Chapter Text
Shannon didn’t think anything of it when Chris asked her to come over. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for them to hang out for the day. It was when she walked in and saw Chris looking stressed while standing at the kitchen island that she started thinking something was up.
“What’s going on?” Shannon asks, placing her bag down.
Chris groans. “Okay, I need your help with something.”
“Which is..?” Shannon says.
Chris is silent for a moment, and then drops the bombshell. “I’m proposing back to Harry today.”
Shannon freezes. “What?”
“I’m proposing back to Harry,” Chris repeats. “I know he already proposed to me, but I want him to have the experience of being proposed to also.”
Shannon is silent as she processes the information, and promptly bursts into tears.
“Oh, my God,” Chris laughs as he pulls Shannon into a hug. “Already? I thought we could at least get to setting up.”
“I can’t help it,” Shannon sobs. “You love him so much, I can’t take it.” Shannon pulls back, wiping at her eyes. “Why were you looking nervous, though? You’re already engaged, you know he’s gonna say yes.”
“Yeah, I know,” Chris says. “I just want it to be perfect. It’s the least he deserves after all he’s done for me.”
Which makes Shannon burst into tears again.
Chris playfully rolls his eyes. “Okay, at least get through the explanation, Shan.”
Shannon nods and walks over to the kitchen island, where Chris has placed everything.
“So,” Chris starts. “I was thinking of hanging up photos of us throughout the years in the hallway leading to our bedroom, on these strings of fairy lights.” Chris looks at Shannon as she dabs at her eyes with her sleeves. “Harry is at a Sidemen shoot, so we have plenty of time, but I just wanted to be sure. And to accommodate for,” Chris pauses as he gestures at Shannon. “This.”
Shannon swats his hand away, and Chris laughs.
Setting up did nothing to help Shannon’s emotions. At any new step, fresh tears would be there to accompany her. Putting up the fairy lights, plugging them in. When Chris showed her the ring. One picture in particular really got to her, which was the two of them on a balcony. She asked Chris the significance of this one.
“Oh,” Chris says, smiling so big at the picture that Shannon could cry again even without the explanation. “For our anniversary, in addition to the proposal, he bought us a few nights at the AirBNB we confessed at. This is the very balcony we confessed on, a year later.” And if Shannon wasn’t sobbing already, she definitely was now.
After all the photos were set up, Chris went to go get changed into something that says, ‘I’m proposing’, instead of, ‘I was setting up fairy lights and pictures for hours,’.
When Chris comes into the living room to show Shannon the outfit, she cries again.
“Oh no,” Chris teases, but his expression is gentle. “Again?’
“I’m sorry,” Shannon sniffles. “It’s just, all this, it’s so much. I was there when you thought you’d ruined it all by falling for him, and now look, you’re proposing back.”
Chris crosses the room, pulling Shannon into a hug. “I know. I feel the same way. It’s crazy to think about how far we’ve come.”
Shannon looks at the set up again. The fairy lights lighting up the hallway to light a path to their shared bedroom, pictures of them throughout the years lined up on both sides of the hallway, fake rose petals on the floor (Chris didn’t like the idea of real ones), leading to the entrance of their room. Shannon turns around to look at Chris. “Are you ready?”
Chris gives her a smile back. “Of course I am.”
It’s at this moment that they hear keys jingling in the door. Chris quickly stands at the end of the hallway and Shannon moves into the kitchen.
Shannon watches as Harry moves into the house, and stops in his tracks when he sees Chris.
“Hey, love,” Harry says softly, approaching Chris as he studies the hallways. “What’s all this?”
Chris accepts the hug from Harry, and then pulls back and holds his hand out, which Harry immediately takes. “Let’s take a trip down memory lane, hmm?” Chris says.
Shannon watches as Chris moves Harry down the hall, stopping at each picture to explain the significance, talking softly as if the world was just them. Shannon subconsciously moves closer as they go down the hall, until she’s standing in the entrance.
They reach the end, and Chris stands in front of Harry, them standing in the entrance of their bedroom. They’re looking at each other so softly, it tugs at Shannon’s heart.
