemma fic and I wanted to make sure I wrote a long and quality chapter because you all deserve it for being so patient and supportive of this fic and for that I am so grateful to all of you. At this point, we are really getting into more fan service-ish content related to the future of Noah and Emma together so… hope you all enjoy what I came up with here! :) This chapter takes place 2 years into the future and Emma just graduated from Law School and is now sitting for her exams to officially become a lawyer. As for Noah… just keep reading. ;) Enjoy all!

(Noah's POV)

I kept on trying to focus on my game.

Considering I had nothing else to do, it was a toss-up between playing Dragon Assassin and napping. Sure, I could have kept patching things out from the beta testing phase with XeroScape right now.

But, considering my head feels like it won't stop thinking enough to doze off or focus on trying to 'work out the kinks', why not fire up the Y-Box and gear my Dragon Assassin statistics up for the next tournament?

Except just like every time Luke would blast death metal from his room across the hall mine, there was a drown-out threshold that had its limit. But, rather than my brother's obnoxious taste in music, this was a different kind of drown-out.

Mainly cuz I couldn't ignore it… at all.

All I felt was something almost burning a hole through my pocket and leg right now, since I technically did right now. And as much as I still can't believe it… I asked for it.

Specifically, I just spent $6,500 on something that I never would have thought I would for something I never thought would happen in my entire life ever.

But, then again, I said almost the same thing to myself when I met the person that led me to do this in the first place.

And again… why does it not bother me?

Eventually, I paused my game and just sat there and looked in front of me for a second just… thinking. I put the controller down and reached into my pocket before pulling out the ring I got for Emma and just kept looking at it again even more than when I got it.

Ugh… Dude…

3 hours earlier

What am I even doing?

Well, sure, technically that's a totally stupid question since I know exactly what I'm doing, but… still can't believe I'm actually 'doing this'.

Honestly, I probably just look more insane than my brothers shooting bottle rockets off the back of a moving truck on Canada Day since I've just been walking back and forth on the same sidewalk space with a cup of coffee like an absolute weirdo trying to figure out what the hell I was even doing or how I was going to do this.

Especially since now I'm idiotically just burning time at this point since Emma's only gone for the next couple of hours while she's sitting for her exams.

Not that this has meant anything since Emma's barely been noticing me for the past two weeks because she's been studying for her exams and I've just been trying to stay out of the way.

Even though she has the entire second room to lock herself in and study, it really wasn't until she moved in with me that I fully realized her 'process' whenever she studies.

Especially now since she literally carries her bar exam prep book everywhere she goes in our condo and keeps talking to herself right now like she's arguing with herself and barely acknowledging anything else.

Like I said, she's barely been acknowledging me at all for the past 2 weeks except when we go to bed and she at least still wants to sleep in the same bed as me.

But, I know she's just freaking out more than usual since it's for her actual exams that determine if she starts practicing law or not, so… I know it's just temporary.

Or hope so, anyway.

Considering I feel like I'm not necessarily 'living with my girlfriend' at this point and more so living with some kind of poltergeist that just moves objects around me.

But, she's taking her exams now and she's still got three hours left of it.

And sure, could I have just stayed at home and played video games or read or something instead? Yes, and ideally that is something I would much rather do than this, but… I had a reason for going out while Emma was busy.

And that reason is what I keep walking back and forth in front of like some enemy NPC from a 90's 3-D platformer.

Ugh, why is this so hard?!

I've been thinking about doing this for the past six months! That and it's something Emma's talked to me about and I've been slowly saving up for it, so… why can I not just do this?!

All I have to do is go in there, get the ring she wants, and leave. Easy!

But, I just kept… standing there.

Dude… Seriously?! C'mon! This shouldn't be that hard.

But, all I kept doing was now somehow ascending to the next level of weirdness and now just staring at the jewelry store and probably either looking like I'm contemplating doing something like smashing the front window and robbing the place like some lowlife crook to anyone who walks by.

And all because I'm idiotically freaking out about going in and committing to this thing that I'm determined to do right now.

