I glanced at the clock, pausing from rushing around my empty yet messy dorm trying to clean it up. My eyes widened as it read in big red numbers 9:55pm. Shit, I only have five minutes to get rid of what my roommate left behind since she left to go home already.

I bet she left early on purpose so I would have to clean up after her like usual. Ugh, she's always hated me, I knew it, this just confirms it. I still haven't packed my suitcase despite my flight being at 10am tomorrow morning to go back home.

I jumped, almost dropping the rubbish bag in my hand when my laptop began ringing, the sound was like the cursed elevator music I hear every time I go into the lifts. Makes me want to bang my head against the wall in agony but I don't want to be called dramatic. I dropped the rubbish bag, letting it lean against my roommate's bed before running over to my laptop. I quickly pressed accept after reading Jack's name and sat at my desk.

"Well, isn't this a surprise, it's the king of fools," I joked with a grin. Jack chuckled before smiling.

"I'm hurt Prescott, truly," he said, pretending to wipe a non-existent tear away.

"I'll kiss it better when I see you tomorrow then," I smiled.

"Ah yes, the day I've been waiting for ever since you left."

"I think you mean since you left since you travelled to Canada to study."

"Same thing."

I rolled my eyes but inside I was giddy to go back home to see him again. I've missed my family, my friends, Jack and Lisa since I've gotten to visit her house with Jack when I'd return home for the holidays during my studies.

Jack has visited me on campus here more times than I can count in the past four years. A lot of those visits were by surprise. But nonetheless, I still missed him while I was away. That's why we've had our scheduled FaceTime calls every week. We've organised them to be our date night calls.

"Had fun cleaning up today?" Jack smirked. I huffed in annoyance and glared.

I had messaged him earlier, complaining about having to clean up all the shit my roommate left behind as a present. He suggested I leave it, that it's not my problem, but I cannot just leave rubbish for whoever uses this dorm next. That and my mother taught me well, to always be organised. Though she also told me to never snap at anyone because I might regret it but I digress.

"I still haven't finished and my suitcase isn't even packed yet!" I complained.

"I told you to stop stressing and overworking yourself; it's your last night, do what you can, pack your stuff, and get some rest," Jack said. I sighed and leaned back in my chair.

He's right, it's my last night but I know it's going to annoy me if I don't get everything done tonight. At least I'm almost done. Packing is not a problem, a quick process since I didn't have a lot of crap.

I don't even know how someone like my roommate could create such a mess on her side of the room on her last night yesterday. Like did she have a party in this cramped dorm using magic? Or did she purposely do this to enact revenge for when I told her to shut up because she was being too loud laughing at her phone while I was studying for an exam? I'll never know.

"I'm determined," I replied. Jack shook his head.

"I know you are and that's how I also know you'll get it done quickly," he grinned.

"Liar," I chuckled. He shrugged with a smile.

"You'll never know," Jack retorted jokingly.

"But I could if I go all private detective on you."

"Stop watching detective series, they're stupid."

"Take that back! They're perfect!"

"I stand by what I said; they're trash."

"Asshole."

Jack chuckled while I rolled my eyes. I've been obsessed with detective TV shows since I barely go out. I just sit on our couch, have my drink for the night, some popcorn and relax while watching investigation-type series. It's interesting how intense they are because they're so dramatic, overly dramatic really. Sometimes I try to solve the mystery before the detective does.

"What have you got planned for your first day back?" Jack asked, lying down on his couch. I shrugged as I grabbed my laptop and walked to my bed to lie down, following his lead.

"Well, I assume get bombarded by my family and friends, have them force me to tell them everything about my studies here, and then possibly Amanda and Sarah will want to take me somewhere for dinner to celebrate all of us graduating from college," I predicted.

"I hope you have room in your schedule to fit me in," he said.

"Of course I do, I always do," I smiled.

"Good because I got a surprise for you," he returned the smile with an affectionate one.

"Oh no, it's not going to be like what you did last time when you took me to that 'fancy restaurant' where we both got food poisoning?" I whined.

