| June 6 | Wednesday Night |

~Sam's POV~

As much as I wanted to enjoy the dinner with Shawn, Casey, and Megan, I couldn't help but think myself to death about later. I had told Shawn I wanted an early dinner for a reason, but it was now six-thirty, and it would be dark within the next hour to hour-and-a-half. The conversation was going strong but all I wanted to do was get out of here while I was still pumped and ready to propose. I continued to anxiously fumble with the velvet box in my pocket.

"Babe?" Megan said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I gave her a reassuring smile. "Just takin' it all in."

She returned my smile as I locked eyes with my brother, signaling that it was time to end this dinner. I had plans, dammit.

Shawn got the hint.

"Well..." He wiped his mouth and placed his napkin on his plate. "I'm excited to finally not have to miss you two all the time."

We stood after dropping cash on the table and said our goodbyes. I was practically shaking in my shoes at the realization that if I was going to do this tonight, I needed it to go as planned. I wanted it to be everything Megan had dreamt about for years.

I wanted it to be perfect.

"How does a walk on the beach sound?" I wondered aloud. "Since it's our last night here for a bit?"

Megan practically beamed. "I'd love that."

We caught a ride to a beach I knew had extensive walking distance. I needed to gather my thoughts. I knew all the things I wanted to say, but forming them into a proposal? Well, that was a little bit harder for me. Would I stutter over my words? Drop the ring? Embarrass myself?

Would Megan say no?

No. I couldn't think like that. Megan wouldn't say no... would she? I mean, she's been mentioning it left and right. Hell, we even looked at rings together! She seemed all for it... So why was I having doubts?

"You're still awfully quiet," Megan said as we pulled up to the public beach. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, babe." I grabbed her hand as we made it onto the white sand. "There's just a lot going on in my mind right now."

"Like?"

"Like..." I paused. "Moving, money, Blair... everything. There's a lot of weight on my shoulders."

I was stalling a bit, hoping Megan wouldn't suspect my plans. I wanted it to be a surprise. As we walked, I listened to the waves crash against the shore as the sky turned many shades of pink and orange. The sun was slowly setting over a horizon of deep blue. It was so tranquil. I tried to let the scene help me relax.

"You know you're not alone in this, right?" Megan wondered. "We are doing this together."

"I know."

I spotted a pier that extended into the Gulf. That's where I wanted to do it. Right as the sun was setting over the sea. It would be perfect. Suddenly, I was eager to ask Megan to marry me. Suddenly, there were no doubts.

Soon we were ascending the wooden steps and making our way toward the end of the pier. There weren't many people, which I was grateful for. I wanted this to be as intimate as possible.

"God, the sunset is so beautiful," Megan admired as she leaned on the railing.

I studied her in admiration. The salty air whipped her dark hair around her face. Her skin was sun-kissed from Florida's rays. I couldn't help but think it looked good on her. She looked so at ease. So... natural. It was a thing of beauty. How could I have ever had any doubt in the world that she was the one for me?

"Isn't it crazy?" I asked, leaning on the rail next to her. "How far we've come? How close we are to being able to just be together? Without worry."

"It's..." Megan sighed. "A feeling I can't describe."

I could tell she was relieved. It was apparent in her body language. Her shoulders were relaxed and her worry lines were gone. She looked like she could finally breathe again. Like the time before Emma and Shay and Jas and Mariah and Nikki. It was a look I never thought I'd see on my girlfriend again. Not while we lived in Missouri.

"You think you're ready to move away from everyone we know?" I asked. "To a new state, with new jobs and a new sense of relying on one another?"

Megan just looked at me with a sure smile. "I've never been more ready, Sam."

The warmth and love I felt in this moment had never been so strong. This was it. If there ever was a perfect time to ask, it was now.

"Well..." I paused as I faced my girlfriend, taking her left hand in mine. "Then I guess that makes two of us."

Then, without much hesitation, I kneeled in front of her.

