𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙍𝙏𝙀𝙀𝙉
—𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺—

𝘿𝘼𝙉𝙉𝙔 𝙒𝘼𝙎 𝘿𝙀𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙀𝘿 to drag Bryce away from her work again today. In his defense, it had been over a week since he had last bailed her out, only to tell her that he was undeniably in love with her. It had also been over a week since he found out that his best friend, Rafe, was actually alive. That had singlehandedly been the greatest day of his life. And the next greatest would be today, seeing as he made a huge effort and took a giant leap.

He had asked Evelyn and the other nurses for permission— or their blessing— of course, but he had honestly intended to do it either way. Because who knew what life would throw at the couple? Why wait when there were so many things that could possibly go wrong? And so he had headed to a jeweler, and bought the most beautiful gold ring they had; one where a diamond sat directly in the middle, shining bright in any light that dare come close to it.

And so now he stands in the courtyard, amongst the other uniformed pilots, grinning from ear-to-ear and waiting for Bryce to step outside with her clipboard to teach them. When that time came, Danny would allow her just enough time to finish, before ushering her away to the park where they had their first picnic together. It was soon— perhaps too soon. But Danny knew in his heart that this is what he had been waiting for. And now that he found Bryce, he never wanted to let her go. So, in order to ensure that, he was going to slip a band on her finger and call her his forever. Love had no time boundaries, and the days since they met were merely a number— it didn't matter to him how many hours it had been since he laid eyes on her. What did matter was how he felt the moment he had.

And that was something he could never possibly forget. In fact, he was sure that in the moments of his passing, he would be thinking of nothing of her and the day they met.

"So I heard that you, sir, are going to propose to Bryce today," the ginger next to him chuckles, slapping Danny on the back.

"Sure am, Red," Danny grins at his friend. "I'm hoping she says yes. I ain't met a girl like her before, and I . . . gosh, she's just everything a man could ever dream for."

"Well, good luck to you," Red Winkle says, his eyes gleaming, "captain."

With a nod, Danny's attention is captivated by Bryce; she emerges from the building, a pen placed between her painted-red lips. He bites the inside of his cheek, aching to pull her into his chest and feel her soft lips against his once again. Since he told her he loved her, Bryce and Danny had shared plenty of kisses. But, nonetheless, he could never get too much of them— nothing compared to the sensation that radiates through his veins while his skin touched hers. For now, though, he would have to ignore his feelings, and focus on being a pilot rather than a clingy boyfriend.

"Hello, pilots," Bryce looks over all of them, her eyes lingering on Danny for a moment longer than all the others. "Long time, no see. We have lots to get through today."

"Are you on the list?" One of the pilots ask confidently, his friends snickering.

Bryce's eyes snap to the blond-haired man, stepping in front of him. "Can you please repeat that for me?"

"I'm gonna kill him," Danny growls, shoving past Red and clenching his teeth as he moves over to the scene. But he stops in his tracks, watching as Bryce takes control of the situation.

She looks the man up and down, a small smirk falling on her lips as he opens his mouth. "I said 'are you on the list'."

Bryce grabs him by the collar, rears back her arm, and punches him in the nose. He yelps, jerking back to hold his bleeding nose— all the while Bryce dusts off her uniform and clears her throat. "Now, lesson one. Women are not inanimate objects, so don't treat them as though they are."

Danny moves forward, taking her hand in his and looking it over. "Are you okay? Do you need me to hit him again?"

"I'm fine, Danny," Bryce assures him with a slight laugh. "I can protect myself. Oh, and one of you should probably take him to the nurses' station to get cleaned up. His nose looks pretty bad."

"I need to take you somewhere," Danny tells her. "Could you take off for the day. Like, right now?"

"I have to teach these next couple of lessons or Carter will absolutely—"

"Actually, Carter will let this one slide," the commander steps up, removing his cap. "Good afternoon, Bryce. I assume Danny has some . . . important reason as to why he's leaving and taking you with him, so I'll make an exception. Just be sure to stay the full day tomorrow, these pilots could really use your help."