"Ugh, dammit…" I groaned out in annoyance, mainly with myself.

"Oh, hey dude! He-he, thought I was seeing things when I saw you there." I immediately looked over and had my conclusion confirmed when I saw Cody walking over with what looked like a canned expresso drink in his hand.

I quirked up an eyebrow as I questioned, and also hoping I was covering up how he probably might have seen me pace and then start staring at the facade of a jewelry store like an absolute weirdo, "Cody? Dude, what the heck are you even doing here?"

He just casually shrugged and said, "Eh, just wanted to go for a walk… and, like you, also wanted to get a caffeine fix."

After that he just awkwardly laughed to himself and took a sip from the can he was holding and nodding to the coffee I was still holding in my hand.

At first I was relieved until he looked at me again and said, "Anyway, what's going on, man? Have you looked at the feedback from the beta testers yet?"

Great, he didn't notice anything I was just doing. Okay, focus.

I shrugged back before saying, "Eh, not yet. Just been kinda busy with work and other… stuff."

Without even thinking, I looked back over to the jewelry store and it didn't hit me with 'what I just did' to out myself until right after I did it. Then I felt like I was going to crap a block of cement when Cody looked over.

Ahhh… dammit.

Well, way to immediately blow the cover that you barely even had, Noah.

I didn't have enough time to internally panic about it as he tilted his head and started, "Noah, what's going on?"

As I kept mentally weighing all my options on the one that would not make me look like a total idiot right now, even I eventually realized there wasn't any other excuse I could give to Cody that he would believe except for the actual one.

Sure, while I'll even admit Cody is the epitome of an awkward disaster waiting to happen with the smoothness of a gravel road covered in sandpaper in most social situations, particularly watching him around girls. Look, just ask me and Owen, whether it was watching him trying to get with Gwen on TV or attempting to flirt with girls at an afterparty because he tries way too hard… yeah, Cody's smoothness is pretty much non-existent. And that's coming from me.

However, next to me, Cody's probably the smartest guy I know.

Again, I still question his sanity for STILL being in a relationship with Sierra for obvious reasons, but… gotta give the guy credit where it's due that he's the furthest thing from a drooling moron and is practically a programming guru.

Honestly, next to Owen, he was one the first 'real friends' I ever had.

As much as I still hate all the humiliation I went through on that stupid show, meeting Owen and Cody was probably the only good thing that came out of it.

Especially since now Cody and I went from being two teenage dorks obsessed with video games to now being very close to getting into launching our first game as two developers making a game to rival Kosmic Kaos pretty much on our own.

So, trying to convince myself that I could not tell Cody about this? Yeah, that's not going to happen.

Eventually, I sighed before rubbing the back of my neck for a second and gritting my teeth before looking him in the eye and saying, "Okay, look, if I tell you, then you're sworn to secrecy, okay? Meaning don't say anything to anyone. Especially not Owen since he'd explode faster than a lit match next to gasoline if he found out about a secret by telling everyone."

Immediately, Cody gave me a slightly confused look before finally saying, "Uh, okay, sure. Promise."

After taking another deep breath and even though I knew I could trust Cody to keep a secret… it was like the 'situation' was hitting me all over again as I looked back at the jewelry store front window before trying to push it back again before looking back and deciding to own up with what I was about to do, "Look, I'm… I'm going to propose to Emma."

Present Day

I kept spinning the ring around nervously between my fingers, still trying to let this all sink in.

Look, as much as I love Emma and want to do this… it still doesn't mean that it is not freaking me out.

I mean, look at my entire 'life plan' that I had from 16 to 21.

All I was trying to get was enough cash from winning on reality TV to move out of my parents' house to get a place just big enough and clean to sustain life and have electricity and water so I could read or play/make video games all day alone.

But, that all kinda went out the window. Way out the window faster than a TV flying out a window at a hotel room after-party when I met Emma.

I never thought I'd ever think about getting married… or even just 'dating'!

Mostly because… why would I?

