Richpez - A Tale of Two StarKids

Chapter 12: The Engagement

So I'm reading Cursed Child for the first time and I've spent way too much time reading fanfiction because the book doesn't seem real! It's like I'm reading fanfiction. 

Anyway thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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{Joey's POV}

Saturday had finally come and it was time to head to the park where Brian was going to propose to Meredith.

"Lauren, have you seen my shoes?" I asked. I have been looking for the past five minutes and just can't seem to find them anywhere.

Lauren poked her head around the corner and into the hallway. "Which one's are you looking for?"

"My black Nikes," I paused. I spun around surveying the room until my eyes came to rest on Lauren's hands.

"Are these the shoes?" she asked me and I kissed her. I deepened the kiss for a moment before breaking free.

"Thank you." With another quick peck I grabbed my shoes and put them on.

"Okay, Joey, we need to leave now if we want to make it on time," Lauren told me.

I stood up and took her hand in mine before walking out the door. It was a beautiful sunny day. Perfect for a proposal. We walked in a comfortable silence until we reached the park.

We had to meet the photographer over by the spot where Brian was going to pop the question. We spotted Kelly from across the park and waved hello.

Kelly is a long time friend of Meredith's and was so thrilled to be a part of this. We were hiding behind a giant rock when Lauren squealed.

"I can see them!" she exclaimed.

Sure enough the pair were making their way to the giant willow tree. We poked our heads around so we all had a decent view of the two. They stopped under the tree and Kelly started snapping pictures as we watched.

We couldn't make out what Brian was saying, but we could tell that they were both teary eyed. Eventually, Brian pulled the ring box out and dropped to one knee. I could see him mouth 'Will you marry me?' to Meredith and she started nodding her head, smiling.

Brian stood up, sliding the ring on Meredith's finger and kissed her.

That was our cue. We popped out from behind the rock and made our way over to them.

Lauren was running and screamed 'Congratulations!' as soon as Meredith saw her. Lauren enveloped her in a tight embrace and I reached Brian. I gave him a hug and gave Meredith one too as soon as Lauren released her.

Meredith was still shocked as she said, "I can't believe you're all here!"

We chatted a little longer, talking about planning the proposal as well as the ring and Meredith's reaction before we decided to head off for some brunch.

To Meredith's surprise, we had invited everyone from Firebringer to brunch to celebrate.

We entered the restaurant to a chorus of 'Surprise!'s' from everyone and Meredith immediately started crying. She always cried when she was happy, and today, she was ecstatic.

After catching up with everyone and showing the pictures that we took, Brian and Meredith stood up to make a speech.

Brian spoke first. "I want to thank everyone for coming to celebrate with us." He smiled over at Meredith. "When I met Meredith in college I never thought she would fall for someone like me. I'm so glad I was wrong or else we wouldn't all be here together. Meredith, you have made me the happiest man on earth. You make me a better man, and I am so lucky to have fallen in love with you. Thank you for agreeing to marry me. For that, I think you're crazy," everyone let out a chuckle, "but I promise to always love you." He leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

Meredith spoke next. "I am at a complete loss for words. Brian, you have made me so happy, and never fail to make me smile. You support me and encourage me to be my best self. I love you more than words, and I promise to love you until we are old and grey. I am so lucky to have met you and fallen in love with you. And if it's even possible, I plan to fall more in love with you each and everyday. Thank you all for coming here today and surprising me. It means more to me than you know."

As she started to sit down, I stood up. I raised my glass and said to everyone, "To Brian and Meredith. May your love be an example for everyone in this room. Congratulations!"

Everyone raised their glasses and took a sip for the happy couple.

When I sat down, Lauren leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"That was perfect, JoJo. Maybe someday someone will say that about us." she kissed my cheek and went back to eating her food.

I smiled at her and replied, under my breath so she couldn't hear, "Maybe sooner than you think."

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{Lauren's POV}

We were leaving brunch and I walked over to Meredith who was talking to some of the other girls from the show. 

"Drinks tonight to celebrate? Just the girls?" I asked. 

Meredith and Jaime nodded and Jaime said, "I'll spread the word! We don't get to do this enough. I'm glad we're all here together for this show." She left to talk to the other girls.

"Mere, you ready to go?" I asked, linking my arm with hers.

She nodded in return and we went to join the boys. We broke away from each other to walk with Joey and Brian back to the apartment.

I had both my arms wrapped around Joey's waist hugging him as we walked, wanting to be as close to him as possible. After a day full of love, there was no one I wanted to be with more than him. We were walking a fair distance behind Meredith and Brian, wanting them to have some time alone after a day full of friends. They haven't been alone since they got engaged and we were sure that they wanted some time to themselves.

Joey looked down at me as we walked and smiled. He didn't know that I could see him looking at me out of the corner of my eye.

While looking forward, I said with a smirk, "What do you want, Joey Richter?"

Joey instinctively looked away, realizing that he had been caught. He took a moment to think before he spoke to me.

"That'll be us someday. I want that with you. I'm going to marry you one day, Lauren Lopez. And you better be ready," he said and I smiled up at him. He leaned down to kiss me, and after a short peck, he continued. "It may be sooner than you think."

I raised my eyebrows and replied. "Oh yeah? You seem so confident that I'm going to say yes. That's very bold of you, Joey." Despite my sarcastic comments, I squeezed Joey a little tighter, fearing that soon I would have to let go. "Joey?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Lauren?" he asked.

"Yes?" I replied.

"Will you marry me someday?" Joey propositioned.

"Yes, Joey. Someday I will marry you."

And we continued walking along the streets of Chicago.

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I know that there was a lot more Breredith than Richpez in this chapter, but I wanted to explore other ships!

Please comment if you have any suggestions!

Hope y'all enjoyed!