It was only recently about a month ago he surprised me by taking me to a fancy restaurant called 'The Silent Street Kitchen'. It was more like a nightmare kitchen. We barely even took a few bites before it all went downhill. We were bedridden by the time we got home.

I always push that memory to the back of my head, though I will never forget the expired meat they decided to serve to us, pretending it was 'fresh' when it was anything but. I'd give it a half a one-star review because the drinks were nice but the rest was shit.

"Ok, in my defence, it said five stars when I Googled it," Jack argued.

"They had one review and I'm pretty sure it was from someone they knew," I laughed.

"I didn't see that part," he defended.

"And that's why you have to be more observant babe," I teased. "I love you but sometimes you can be oblivious."

"This is why I need you here," he said.

"And I will be," I grinned.

We continued to talk until it hit midnight when I had begun to yawn constantly, like every few minutes. Jack noticed and practically ordered me to go to sleep. I finished cleaning midway through our conversation since I decided to continue while we were talking.

As for my suitcase, I'll have to do that in the morning considering my eyelids kept drooping shut. Some coffee will help keep me awake. I know that's bullshit to me since it never does. I'm practically immune from the effects of caffeine, which is shit when you have class at like eight in the morning and all you want to do is crawl back into bed, away from the sun.

"Get some rest, I'll see you tomorrow," Jack said. I yawned for what felt like the hundredth time and nodded.

"I will, I'll see you tomorrow, goodnight, love you," I smiled sleepily.

"Night, love you too."

--------------------------------------------------

The one thing I absolutely hate about airports is waiting for my suitcase to roll through on the conveyor belt. I'm always last and have to stand around the cluster of people shoving me back as they attempt to get their luggage. My patience was wearing thin and I just wanted to leave. This is all from a short flight that took only a few hours.

I would have driven but I sold my motorcycle before I moved into my dorm and am planning to buy a car soon, which Jack said he would help me with. I also wouldn't be able to move my stuff with a motorcycle.

Once I was able to push through and grab my suitcase after roughly fifteen minutes of impatience, I was quick to rush away from the crowd of people looking to do the same. Jack was picking me up instead of my family since he had moved back two days ago, flying in with John, who I had made sure to keep in touch with. Same with Sarah and Amanda. It's just lucky that they were not far from where I had been studying.

I craned my neck attempting to find where Jack was in the sea of people waiting for their own loved ones. Once I spotted him amongst the crowd, an instant smile came across my lips as I quickly rushed towards him. He grinned when I approached him. I dropped my bag and giddily jumped into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck and legs around his waist. Jack chuckled, catching me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Welcome back love," he greeted before giving me a kiss on the lips.

"Great to be back," I beamed. He placed me down back onto my feet and grabbed my suitcase.

"Ready to head to yours?" Jack asked. I nodded. He reached out to hold onto my hands, intertwining them. I followed him out of the airport, cursing at the hot air that blasted us once we were outside. I forget how much I hate summer. But then again, it's just about almost always hot here. Los Angeles heat is a bitch.

"Welcome back Amy!"

I jumped and screamed as my family and friends shouted in unison. For fucks sake, my heart is about to burst out of my chest. It's an exaggeration but it felt like a jump scare...even though it bloody was. I sure missed everyone but they know I'm easily scared. Although despite this, my mood changed in an instant as I immediately became excited to see my family and friends. It feels like it's been forever but it's only been like a few weeks or something maybe.

"Welcome home Ames," Sarah greeted as she hugged me. Amanda joined in the group hug. I chuckled as I attempted to hug them back but it was hard to get around the two when they were squishing me.

"We missed you, it's been so long," Amanda exaggerated.

"Drama queen," I rolled my eyes.

"You love me," she teased. I shook my head with a smile. They stepped back, letting me go after that.

"Welcome back shorty, hope college didn't fry your brain," John joked. I glared at him, punching his shoulder playfully.

