Gwen

I'm on a flight. I've been trying to sleep for the last few hours, but the obsessive checking of my phone is not a good situation. Now my head is banging like I'm having a hangover, which I'm clearly not.

I have been at the business fair all day, working on our stall, presenting ideas to visitors, networking, taking notes and whatnot. My project mates are all a bunch of doofuses, and I am the one who ends up doing most of the work because I keep a list of things I need to do and I don't vanish to frat parties whenever I wish to.

Okay, maybe I am a perfectionist and work a little too hard. Fine, I'll admit.

It was the last day of the fair today, and it ended around afternoon. Our project or my project won the runners-up, and I couldn't be more proud. Even my professor was beaming when they called our name.

I have been running around the whole day. And the first chance I got to lie down, I remembered I miss my boyfriend way too much, so I booked a last minute ticket and now I am on a plane.

I have a two-day vacation and I plan to spend it with him.

He has no idea, though.

We keep missing each other every time we text. It has been really frustrating for the past two weeks. Every time I get a break while working, I text him. He is not online. And then when he texts back, I am working. And at night, when both of us are done with work, we start texting and I pass out in pure exhaustion in the middle of conversations.

I haven't seen his face for two weeks. I feel like I will pass out if that keeps happening.

Oliver Carlson is not checking his texts. I know why. He has this big project he needs to finish and once he starts working, he goes missing from the face of the earth.

Both of us have this bad habit of being completely engrossed in work and it doesn't help our long distance relationship at all.

God, I hate how passionate we are.

As I get off the plane, I realize my phone is ringing. I made it to the passenger lounge and sit down. Then I check the notifications.

It's Jason Swindlers calling from Paris. Yep, Paris.

While I am dying with my college projects and missing my boyfriend like crazy, my best friend is having the time of his life, falling in love three times in a single day—his words—not mine. He checks out at different places every day, and I am tired of seeing his Instagram stories because I am just so freaking jealous.

Yesterday, he was having lunch by the Seine, a wineglass in his hand, the afternoon sun kissing his cheeks, the Eiffel Tower in the background.

I text him, saying I am off to meet Oliver, which he replies to with an emoji of thumbs up, and then he is offline.

I shove my phone into my pocket and hail an Uber. My legs are working out a little too much. I am tired beyond definition.

I finally reach his condo where he lives with his roommate Thomas Smith, as in Tom, who is majoring in photography. He is an overall nice guy, a party lover, and he talks a little too loudly for Oliver's liking. I have the suspicion that Oliver goes out of his way to avoid him. But at least Tom doesn't bother Oliver at all, and that is how he is still living with him. Most of the time he is outside, or at parties, so that leaves Oliver the apartment all to himself.

I remember the first time I came here. Tom was so surprised to see me that he fell from the kitchen tool he was sitting on. Never in his wildest dreams, he imagined Oliver Carlson to have a girlfriend, one like me, who just does not stop talking when Oliver is around and clings to him like a monkey. I was snooping all around and Oliver was watching me with his loving eyes, which made Tom cover his own eyes and bolt to his room. That guy can be a little too sarcastic.

I bring out the spare key to their condo that I have and open the main door.

The living room and kitchen come into view, both deserted. I look to my left where Tom's room is and find the door closed. So I walk ahead through the hallway and stand in front of Oliver's room.

I can see the lights are turned off. But there is a faint sliver of light in there. I think it's from his computer. Oliver loves working till midnight.

I knock on the door twice, and then open it slowly. Oliver's voice reaches my ear.

"I told you, Tom, I am not going. I have seen enough parties for a lifetime," he says, not even looking at me. "Can you leave and close the door, please?"

At least he added a "please".

He hasn't changed one bit. He is the same introvert who hates people and parties with passion. That little "please" he added was my contribution to Oliver's vocabulary. I smile to myself.

