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Ryland likes the beach.
He likes how quiet it gets when it's late. He likes the sound of the waves hitting the shore, the soft breeze that softly caresses your skin, the clear sky that gives way to the beauty of the stars above.
Ryland loves the beach.
He loves it because it's Tom's favorite place to go.
And therefore, it's Ryland's favorite place to go.
So, when Tom takes him out for a date, he's not surprised they end up on the soft beach of Los Angeles.
Really, he's not.
That doesn't stop him from freaking out, though.
Why ? Well, let's go back a few hours.
Ryland woke up this morning to an empty bed. Which was strange, because Tom never wakes up before him. Never.
What was more strange was seeing Tom, on his phone, sitting on his couch and paying no attention to him.
Usually, Ryland couldn't get out of bed without being kissed at least a hundred times.
So Ryland disregarded his idea of making breakfast, and instead sat next to his boyfriend.
“Hey, uh, Tom ?,” Ryland asks hesitantly, “Something wrong ?”
He tried to see what Tom was doing on his phone. What could possibly be more interesting than him right now ?
Tom turned off his phone before he could see.
He turned off his phone.
That's the most suspect thing ever.
“Hey, Ry, you wanna go on a date tonight?,” Tom suddenly says, finally looking at Ryland.
It's so sudden that Ryland thinks he might've misheard.
He can feel his heart racing. This is so different from the usual interactions they had for the past year since they started dating and it's making him anxious.
“Uhm, sure, but why so sudden ?,” Ryland finally says after a few seconds.
Tom gives him a smile and takes his hand, but Ryland can feel how sweaty his is.
Ryland can't seem to read his expression. Tom looks just as anxious as Ryland is, but Tom's never anxious.
Even when he first asked Ryland out, he did it with the cocky smile and natural charm he always has.
Tom Ryder just isn't anxious about things, that's Ryland's job.
“It's just…we gotta talk about something,” Tom tells him.
Famous last words.
Even when Tom gave him a kiss before leaving for the day, Ryland's heart hadn't stopped racing.
Anxiety crawled its way into Ryland's self and he had no way of stopping it.
‘we gotta talk about something’.
Ryland couldn't get it out of his head for the entire day.
This could mean a lot of things. Either Tom genuinely wants to talk about something, and he just phrased it badly.
Or, he wants to break up.
Ryland really hopes it's the first option.
——————————
The date itself was great, putting aside the sword of Damocles hanging above the both of them.
Tom had taken him to a nice restaurant. The food was great, the view was even better (both because they could see the sun setting through a window next to their table, and because Tom was - is - very beautiful, himself).
Ryland could see Tom was aware of how weird this day was, because he kept clinging to his hand.
And it was comforting in the idea that maybe he doesn't want to break up with Ryland.
When they left the restaurant, the nice conversations they had during dinner died almost instantly.
Ryland was terrified.
Terrified because he could see Tom wasn't doing well either.
“You wanna go to the beach ?,” Tom asked, still clinging to Ryland's hand like he wasn't the one who put them both into this situation.
“Yeah, sure”
He would go anywhere if it meant not breaking up with Tom.
And this is how they ended up on the beach.
It was almost completely dark, the sky beautifully purple and pink due to the last ray of sunshine.
Ryland can't help but take off his shoes and socks, standing knee-deep in the water, and watching the first stars of the night shine above.
Damn, it really is beautiful.
“Hey, Ry ?”
Ryland turns around, watching Tom now standing just a few meters away, looking more out of character than before.
“Tom, what's going on ?,” he can't help but ask, because this has been gnawing at him all day long.
Tom beckons him to come closer with his hand, and Ryland does, now with only his feet in the water.
Tom puts his hands in his pockets, and swallows visibly.
“How long have we been dating now ?,” he finally asks.
Ryland shrugs, he knows the exact time, but it might look like he's a bit desperate if he says it.
“A year and a half, more or less.”
“1 year, 7 months and 10 days.”
Oh, okay, that's awfully precise.
So he's not the only desperate one here.
“And,” Tom continues, “it's been the best year and a half of my entire life.”
Ryland was ready to say it back, to say that it was also amazing to him, that he couldn't see himself with anyone other than him, but Tom seemed set on not letting him talk.
“You know, I was never the type to…uh, well, settle down with someone.”
Ryland forced himself not to scoff, no crap Sherlock.
“But, after I met you…I just…couldn't see myself not settling down,” he runs his hand through his hair.
Ryland blinks, suddenly hit by a thought.
That awfully sounds like the beginning of a proposal, no ?
“And, honestly, Ryland, you make me want to be a better person. And that's,” he scoffs, “That's not something just anyone can do.”
Ryland nods, feeling his hands sweat profusely. Is this a proposal ? Is he ready for a proposal ?
“I love you, Ryland. I love you and I don't think I'll ever stop loving you, even if I wanted to,” Tom takes a deep breath, and Ryland's heart might just beat out of his chest.
No way, no way, no way, is he breathing ? It feels like he's not breathing.
And when Tom gets down on one knee, Ryland might just cry. Or maybe he's been crying all along.
He just doesn't know anymore.
Ryland sees him pull out a small black box, and he puts a hand over his mouth to stifle the sob that threatens to spill.
He feels like he's being dramatic, but this is everything he's ever dreamed of.
Being proposed to in his favorite place on earth, by his favorite person (outside of Colt, because come on) on earth.
“Ryland, my dear, my love, my universe,” Tom clears his throat, fidgeting with the box before opening it, “Will you marry me ?”
The ring’s beautiful, Tom is beautiful, the beach is beautiful.
Ryland closes his eyes, taking it all in.
So this is why Tom's been acting weird all day.
He's a damn good actor but apparently not when it comes to things like that.
“Uhm, Ry ?,” Tom asks after a small silence, because Ryland still hasn't said anything.
“Oh, oh my god, sorry,” Ryland chuckles, wiping his tears, “Yes, of course I'll marry you.”
Tom lets out a breath he's probably been holding since this morning and gets up, taking the ring off the box and sliding it on Ryland's finger.
And when they kiss, Ryland really doesn't mind about the way his glasses get pushed onto his face uncomfortably.
He doesn’t mind because Tom is, Ryland realizes at the same time he tells himself this is the first time they’ve really kissed today, definitely crying.
“I was so scared you were going to say no, you have no idea,” Tom mumbles against his lips.
Ryland pulls away, reaching up to wipe Tom's tears.
“Now, why would I say no ?”
“I don't know,” Tom shakes his head before resting it on Ryland's shoulder.
They stay like this for a moment, hugging each other close, the waves hitting Tom's shoes and probably ruining them, but he doesn't seem to mind in the slightest.
“Hey,” Ryland eventually asks, because there's still something bothering him, “What were you doing on your phone this morning?”
Tom pulls away, staring at Ryland in confusion.
“You mean- oh right. Uhm, I was texting Jody.”
Ryland blinks, “Jody ? You were texting Jody ?”
“Yeah,” Tom shrugs, “I was asking her the right way to propose to you, you know. I thought about asking Colt but uh,” he trailed off.
“He would've killed you.”
“Yeah, definitely”
Ryland chuckles, pressing a kiss to Tom's lips.
“Well, Jody gives great advice.”
“She does, doesn't she ?,” Tom agrees.
Ryland hums and takes his hand, guiding them both back on the beach, sitting down in the sand.
As Tom sits on his left and takes Ryland's hand back, gently playing with the ring resting perfectly on his finger, Ryland realizes that this is the man he's going to grow old with.
And damn, he wouldn't have it any other way.
Yeah, Ryland loves the beach.