Chapter Text
Six Years.
You’ve known him for six years.
Six years of working right next door to each other. Six years of his antics and skill being shown in every arrangement he decorated your parlor with. The six happiest years of your life.
You can remember the first day you met. He eyed you up and down before laughing.
“What’s so funny?” You asked, and upon reflection you realize this was the oddest introduction you’ve ever experienced.
“I’m doing a wedding right now and the bride keeps saying what a rebellious person you are with your dyed hair and tattoos.” He smiled at you, only later would you realize he has a beautiful smile. “I just don’t see it. You’re too short to be a threat”
You turned on your heals and retreated back into your shop, hearing his laughter until your door fells shut. At closing, you were surprised to see him standing on the street, waiting for you.
“Hey.”
“Hello.”
“Okay so I realized that earlier probably was not the best way to meet your business neighbor, so I wanted to try again. Hello, I am Lavi Bookman.”
“Allen… Walker.” You shook his hand and he smiled.
You really love his smile.
From that point on Lavi made a point to greet you every morning before work. You were playfully annoyed at first, but slowly you returned his excited greetings.
You don’t remember exactly when you started going out for lunch together, nor do you remember when you decided to switch off paying for both bills. You remember it being easy, like breathing. Everything about Lavi is like breathing.
You could talk about anything with him, or just listen to his voice go on and on about flowers, historical stories, trivia facts, or books.
You can remember the day he tried to lie to you, saying he had too many flowers in his shop, so he wanted you to have some. You laughed at his excuse and went looking for a vase. At lunch that day you sketched out complex Haida patterns around detailed flowers. He was ecstatic when you tore the page from your sketch book and handed it to him, with the excuse of “I really don’t need to keep all my sketches”.
You both laughed, bumping into each other on the walk back home.
You remember going out to the movies on halloween. Both of you were completely terrified (but you will never admit it). Lavi screamed at every dramatic music connected jump scare, and somehow you pretty much ended up in his lap, clutching his shirt and yelping at every nervous build up. In your defense he would not let go of you.
----
One of your favorite memories was getting called on Christmas, midnight, just turned to the 25th.
“Go outside.”
“Lavi, what --”
“Alllleeenn, come on!”
You sighed, throwing on a jacket, and stepped outside your apartment. He was on the ground below you, holding a bouquet you couldn’t make out from the distance and lightly falling snow. You were half touched and half shocked.
“Just what do you think you’re doing? It’s freezing out!”
“I’m wishing you a Merry Christmas!” Lavi called back, and you could hear the smile in his voice. “Can I come up?”
You nodded, smiling as he ran up your stairs.
“Also, Happy Birthday.” He whispered, handing you the flowers, yellow tulips.
You were so happy. Never before had someone done anything like this for you.
“Lavi… thank you.” You looked up at him, and you both shiver in the gold breeze. “Come inside?”
“I’d love to.”
It wasn’t much warmer inside, and the two of you ended up next to the fire place, sharing Lavi’s scarf and your blanket. You were resting on him, your head on his chest and his head on your hair.
“No one has ever remembered my birthday before.”
“How could anyone forget?”
“I don’t think anyone cared.”
“I care.”
“I know.”
He stayed with you that night, falling asleep with you on the floor. In the morning you made breakfast and whispered Merry Christmas to each other. You don’t know how you ended up on the couch, Christmas music playing in the backgrounds, hot chocolate in your palms, staring at each other.
He asked you if he could kiss you.
You whispered a yes.
It was slow, deep, completely warm and loving. You were lost in his hot breath and soft lips and smooth hands entwining with yours.
When you broke away you laughed, and he laughed too.
“That was nice.”
“Nice?”
“Hmm…”
“So…”
“Shh… don’t ruin the moment.”
“‘Kay.”
You kissed him again, slowly, gently, hands sliding up his arms to wrap around his shoulders. He slowly fell backwards, pulling you down to lay on his chest. It was warm. You stayed like that for an hour or so, lazily cuddling and kissing. You never wanted to get up, you never wanted to loose the feeling of his arms wrapped around your back.
“Allen?” He breathed your name onto your neck.
“Hm?”
“I was going to ask you this earlier, but I think it’s irrelevant now.”
“Hm.”
“I mean, I had the whole thing planned out. The whole nine yards and all that jazz. It was going to be amazing. I was going to knock you off your feet.”
“Lavi.” You pressed your head into his chest and tapped him on the arm.