I watched her eyes go wide at the sight. She looked shocked, but not alarmed. My heart was pounding rapidly in my chest in this moment. I hadn't felt nervous in front of Megan in a long time, but right now, the pressure was on. I was in the spotlight, and I wanted this to blow her away.

"So, you know the thought of settling down has always scared me, and that I've been against it for so long," I started. "Maybe it was my parents and how they always fought that turned me off to the idea of staying with someone forever. Or, maybe, I was just too insecure to ever think I would be enough for somebody..."

I took a nervous breath.

"... But Megan, you have proven all my fears wrong and have redefined what marriage is, at least to me. So, please remember, I'm doing this for you, but I'm also doing it because I want to."

Megan watched me with wide eyes as I reached into my pocket. She probably thought this was a dream that she would soon wake up from. I found joy in the thought of her never having to be wishful again.

"Sam..." Megan's voice shook. "You better not be joking right now."

I couldn't help but smile up at her. "I'm trying to propose, woman."

Our eyes locked as I gave her another smile. 

"Okay, so even though I'm probably kneeling in gum I'm positive I've never been happier than I am right now here with you. We're about to start our third year in this relationship and it's taken me to places I never knew existed, which is scary, but also amazing. Waking up to you every morning makes life worthwhile, and it reminds me that every hardship has its reward. Plus, you're literally the only one who's willing to put up with me."

I struggled to keep my composure because out of all the emotions I was feeling, joy was the strongest. It was managing to form a knot the size of a softball in my throat, making it difficult to swallow.

"With that being said," I paused. "I'm gonna ask you the very loaded question I've been dying to ask you for months now..."

Thoughts of forever swarmed my excited mind. Tears started to form on Megan's waterline. The unconditional love that surrounded us was nearly too much. It all felt absolutely perfect.

Then I revealed the ring.

"Megan Adams, will you grant me the biggest pleasure of marrying me?"

Time felt as if it stopped. It seemed as if Megan could barely get her answer out without bursting into joyous tears. The sight made my heart warm. My now fiancée nodded in acceptance and allowed me to slide the ring onto the designated finger. Then, she pulled me into a tight embrace.

"God, I love you," Megan whispered into my neck.

"I hope so," I joked. "Because you're stuck with me."

Megan laughed and wiped her tears. I couldn't help but give her the biggest kiss in response. I was convinced I couldn't love her any more than I did right now...

But then again, I had thought that before.

* * *

"Shut up! I can't believe you did it!" Blair squealed as she studied Megan's ring I had shown her months before. "How did you do it?"

Me and Megan relived the moment for our friends as we continued to revel in the memory. It still felt surreal, at least to me. Megan never took off the ring and flaunted it every chance she got. The best part about it all was that I knew she was doing it to tell people she was my fiancée, because the ring wasn't anything special in terms of size. Just the thought of Megan being proud to be my fiancée meant everything to me.

"My mom's calling," Megan said as she stood from the couch with her phone. "I'll be right back."

This left me and Blair alone in the living room. I petted Charlie's head for comfort, knowing what conversation was coming next. And I wasn't sure if I was prepared for it.

"So it's official, official," Blair said. "You're leaving me forever."

I sighed. "Blair, I'm not leaving you."

"Sam, St. Petersburg is seventeen hours from here." Blair picked at her fingers. "It's gonna be so hard."

I could feel my chest throb in pain. I didn't want to leave my best friend behind. I didn't want to have to miss out. I didn't want it to be like this, but the world had funny ways of working. Sometimes opportunities presented themselves and you had to take them. I knew this was a good decision. Even Blair knew this was a good decision.

It just didn't make it any easier.

"But we have internet and Facetime," I reminded. "And you're gonna graduate soon enough. You and Tony can even come and visit before the new semester..." I forced my tears away. "It's gonna be okay."

I continued to shove clothes in boxes, as if this was be a good enough distraction from what me and my best friend were about to face. It was going to be hard. It was going to suck. I knew this. I knew all of this already, but couldn't find another reason to make me stay in Missouri.