Nothing used to make me happier than solitude and silence to do whatever I wanted. But, once I met, and definitely once I started dating Emma, I met someone who thought a lot like me and made me realize that I can still 'relish in silence' and somehow be around someone else.

Even now that we're living together, I realize there isn't even any 'space suffocation' like I thought there might be when I used to live at my parents' house that might as well have been considered a chaotic zoo with my only 'private solace' being me locked behind my bedroom door with my headset on playing video games or reading.

Emma likes to have time on her own like I do, especially when it comes to her 'studying time' right now.

When Emma moved in with me for her last year of law school, she had a desk set up in the second bedroom of the condo to be 'her space'.

Which was fine!

Honestly, I was mostly just using the spare room for storage or if Owen came into Toronto and needed somewhere to crash.

Either way, it all kinda just worked out when I'd work or go online with the alliance and Emma would study or go on a run. I know part of the reason she was hesitant about living together was because of 'getting too distracted'.

Which I know can sound a little too dramatic to probably anyone else, but considering what 'happened during the race'... for both of us… yeah, I understood and fully agreed with that.

And it was like that for a while and I was fine with it.

But, then out of nowhere last spring, she asked if she could come over and I thought she just wanted to hang out until it ended up turning into this whole 'legal pitch' she prepared on 'why she wanted us to live together'.

Which, again, she could have just asked if she could live with me instead of preparing a 'case by case model' of documents on moving in with me.

But, whatever, I know Emma. And I definitely know how organized and by the book she always has to be.

Honestly, I was surprised she even wanted to move in with me at all while she was still in school.

But, here we are almost a year later and things are going pretty great.

Honestly, it's kinda nice 'clocking out' from my work interface and meeting halfway out in the hall to have dinner and hang out.

Even when neither of us is saying anything or we end up both passing out on the couch together watching a movie… It's actually pretty nice.

I know coming from me you'd think that kind of statement would be laced with any and every kind of sarcasm since that all sounds cliche as all get-out.

But… I mean it.

I actually unironically like living with Emma. Sure she's also one of the few people I've met that I actually like to be around at all and comparing living with her to living in the 'loud insanity circus' that I grew up in should seem like a joke, but Emma and I actually do work together pretty well.

I think the only thing she ever had a problem with anything was the fact that I don't really put on anything other than boxers if no one is coming over and I try to put shorts on at least when I walk around the house because she said it's 'distracting'.

But, otherwise, she's almost as much of a 'clean freak' like me so we don't really get into too many stupid arguments about cleaning or anything.

Then again, it's also not a high bar to clear for me since I grew up with older brothers with rooms that were hazmat disasters and sleeping in disgusting accommodations on reality TV.

Believe me, I still want to vomit every time I remember that rat falling in my mouth while I was sleeping on season 3.

I tried to shake out all the 'repressed memories' as I kept looking at the ring again, noticing my right knee bouncing nervously as I kept thinking over what I was about to do now that I actually had this in my hands right now.

In my head, I had it all figured out.

Since Emma has been pretty much 'zeroed in' on school and studying for her exams, I kinda got the idea in my head that I was gonna get the ring, wait for her to come back taking her exam, take her out to dinner to celebrate 'everything being over' (despite her always telling me 'its not over until she gets her passing results' even though I know she's probably going to more than pass from how much she studies but whatever), and then find the right time to propose after that tonight.

I remember telling Cody about all that earlier and, again, say what you want, and even though I can admit he's an awkward disaster sometimes, but… Cody was being pretty cool about it.

He even asked if I wanted him to go in with me when I got Emma's ring.

But, since I just wanted to get in and out as fast as possible and go home… yeah, I took a hard pass on the 'offer of morale support'.

But, Cody's kinda like Owen for me.

He might have his faults, but he's a good guy and I know I can count on him to have my back.

Right then, I was ripped out of whatever weird-ass 'vicious cycle' going on in my head as I heard the front door unlock and open before immediately shutting and relocking again… and also being followed by a familiar yet frustrated-sounding exasperated groan I knew ALL too well.

Emma.

