My eyes shift from my skirt up to the window in awe, beautiful lights illuminating the night around the dock. Where are we? I look around more and take note to the lake not far from us, the table set up in the middle of the dock. A small table set up for two sat in the middle with candles and lanterns lit up all around. A tree stood a few feet away, it's branches reaching over the table were the little fairy lights were draped through them, giving a soft glow on everything. This is so beautiful.

"Do you like it?" Zander nervously questions, his eyes flickering back and forth from my face to the set up. I look over at him with awe, my heart basically exploding in my chest.

"No, I don't like it."

His eyes widen and he quickly shakes his head, casting his gaze down to his hands. "Oh uh we can - "

I reach out and place a hand on his shoulder, a huge grin spreading across my lips. "Zander, I love it."

He gives me a flat look, "That was mean."

I giggle and pat his shoulder, "I know," I grab his hand and tug on it, "C'mon let's go!"

He shakes his head while a smile lights up his face, "Okay, okay! I can't go through your door though." He gives a pointed look towards where my hand is gripping his.

"Right, sorry." I blush and let go of him, moving my hands down to fiddle with my skirt. He laughs and opens his door, quickly jumping out and running over to open mine before I could even touch the handle. He opens my door with a slight bow, reaching his hand out to help me down. I grin and take his hand in mine, reveling in the beauty of the lights and candles. It's like the stars were draped over the table, like he brought the stars down just for me. My eyes well up with tears, my heart dancing in my chest. He did all of this for me . . . all for me.

"Sarah? Are you alright? Why are you crying, Cupcake?" He rushes over to me, his hands lightly gripping onto my shoulders. I look at him through blurry eyes, my hands reaching up to brush over his elbows. He stares back a me with worry, his lips parted slightly and his brows raised.

I nod through the tears, "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay." Sniffling back more tears, I smile up him happily, a small laugh bubbling out of my chest. I hold onto his elbows more firmly as I burst into a fit of giggles. He looks at as if I'm insane, his hands keeping me grounded. "I'm more than okay, I'm ecstatic!"

He smiles softly and pulls me closer, his arms wrapping around my waist. I grin widely, moving to rest my hands on his chest. He gazes into my eyes, "Let's go eat before the food gets cold." My stomach growls loudly at the mention of food. My cheeks heat up embarrassed, I quickly nod in agreement. Curse you stomach, you traitor!

He grins down at me widely, his chest rumbling as a deep laugh escapes his lips. I glare at him playfully, my cheeks burning impossibly brighter than before. He moves to stand beside me, his arm still wrapped around my waist, and starts to lead me forward. I gasp softly to myself when I take notice to the little path of flowers leading up to the table, each one placed perfectly to create a little walkway. My heart hammers and swells in my chest, happiness and excitement of what's to come racing through me.

And all of this is for me, I can't believe this. It's all so amazing, the candles, the lights, the flowers, the lights, the table and food, the lights, the lake, oh did I mention the lights?

He leads me up to the table and I can't help but eye up all the food hungrily. He pulls out my chair for me, then pushes me in once I sit down. He rounds the table to his seat, sitting down then awkwardly fumbling with his jacket. "I hope you like what I ordered, it's just a simple steak dinner," He pushes some items on the table around, his motions jerky and frantic like. It's obvious how nervous he is, "But if uh - Y-you don't like it w-we can go get something else." He quickly stutters on, his hands continuing to move unnecessary things on the table.

I giggle softly and reach out to grab his shaking hands, "Zander."

He looks up at me quickly, his eyes slightly wide and the corner of his mouth twitching into a worried smile. "Y-yeah?"

I smile and squeeze his hands in mine, my heart basically exploding in my chest at how adorable he's being. I never thought I'd be the one to make a guy nervous! "It's alright, don't be so nervous. I love it, all of it."

His eyes search mine and he visibly relaxes, "I'm glad you like it. Can't take all the credit though, Gina helped me with most of it," He smiles widely and points towards the lights above us, "That required team work."

I look up at them and laugh, "I can just see her now, climbing up the tree and hanging off the branches!" I look back at him only to be met with his shy gaze and bright red cheeks.

"Actually that was me . . ."

I stare at him with wide eyes, placing a hand over my mouth to hold back my laughter. C'mon Sarah, don't be rude! I sober up and nod politely, "They look very nice, you did well!"

He grins over at me and then gets up to serve us. The steaks were cooked perfectly, not too raw and not too well done. There were steak fries with ranch (someone gave my weakness away!), fried asparagus (which at first I thought would be gross, but loved!), and a variety of sodas to choose from. Thankfully, we don't try to speak much while eating, both of us too busy stuffing our faces with the delicious food.

After we ate we headed back to his jeep. He surprised me with a little blanket set up on the hood, where we could lay and watch the stars. Just like the night on the roof.

He sighs from beside me and turns his head to face mine, his eyes roaming across my face and then settling on my eyes. I blush under his scrutinizing and look back up to the stars, letting my imagination fly free as I make my own constellations.

I grin widely and point up at one, "That one looks like a cat!"

