i think i'm ready to dance again.

forever.

Liam had gone home many hours ago now, and Harry and Louis had caught up on the pent-up frustration caused by watching each other sing 'medicine' in close quarters...

They were curled tightly together under the weight of Louis' duvet cover, Harry tangled around Louis like a vine and Louis twirling Harry's curls through his fingers slowly. The darkness seemed to fold over them, sealing them in their own small world where the only light came from the place where their eyes met and the only people in the universe were the two of them.

Louis paused his actions for a brief moment before taking a breath and asking in a delicate whisper, "Harry?"

"Hmm?" Harry muttered back pressing his face closer to Louis' chest, somewhat muffling his voice.

"You know I love you right?" Louis continued quietly.

"Of course I do, you only tell me a million times a day." Harry joked softly, nudging his fingers into Louis' hip.

"No, I'm being serious." Louis added. "I love you so much that sometimes I think I can't breathe because of how much I love you. It feels like my heart got too big and it's crushing my lungs...but I don't care because it's full of all the things that I love about you. I'd get my lungs crushed any day if it meant that I got to be the one who holds you every night and gets to listen to you breathe and watch your eyes flutter while you're dreaming. And I get to do it forever."

Harry didn't speak, but he readjusted himself so that his nose pressed to the underside of Louis' chin. Louis could feel the movement of Harry's eyelashes on his neck each time Harry blinked slowly.

"Can I ask you something?" Louis questioned while moving himself lower so their faces were level.

"You can ask me anything love," Harry answered with a soothing rub of his fingertips to Louis' back.

Louis took a deep breath before turning from Harry and pulling something that Harry could not see from the pocket of the shirt he was wearing which was in a ball on the floor next to the bed. When he turned back to face Harry once more his fist remained closed as he brought his eyes back up to Harry's.

"Forever...right?" Louis asked quietly in a barely audible whisper, squeezing his hand tighter.

"Forever." Harry gave a small nod without breaking his gaze from Louis'.

"Okay..." Louis slowly turned his palm up and unfolded his fingers. Harry finally dropped his eyes to what Louis was holding.

Louis took the small circle of titanium up from his palm between his left thumb and finger, slowly pulling it towards their faces. Harry could now see that embedded within the dark silver metal were two small stones; one, a deep sapphire and the other, an emerald of forest green. They were placed within the circles of an infinity symbol that was lightly etched into the metal. You would never be able to see the mark unless you held it right to your eyes. That was the beauty of their relationship...it was for their eyes only, and no one else's.

"I had it customized a couple of days ago and Liam brought it to me." Louis explained, still holding on tightly to the ring. "I didn't expect to give it to you this quickly but it just hit me. If we are going to spend forever together anyway, then why not start now, right?"

"Yeah..." Harry managed to mutter out. He seemed stuck in time, unable to fully comprehend what was happening.

"So will you marry me? For real this time." Louis asked with a smile across his lips and a new light in his eyes.

"Of course I will Louis. I love you more than anything and I want to start my forever with you right now." Harry spoke more confidently now as he adjusted himself to roll over on top of Louis so that he was seated on his hips, smiling down at him.