You And I (Expanded Edition)

Bonus Chapter: My Bloody Valentine (Redux)

"You almost ready in there, Max?"

"Y-Yeah! Almost!"

Loona sighed and leaned against the hallway wall outside her and her girlfriend, Maxine's bedroom. 

It was Valentine's Day, the very first that Maxine and Loona were spending together as a couple.

To celebrate their first Valentine's Day together, Maxine had invited Loona over to her apartment. Maxine cooked a delicious meal for the two of them and after their dinner Maxine told Loona to wait for her while she prepared in the bedroom for them to... spend the night together.

Loona looked at the clock mounted on the wall. It had been twenty minutes since Maxine had gone in. During that time, Loona would occasionally hear Maxine quietly cursing from within or moving some object around.

"Max," Loona called out, "it's been twenty minutes. I'm sure everything's perfect!"

"Just wait a second!" Maxine replied. 

Loona took Maxine's advice and waited... for a second. Her patience wearing thin, she stepped forward, grabbed the door handle, and opened the door. 

Maxine yelped in surprise. She sat atop the bed in nothing but her undergarments, adjusting the pillows and blankets on the bed. The room was illuminated only by lit candles placed throughout the room. A trail of rose petals went from the door to the bed, which was also covered in a handful of rose petals.

"Is everything ok? You've been getting ready forever!" Loona said.

Loona looked into her girlfriend's eyes and saw guilt flash in them.

"I'm sorry! I just really wanted everything to be perfect..." Maxine looked down.

Loona crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Maxine, but Maxine spoke before Loona could say anything.

"I just... this is our first Valentine's Day together and I wanted to show you how much I love you and I wanted all this to be perfect and-"

Loona cut her off. "Babe, this is perfect! I couldn't have asked for anything more!"

Maxine looked up into her girlfriend's eyes. "Really?"

Loona smiled down at her. "Of course! It means so much that you did all this just to make me feel loved. This is perfect, Max, and you're perfect. I love you."

Maxine smiled, her heart swelling. Before either of them could say anything more, Maxine pulled Loona closer and pressed her lips to Loona's.

After they pulled away, the two lovers looked into each other's eyes before letting themselves fall down onto the bed. 

------

Maxine cuddled up to Loona after they finished, her heart still beating quickly in her chest.

Loona wrapped her arms around Maxine and placed a kiss on the top of her head. Already the two of them were replaying what they had done mere moments before and deciding to cherish these memories forever.

Maxine nuzzled her face against Loona's neck, and Loona looked down. She smiled as she gazed upon the sweet, beautiful, sexy, and perfect woman in her arms.

Looking down at Maxine, Loona found her mind drifting to the shining diamond ring she had seen in the window of a jewelry shop that was a few blocks from Maxine's apartment. And then her mind drifted to the money that she had been saving up for two months to buy the ring.

Yes, Loona had only known Maxine for a little over two years now. But that was more than enough for Loona to know that she was madly in love with her and wanted to spend the rest of her life with her.

For months now, Loona had been planning the way that she would propose to Maxine. She wanted it to be special, something romantic like on a hill in the light of the setting sun.

Loona had it planned out in her head. She would lead Maxine to the spot where she would propose. Loona would then give a speech so that Max knew that Loona truly loved her. She would kiss her, and then get down on one knee and say,

"Will you marry me?"

There was a single beat of silence, after which Loona realized that the words that she had only meant to say in her head had just left her mouth. Her face instantly turned a deep shade of crimson. What had she done? This wasn't anywhere near her plan! This wasn't even close to the perfect time to propose and Loona prepared herself for Maxine to reject her and say,

"Yes."

...what?

Loona slowly looked down, her eyes meeting Maxine's. Well, she was this far already.

Loona cleared her suddenly dry throat. "I... I was being serious."

Maxine smiled, and Loona's heart skipped a beat. "So was I."

Instead of just skipping a beat this time, Loona's heart stopped.

She said... yes?

Maxine laughed at seeing Loona's shocked expression. "Yes, I mean it. I want to marry you, Loona. I love you. I love you so, so much."

It was another moment before Loona could find her words. "I.. I'm sorry... I wasn't expecting this... I don't even have a ring for you..." 

Maxine's smile grew wider. "Don't worry about it!! In fact, I have something for you!" 

Maxine leapt out of bed and crossed the room to the dresser. Loona watched as Maxine fished around in the top drawer for something and pulled out something small. It took a moment for Loona to recognize what it was in the dark, but when she did, her heart skipped a beat. 

It was a little box. 

Loona immediately sat up in bed as Maxine made her way back to the bed. 

Maxine smiled as she sat in front of Loona. "'Cause I was planning on proposing to you, Loona." 

Loona felt like she couldn't breathe as Maxine opened the little box and revealed a gold ring with a white gem on it. 

Maxine took the ring out of the box, set the box aside, and took one of Loona's hands in one of her own. 

Maxine looked into Loona's eyes. 

"Loona. Will you marry me?"

Tears blossomed in Loona's eyes as she looked from Maxine, to the ring, and back to Maxine. When she spoke, her voice was nearly a whisper. 

"Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes." 

The tears got even more intense as Maxine slipped the ring onto her finger. 

Loona blinked away the tears and looked back into Maxine's eyes. She noticed that Maxine's eyes were red and full of tears.

"Wait," Loona said, "are you crying, Max?"

Maxine immediately wiped away the tears. "What?? No! You're crying!"

Loona laughed. "I think we're both crying, my love."

Maxine laughed too, and then pulled Loona close and kissed her. 

"I love you." 

Maxine began to kiss Loona over and over and over again, saying the same three words in between each kiss. 

"I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you I love you I love you!!" 

Loona was stunned by Maxine's repeated emotional declarations. Maxine was not one to vocally express her love very often, so Loona knew that every time Maxine said those three words it was special. 

And this moment was more than special. 

"I-I love you, too." Loona said, still stunned. 

Maxine smiled and cupped Loona's face in her hands. 

"We're gonna do it, baby. We're gonna get married." 

End.