Zander snorts and looks up as well, "More like a dragon."

I roll my eyes and glare at him playfully, "It looks like a fluffy little cat."

He looks back over at me and grins, "You do that a lot."

I frown and scrunch my nose up, "Do what?"

He rolls over to lay on his side, his head propped up on his hand. "Pretend like you're mad at me when you're really holding back that gorgeous smile of yours." He reaches up and boops my nose, "You should smile more."

I swat his hand away and smile slyly, "I do smile, a lot. Not my fault you're not around when it happens!"

He laughs loudly, his head rolling back as he does. He calms down and looks at me with a smirk, "Your sass levels are high today."

He sits up and jumps off the hood. I frown in confusion, "Where are you going?"

"No, where are we going." He winks at me before quickly lifting me off the hood and into his arms. I squeak in surprise, my arms flying up to wrap around his neck. What's he doing?! He laughs and turns around, walking us to lord knows where.

"Hang on, Cupcake."

I scream in shock when I feel water invade my shoes, my leggings quickly soaking. "Zander, please tell me we're not in the lake right now!"

He laughs evilly and leans his head back to look at, "Okay, we're not in the lake."

I narrow my eyes at him, "That's not very convincing."

He grins cheekily, "It wasn't meant to be." He walks forward more, the water past my hips now. Gina is going to kill me when she sees her skirt all wet! I bury my head in the crook of his neck, tightening my arms around his neck so he won't drop me. He laughs and rushes the rest of the way into the lake. I squeal into his neck, squeezing my eyes shut tightly. The water is freezing cold, making goosebumps rise across my skin. He slowly loosens his grip on my waist, his hands reaching up to unwrap mine from his neck. I pull away slightly, our chests still pressed together as we stare at each other.

"Tell me why you thought this would be a good idea in the middle of October?"

"It wasn't, I just wanted to try this."

My brows furrow in confusion, "Try wha -"

"Hold your breath!"

I gasp in a breath before he pulls us under the water. I open my eyes to meet his, my fingers holding onto him tightly so I don't float back up. He gently places his hands on my cheeks and pulls my face closer. Our lips press together in a soft kiss, his hands sliding down my cheeks to wrap around my waist. The kiss instantly warms me, my heart beating wildly. He breaks the kiss and I open my eyes fixating on the adoring look in his. He smiles widely, all his air bubbling past his lips to the surface. His arm moves down to my legs, swooping me up in his arms to hold me bridal style. With one push, we're emerging to the surface. I gasp in air once we surface, my hands moving to hold onto his neck. He laughs loudly, his chest rumbling against mine. I look up at him and grin widely, moving my hand up to push the hair from his forehead. He grins back down at me, quickly pulling me closer to plant a small kiss on my lips again.

I giggle softly, "Was it as good as you were expecting?"

He grins and nods, slowly making his way back to the jeep. "It was way better than I was expecting."

I throw my head back and laugh loudly, "You're welcome for that!" I grin up at him smugly, lifting a hand up to boop his nose. "Then again, I can't take all the credit."

He laughs softly and gently sets me back down on the hood of the jeep. I keep my arms wrapped around his neck, my heart threatening to jump out of my chest. He smiles and nudges his nose against mine, "You need to get out of those wet clothes before you get sick."

I raise an eyebrow in surprise, "Was this your plan all along? Get me out of my clothes?"

He laughs and shakes his quickly, "No! I brought an extra pair for you, thanks to Gina."

I smile and pull away from him to lean back against the hood, "Okay, I'll thank her later." I look down at my sweater and frown, picking at the soaked fabric. "I hope this dries okay, I'd hate to ruin it."

He rounds the car to the trunk, digging around then returning with one of my band tees and sweat pants with a pair of - Wait, is that . . . My underwear set! He smiles awkwardly, looking almost reluctant to hand the clothes over to me. I stare up at him shocked, my mind racing a mile a minute. Why would he give these back now?! Is this good or bad?!

He scratches the back of his neck and finally hands them over. I take them cautiously, keeping my eyes locked on his face. His cheeks flush brightly, his eyes dropping down to his soaked shoes then back up to me with a newfound confidence and determination.

"I figured I should give those back, now that there's no need to keep them."

I frown and look down at the clothes I'm tightly gripping, "No need to keep them?" I glance back up at him hesitantly as my heart almost stops beating in my chest, "W-What do you mean?"

He walks forward slowly, his knees bumping against mine as he reaches down to lightly grab my hands and grip them in his. I stare up at him skeptically. He smiles at me softly, his hands lightly squeezing mine reassuringly.

"Because, Sarah Jones, I would be greatly honored to be able to call you mine," I gasp loudly, my eyes welling up with happy tears and a smile breaking out across my face. He smiles widely too, his hands gripping mine impossibly tighter, "Cupcake, would you be my girlfriend?"

I giggle and jump up to wrap my arms around him in hug, "Yes! Yes, of course, yes!" He laughs and scoops me up into his arms, spinning us around happily. He slows to a stop and places me back down, keeping his arms wrapped around me tightly. I pull my head back for a second, searching his eyes before asking,

"Why did you take them in the first place?"