"I see you haven't stopped with the stupid nickname," I grumbled.

"And why should I when it brings me joy seeing you pout over such an innocent nickname," he grinned. I huffed and ignored him, walking over to give my parents a hug then my brother and sister, who had grown taller. She was up to my hip now.

"We're glad to have you home honey," my mother smiled.

"I hope you enjoyed your time in North Carolina," my father said.

"I did thank you," I said with a smile.

"Welcome back little sis," Max nodded.

"I'm glad you're finally home to stay now," Catherine chirped.

"Ok, now that we're done with all the greetings, can we go home now? I want to raid the fridge," Jack complained.

"Don't you dare," my father warned with a glare.

"Challenge accepted old man."

Jack grabbed my hand and quickly pulled me towards his car with my suitcase in his hand. It took two years until Jack, my father, and Max were all able to finally get along without any trouble or tense silences. I think it was all those visits during the holidays. That and they probably realised that I wasn't going to leave Jack after two, now four years, of a relationship while we were far apart. I'm just glad that they can all get along without any drama anymore.

I was greeted with decorations set up all around our house. The only thing on my mind though was the fact my parents got my favourite cake. I've been craving something sweet like crazy.

Throughout the whole time, I talked with Sarah and Amanda, they would occasionally look at each other, then at the clock, then smirk mischievously. Oh God, it does not give me confidence. What the hell could they be planning? I better not be dragged anywhere near a mall or I'll pull my hair out and then cry about it.

I wanted to depart from this gathering and just crawl into my bed to sleep. This is what I get for going to sleep so late. Late for me anyway. The coffee I had did absolute shit to help me not drift off and fall asleep.

I was currently trying not to close my eyes. The comfiness of the couch suddenly makes it seem like the perfect spot to sleep. Amanda and Sarah had finally gotten over their 'secretive' smiles and were catching me up on what I had missed. One being Sarah had finally found someone new, or more like reconnected with someone from her past who we lost connection with, Caleb.

Apparently, from her words, it recently just happened. They started to hang out after Sarah graduated, earlier than me by a week. She went back to Florida for four days to visit her old home. She ran into him when she went to the basketball court where I had met her and the others while he was playing by himself.

Now they're just catching up. I hope he asks her out, that would make her happy because I can tell she still has feelings for him deep inside. Guess it'll take time though since they did just bump into each other like earlier last week.

"How is Dillon, Sarah?" I asked.

I'm not surprised he didn't come. I barely stayed in contact with him, only hearing from Sarah about what he was up to. Dillon did occasionally hang out with us when we invited him to join us on our outings although it took a while until he felt comfortable being around us. That and he still wasn't ok with my relationship with Jack. He won't admit it but the regret and annoyance in his eyes and his demeanour towards us said it all.

"He's good; he found someone," Sarah replied with a half-smile but she looked at me with worry.

"That's great to hear!" I beamed. She raised a brow, so did Amanda.

"Is it?" Amanda interjected.

"It is if he treats her right and is happy," I said with a shrug.

"Oh, thank God, I'm glad you're not upset," Sarah sighed with relief. I chuckled.

"Why would I be upset? I'm happy with who I'm with now," I smiled, glancing at Jack who was talking to my brother. The two of my friends started whispering in hushed tones, arguing about something and pinching each other. I shook my head. "Are you two ok?"

"Perfect!" they replied in unison. I forget how creepy that is.

"O-k then," I said before standing up from the couch. "I'm going to go talk to Jack."

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked when I walked over to stand in front of him.

"I'm suffering from my horrible life choices when it comes to my sleep schedule," I mumbled as my eyelids drooped and I yawned.

"Do you want to ditch this welcome home party and sleep for a little bit?" he asked. I nodded as another yawn escaped past my lips.

Jack put his arm around my waist and guided me past the living room to head for my room but not before letting everyone know that we were going to be away for a bit even though I told him he could stay with the others but he refused.