“Yeah.”
“You’re stalling.”
“Oh… my bad.”
“Hm.”
“Yeah.” You could feel his heart beat slightly quicker than normal. It was cute to see him nervous.
“Any day now would be great.”
“Will you be a thing with me?”
You laughed. “A thing?”
“You know, a couple…”
“Lavi Bookman, are you asking me out?”
He sighed. “I sure as hell am trying to.”
You pulled yourself up slightly to look into his eyes. “Of course Lavi, I would love to be a thing with you.”
----
Five Years. You have been dating Lavi Bookman for five years.
Dating did not change much of your routine: going to work, meeting for lunch, walking home. You added meeting for dinner some times, treating each other to coffee, entwining fingers together under a table, kisses good morning, good night, hello, I missed you, and for no reason at all.
The years flew by, sometimes having moments of fighting or tricking, but mostly they were spent walking hand in hand everywhere you went or not getting up for hours just to soak in each other’s company.
Three years ago you both abandoned your small apartments in favor of moving in with each other. It was so nice to live together, to fall asleep every night wrapped in his arms, to wake up and see his face, talking, making jokes, watching movies, playing games - you were living with and dating your best friend.
You did not think you could be happier.
----
Lavi leaves work without you, saying he had something urgent to take care of. So for the first time in a long time, you are walking home alone. A truly lonely feeling. You didn’t realize Lavi had become such a common part of your life, how much you loved his presence next to yours, his voice answering your own, his warm smile and clear eyes.
Once upon a time you were perfectly content being alone, but now you found it strange to not have Lavi next to you. So much in your life has changed for the better, and you hadn’t even noticed it. You should thank him.
You open the door to your apartment to find roses. Rose petals on the ground trailing down the hall to the bedroom and single roses scattered around various surfaces.
You feel like you’re going to collapse.
The set up was like something out of a very cheesy romantic movie and part of you wants to laugh but mostly you are nervous about what this could possibly be, what Lavi planned, or if someone was about to kill you in the most charming way possible.
You walk down the hall, your heartbeat increasing with every step you take as you approach the room. You’re terrified at what Lavi has planned for you, even though all things considered, this is very Lavi. In all the years you’ve known him, he has continuously insisted upon doing out the most ridiculously cheesy things, and no matter how crazy or over done they were you loved every one of those moments.
I should have expected something like this when he left early.
You open the door. There are candle on almost every flat surface in the room. Where candles are not, roses take their place, save a cleared out walk way leading up to the bed, where Lavi sits grinning at you.
“Hey.”
“What’s all this?” You hear the shock in your voice and Lavi laughs nervously.
“Me making a fool out of myself again, probably.”
“Lavi-” You try to console him but he cuts you off.
“Come here.”
You carefully follow the path he left, guiding you right to him. Once you’re close enough, he pulls you onto the bed next to him.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“We just did this.”
“Yeah.” He laughs again, saying he was nervous. Well, so are you. Nervous and confused.
You sit in silence for a minute and you wonder if he can hear your fast heart beat just as much as you can feel his shaky breath.
“Allen?” He runs a hand through your hair. “Did I tell you I love you today?”
“Twice.” You breathe, unconsciously leaning into his touch. “Once when we woke up, once when you left early.”
He smiles. “You keep track… well, I love you.”
“I love you too.” You reply as you always do. You can feel your heart speed up as your confusion consumes your nerves. “But I’m going to freak out if you don’t tell me what this is all about.”
“Sorry, you know me - if it’s not as cheesy as it could be, I didn’t do it right.”
He takes a breath and reaches into his pocket. You’ve seen your share of romantic movies, you know where this is going. You’re sure your heart stops.
“Pretend I have a really sweet, humor-filled, romantic speech about how much I love you, all of my favorite memories of you, how you are the best part of my life and all that stuff, okay?”
A box. A black box is in his hands. You’re not breathing.
“Allen, I don’t want to imagine my life without you. I like symbolic things like my flower and rings and you like permanent things like your tattoos and vows, so…” He places the box in your hands but doesn’t let them go. “Will you marry me?”
Two rings, silver, carved with a design you know so well, a simple abstract pattern embracing a few scattered flowers. Something you drew over and over again. You suddenly gasp for air, taking shaking breath after breath. You need to answer.
“Yes. Yes yes yes!” You shout, throwing yourself into Lavi’s arms, kissing his huge smile and sharing his joy filled tears. “Oh my god, yes!”