"I could tell," Bryce says, glancing to the pilot that's now being escorted off of the field. "But thank you, Commander. It won't happen again."

"Don't make that promise," Carter shakes his head with a laugh. "Danny here will break it for you. Now go on, I'll hold down the fort for today."

As Bryce turns to Danny, a smile on her face, Carter winks at Danny, and mouths 'good luck'. Somehow the commander had found out. Word did get around fast, not that Danny ever had any reason to notice that before.

"Come on," Danny says, holding back his excitement. "I have something to show you."

---

Leaves littered the ground, almost covering every inch of grass that Bryce could see. It was December, but the warm weather never really dropped enough for the air to be considered cold or even chilly. But it was enough for Bryce to know that Christmas would be coming soon. Twenty days, in fact, and the raven-haired woman couldn't be more enthusiastic. This year, she would have Danny to spend it with. And, speaking of which, she needed to remember to get him a gift the next time she was out shopping with the other nurses.

Bryce notices that the leaves on the ground are red— but not just any red; her favorite color red, maroon. If she scrapbooked, she would've picked one up and saved it until she got home. Unfortunately, she didn't have time for such things. Since moving to Pearl Harbor, Bryce didn't even have time to spend on planning like usual. Instead, she focused on the present and went with the flow; which was very different from what she was used to. Now she could dwell on the day ahead, and not on the week or month.

"This is where you brought me on our first date," Bryce comments, realization hitting her in the chest as she smiles. "And gave me potato chips."

"Glad you remember," he chuckles, wrapping his arm around her waist. "And look, I even put out another picnic. How sweet of me."

"You're so cute," she kisses his cheek, before taking off her shoes, and heading straight for the plaid blanket. The sun was setting now, and the sky was lit up by fiery oranges and yellows. It was a beautiful sight to see.

"I think you're cuter," Danny tells her, sitting down across from her. "How is Evelyn, now that Rafe is back?"

"Well, she's perfectly fine now," Bryce tells him, digging through the picnic basket to find the potato chips that she just knew he had brought. "But I haven't seen her much this week since they've been going out to catch up on everything that happened since he left. When I do see her, she's baking— there's always a smile on her face, and I enjoy that."

"I'm glad to know that she's better," he says. "It was pretty disappointing to hear that she was locked up in her room every time I came to get you. I know she needed someone, but she just didn't want to admit that he was gone. But now that he's back, I feel like everything is good again."

"That's because it is." Bryce states, her eyes lighting up when she pulls out the chips she had been looking for. "Bingo. I'm proud of you for understanding my need for a potato chip break from work. Really, there's no way I could make up for it. You're a blessing."

"Actually, I think there could be a way you could make it up to me," the man grins, leaning forward. But just as he does so, Bryce opens the bag and places a few chips into her mouth. She chews them for a moment, swallows, then giggles.

"So what were you saying?"

"I'm saying," he stands up, pulling her up with him, "that I'm so incredibly in love with you, Bryce. And I know it all happened so fast, and in the span of a couple months we've been going at a fast pace, but I know that you're the person that I want to spend the rest of my life with. There is no doubt in my mind about it."

"Danny . . . ?" Bryce trails off, her lips parting as she stares at him. "What are you . . . ?"

Danny takes her left hand, pulls out a small black box from his back pocket, and drops to one knee. Bryce cries out, dropping her bag of potato chips as she places her hand over her mouth.

"I've always wondered how long people meant when they said forever, Bryce Dylan. But I've never truly known how long they've meant— whether that be until death do they part, or after that, or to live together even in the afterlife; but I want forever. And I only want forever with you, wherever it'll take place. So will you do me the greatest honor, and marry me, sugar?"

To say that Bryce was speechless would be the understatement of the century. But it didn't matter that there was something stuck in her throat— because somehow she managed to choke out a short 'yes', before clearing it out, and removing her hand from her lips.

"Yes, yes, yes!" She responds, watching as he places the golden ring onto her finger. And as soon as he stands up, she launches herself into his arms and buried her face in his shoulder. "I love you so much, Danny."

"I love you more, sweetheart."

If only they knew where forever would actually take place for them.

If only.

_______