Sure, I would miss my parents, and Blair, and the fact that this was the state I had grown up in. But the life that awaited me in Florida... well, it held so much more opportunity. I would be near my brother, me and Megan could be ourselves, a better job with better people... There was just so much. Plus, the beach would practically be in our backyard!

"Just promise that you won't forget about me," Blair said.

I laughed. "How could I ever?"

At first Blair seemed sad, then she remembered who the hell she was and flicked a strand of hair behind her shoulder with a smirk.

"You're right, you could never forget this masterpiece," she boasted.

I just rolled my eyes with a chuckle.

We continued going through my things together, Blair constantly asking me why I still had shirts that I had worn back in high school. She believed I needed to get rid of everything I hadn't worn in the past year, and I remained good about letting most things go. There were just a lot of memories I had attached to most of my clothing, which made it slightly difficult.

After clothes, we moved onto harder things, like memorabilia and picture frames. Blair grabbed one from my dresser and smiled.

"We look like babies in this picture," she observed. "When was this? Like, junior year?"

She handed it over for me to observe. I was immediately brought back to when this picture was taken.

* * *

"Sam, c'mon," Blair cheered. "Just one more shot!"

I held the ball lightly between my index and thumb, attempting to gage how hard I should throw. If I made this shot, we won the tournament and two-hundred dollars. Our junior class was very competitive, but when you put money into the equation... well, the stakes were sky high.

I held my breath and flicked the ball into the air. Me and Blair were known champs of beer pong. Most people refused to challenge us because they knew this. Everyone here had tried to dethrone us. None were successful, and none were going to be successful. Not tonight, anyway.

I watched as the little white ball danced around the rim of the red cup and fall in. Blair cheered behind me, along with many other people. The spotlight was nice for a small second.

"Holy shit..." Blair flaunted the money. "I can't believe we just won two-hundred dollars!"

I snatched my bill from her hand. "Did you even have any doubt?"

Blair laughed. "No. Of course not."

I couldn't help but laugh at my best friend. If you had told me two years ago that someone like Blair existed in the small town of Baldwin, Missouri, who would be willing to put up with my nonsense, I would've told you no way in hell. Yet, not long after I had moved here, we had become nearly inseparable. I pinned it on the fact that we were complete opposites and the universe needed us together to find balance.

"Celebratory shots?" I asked.

"I'm down," Blair agreed.

We made our way to the table where the alcohol was and poured two shots. Usually after parties weren't my thing, especially for occasions like homecoming, but Blair had a way of convincing me otherwise.

"To starting another year..." Blair hesitated. "Um... another year...?"

"In this shit hole of a town," I finished.

We just laughed before downing our shots.

"Blair! Sam! Smile," a girl behind us called.

Me and Blair faced her, wrapped our arms around each other and gave our best grins. Blair leaned her head on my shoulder in the process.

Then the flash went off.

"You know..." I started. "You're gonna ruin your A1 reputation if you keep hanging out with me."

"Maybe so." Blair poured her another beer from the keg. "Or maybe some of my good traits will eventually rub off on you."

"Doubt it."

Blair leaned against the table. "Sam, if we stopped hanging out, people would be worried, okay? Like, our friendship's a brand now. We're a good team. You're just gonna have to accept that someone sees past your hard exterior."

I studied my friend and silently agreed with her. She was right. Blair had been the only one who was able to get me to open up since moving here. My own brother hadn't even been able to accomplish that. Blair understood me on levels most didn't. I appreciated it, but I would never tell her.

Blair's head was already big enough.

"One day I'm gonna ditch this town." I sipped my drink. "Are you gonna come with?"

"Of course," Blair agreed. "I can't imagine living here without you."

I smiled to myself. Me and Blair had gotten into a lot of trouble in the first year I had lived here. No telling what the second would entail. But, I was excited to see.

"Me neither."

* * *

A small tear fell from my eye and hit the glass of the picture frame. The water stretched over my smiling face that stared back up at me. The past four years had practically flown in slow motion. How were we already here?

"Dammit why are you crying?" Blair asked. "Now I'm gonna start crying!"

"I'm not crying!" I argued.