I could feel my heart pounding against my chest and I was immediately trying to calm down.

Okay, don't freak out. It's like any online tournament you've ever participated in.

You've got a plan, so just go up to her and ask her if she wants to go out.

But, right as I stood up, I heard her walking until I just heard… nothing.

Huh?

Then I immediately heard what sounded the subtle rustling of what sounded like bedding being tossed around.

Wha… what is she doing?

Eventually, I walked over to our room and looked inside using nothing more than whatever light was in the hall to look into the darkness and just saw what I assumed was Emma fully covered under the sheets and blankets on her side of the bed, and also assumed she was still in the clothes she left the house in this morning by how fast 'all of this happened'.

Wait, is she… sleeping?

I quirked up an eyebrow before walking in closer to her, trying to figure out if she went 'lights out' that quickly.

But, before I could even do anything to check, I heard a soft snore that I noticed that she does when she sleeps that immediately answered every question I had.

Yup, she's gone.

Right then, I just felt everything crashing down that everything I was thinking was going to happen was not going to happen.

I just kept standing next Emma in the dark now in our room staring at the wall like a completely idiotic weirdo until finally I walked out and shut the door behind me.

Then I just leaned against the door, have zero idea what I was supposed to do.

It was 5 pm, my girlfriend just 'crashed and burned' after her exam, and she definitely didn't look like she was waking up anytime soon.

I took the ring out of my pocket again and just looked at it until I just sighed.

Well… now what?

12 hours later

I slowly looked over at my alarm clock and saw it was 5:30 AM before rolling my eyes.

After having an existential crisis in the hallway and having leftovers from the fridge after Emma just crashed and burned after her exam, I tried to keep playing Dragon Assassin for another 3 hours before just saying screw it and going to bed.

Slowly, I looked over at Emma's side of the bed and saw she was still completely 'out for the count' harder than Owen in a food coma.

Which… should I be surprised that Emma's been sleeping for almost 12 and half hours at this point? Honestly, probably not.

She usually studies hard under normal circumstances, but these past two weeks… yeah, she's been going so over the top that I could almost vicariously feel her stress through the walls.

Even when she'd go to sleep, she'd barely sleep for 5 hours and then just keep studying because she couldn't sleep.

So, I think now her body is pretty much in a hard 'mental/physical reset' since yesterday and I have no idea how long she's going to stay like this.

I just kept lying there staring at the ceiling for a couple seconds before sighing and getting out of bed.

Eh, might as well?

Eventually, I got out of bed and decided to just shower and play video games in the living room until Emma woke up.

I got up and walked out, almost tripping over Casper who was passed out on his back, airing out his crotch in the middle of the hallway.

But, I brushed it off and just kept walking to the bathroom until I finally got in the shower stall next to the bathtub that I think only Casper uses when we have to 'hose him down' after running around like a doofus at the park when Emma and I take him out.

Without even needing to think, I just turned on the hot water and just… stood there.

Even though I don't usually do this and just like to 'scrub myself down' and get out, it actually felt kinda good to just stand there.

Especially after the complete and total failure of my plan to propose to Emma nose diving harder than any grades my brothers ever got, it felt good to kinda just 'wash it off'.

Don't know if that has any substantial claim behind the theory, but… hey, I'll take what I can get after the absolute craptastic disaster yesterday turned out to be since I technically and barely didn't even see Emma all day yesterday except for when she walked out and said 'I'll see you later' before going to the testing center and then knocked out before I could even do anything when she did get home.

I kept standing there as I tried to 'wash off the failure' until I heard… something.

I wasn't sure until I shut off the water and leaned out of the stall just in time to hear the last couple 'knocks' on the door until it opened.

Emma.

She stuck her head in a little into the bathroom and looked at me, still looking completely exhausted despite sleeping since 5 pm yesterday.

It was dead silent as we kept just looking at each other, and me having zero idea what she was even thinking.

Well, until the silence finally broke when she said, "Hey." I had no idea what else to say, especially with how thick the awkwardness felt right now as I pretty much mirrored in response, "Hey."