Chris takes a breath before talking. “About a month ago, you gave me one of the best memories. I know we’re already engaged, and it was the most perfect proposal I could’ve ever imagined, but you deserve the moment too. You deserve to know what it feels like to be asked. So,” Chris gets down on one knee, and Shannon chokes back a sob. “Harry Lewis, will you marry me?”
Shannon lets out another sob when Harry gets down on his knees as well, pulling Chris into the tightest hug and kissing him so fiercely yet softly. “Of course I will,” Harry says so softly that Shannon almost doesn’t hear him. “I’d marry you a million times over.”
Shannon lets out a sob again, causing Harry to look at her. “Hey, Shan,” Harry laughs.
“You’re not surprised to see her?” Chris asks.
“I’d probably be more surprised if she wasn’t here,” Harry says, standing up and walking over to Shannon, pulling her into a hug. “We probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you,” Harry says. “I owe so much to you, thank you.”
“Thank you,” Shannon sobs. Harry pulls back, looking slightly confused.
“What for?” He asks, cupping his face and wiping her tears with his thumbs.
Shannon shrugs. “For loving him. For being everything he needs. I can’t thank you enough.”
Harry’s eyes soften, and he places a quick kiss on Shannon's forehead. “Always.”
“Okay,” Shannon says. “I’ll go ahead and go, leave you two to celebrate.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Harry says, putting his arm around Shannon’s shoulders.
When they get to the door, Harry opens it. Shannon steps out, but has another thought of something else she needs to tell Harry. She turns around. “Harry?”
“Yeah?’
“I wanted to thank you. Again. But for something different.” She takes a shaky breath, thinking of how to phrase it. “Thank you for…caring about me, as me. You never treated me any differently when you started dating Chris. You don’t see me as Chris’ ex, or even just as his best friend, you see me as me. You always find ways to include me. It doesn’t feel like you care about me just as an extension of Chris. I feel like my own person with you. I can’t thank you enough for making yourself a safe space for me.”
Harry blinked at her for a moment, caught off guard by the sincerity in her voice. Then his face softens, a rare expression, one Shannon has only seen when it pertains to Chris.
“Shannon,” Harry says quietly. “Of course I see you as your own person, because you are. And you’re a good one too.” Harry walks forward, pulling Shannon into another hug. “I know what’s usually expected, that there’s probably supposed to be some weirdness between us because of the past. But there’s not. I’m grateful for it. You were his person before I ever got the chance. You were there for him when I couldn’t be. That’s never been lost on me.” Harry pulls back again, making sure to hold eye contact with Shannon. “You’ve become one of my best friends. You’re family. You’re brilliant, you’re hilarious, and I’m so glad I was able to get to know you outside of Chris. If I didn’t see you as you, I’d be missing out on one of the best people in my life. You were always meant to be here, I didn’t even have to try.”
Shannon wipes at her eyes. “You’re making me cry again!”
“Sorry,” Harry laughs. “I do love you, Shan.”
“I love you, too,” Shannon says, giving Harry a quick hug, then pulling back. “Now, go celebrate with your fiancé.”
Harry smiles and nods. “I will. Text me when you get home.”
“I will,” Shannon says, and she watches the door close behind him.
The way home had Shannon thinking about a lot of things. Especially how much had changed in the past couple of years. How much she’d grown, how much they all had. She used to be scared of everything changing, but now she couldn’t imagine herself being anywhere else.
And Harry. If she hadn’t already, incredibly approved of him a hundred times over, the first proposal and tonight had sealed it. He loved Chris with his whole heart, with everything in him. He’s everything that Chris deserves, and somehow, he made space to love her too, in his own way.
All of this has her thinking about her own relationship, of course, and the one thing that won’t leave her mind ever since she started making her way back home the night Harry proposed.
That she wants to marry Becky someday, and it might be soon for them, too.
It’s not something that she’s rushing into, and the last thing she wants to do is upstage Harry and Chris. But it’s something that makes her happy to think about, and she can’t wait for the day to come.