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Lex and Ethan had gone on many dates, dates to Pizza Palace, dates to the mall, dates to children’s movies. Obviously, all of those were with Hannah. Ethan loves Hannah very much, but he had always wished for some sort of alone time between Lex and himself. Especially after Black Friday, where he nearly died, he wanted to savor the moments he had with her.
After passing it by Lex, Ethan had asked a girl from high school to watch Hannah. He had asked Grace Chastity, who although was not really the type he would’ve hung out with in high school, she had stellar reviews online.
Ethan and Lex dropped Hannah off at Grace's house, clearing it by Webby first (Webby said that Grace Chastity was nice). Hannah sent Ethan a wink before she got out of the car. This went unnoticed by Lex. Ethan had saved up for this night for weeks beforehand. He had bought the cheapest fancy wine he could find, and cheeses that were imported.
In the trunk of Ethan’s car was a woven blanket and a basket full of food and drinks, and in his pocket was a silver ring. He had asked Hannah before he bought the ring and they picked it out together while Lex was at work. He had bought cheap CDs off of EBay that he thought might set the mood. Lex was oblivious to all of this, she thought that they might get pizza and rent a shitty movie on DVD like they usually did when Hannah was asleep. When he parked his car on the tastefully titled, ‘Lover’s Lake’ Lex was a little surprised. He had driven Hannah and Lex around it once and told them that it was his favorite place in Hatchetfield.
“Jesus,” Lex said as she stepped out of the car.
Ethan ran up and gave her a hug from behind, “I know, isn’t it beautiful?” He rested his chin on the top of her head as he wrapped his arms around her torso.
Lex laughed and held onto his arms, “Yeah, it’s amazing.”
Ethan kissed the top of her head and they just stood here for a minute, taking the beauty in, “Okay, let’s get this show on the road.” He let go of her and walked over to the trunk of the car, opening it.
Lex looked inside, “Ethan, how much did all of this cost?” She said while grabbing the basket.
Ethan shrugged, “Not too much. I just wanted to do something special, you know for the occasion.” He threw the blanket over his shoulder and closed the trunk before locking the car. He began to walk to an area near a tree.
Lex looked at him with confusion, “What occasion?” She walked with him, holding his hand with her free one.
Ethan grinned at her, “It’s our 5 year anniversary, babe.” He knew she would probably forget but he didn’t care. As long as he got to do this he didn’t care what else happened that night.
Lex’s eyes widened and she stopped walking, “Fuck! I knew something was today. I had it marked on my calendar and everything. Motherfucker. I’m so sorry, E. I fucked this up big time.”
Ethan just smiled and kissed her forehead, dragging her along as he continued walking, “Oh trust me, Lex. You didn’t fuck anything up.”
Lex shook her head, “No I did. I didn’t even get you a present. I had a plan and everything and I just fucked it up like I do everything. You know I’ve been trying to find a new job and shit, it just slipped my mind, babe I’m so sorry.”
Ethan stopped walking and set down the blanket, “Stop apologizing. Everything’s perfect. You’re amazing and I love you. Can we please have a nice night, free from any other shit, now?” He looked at her as she sat down on the blanket, placing the basket in the middle. Lex nodded, “Thank you.” Ethan said. “Have I ever told you how much this place means to me?” Lex shook her head, “Well, this is where my dad took me, you know before he died. We used to sit here and fish. We’d never catch anything, but those were probably the best moments of my life, up until I met you, of course. We would sit here and talk about shit, or not. Sometimes we would just sit in silence and enjoy each other's company. We’d ignore everything in this shit town and just be happy for once in our lives.” He sighed dreamily thinking about it.
Lex reached out to grab a hold of his hand, “That’s amazing, babe. He sounded like a great guy.”
Ethan held her hand and intertwined their fingers, “Yeah, he was pretty cool. But I never really felt like that again until I met you and Hannah, you guys are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I don’t know what shit I did to deserve you guys, but fuck- I love you guys. A lot.” He let go of Lex’s hand and stood up. He started to skip a few rocks.
Lex stood up and did the same now focusing on how she was throwing the rocks more than Ethan, “We love you too. Well, me some more than Hannah, but we love you. You fucking saved our asses so many times, I don’t know how I’d ever thank you.” She heard him say something so she looked over.
He was on one knee, pulling a box out of his pocket, she dropped the rock she was holding in shock. “I said that I had an idea. Lex, I’ve loved you for the past 10 years of my life. You’re the most important thing to me. Fuck- I don’t really know what else to say but-“
Lex interrupted him she could barely speak she was crying so hard, “Ethan, of course I’ll-“
Ethan shushed her, “Can I finish please? Thank you. Jeez, what does it take to finish a proposal around here. Anyways what I was going to say is that I want to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. So Alexandra “Lex” Foster, would you do me the honors of marrying me?” He opened the box. The ring seemed to sparkle a little bit, but that might’ve been Lex’s blurry view. They were both crying at this point.
Lex wiped her eyes, “Of fucking course I’ll marry you dumbass.” He put the ring on her finger shakily and she tackled him into the grass with a hug. They both hit the ground with a laugh.
“You know I thought it might’ve been more romantic than this, but I’m not complaining,” He laughed as she leaned down from her position pinning him down and pecked him on the lips.
“I love you so much.”
“Forever and always, babe”