He frowns slightly, his eyes staring off somewhat in the distance. "I didn't want you to leave. I know, it was wrong, dumb, selfish, and I forced you into being around me but I - I couldn't help it. You're like the happy light I've been missing in my life, I had to find a way to keep you around, even if that way was a huge dick move on my part and made me no better than Samantha I -"

I laugh loudly and kiss his nose, cutting off his ramblings with a wide smile. "I understand now," He looks up at me with wide, hope filled eyes and I can't help but to swoon even more. I peck his nose again, "Sure, you could have just kissed me like abnormal boy but somehow what you did . . . Although yes was pretty wild, it made what we have so much more special."

He smiles widely and nods, his eyes softening and his voice dropping into a low whisper. "I'm really sorry, Sarah, but I wouldn't change it either way."

I giggle softly and nod too, leaning forward so our foreheads touch. I gaze deeply into his eyes, pushing as much emotion into my voice as possible.

"I forgive you, Zander, and I wouldn't change it either."

He buries his head in the crook of my neck, my hand moving up to gently run through his wet locks of hair. He smiles against my skin and softly whispers, "You really should get changed, I don't want you getting sick."

I laugh softly and nod, quickly realizing he can't see me. "What about you?"

He lifts his head up to look at me, a smile never fading. "Don't worry, I brought extra clothes too." He blushes and awkwardly points towards the back of the jeep, "I know it's awkward, but it's the only secluded place to change." I look towards the jeep and take note to the tinted windows, my nerves quickly easing.

I look back up at him and smile, "Okay, that'll work." I unwrap myself from his arms and walk over to the hood, grabbing the clothes then heading to the back seat. I open the door and get halfway in, pausing midway to turn back towards Zander. "No peaking!" I tease him, sending a playful wink. He blushes and nods, quickly turning around to look at the lake. I change quickly tossing my wet clothes into the bag he provided. Jumping out of the car, I sneak up behind him and wrap my arms around him. He jumps slightly, turning around slightly and smiling when he sees me.

I grin up at him and nod back towards the car, "Your turn." He nods and pulls away from me, pealing off his soaked shirt while walking towards the jeep. I squeak in surprise and turn around, my cheeks instantly heating up. He laughs loudly then shuts the door. A minute later I hear the door open again.

"C'mon, Cupcake, I'm dressed again."

I spin around on my heels, my cheeks still bright red in embarrassment. He grins innocently and opens the door for me. I get in quickly, buckling my seat belt while I wait for him to get in.

"Alright, we ready?" He jumps in and hovers his hand over the key, looking to me for confirmation. I furrow my eyebrows and glance back out to the beautifully set up deck.

"Who's going to take care of all that?"

He starts the engine and flashes me a smile before starting to pull out of the parking spot. "I have someone to come by and clean up." I nod and turn to look back at the lights one last time. Five minutes later I feel my eyes slowly shut, drifting off into a light nap. I wake up to a hand on my shoulder, lightly shaking me awake. I sleepily open my eyes to see a smiling Zander, my heart instantly warming at the sight of him.

"You're home now, Cupcake." He leans away from me slightly, giving me space to sit up. I nod and sleepily move to get out only to be stopped by his hand gently pushing me back down into my seat. "Hold on, I'll carry you to your room so you don't have to wake up too much." He gently lifts me up into his arms bridal style, carrying me to the front door. I rest my head on his shoulder, my eyes fluttering closed. I could definitely get used to this. He walks up the steps to my room, gently laying me down on my bed and covering me up. I look up at him through sleep hazed eyes, a smile spreading across my lips.

"Thank you for the wonderful date, I can't wait to go on more."

He grins down at me happily, leaning down to press a soft kiss on my forehead. "Of course, soon enough."

I nod and pull the blankets up to my chin, cuddling into them as I slowly start to drift off. "Okay. Goodnight, Fruit Loop."

I hear him choke back a laugh, "Goodnight, Cupcake." I smile happily and bury myself in my blankets. I hear him softly shut my door then I drift off into dreamland. My last thought being,

I could really eat some fruit loops now.

~•~

Yay! It took me a long time to write this, I know, I know. I've been busy then when I do have free time I get distracted....oops 😂 But today I said to myself, "You get this chapter done now or so help me I will hurt you!" So I finally sat down and finished typing this out! Gosh, my neck hurts.

What did you think?! Let me know, your feed back means everythingggg!!

Picture added is what Zander's (and Gina's!) set up was, omg it's so pretty I love it!! Song added is Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran, it's so cute ❤️❤️ And EEEEEEPPPP he finally asked her the official GF bomb!! I'm so happy about this!

How about that new nickname? 😂 Personally, I love it, but that could be from the simple fact that I'm hungry (when am I not?) and was instantly in love with it (aka fruit loops cause they're amazing) when I saw it!

Don't forget to Vote, Comment, and Share! Thank you for all your votes and support as well ❤️❤️

Stay cheesy!
~Molly