I crawled into my bed, relishing in the familiar comfort it provided. It feels like it's been so long since I've been in my own bed. It's good to be back home and finished with my degree since the lack of sleep and social life plus the amount of stress I got from studying was a pain in the ass and unenjoyable. Thank God, it's all over.

"Do you want to join or do you want to watch me sleep until I wake up?" I mumbled with a smile. My eyes were closed already, prepared to fall asleep but I could feel Jack's gaze on me from the chair he was sitting on at my old desk.

"Depends, do you want me to?" he asked. I nodded.

I heard his shuffling footsteps head for my bed before the mattress dipped. I could feel his warmth before he even snuck his arm around my waist to pull me closer to his chest. It made me want to stay in his arms for a long time. I was already dozing off due to the comfort he brought. I placed my hand on top of his.

"Get some sleep love, I'll wake you up later," Jack whispered before kissing my forehead.

"Alright love," I teased. He kissed my neck this time, sending shivers down my spine.

Damn him

"Shhh, sleep."

"Mm fine."

------------------------------------------------

I woke up to a gentle nudge from Jack. I groaned, not wanting to get up and leave his arms just yet. I'd rather spend the rest of the night here if I could despite the fact that I was still in the same clothes I was wearing when I got on the plane. Simple jeans and a plain white top because it's a short flight and I'm not bothered to dress up.

"Just five more minutes," I whined. I could feel Jack's chest against my back as it shook from his laughter.

"Come on, I still got that surprise for you," he said.

Oh right, the surprise. That completely slipped my mind even though it occupied my thoughts this morning when I was on the plane. There were many guesses going through my head as to what he could have planned for tonight. I made a list of them since I got bored on the flight but then scrapped it. The person sitting behind me kept attempting to look over my shoulder, trying to be discreet about it but failed at being subtle. I got annoyed and almost snapped at the guy to shove off but I'd rather not be kicked off the plane and make a fuss over someone who is intrusive.

"Can't it wait for a few more minutes? I'm sure it can," I continued to complain.

The bed dipped as Jack shifted. He moved me so I was lying on my back now. I frowned and blinked slowly to open my eyes to see him hovering over me. He then leaned down to press his lips against mine. I kissed back as I reached my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He smiled against my lips and lifted one hand up to cup my cheek.

"Are you guys still asleep? It's almost -"

"Fuck," Jack cursed as he pulled away and rolled off me, onto the ground with a thud. I instantly sat up to look over at him, lying on the floor, rubbing his head with a groan in pain. I bit my bottom lip to prevent myself from laughing.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"If you two were just going to make out then there's a lock for a reason; don't subject us to the sight," John joked. Jack groaned again and flipped him the middle finger.

"Fuck. You. Kill joy," he grumbled.

"What did you want John?" I questioned with a sigh.

"Oh right, Jack was the one that told me to make sure you guys are out of here by like 9 o'clock and it's thirty minutes to nine, so get your asses up," John replied.

"Thanks so much for your help asshole," Jack said sarcastically.

"All this negative energy is bringing the mood down. Stop being horny and suck it up," John teased. Jack grabbed my pillow and hurled it at him. John laughed as he jumped away. "Aggressive. Amy won't like that; you're just ruining your chances even more man."

"I'd run if I were you," I suggested. John pretended to tip his imaginary hat.

"Good idea ma'am; I'll be running off now," he said in a fake Cowboy accent. I rolled my eyes once he was out of sight. I swung my legs over the bed and helped Jack up.

"Come on, I'll get changed and we can go to wherever it is you want us to go, just don't drag me into the woods and kill me, I'm still young," I joked.

"Don't worry, that'll be more spontaneous than this surprise," he played along. I slapped his arm playfully while he laughed.

He kissed my cheek, a blush instantly coming to my cheeks as he exited my room, leaving me to change out of my current clothes. I pulled out the dress Amanda and Sarah got me for my birthday about two months ago, back in April. It was a sunflower print crisscross cami dress. I hadn't worn it yet but this was a special occasion and suited the weather so it seemed like the perfect time. I glanced at myself in the mirror with a smile. It was my kind of style, of course, no doubt since my friends know me pretty well.

