five years later

•••

the twenty-five year old woke up to the busy streets of new york city. she rolled over, her boyfriend not next to her. she sighed, kicking her covers off her body. she shuffled out of her bedroom, her looking out the window of her apartment.

she went into the kitchen, a note taped onto the fridge door.

good morning love,

im doing something very important today, haz and lil will be over soon. i'm also taking you out tonight, dress fancy sweetheart. i'll get you by five, i love you so much avi

love forever,

t

octavia smiled, taking the note off the fridge. she made herself a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal, watching jane the virgin for the fifth time. she heard the lock turn on the front door, lily and harrison walking in. she placed the bowl and cup on the small coffee table, her getting up to meet the couple of five years.

"what is tom planning?" octavia asked, her releasing lily and haz from their hugs. they sat back down on the couch, lily and haz sharing a look.

"sorry love, can't say." haz said, octavia groaning. lily put her hand on top of octavia's making octavia look at lily.

"we know you'll love it, trust us." lily gave octavia a soft smile, the idea of tom proposing to her best friend made her so so happy.

sebastain, tom, and chris left the jewelry store, the three looking at the engagement ring.

"god damn the two are younger then us and he's popping the question." sebastain said, chris chuckling.

"it's called being in love seb. to think of it, if you never brought octavia to atlanta, tom and avi wouldn't have met. none of this would be happening." chris said, tom closing the box and stuffing it into his jacket pocket.

"holy crap, you're right." tom said, the three starting to walk down the sidewalk. sebastain shook his head, thinking back.

"seven years. seven years ago octavia was seventeen. seven years later octavia is twenty five and her boyfriend of seven years is proposing." sebastain said, the two other men looking at him. sebastain stopped walking, placing a hand on tom's shoulder.

"i don't wanna keep saying this, even though i have for the past seven years. treat my little sister right holland. she's has been and still is head over heels for you." tom nodded, smiling.

"i'll treat her right sebastain, don't worry. being with her, i wake up every morning still not believing she's my girlfriend. i know all the shit she's been through, i never want to see her go through or feel any of that again." chris smiled, patting tom on the back.

"that's the type of answer i wanna hear. i never thought i'd say this but, i'm glad you're the one to propose to octavia."

tom smiled widely, them starting to walk back to sebastain's apartment, not to far from where octavia was. they reached his apartment, sebastain opening the door.

"alright lover boy, how are you gonna do it?" chris asked, him watching sebastain place the keys on the island.

"well first, i'm gonna take her to her favorite restaurant. i then was going to bring her to her favorite place, central park as the sun is setting. she likes to sit by the flowers, where nobody really goes so i'm planning to bring her there and i'd start talking and boom, down on one knee and asking her to marry me. holy fuck i'm asking her to marry me." tom said breathlessly as his fingers ran through his chocolate brown locks.

"do the others know?" asked chris, tom nodding.

"yea i told them two weeks ago. lizzie and scar are very excited and robert and mackie are fighting over who's gonna be the godfather when we decide to have kids. she's been talking about it." the three laughed, sebastain and chris not believing that octavia is going to wanna start a family, have kids.

"my little avi baby, having kids. i'm actually going to cry." chris said, a laugh following.

lily and octavia went to the dress store, octavia buying a black off the shoulder dress with no back. the dress went up to right above her knees.

"why do i need a new dress lily, what in god's name is tom planning?" octavia asked, her slipping off a new pair of heels she is going to buy.

"i cant say avi! but you'll love it, trust me." octavia rolled her eye, them going to the cash register to buy the shoes. it was around three, lily taking octavia to the nail salon. she got white acrylics and white on her toes as well.

they then reached back to octavia's apartment, lily setting octavia down in the bathroom.

"hair and makeup time." lily sang, octavia laughing. lily curled octavia's now shoulder length hair. all the blond had grown out right before the infinity war premiere, her and sebastain looking a bit more alike with the two now having a full head of brown hair.

lily then did octavia's makeup, it looking natural. lily knew tom didn't like when octavia wore much makeup, he said "she doesn't need makeup to look gorgeous, she already is gorgeous."

octavia slipped on her dress and heels, lily and haz smiling as octavia did a little spin.

"gosh tom is so lucky to have you." haz said, octavia smiling. on the dot, the door was being knocked on, it being five o'clock. she grabbed her purse and clutch, walking to the door.

she opened it, tom in a fancy dress shirt and dress pants. she smiled, flowers in his hands.

"gosh it feels like the times you'd come to my hotel room with flowers and ask me out all those years ago." octavia said, her cupping toms face and kissing him softly. tom smiled handing her the flowers.

"ready love?" octavia nodded, saying goodbye to lily and haz. she walked out first, lily and haz giving tom a thumbs up before he shut the door.

•••

"i enjoyed dinner t, but seriously, what's this all about?" octavia asked, the two walking around central park. the two ended up by the flowers, octavia smiling as there was nobody around, so she thought. chris, sebastian, lily and harrison were not to far away.

"what, i cant take my girlfriend out to a fancy dinner?" tom asked, the two chuckling. tom and octavia then faced each other, tom's hands on her waist. toms hands were shaking, him taking a deep breath.

"oh gosh, i'm just gonna say it." he said, octavia's eyebrows going up in confusion.

"octavia, when i met you that morning in may seven years ago, i didn't know that we'd end up here. these seven years have been the best seven years of my life, truly. you are one of the best things to ever happen to me. through the highs and lows, our good days and bad days, we'd get through it. you make me so happy, i still wake up not believing you're with me. octavia ray stan, i love you with all my heart, and i'm so glad i get to call you my girlfriend, and hopefully, my wife." tom said, him removing his hands from octavia's waist and going down on one knee, pulling the velvet box out of his jacket pocket. he opened it, the beautiful engagement ring in sight.

octavia's tears were now visible, the tears racing each other down her cheeks.

"octavia ray stan, will you make me the happiest man alive, and marry me?" octavia let out a sob, her nodding her head.

"yes tom, i-i'll marry you." she got out, tom slipping the ring on her left ring finger. he put the box back in his pocket, him getting up from one knee. octavia's hands immediately went to the back of time head as his went straight to her waist. the kiss was slow, passionate, full of love. the kiss was salty, the tears of joy from octavia and now toms were mixed. they broke the kiss, their forehead's resting against each other.

"i love you, so much." tom whispered, making the ends of octavia's lips curve upward. she kissed him once more, softly.

"i love you more."