I can see the lights of the computer screen on his face. He is wearing his headphones but one side is a little bit crooked, possibly because he could hear outside sounds. From his expression, I can tell he is coding. His fingers are over the keyboard while he measures each stroke of the keys.

"Tom, I said close the door," he says, sounding annoyed.

I clear my throat which makes him look my way. He glances quickly and then looks away as if he hasn't seen me.

Then he freezes, staring at the screen. His hands are hovering over the keyboard, but he isn't typing anymore.

He snaps his head towards me and mumbles something under his breath. The only word I hear is "dream"; he thinks he is dreaming. That makes me smile even harder.

"What a shame you are not in your boxers," I say, announcing my arrival.

It really is a shame he isn't in his boxers. He is wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans.

He stands abruptly, takes off his headphone in a flash and crosses the room in such a hurry, I didn't get the chance to breathe in before I am engulfed in a bone crushing hug.

"It's you," Oliver says in my hair, "It's really you. You are here. You are not a dream."

I breathe in his scent, practically snorting him, and I realize he is doing the same. He picks me up, making me squeal and carries me over to his bed where he sits me down.

Then he kneels in front of me staring at my face, "You are here."

He says it as if he cannot believe it. I nod. "I am here."

"I missed you so much," he says, and then he is hugging me really tightly again, "So so much."

I laugh, "I know I am the best girlfriend ever."

"You are," Oliver is not joking like me. "You definitely are."

I grab onto his shirt and take a few deep breaths now that I am finally here as he leans back, "Did you have dinner?"

"Sandwiches," I say sheepishly, "I ran as soon as the fair ended."

Oliver is looking at me with so many emotions in his eyes that my heart wants to explode. It was the best decision ever to fly to him, here.

"I can make you dinner," Oliver offers, "Come to the kitchen."

I sigh, "I don't think I can walk or stay upright. I am just so tired."

"Okay," he says and I notice he is taking off my shoes, massaging my feet as he does so, "Would you take a nap first and then eat later, or should I bring dinner here and then you can go to sleep?"

"No, I want to curl up into your lap and never leave," I blurt out. "I was missing you like crazy. I thought I would die if I didn't come here right now."

Oliver gazes up at me, his dark eyes resting on mine, "Gwen."

I smile and pull him up so he is sitting with me on the bed. He pulls me towards him, so I am really curling up on his lap. "What were you up to? Did Tom force you to go to a frat party again?"

Oliver snorts, "As if he could, ever. I was finishing up my assignment."

He runs his hands through my hair and then they get stuck in knots because I haven't combed them properly. I laugh while he tries to untie it.

"When did you last shower?" Oliver asks. I blush.

"I don't remember?" I say, "No, maybe yesterday."

Oliver shakes his head, "Go take a shower while I cook you dinner and then we can sleep."

I pout, "Did you shower?"

Oliver raises his eyebrow because he knows what I mean, "Didn't you say you're tired?"

I smirk, "Not too tired to have you all over me, obviously."

Oliver pokes on my cheek and kisses on the tip of my nose, "Still, I am a man of principles."

I punch him on his shoulder before I get down and find clothes to wear after the shower. Then I realize I am in Oliver's room, which means I am definitely going to be wearing his clothes. When he disappears into the kitchen, I open his closet and steal a pair of sweatshirt and sweatpants. I know which one is his favorite, so I take exactly that one.

After shower, I go to the kitchen where Oliver is serving the pasta he just cooked. Spaghetti with pesto and chicken. I sit down on the tool as Oliver gives me a look, definitely because I am stealing his clothes.

"They are so comfy," I say. I start eating while Oliver shakes his head and sits down to eat.

"But they will smell like you and I will be having even a harder time after you go back," Oliver complains, "You are just making sure I suffer while dreaming about you."

I chuckle. Oliver pulls on my hair gently and gets back to eating.

We make it to bed after finishing dinner, and I am definitely all over him, "Did you see the results?"

"Of course I did. I checked the website right away and there was your name in the runners-up, Gwen Aidy Bradbury."

