A/N - This chapter was inspired by the song With Every Heartbeat by Robyn. It's set a couple of years after the end of the series, after reader has just finished college. I hope you all enjoy it.
When you had decided to stay in Hawkins to go to college, it had felt like a solid choice. You could save money, still working at Family Video in whatever free time you had and living with your family for free. You got to stay close to Steve in those early stages of your relationship, having only started dating a couple of weeks before the end of your senior year. You could still come out of it with a bachelor's degree. You had the foundations for an incredible career.
Yeah, it had been a pretty simple choice, and one you had felt had been right for you at the time.
And now, three years later, you were on the verge of graduating, and you were getting pretty angsty to get out of Hawkins and start your life with Steve. Hell, you'd been dreaming of this day for as long as you could remember, and Steve had been part of that picture from the second he had told you that he loved you for the first time.
You'd been grinning when he'd opened the door for you, letting you inside with a quick kiss.
"What's got you so cheerful, huh?" he started, following you through into the living room, smiling softly down at you as you settled onto the couch, turning to kneel up, facing him fully.
"I handed in my last assignment today," you confessed, letting out an excited squeal. "I should get my results back next week, and then I'm done. I'll officially have graduated."
He chuckled as he leaned down to kiss you again. "I'm so proud of you, baby," he hummed against your lips. "My super smart girlfriend," he added softly, drawing a soft snort out of you.
"I applied for a job today, too," you pressed, still kneeling awkwardly on the couch, your arms wrapping around his middle. "It's perfect."
"Oh yeah?" he grinned. "Tell me about it."
"It's for Goldman Sachs. I mean, it's only an entry position, but if I get my foot in the door, then I could start moving up, which would be incredible."
Steve's brows knitted together, his smile still lingering on his lips. "I didn't realise they had offices in Indiana," he hummed, watching your head tilt slightly.
"They don't," you started softly. "It's based in New York."
"Oh," he uttered, his smile fading slightly. "Well, how's that going to work? It's one hell of a commute."
You hesitated for a moment. "I wouldn't be commuting from here, though, would I? I'd be commuting from somewhere close to the office."
"Wait? You want to move to New York?" Steve tensed, taking a step backwards, completely out of your embrace. "When were you planning on telling me?"
"I'm telling you now-"
"Baby, you can't just make plans like this without talking to me first," he started again, shaking his head in disbelief. "I can't just up and move to New York. I have a life here. I have a job-"
"You work in a video store, Steve, it's not exactly some huge career-making job," you uttered, shaking your head.
"They've been good to me there. I'm on track to being a manager-"
"Well, if you love it so much, you can get a job managing a video store in New York."
Steve's shoulders dropped slightly. "It's not just the job, Sweetheart. Our friends are here-"
"We'll make new friends, Steve."
"Our families are here," he pressed on. "I don't want to be 700 miles away from everyone we love."
