Requested way too long ago for my favorite 80sweirdo ! I'm so sorry for the long wait, I just hope it was worth it💕

Your POV:

It had been 4 months since I left America when I first saw him. 6 since I joined the Air Force. We were both stationed in Okinawa right now, although I didn't know he was at the time. It was a total coincidence that I would see my high school sweetheart, who I hadn't even realized he was in the Navy, in a totally different country, fighting for our own and our families and friends back home's lives. His ship had just docked here a few days ago, and it just so happened that we went to the only English speaking movie theater on the island.

I was there seeing some older movie, that had already been out for a while in the states. I don't even remember what it was anymore, but I remember enjoying it. And as I was walking out of the theater, I saw a tall, blonde haired kid. Or, young adult, probably 19 or 20 at the most. It was just the back of his head that I saw, but he looked extremely familiar, and I knew he wasn't in my troop. I jogged up to him, trying to get a close look at his face. I stopped walking. I gasped.

"Ponyboy?" I said. He didn't answer.

"Ponyboy Curtis? Is that you?" I yelled over the noises of people talking in both English and Japanese. He whirled around immediately, his eyes widening.

"E-Emma?" He asked, stunned. I nodded, smiling widely at him. He engulfed me in a hug.

"How are you?" I asked excitedly.

"I'm doing good. Just got here yesterday. My ship docked here," he said.

"Ship? Ponyboy, you're in the Navy?" I asked, my voice full of surprise. He smiled proudly.

"That's great! I've been here for a few months now. Air Force, but you know that. What do you think so far?" I asked him.

"Okinawa is beautiful. I don't know about all the fighting, though," he told me. Fighting? I thought to myself. You mean the war? That is why we're here.

"You were drafted," I said. It was more of a statement than a question. I don't know why I said it, maybe because this is what I'd wanted to do my whole life, make a difference and really help people, and I could tell that he didn't join willingly like I did. I'd always wanted to join, and I was eager to, really. I went into the Air Force on my own as soon as I graduated high school. I broke up with Ponyboy, who I'd been with since Freshman year, because of it. It was something I needed to do, I knew it was. It still is, and I'm happy. Ponyboy was too, for me at least, because he knew it was my dream.

"Yeah," he said. "Right after you left, actually." That didn't surprise me much. That was right around the time when all of the boys get drafted. I smiled at him, not knowing what else to say.

"Well," he said, clearing his throat. "It was really good to see you again, Emma." I nodded.

"Yeah, you too, Ponyboy. Hey, any idea yet on how long you're staying here?" He shook his head.

"Probably a week. At the most," he guessed. It sounded pretty accurate, although no ships really stay a full week very often. Which made me kind of sad. I really realized my feelings for him when I made my decision six months ago. I knew I would miss him, and I knew that he would forever be my first love, but I told him that there was more for me out there, and he accepted it. But looking at him now, his blonde buzz cut, the bright smile he gave me, looking all handsome in his uniform, I felt attached to him. Like while I could, I needed to spend as much time with him as possible.

I was lucky to be seeing him now anyways, and if I didn't take advantage of that, that could have been the last time I could have ever seen him.

"Well... I'd like to see you again before you go," I told him. He nodded in agreement.

"I'd like that," he said. "When would be a good time?" So I gave him one, and after we talked for a little while, I was off. I spent all afternoon and all night thinking about him, and woke up in excitement the next morning. We met at the movies, the same spot we talked yesterday, and hoped something else was playing in English. We got some popcorn, and just like back when we were Freshman, our hands met in the popcorn for a romantic moment. We don't get many of those doing what we do, so I tried to savor it. He looked over at me, probably trying to figure out why I never moved my hand, and I blushed. He took it as the perfect moment to kiss me.

And once again, I fell in love.

We didn't say anything for the rest of the movie, but talked a lot after. He broke the news to me.

"Found out last night after we talked. We're leaving tomorrow." My heart shattered, and I cursed myself internally for letting any of what happened in the theater happen. He took my hand in his, and I tried to hold it together. I knew it was coming.

"I'm stronger than this," I thought to myself. "He's just a guy," I tried to lie to myself. But I just couldn't believe it. He wasn't 'just a guy', not at all.

"What are we going to do?" I asked him. We somehow had an understanding of another relationship building, already. He looked me in the eye.

"We're stuck right now, Emma," he said. I remember this moment clearer than anything. "I want to spend my life with you by my side. But right now, we're trapped. We just can't do it. I can't leave, and neither can you. I know you don't want to, anyways. So promise me that if you want this too, we'll keep in touch. Get back together, and maybe, one day, when this is all over, get married?" My heart stopped. It was the most romantic proposal I could have ever dreamed of.

"I would love to, Ponyboy," I told him, then kissed him. Because that was everything I'd ever wanted.

Walking back inside the theater, I asked for a piece of paper and pen, and wrote down my base's address, then handed it to him. He wrote his, and I stuffed it in a pocket.

"I'll write at free any time I have, okay?" I asked him. He nodded, taking me in his arms once more. I knew we should both start heading back, but I was content where I was. He kissed me one more time, we said our goodbyes, and went off.

Through a series of letters over the next three years, we found out when we'd each be getting to go home, and planned the whole wedding, down to the date. On my hardest days, what got me through was the thought that when I finally got to go home, I'd finally be able to call Ponyboy Curtis my husband.

A/N: So, what do you think, Emma? I actually have no idea is this what you want/were expecting but it was honestly the hardest thing I've ever written, and I really hope it shows. 💕 I actually had to do some military research for it😂