"Someone got dressed up," Sarah teased as she walked into my room. Amanda strolled in behind her and collapsed onto the bed. I rolled my eyes.

"Jack's got a surprise; I didn't know what to wear," I shrugged.

"I'm disappointed in you my friend, usually you're always organised but not today, on such a special day too," Amanda shook her head.

"Hey, I just got back today and woke up from a nap, let me be disorganised this one time," I defended. I then turned to her, finally processing what she said. "Wait, what do you mean 'special day'? Do you know what the surprise is?" I questioned with narrowed eyes. Amanda glanced at Sarah with wide eyes.

Sarah must know as well if Amanda is giving her that panicked and nervous look. This is suspicious considering he doesn't usually tell anyone about his surprises. I mean, last time would have been the perfect time to tell someone about his 'surprise' so we could have avoided the food poisoning because someone would have knocked some sense into that cute head of his.

"What did he plan?" I interrogated.

"We don't know, maybe you shouldn't keep him waiting so you can find out," Sarah suggested with a grin.

"You two won't get away with this easy," I warned.

"Try me bitch, I'll fight you any day," Amanda challenged.

"I'll fight you later, right now, I have to go, see you two later," I said. I quickly grabbed my purse, swinging it over my shoulder and putting my phone, along with my wallet, inside. I ran out towards where Jack had been waiting, talking to my mother. "Hi."

"Hi beautiful," Jack greeted with the edges of his lips curled up. He wrapped his arm around my waist.

"I'll leave you two to head off. See you later and have fun," my mother smiled. I nodded, returning the smile. I looked around for John and my brother, noticing that they had suddenly disappeared oddly enough.

None of them said anything about leaving early. They could have messaged or quickly said something before heading out. I would have given them a quick hug before they left. Oh well, I guess I'll talk to them later; I just hope Amanda has a way home. I know my parents will be fine with having to drop her off if it's needed unless Sarah is going to.

"Ready to go?" I asked Jack. He nodded and grinned.

"Let's head out, we can't be late," Jack said.

"Wait late for what?" I questioned.

He ignored my question and guided me away from everyone, saying goodbye as we walked by. My mind was currently occupied with thoughts on where the hell we were going. Jack wasn't going to tell me; he's always tight-lipped about these things. He never wants the moment to be ruined. That's why I'm still surprised he told Amanda and Sarah; usually, Amanda is the one he should be worried about because sometimes, if she's really eager, she will just blurt out the surprise. Secrets, she can keep, surprises, however, that's a definite no.

I barely had time to take a peek outside at where we were when Jack parked the car before he quickly grabbed my hands and tugged me away from the window to stare at him instead. He seemed jittery, with his clammy hands and darting eyes towards whatever was over my shoulder, past the window of the car. I wonder what could be going through his head that's made him so nervous.

"Are you ok?" I asked as I frowned and tilted my head.

"I'll be fine," he said, giving me a reassuring smile. I nodded, not knowing what else to say. "You ready?"

"I think I should be asking you that."

Jack chuckled before giving me a peck on the lips and getting out of the car. He was quick to run around so he could open my door. And people say chivalry is dead; I'd beg to differ. It's a cliché gesture but it's cute so I don't say anything.

Oddly enough, Jack is full of cliché gestures. It's either I've made him watch too many movies with romance in them, which is just about almost every genre, or this is just something I never knew about him because of course but I love it.

"Why are you so nervous?" I questioned, raising a brow as Jack began patting down the pockets of his pants. He remained silent, not glancing up at me.

Oh God, I was getting worried about what he had planned. He's never been this nervous before. He's set up plenty of surprises for me, such as when he visits me unexpectedly at my college despite the distance. They've almost all gone perfectly.