"Are too!"

"No!"

We composed ourselves with laughter as I packed the picture frame away safely. Then, I took a deep breath and tried to release the pain that was held up in my burning lungs.

"We always said we were gonna leave Missouri together," I reminded.

"I know." Blair sighed. "But you and Megan are ready now. I'm not."

Then Tony peeked his head inside our room.

"Babe, are you about ready?" he wondered. "It's getting late."

Blair looked at me. "See you tomorrow morning?"

I forced a smile. "Bright and early."

She stood and helped me stack boxes near the door for the moving company that we had hired. Tomorrow we would load up the moving truck, hitch up my car for them to tow, and then me and Megan would drive down to Florida in her car. Hopefully everything went according to plan.

Blair hugged me tight before leaving with Tony and I felt my heart clench. Tomorrow would be hard, and I would probably cry, but there was no backing out now. I didn't want to. I wanted to do this. I needed to.

* * *

After securing my car to the moving truck's trailer, they were off in a flash, promising to meet us in Florida. Within the next hour, Blair, Tony, my mom and dad, along with Megan's parents, showed up to see us off. I hadn't expected all of them to be here this early just to tell us bye, but I guess sometimes people could surprise you.

"Tell Shawn to keep an eye on you and Megan," my dad ordered as he hugged me. "And tell Casey I said hey."

I forced tears away as I nodded in agreement, moving onto my mom.

"Stop and rest if you two start getting tired," my mom stated. "And don't ever get below a quarter of a tank."

"Everything will be okay," I reassured. "We will be okay."

My mom kissed my forehead then knelt to pet Charlie, who would probably sleep most of the way. With frequent stops for her to use the bathroom, I wasn't sure how long it would take us to get there. Megan and I hadn't planned a sure stop, but maybe we wouldn't need to anyway. There was no rush. We had an entire two weeks to get there before I had to start my new job.

I said my goodbyes to Tony, and then Blair walked up to me last. She and I both knew it would be the hardest. After five years, I hadn't ever pictured leaving Missouri without her, but life had a funny way of changing your plans.

"Shit," Blair said as she wiped her eyes. "I told myself I wouldn't cry anymore."

I laughed through tears. "Me too."

I pulled my best friend into a long embrace. My face buried itself in her neck to try and hide the fact that I was losing all sense of control. The tears came as we cried together. As much as we had tried to prepare ourselves for today, there was no way we could've imagined a feeling like this. I never thought this new beginning could hurt so much.

"Promise you'll keep in touch," she ordered.

"I promise."

Blair seemed to have to force her grip to loosen so we could separate. She had been a sister to me for the past five years. She had been an anchor. Someone who had kept me grounded to reality when I had been too lost to keep myself on the ground. She was my voice of reason when I had none. She was my person. I still couldn't picture a life where I couldn't call her up and see her on a whim.

I wasn't sure if I would ever adjust to that.

"Go," she finished. "Before I start crying again."

I bit my trembling lip as I nodded.

"We will keep you updated," I promised.

"Take a picture in every state!" Tony said.

"Don't forget to stop for Charlie!"

"And drive safe!"

We climbed into the car, made sure Charlie was settled in, and pulled out of the parking lot. Megan was taking the first shift, which allowed me to watch our friends and family disappear in our rearview. The sight seemed to shatter me into a million pieces.

But, as tears silently rolled down my face, Megan's hand slipped into mine for comfort. She gave me a sad, teary-eyed smile in return.

As much as leaving hurt, I knew the life that waited for us would make up for it in time. We would be able to grow and thrive as a couple, without fear of our past holding us back.

After all, if Missouri had taught me anything, it was that you couldn't grow without a little pain.

*A/N*

Welp, here's your Season 3 sneak peak of EAOSAM. Hope you all like it. I can't wait to share the rest with everyone. It's bound to be a good one ;)

Also, if you wish to support me and the creation of more LGBTQ+ stories to come, please consider pledging to become a Patron. Your support means the world to me.

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Be Proud. Stay You.

Lauryn