The awkward silence came back until she just asked, sounding a little hesitant, "Can I… come in?"

I quirked up an eyebrow, having no idea what she was even talking about… and also noticing the weird emphasis she also put on 'come in'.

Come in? What is she talking about? She's already in the bathroom pretty much with me. Does she have to… pee or something?

I mean, I'm not doing anything important since I've just standing here naked and wasting water up until now and she's seen me naked a million times before at this point, so… why she feels like she even needs to ask is kind of ridiculous considering what I'm doing right now.

So, not thinking, I just answered, "Yeah, sure."

Right then I turned the water back on and was about to shut the stall door until my eyes went wide as I saw her taking off her clothes that she was still in from yesterday.

After a couple seconds of just staring at her in confusion like a complete idiot, I finally realized 'what she meant' by 'can I come in' as she slowly walked into the shower stall with me and closed the door behind her. Then I really felt like my eyes were going to fall out of my head in absolute shock when she just hugged me and rested her head against my chest.

Oh…

Okay, so… this is happening.

I mean, don't get me wrong I am not complaining about the fact that my girlfriend is naked and hugging me in the shower right now, but… I have no idea why she's doing this exactly.

But, again, I wasn't going to complain about it.

I just wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer as I rested my chin on top of her head.

We kept standing there in silence as the water ran over us. Sure I was still totally confused about why this was happening, but, hey… I'll take it!

We kept standing there until I just heard her say, "Sorry."

I felt my entire face immediately contort in absolute, total confusion as I pulled back a little and looked down, making her look up at me and also look totally confused before saying, like she didn't understand why I was confused, "What?"

Finally, I shook whatever off that was making me freeze up and responded, "I just don't get why you're apologizing right now. Unless you did anything just now to break my computer or something?"

We both laughed a little before she said, rolling her eyes a little before shaking her head, "No, but… look, I know I haven't really been 'present' a lot because of my exams for finals and then yesterday, so… I'm sorry if I was kind of ignoring you for the past couple weeks. It's just… ugh! I've never been this stressed out in my whole life since my entire career as a lawyer depends on how well I did yesterday on the exam and… I felt like I was slowly 'shutting down' and it really wasn't until I woke up just now that I 'snapped out of it'. So… sorry, if you thought I was 'ignoring you' or something."

I took a second to 'process' all that as I just shrugged and smirked before saying, "Why? Do you really think I'm some 'needy boyfriend' who requires constant attention and 'atta boys' to survive? Besides, since when have I not been okay about letting you have space if you need it when you're studying? Didn't think you thought I was that 'clingy'."

She smirked for a second at my comment with a slight scoff-like laugh before saying, "I know, but… I just feel… bad about pretty much completely ignoring you when I was studying. Especially since I realized when I woke up just now that I completely blanked you yesterday when I got back from my licensing exams."

"And by 'blank me', you mean just immediately collapsing when you came home?" I commented as she slowly looked up at me and smacked me on the chest a little as rolled her eyes before saing, "Shut up."

But, I could see her smirk and shake her head as we eventually both laughed about it.

Once the laughing died down, I tried to shrug it off despite it from yesterday still lingering in the back of my head like 'dude smell' on hockey equipment, as I passed off, "Hey, don't worry about it. You were out for the count and I know you weren't sleeping great anyway because of studying. So, it's good."

She looked at me for a second and even though I could still see how residually exhausted she still was, she smiled at me and caught me off guard when she pulled me down a little by my shoulders and kissed me.

But, again… not that I was exactly complaining about this happening as I pulled her closer and kissed her back.

Even though I also really wanted to do more, but… I feel like I still have embarrassment-PTSD from spraining my ankle before the first time we were supposed to have sex that the last thing I want to happen is to try to make a move in the shower right now and completely mess this all up.

We pulled back a little after a couple of seconds before Emma almost immediately interjected with another sarcastic laugh before starting, "Well, I can't promise I still might not be 'losing sleep'. Considering my entire professional future is now pretty much being held for ransom for the next six to ten weeks to hear if I even passed or not… and whether I'm even going to have a job."

