I hated airports.

    I had been on far more planes in the past few years than I ever thought I would be, since I had decided to go to college 3,000 miles away from my home in California. Flying back for Christmases and summers had been something I came to dread, and flying from Virginia to New York was no different. JFK was a terribly busy airport, and there was no way I was going to get my luggage before the next shuttle left for the city at 2:30.

    Which gave me plenty of time to stare at the ring on my left hand.

    It had been a whirlwind of a week, and yet I knew I wouldn't have had it any other way. There was nothing I wanted more than to be able to be with Connor again, and I had known that, deep down, as I travelled to Virginia in the first place. There had been a part of me, small at first and growing larger with every mile closer I got to Connor, that had been desperate to have him back in my life.

    I never in a million years would have thought I'd be returned from my college trip with a rock on my left hand.

    I let myself stare at the ring until someone tapped me on the shoulder, causing me to turn around and hope desperately that it wasn't an airport employee telling me they had lost my luggage--that had happened to me a year ago and I was still getting over the loss of so many clothes and shoes.

    "Hey, Syd."

    It took me a second to register who was standing in front of me, and my eyes bugged out of my head when I finally put two and two together.

    "Lucy?"

    My former roommate nodded sheepishly, her eyes trained on the ground. I was silent, unsure of what to say to the woman who had kicked me out of her apartment without giving me the chance to explain anything at all.

    "I'm sorry." Lucy finally spoke, "About everything. I shouldn't have kicked you out."

    I raised my eyebrows, knowing I was in no position to be angry, and yet the fire was still there.

    "Why do you say that?" I asked, looking her up and down. She was still just as gorgeous as ever, yet the bags under her eyes suggested multiple sleepless nights.

    "Because Justin finally talked me down. He explained that Amy had it out for you, and that I was playing right into her trap. It was just hard for me, thinking that a drop-dead gorgeous girl was into my boyfriend who I know would have left me for her in an instant."

    I shook my head.

    "Justin's in love with you, Lucy. He wouldn't have left you for me even if I wanted him to. The two of you are perfect together, and you know I mean that."

    Lucy nodded slowly.

    "I do. Now." She smiled slightly, "And I just wanted to apologize for being so rude and kicking you out. You're more than welcome to have your room back and live with us again, and I'm sure that you...wait...what's that?"

    She grabbed my hand in hers and pulled the ring up to her face until it was level with her eyes.

    "Is that an engagement ring?"

    I laughed, trying to mask the fact that I wanted to scream "I told you so" in her face.

    "Yeah, it is." I nodded. "Connor proposed to me yesterday."

    "He did?" Lucy gasped, dropping my hand. "Oh my goodness Sydney, that's amazing! I'm so happy for you two." She was grinning from ear to ear as she spoke, "You two are going to be the absolute cutest husband and wife to walk the face of the earth."

    "I hope so." I laughed as the luggage track starting blaring a horn to tell us that our bags were coming, "Would you help me get my bags?"

    Lucy nodded.

    "Of course. And if you want, I can always give you a ride back to our apartment."

    "I'd like that." I nodded, "Thank you."

***

    "Sorry, I had to respond to Jacob."

    "You're all good, babe. So how was the flight?"

    "It would have been better if you had been there." I replied, finishing up with putting my clothes in the closet. "How much longer until I see you again?"

    "That depends. When do you want to have the engagement party?" Connor asked, "Because I was thinking February."

    "That sounds wonderful." I grinned, "When are we going to talk about a date?"

    "Well, while you were miles into the air, I was putting some thought into it." Connor replied, "How do you feel about June 5th? It's a Saturday, it's exactly five months from today, and it means we don't even have to wait that long."

    "June 5th." I nodded, testing the date out in my mind. "I like it." I felt my heart start to race as I thought about it. "We're getting married on June 5th."

    "We're getting married on June 5th."

A/N: This chapter is short because the next chapter is hella long.

Any guesses on what the final chapter entails? I'm sure it's not hard to figure out. And if you need hints, my Instagram story from yesterday (@officialkatherinepowell, shameless plug) should shed some light on it.

-Katherine