Justin tapped his foot impatiently against the wooden floor.
Shifting in his uncomfortable position on the sofa, Justin kept his
eyes fixed on the front door. He was tired of waiting for Ashley to
get home. He hadn't understood why she hated sitting at home
waiting for him to get back from the recording studio, but he
understood perfectly now. It was irritating.

Making cookies for her hadn't been enough of a distraction and
washing all his cars had only helped to increase his need for his
arms around his tired limbs. He was about to get up from his seat
and find something to take his mind off Ashley when he heard
footsteps.

"Darn you," he heard the familiar voice groan. The smile on his
face was brilliant. It was definitely her and not the mailman this
time, only Ashley would trip over the first step of the brick stairs
leading up to the house and blame the stairs. His heart raced as he
waited for the door to creak open.

Their eyes met across the foyer. The love in her emerald eyes
mirrored his own. Justin wanted desperately to pull her into his
arms and kiss her with all the emotions flowing through him, but he
couldn't bring his body to move. The way his mind and body reacted
to her presence was too overwhelming, and it scared him.

Luckily, she helped him out and made her way over to the sofa.
Throwing her purse on the loveseat in the corner, she plopped down
next to him and immediately wrapped her arms around his waist. "I
missed you," she cooed, rhythmically rubbing his stomach.

He almost hadn't heard her. It took all his strength to pay
attention to her words and not the feel of her hands on his body.
Even the soft texture of her highlighted blonde hair on his neck was
distracting his thoughts. "I missed you too," he finally managed to
whisper.

"You made me cookies," she remarked, leaning away from him and
picking out a chocolate chip cookie from the plate Justin had left
on the coffee table. Taking a bite, she held the cookie up to his
lips and let him take a bite. "You have some right here," she
giggled, wiping the corner of his mouth. She wiped her finger on his
shirt, flashing a bright smile as she did so.

He loved the way she smiled up at him when she did something
devilish, which was most of the time. He loved the way she did
everything, from the way she managed to befriend everyone to the way
she sometimes went overboard to look sexy for him when she was
already the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. He'd never fallen so hard
for someone so quickly, but with Ashley, he couldn't help it. They
were one person.

"You know how much I hate wearing dirty clothes," he sighed in
feigned frustration as he lifted his shirt over his head.

The smile on her face was blinding. "I hate it too," she cooed,
laying her head on his chest. He wondered if she could hear his
heart banging against his ribcage frantically, if she knew that
every beat was for her.

"I'm going to make your favorite tonight," Ashley announced,
pointing to the grocery bags she'd left by the door, "I don't know
why, but I feel like today's a special occasion."

"Every day's a special occasion when you're with me," he said as he
bent to brush his lips with hers. It always happened when he kissed
her full red lips; he only planned on a light kiss, but before
either one of them knew what was happening, they were panting for
air and clinging to each other.

She pulled away from him and stood. Reaching for his hand, she
explained that they should go upstairs to their room.

Justin wasn't having any of that. He pulled her back down and
flipped them over so that he was now on top, pinning her body to the
sofa. Kissing her long, graceful neck, Justin inhaled her
intoxicating aroma. "You wore vanilla. My favorite," he groaned
huskily, running his tongue along the curve of her neck.

His hands were at the hem of her shirt, tugging it as a signal for
her to remove it, which she did immediately. It was all too much
for him that he didn't know if he could trust himself not to rip her
favorite t-shirt in his impatience. He felt so inexperienced when he
was with her; heck, he sure did act like it was his first time. His
hands shook as her felt the curves of her slim body. The wild and
passionate emotions overwhelmed all his senses. Their lips met
again in a fiery kiss.

He didn't remember what happened after that; all he knew was that he
couldn't stop smiling. She was lying on top of him, her breathing
rhythmic and languid.

"I love you," he blurted out.

Her smile was wide enough to reveal all of her teeth. Rubbing his
shaved head, she kissed his cheek, "I love you too, Justy."

God, it felt like heaven every time she said it; too good to be
true, but in your heart you know it's real. He wondered if she knew
the impact she had on him. Feeling the spot on his cheek where her
soft lips had caressed his skin, he closed his eyes and
whispered, "Marry me."

"Oh my god, are you serious?"

Nodding his head, Justin leaned up on his elbows so he could look
into her eyes. "You're everything to me. Being your boyfriend
isn't enough anymore; I want our souls to be joined together
forever. I want to spend my days impatiently waiting for you to get
home from work, so that I can tell you how much I missed you. I can
spend the rest of my life listening to you curse the stupid stairs
for tripping you," he paused to take a deep breath, "My love for you
overwhelms me every second of every day. Please, say you'll marry
me." Tears were streaming down his face by the time he finished his
heartfelt speech.

Tears glistening in her eyes, Ashley's voice was barely audible when
she replied, "Yes." She wrapped her arms around him and held her
close to him. "Yes, I'll marry you, Justin. I love you so much."

They stayed there for a few moments, locked in each other's
embrace. The silence was broken by the sound of Ashley's deep
laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," she responded her hands stroking his cheek, "But when we
tell our parents, let's leave out the part about us being naked."

Justin joined in on her laughter. He was the luckiest man alive to
have the most wonderful woman as his future wife. "You're amazing."
Amazed
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