I smile.

"Congratulations," he says, kissing my forehead, "I am so proud of you."

I hug him harder as he massages my shoulder. He tells me they seem too tense, so he flips me over and sits up, so he can massage me properly.

I let out a lot of oohs and aahs. He chuckles as he moves up to my neck from my shoulder. I didn't know I was holding all that tension back there. My neck and shoulders slowly relax.

"Will you stop moaning for a minute?" Oliver says, chuckling, while I let out another one. "I know what you are trying to do."

Ugh. He knows me too well.

"Just once, okay, just one time," I say as I turn over, "I am not that tired, I swear."

"You know very well, it won't be just once," Oliver says gravely as he grips my ankle, "Go to sleep."

I groan. Oliver lies down next to me and caresses my arm, "Tomorrow."

I sigh as he goes back to relieving my stress again, and I hear him whispering how hopeless I am before going to sleep.

*****

I peer my eyes open, one at a time, to find legs beside me. Oliver's legs, to be exact. I crane my neck up and he is leaning against the headboard, staring down at me with a ghost of a smile on his face.

I cannot help but say, "Hey creep, watching me sleep?"

Which Oliver replies with a chuckle of his own as I sit up and stretch. That is when the delicious smell hits my nose. I turn around like a lion looking for its prey and find the Everything bagel and a cup of coffee sitting there on the nightstand. He already went out and brought me breakfast in bed.

I don't stop before lunging at him, which he expected, because he wraps his arms around me in no time.

"Hey, Oliver. Good morning," I say, flashing a smile, not giving a flying fig about my morning breath. He has experienced it too many times before he knows he will have to live with it.

"You are too bright," he says, shaking his head, "You still manage to blind me with your smile."

I grin. "And my beauty, that is my puffy face."

"No doubt," he says, pushing my hair away from my forehead.

As much as I love nestling on his lap, I am hungry, so I get down and go to the washroom. Coming back I finish my breakfast while I watch Oliver working on his computer.

I lean down in front of it, trying to make sense of it and fail. Oliver tried to teach me programming, and it didn't end well. It ended sort of the same way it did when I tried to teach him guitar. We are just too good for each other to teach one another something. Someday we will get there when we can keep our hands to ourselves.

I don't think that day will ever come.

"Nope, I understand nothing," I announce before flopping back on the bed while he types, smiling.

"It will take like half an hour and then we can go out," he says, with a little bit of regret in his voice, which I don't miss.

"I know it's due next Monday," I remind him, "Don't stop working because of me."

He sighs as he works. I look around in his room and find his old guitar lying around in the corner of the room. He brought it here with him, although he can't play a single chord.

It reminds me of our first kiss, and I can't help but blush.

"I actually picked up some songs," I say, "Would you mind a little Gwen Bradbury tiny desk concert?"

Oliver turns around and gives me a look that seems to say, How dare you even ask. Get on with it.

I haven't really serenaded Oliver with my singing or guitar skills. I remember this one or two times around summer when we would go out and I would play guitar while he lay down on the grass in front of me reading a book. Those were the best days of my life.

I pick up the guitar and tune it, play a few chords, warm up my voice to get in the zone, and finally start playing the song that reminds me so much of him and myself as well.

Fatefully

I tried to pick my battles 'til the battle picked me

Misery

Like the war of words I shouted in my sleep

And you passed right by

I was in the alley, surrounded on all sides

The knife cuts both ways

If the shoe fits, walk in it 'til your high heels break

Oliver gives me a sideways glance as I continue through the chorus and when it comes to the part where the lyrics are literally Now I'm all about you, I'm all about you, I sing it looking right at his back. I think he breathes in a rush which encourages me even more.

I sing the next verse.

When I dropped my sword

I threw it in the bushes and knocked on your door

And we live in peace

But if someone comes at us

This time, I'm ready

I never related to a song more. I remember the time when I quite literally knocked, wait, did not knock but barged into his room. I smile and sing the chorus again. Then I get to the bridge, which is always my favorite.