I couldn't stop myself from breathing out a slight laugh before saying, "And this coming from someone that studied non-stop and graduated top ten in her class with all honors? Pretty sure you definitely passed."

But, 'Emma being Emma' was immediately shutting everything I just said as she said with this 'coping mechanism' she's always had despite always getting A's (and that one time she said her 'life was over' when she got a '89.9%' on a paper), "You don't know that. For all I know I completely failed. Honestly, I feel like I blacked out yesterday for the most part and just went through the entire test without remembering a single question I answered."

Eventually, I decided to completely change the subject and started, "Well, how about we just start with a shower and breakfast? Considering, I couldn't even ask you if you wanted dinner yesterday."

Almost on coincidental cue, her stomach let out an audible 'growl' that could've even put anything I ever heard from Owen to shame and making her eyes go wide.

After a second of silence, she eventually conceded, "Point taken."

After that, we laughed it off, and just kept continuing with what we were doing before… and me trying to ignore 'temptation' for the rest of the shower.

20 minutes later

After drying off, we both walked back to our room to get dressed and figure out breakfast.

As I started putting a fresh pair of boxers on, I heard Emma walk in behind me while saying, "Ugh, I can't believe I just fell asleep without even changing yesterday."

I smirked a little before responding as I grabbed an undershirt before responding, "Yeah, for me that was 'clue 1' to not bother you when you got home yesterday after you immediately crashed."

I didn't even need to look at her to know her facial expression was probably still 'self-annoyance' since she still seemed embarrassed about everything that happened even though I told her I really didn't care and it was fine.

Then I heard her groan before saying, stopping herself right as she put her shirt on, "Ugh, and I forgot my clothes back in the bathroom." I heard her walk out as I just smirked and shook my head before she came back in holding her clothes a couple of seconds later before I heard, "Hey, Noah? Is that for the laundry?"

Right next to the laundry basket, I saw her pointing to the pants I was wearing yesterday as I explained, "Oh, yeah, sorry. I tried to put that in the basket last night, but I think I missed it since I didn't want to turn on the lights while you were sleeping."

She just shrugged before saying, "It's okay, I'll throw it in. Might as well 'make myself useful' to contribute somehow since I'm technically not a student and am now 'fully unemployed'."

I smirked, shook my head again, and was about to comment until I felt like all the blood drained out from my body and I was going to projectile vomit in existential dread when I had the 'realization' of something that I accidentally left in the pocket from yesterday (because I'm an idiot) when she grabbed my pants to throw them in the basket.

But, and probably shouldn't be surprising considering I have the luck of a guy who shattered 80 mirrors and walked past a million black cats for no reason at all as the ring fell out of my pocket and rolled a little until it landed right between us on the bedroom floor.

Then I knew I was really not getting out of it when I saw Emma looking right at the ring in the middle of the floor and the room was dead silent for what felt like a thousand years.

Honestly, it might as well have been the Earth not moving right now because of what is currently happening. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, she slowly looked up at me.

Ahhh… crap.

After for one half of a delusional, idiotic second of trying to talk my way out of it and also convince my girlfriend (who now has her law degree and is fart in the wind away from being a fully-fledged lawyer once she gets her passing results) that it 'wasn't what she thought' and this she definitely wasn't looking at the engagement ring I just got for her yesterday on our bedroom floor right now… yeah, that's not going to happen.

So, after trying to somehow salvage this absolute garbage embarrassment situation that I always somehow put myself in with her since we met, I decided to try to go about this differently.

So, I just stepped forward and grabbed the ring before starting, "So… while you were out yesterday, I went out and got this and thought it would be a good idea to take you out after your exams yesterday and ask if you wanted to get engaged since you're all done with Law School. But, then you immediately crashed harder than my reality TV career once you got back and I had no idea what I was supposed to do, so I was gonna just put it away and ask you later. Well, except I didn't and just left it in my pocket like an idiot and… Okay, I get if this whole thing is ruined and awkward now like everything else that always happens for some stupid reason with me, so I'll just…"

Right then, I just heard, "Noah." Then before I could even move, she grabbed my hand that was holding onto the ring. Okay, I feel like I'm both relieved and also about to have a mental breakdown at the same time right now.