The sound of waves crashing against the sand indicated that we were at the beach but not sure if that was the big reveal. If it's not, he should know that I'm not going to cry if it's not perfect or something that doesn't go 'according to plan'. I will like it either way because it's the thought that counts and Jack likes to put a lot of thought and consideration into his surprises for me.

"Ready?" Jack asked, flashing me a charming smile. I narrowed my eyes with suspicion. "Trust me, it'll be worth it, hopefully." He added the last part in a low mutter as if I were not meant to hear it. But I did and didn't question it.

"Lead the way then," I said. Jack extended his arm and I hooked mine with his before following him across the street, onto the sand of the beach.

I'll admit I was still a little anxious but it didn't take me long, less than a minute, for the feeling to evaporate at the sight of his surprise he'd set up for me. There was a heart made out of rose petals and candles to dimly light up the night. It was neatly set up on the sand, a couple of metres away from the water.

Admittedly, it was a cliché one but it doesn't mean it meant little to me. It didn't mean my heart didn't skip a beat, my body freeze, and my eyes widen in shock. Jack paused beside me to smile and slide his hand down to interlace them with mine, kissing the back of my palm.

"What is this?" I muttered. Jack gently tugged me towards the centre of the heart and I continued to slowly walk with him.

"It's something I had planned to do for a while but chickened out until today when you moved back home," he said. I tilted my head and frowned as he had me step into the heart, my brows scrunched together in confusion.

"You mean this?" I asked, glancing at the candles. Jack chuckled.

"No, this I had help from Amanda and Sarah earlier this week after you graduated, they shoved photo ideas in my face," he explained. I silently laughed. That sounded like them for sure, especially Sarah since she uses inspiration from images to create things. "The ones that set this up are actually John and surprisingly your brother," Jack added. Well, that one is definitely surprising, usually Max is a lazy ass despite his job.

"Ok then well if this wasn't the real thing you had planned for a while, what is it?" I questioned. Jack took a deep breath and put his hand in his pocket, opening his mouth to speak until a loud bang rang out through the night. There were bright colourful lights illuminating our faces for a couple of seconds. I turned around to see the sparks of fireworks sprinkling down until they evaporated. "Don't they only do these kind of firework things for special occasions?" I muttered.

"They do unless you ask and pay them to use some fireworks," Jack replied.

I frowned, turning back around to ask why he had done such a thing but instantly shut my mouth, taking a step back as my breath hitched in my throat. Jack was kneeling down on one knee with a ring pulled out as fireworks went off in the background. It wasn't those promise rings you see on some couples, no, that bloody looked like an engagement ring. Did my breathing pick up? I can't tell.

"What the fuck is happening?" I whispered. Jack gave me an affectionate lopsided smile.

"From the moment you told me off five years ago when you moved back, I fell for you." My cheeks began heating up; maybe it's the fireworks? Yeah, I'm going with that. "You don't know how thankful and happy I'll always be for the fact that you gave me a second chance and every day I'll always regret what I did to you."

I wanted to cut him off there, to remind him that I had forgiven him, I was over what happened, despite the fact I know it won't ease his mind after five years of regret that I wanted to take away. He continued before I could speak and I let him without butting in.

"But I want to be selfish, I want to spend the rest of my life until we're old and binge-watching shitty shows because we can't be bothered to change the channel." I let out a laugh though tears have now blurred my vision. It doesn't help that I'm wearing my glasses damn it. "Amy Prescott, will you marry me?" Jack asked, concluding his proposal.

"Yes! A hundred times yes!" I instantly exclaimed, not even waiting a minute to reply. Jack chuckled before smiling and slipping the diamond ring on my finger. Once he stood up, I threw my arms around him. He wrapped his arms around my waist in return, steadying us before we could fall onto the sand. I then cupped his face in my hands and pressed my lips against his. He instantly kissed back. "I can't believe this is really happening."

"Trust me, I'm still trying to process it myself," he muttered. I chuckled. Jack rested his forehead against mine as silence filled the air. The fireworks had stopped after playing for a few minutes.

"I love you, Amy Prescott."

"I love you, Jack Reece."