No more keepin' score now

I just keep you warm

No more tug of war now

I just know there's more

I sneak a look at Oliver, who is still working. I can't see his face. I think he is looking away from me intentionally, trying to hide his face from me. Too bad I know him too well.

And then comes my favorite part.

Past me

I wanna tell you not to get lost in these petty things

Your nemeses

Will defeat themselves before you get the chance to swing

And he's passing by

Rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky

And he feels like home

If the shoe fits, walk in it everywhere you go

I finish the song after singing the outro, which is long story short, I survived and I know I really did, I survived. I am going to keep surviving with all my might.

It's not really the most romantic song ever, but I love it the way it is.

"So how was that?" I ask as I drink a glass of water which was on his nightstand. He clears his throat.

"Oliver Carlson is too stunned to speak," I say, grinning.

"If his girlfriend seduces him like that, he has no choice but to be," Oliver replies, and still does not look at me.

"If you react like that to this one, how are you going to survive the next one?" I ask him. He has no idea what is about to come his way.

He closes the tab he is working on, turns around in his chair, and says, "There is another one?"

He looks tortured, lovingly so. He is also beaming, which only I can see. His eyes are a little crinkled.

"Oh yeah, it's a tiny desk concert, remember?" I say, with my eyebrows dancing.

He sighs, "Let me brace myself."

Oliver mumbles something underneath his breath which sounds like a prayer, asking for help from God. I can't help but laugh. He turns to the computer again, hiding away from me.

I stretch my fingers and then start playing the most romantic song that ever existed.

I knew I loved you then

But you'd never know

'Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go

I know I needed you

But I never showed

But I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old

Just say you won't let go

Just say you won't let go

I hear Oliver mumbling a faint "shit" and it takes everything in me not to laugh in the middle of singing. I look at the breakfast table as I sing the breakfast in bed part.

'm so in love with you

And I hope you know

Darling, your love is more than worth its weight in gold

We've come so far, my dear

Look how we've grown

And I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old

Just say you won't let go

Just say you won't let go

I see Oliver covering his face with his hands. I offer him zero mercy as I keep singing.

I wanna live with you

Even when we're ghosts

'Cause you were always there for me when I needed you most

I'm gonna love you 'til

My lungs give out

I hear a knock on the door and I see Tom's face peeking in. He takes a look at Oliver and then at me. He shakes his head.

I promise 'til death we part like in our vows

So I wrote this song for you, now everybody knows

That it's just you and me 'til we're grey and old

Just say you won't let go

Just say you won't let go

I sing, looking at Oliver who is finally facing me, looking all kinds of troubled. I can't stop smiling. My cheek hurts. I finish the song.

Tom claps from the door and then deadpans, "Just marry her, already."

His comment makes me lean over in laughter. Then I hear him say, "Honestly, at this point, I will fall in love with your girlfriend, dude."

We all know he is joking, but that doesn't stop Oliver from picking up the Rubik's cube from his desk and hurling it at Tom, who ducks and vanishes just in time.

Oliver walks over and closes the door. Then he walks towards me in the bed, takes the guitar away and finally levels me with a look.

"You are going to destroy me, some day." He says.

"Nah, I am just going to love you until my lungs give out," I say.

He growls before wrapping me up in his arms and never quite letting go.

*****

The best two days of my life later, when I get back to my dorm, I find a parcel waiting for me. I rip it open and find a blue velvet box. I open it and find a necklace with an infinity sign. I look for a note and find it.

I love you more than you love tater tots

I can't keep the smile off my face as I put the necklace on. I know he bought it right after he checked the results on the website. I can just feel it.

I love him. More than tater tots? Well, that is still debatable.

*****

A/N: i cannot stop smiling. i guess that was the point of this whole bonus book you know, to make you feel happy. i mean it did make me feel single writing about how they are so awesome together, but i am so happy.

here's to reaching the ground, one day.