On one hand, Emma just stopped me from progressively shoving my foot into my mouth and down my throat as I kept rambling like a total moron, so… I'll take that.

On the other hand… WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!

I don't know what the hell is going on or what I'm doing with this?! I'm 24 and I've never proposed or ever thought I would until now, so, again… WHAT?!

As I kept internally hoping on some level that a meteor would just hurtle through our condo and just make everything about this end right now, my eyes went wide when I saw her take the ring out of my hand and she slowly put it on her left ring finger.

Wait…what?

I slowly looked up and saw her just giving me that half smile that still gets to me even now as I was trying to process what just happened until my brain finally made some kind of connection with words as I asked, almost just needing the verbal confirmation that I wasn't being completely delusional, "So, uh… should I take that as a 'yes'?"

Almost immediately her expression dropped as she crossed her arms and said, even me hearing her voice completely coated in sarcasm, "No, I think I need to move out and we should break up."

And I knew I was right to not believe any of that for a second as I saw her immediately smirk before hugging me. After the shock passed for a second after confirming this was actually happening right now, I hugged her back as the realization now fully hit me.

Sure I completely screwed something that most people way stupider than me are able to do like proposing, but… I guess it wasn't completely hosed since this is happening right now.

Emma and I are engaged.

We stayed in the hug until Emma just gave me a quick kiss on the lips (catching me off guard for a second) and she put her hands on my shoulders before saying, "Noah, I love you so much. But, now we're burning time here. We need to call our parents and start planning."

Right when I thought I mentally caught up, I felt like I was right back to total confusion as I asked, quirking up an eyebrow, "Planning? For… what?"

What the hell is she talking about? I'm not delusional. We just got engaged… right?

What else is there to 'plan' about this?

Then, like the answer was apparently 'completely obvious', she started still smiling wider than I've seen since her Law School graduation two weeks ago before saying, "'Planning' for the wedding, Noah! Look, now that I have to possibly wait for almost 2 and a half months to get my results before I can officially accept any jobs, I can use my time before then to start planning everything for the wedding. Then this way you can focus on your game more while I'm getting established at my firm if and when I pass and stay on track with time management for wedding planning."

While I was still 'processing' all of that, she kissed me on the cheek before continuing, "Hey, I'm just going to tell my parents really quick and then we can look at wedding dates together to start getting save-the-date cards ready while we have breakfast."

Without even skipping a beat, she grabbed her phone and looked like she was immediately calling her parents as she walked out of the room.

After standing there in silent deep thought with Casper finally 'hip-checking me back to reality' to feed him, I finally started to move as I just decided to shrug it off since ultimately… I got what I wanted with Emma and I getting engaged.

And I guess at the very least, she seems 'happy' about it. So again… guess I can't complain?

And Emma's reaction to getting engaged with Noah was brought to you and inspired by the alliance meeting on the train from TDRR. Lol. XD But, for real, while Emma and Noah have both evolved over time together, I could totally see Emma being a bit overtaken with forward-thinking excitement to want to take advantage of her free time by 'warp-speed planning' most of her and Noah's wedding before she gets her exam results before getting her first official job in a firm as a lawyer. And seeing Emma's 'over-thinking' and 'overplanning' nature from the show… are any of us to be surprised by this? Haha. XD But, it looks like Noah (while still logically trying to sort through the entire situation) is just deciding to just take his victory with Emma wanting to take the next step in their relationship… even if she's now looking to 'speed-run' toward the next step. But, you can't blame someone for getting excited. Lol. XD Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the Nemma engagement chapter and are looking forward to the upcoming Nemma Wedding Chapter! Stay tuned everyone! :D Thank you all again for being so patient and I hope this chapter was at least somewhat worth the wait. Again, thank you, and bless you all. Haha.

Stay Classy!

Dexter1995